Beautiful book! Vivid poetry that really brings its scenes to life. Dark yet gleaming is accurate. “Watch: I shall the call the elements, / I shall cast sacrilegious circles in sand.”

Beautiful poetry and wonderful illustrations combine in this book. It's dark, but deep at the same time, and will make you think. They really hit you in the heart, and you may tear up while reading it. Overall, a great collection.

I appreciate poetry that exposes me to a different experience or worldview. Poetry can also be beautiful, challenging and inspiring.

This collection seems self-indulgent and narcissistic. It is also not really interesting to read in terms of poetic rhythm or structure. The author may have found much healing and growth in the process of writing, however, I don't think many other people would find much to linger on. Perhaps I shouldn't speak for others, but this did not resonate with me.

It is self-consciously dark and intentionally trying to invoke a sense of other-worldly spirits and power. The metaphors are obvious; "The clock is driving itself insane, going around in circles."

I wasn't a fan. I think it just wasn't something that resonated with me, I couldn't get myself into this collection.

Turns out completely different to what I had expected. The poems are neither lyrical nor do they have any flow. I am very disappointed and found this book just hyped up.

As with most books on NetGalley, this book is a great read. Captivating and intriguing. Thematically beautiful. Gorgeous writing.

At first I wasn't sure about this book, but finally, I loved it so much! Can't wait to read this author's other works.
I love to feel a connection to what I read when I'm reading poetry and it happened when I was reading Rituals. This collection of poetry made me feel good, even thought the subject is heavy, I felt like I'm not alone.

A unique collection of poems.
I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for giving me a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

There are interesting black and white illustrations.

Otherwise, I have mixed feelings about this collection. I liked a few poems, but I have to admit that I somehow couldn't connect to the majority of it. I don't mind that this poetry is gloomy and dark. I didn't like the style. I'm sorry for the bad review, I don't want to write one, but this one is not for me.

Rituals, we all need them and use them - sometimes consciously, sometimes not.

In this wonderful collection of poems, Lorcán Black weaves his words on the balance of life and death, love, compassion and obsession, sometimes leaning a bit to one side or the other. He shows the rituals we recognize, wether we knew they were there or not.

His poems gave me the chills, in a good way. They reached my core and will linger there for a long time.

"To build, you must first destroy."

This is my first poetry book review. I picked this book because the description and the cover intrigued me. The collection explores many themes: war, mental health and illness, self-harm, suicide, love, innocence, drug addictions, constant inner battles, mood swings etc. There is a constant undertone of poignancy and melancholy. Each poem is different in style and length. I loved the fact that they are not monotonous. As mentioned in the description of the book, readers will find themselves clawing through muck and grime, trying to find love so it can save them or at least, hope for love.

The poems are really dark. When I first picked it up to read, I knew this would be a dark read but it turned out to be darker than I imagined. The poems are bewitching but only a few came close to my heart, though every poem fascinated me with its intricate ritualistic writing. Pieces based on asylum reminded me of Sylvia Plath. Anyone who knows me, know that she was the one who helped me rediscover my love for poetry. The highly metaphorical poems, the ritualistic comparisons, the ethereal flow and the magic in the poet's writings are immensely remarkable! The soul of the book was deeply thought-provoking and profoundly deep. It is a quick read and anyone can read it but not everyone will like it but the poem's imagery will stay with you. I would love to read Black's upcoming collections!

eBook provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I went in to Rituals with the expectation that I would enjoy it. I love poetry, I love the ~aesthetics~ that Rituals has, and I love the subjects Rituals covers. However, I was completely disappointed. None of the poems grabbed me in any capacity. I found myself bored and scanning the pages because nothing was gripping or interesting. It seems like the author had one half-interesting Instagram poem and made an entire book of poems around it, all of them more pretentious and meaningless than the previous one. I so desperately wanted to enjoy this book, but I walked away from it after finishing it, relieved that it was finally over. The only reason it earns two stars is because the illustrations were absolutely beautiful.

I really, really wanted to love this poetry book. Rituals is about mental institutions and mythology and the grime of everyday life. And yes, some of the poems are perfectly crafted. Some lines squeeze the breath right out of my body. But overall, many of the poems sprawl for too long, four roman-numeral'd sections to a poem that was boring in the first part.

(Thanks NetGalley for providing me with an advanced readers copy in return for an honest review.)

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Rituals, released on the 31st of May this year, from NetGalley and the publisher April Gloaming Publishing in exchange for my honest review. 

I want to begin as always, by saying that this review may contain thoughts and opinions that could spoil the book for you. 

The blurb for this collection states that "Black's poetry illuminates the wonder in all of us."..."this collection fortifies our nature to hunt for a life worth living." Which pretty much perfectly sums up how I felt about this work. 

I have decided that my rating for Rituals had to be at least 3.5-4 out of 5 stars. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but those of you who do appreciate poetry that is quite metaphoric and gritty pick this up. I will say though, if you can, read Black's poem 'Aleppo' it will break your heart... in a good way? 

For my full review check out my blog:
https://readbyamity.blog

This was a quiet little poetry collection. The author describes it as a "strange little book" in the acknowledgements and that's an apt description. The cover intrigued me with its mix of beauty and brokenness, and the poems have the same feeling. This is not a happy collection, but it is beautifully written. None of the poems particularly resonated with me or made me feel strong emotions, but that's not a bad thing. It just didn't click all the way with me. The poet is undoubtedly very gifted, though, so I encourage you to give it a try.

*I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I loved everything about this book. I didn’t know what to expect and I am so glad this book found me. Beautifully written, dramatic prose, soulful pages of relevant and important topics. I felt lost occasionally but it was because I was stuck thinking about the previous sentence or two and had to go back and read it again because of the different ways of perceiving. Will recommend!

I absolutely adore poetry but this one just wasn't for me. I did not connect with anything here. And that is totally fine. The great thing about books is that it gives different views, vibes and feelings to every reader.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

This collection of poetry featured quite a lot of themes in it:mental health, being in mental institutions,feeling trapped in your own head, war,consequences of war,depression and many,many more. The author has such a unique style of writing, creating an atmospheric experience. All poems were dark,and as you read them you feel like you are drowning and with each poem you go down a little deeper. Don't think I will reread this one,but it will definitely stay with me for the rest of my life.

“You the black shore I have broken away from,
madness a simple tithe.
Blackness forms my oars.”

RATING: 3.75/5

I received a free review copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. Ever since I started college and began reading poetry extensively, I have always been on the lookout for great collections which leave an indelible mark. When I discovered this on NetGalley, I was immediately smitten by the synopsis and was eager to find out how it used illustrations in tandem with verse. The reading experience was certainly unique. I had loved the gorgeous cover and illustrations inside the book, abstract in nature, were equally well-done. They gelled particularly well with the poems, especially the ritualistic themes which echoed across the collection. While the subjects were diverse and varied, there was a constant undertone of melancholy, impending doom, a descent into madness, and esoteric obsession in every piece.

They are quite dark and reach into the darkest deepest recesses of the human mind, the craft itself is quite remarkable. I could not imagine a better title. As is usually the case with my reception of free verse poetry, some pieces worked exceptionally well while some didn’t at all. One of the biggest drawbacks was that the poet rarely employs nuance in the execution of his vision which led to a marked lack of subtlety in a lot of the poems included here. My favourite pieces were - “Invocation of Ishtar”, “Magdalene Laundry”, “Asylum”, “Aleppo”, “How to Bake a Marital Desertion” and “Ghost in the Machine”. I would recommend this collection for anyone who is on the lookout for a unique set of poems which play with startling imagery.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. One of the most beautiful books of poetry I have read in a long time. Faith, madness, reality, all combined. What is faith? What are we to believe? How do you show that faith? These poems are all about what you feel.
I enjoyed the artwork as well. Everything fit well into the atmosphere of the poetry. This book may be dark to some, but I personally love the dark.