Competent, occasionally impactful, but rarely stands out above similar works. Not a bad collection, but a bit of a linguistically and thematically repetitive one.

These poems feel more like diary entries, and they are easy to understand and quick to move. The poems were, mostly, outstanding, and I loved how steeped in Maori culture and life they all were. I will also mention that the cover itself is absolutely stunning.

Favorite poems include Christmas, The Smell, The Ghosts, Mint Green Cross!

As with most other reviewers, I want to begin with the caveat that I'm not a poetry expert! That being said, I did find Tibble's collection to be a bit uneven -- some poems ran together, while others were crisp and biting. The opening sequence and the Twilight-focused poem were standouts. I'll certainly give the poet's next collection a read!

As with most poetry and personal essay collections, this book had both hits and misses for me. Poukahangatus covers a range of themes such as history, race, culture, adolescence and womanhood. I really enjoyed the ones about pop culture, with the author's analysis about Twilight being my favourite. Overall, it's a great collection even though most of it isn't really to my tastes.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this poetry book in exchange for an honest review!

3.0

I'm not the best critic for poetry, and I definitely am not a very good one, however I can understand poetry enough to know if it's good or not. The poems in this book were very reminiscent of 'honey & milk' by Rupi Kaur, it is to the point and leaves very little room for interpretation - and it just doesn't feel like poetry; if anything, it feels more like a series of thoughts put into a book and the sentences are spaced out into paragraphs to make them look aesthetically pleasing.

I picked this up cause I wanted to try something new - as well as begin my deeper understanding of poetry, and I think this was a good starter book, despite its simplicity. There wasn't enough imagery, analogies, and context for me to really grip the poems enough - I just felt like they were surface-level and was hard for me to absorb, despite reading the poems three to four times. There were two poems that I enjoyed, Identity Politics And LBD, as I felt like these were the ones that I could absorb best and relate to the most - it had the most depth for me and flowed really well in my opinion, it was just a shame that the others were just as equally important but I couldn't absorb as well. One gripe I also had with the poems were also that the titles did not relate to the poems themselves, and I was re-reading the poems to better understand the title, but I just couldn't understand.

The themes the author talks about in the poems are really important, however I feel like it could have been told in short essays rather than poetry. I feel like the author does love their poems and loves poetry, I just think they need to hone their craft better and learn how to create atmospheric, hard-hitting, and thought-provoking poems. It might just be me that doesn't understand, and I am proud of the author!

Impactful and meaningful poetry, the backstory of Poukahangatus included in the introduction was touching and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire book. Will be recommending and sharing to my audience asap, so beautiful, and the cover art is so eye-catching!

4.5 stars, rounded to 5 stars.

Really enjoyed this, both the short stories and poetry seemed to take up a similar amount of the book, all of the poems were heartfelt and moving, the short stories were incredibly impactful and eye opening.

I would definitely recommend this book it was so insightful and it felt educational in a way that probably wasn't even intended.

Will definitely read more from this author.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Holy moly did this collection of poetry hit hard. From discussions surrounding hair to a thoroughly engrossing poem with Twilight at its center, I was spellbound from start to finish. I read it through quickly, then more slowly again highlighting sections that just hit hard and I fully plan on studying it more over the summer.

I love teaching Indigenous poetry in my Intro to Native American Literature class and while this would stretch those boundaries a bit, I do think I can insert this one in once it is released. I am just dumbfounded about how sections keep popping into my head as I go about my daily work.

Mark this release in your calendars and pick this book up once it's out. It's, quite simply, mind-blowing.

It's been a while since I've read a book of poetry that didn't tie itself down with overly complicated language or clever line breaks; Tayi Tibble's collection thrives on point-blank, stripped language and honest images that stick to your bones. The overall tone of the collection was bitter-sweet, like a bad memory that's been softened by time and distance, a feeling that stayed with me long after I turned the last page. I look forward to reading more work from this author!

🇳🇿Poükahangatus

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Poetry is definitely not my normal genre, however it is a prompt on the diverse reading challenge so when I saw this book on Netgalley I thought it was the percect time to pick it up.

Not being a normal reader of poetry I don't want to cast too many judgements on the style of writing because I don't really know what is good or bad. All I can say is that I really enjoyed this collection of poems, I enjoyed the way the traditional and modern were intwined and interlinked.

It was a really beautiful collection of words, something that I think would be nice to dip in and out of. Reading a couple of poems a night and really thinking about them.

The beautiful cover lured me in, but I stayed for the poetry. A lot of beauty in this little book and even though I can’t relate to much and had a bit of a hard time getting into the rhythm, I liked the short insight to someone else’s story.

A collection that will grace the shelves of my library.
/ Denise

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Poukahangatus is the debute poetry collection by Tayi Tibble. I just have to take a second and and recognize how incredibly stunning that cover is! The second I saw it I just had to read this book.

I can't say I connected to every poem in hate. I also can't say I enjoyed every poem in here, but the ones I enjoyed made this entire collection worth reading. I loved being able to read a poetry collection by a young indigenous woman getting a glimpse into her perspective of the world.

My favorite poem in this collection is "Our Nan Lets Us Smoke Inside". It brought back memories of smoking and playing cards with my own nan (yes, I was legal age). The nostalgia I felt reading this poem was just wonderful.

Poukahangatus is a very small book coming in at only 96 pages. So if you're looking for just a quick dip into someone else's perspective through poetry than this could potentially be a great option for you.

** Thank you to NetGalley, Tayi Tibble, and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for this ARC **

Poukahangatus is Taya Tibble's debut book of poetry, written while she was completing her MA at the International Institute of Modern Letters. Her debut book won several awards in New Zealand. First published in 2018 through Victoria University Press, this edition will be out in July of 2022.

I enjoyed this collection of poetry a lot! While I technically read this on May 1st, I requested it from NetGalley in honor of National Poetry Month. The cover was gorgeous and I loved the concept of a poetry collection written by a young indigenous woman from New Zealand. I know very little about Māori culture and really enjoyed this very modern look into the thoughts of a young woman. Her writing was cutting, insightful, funny, and beautiful. I will be doing my best to read her most recent collection of poetry as well!

I definitely struggled to get into the vibe of this collection, however, the poetic language was an absolute gem and it made the nature of the poems shine.

A sprightly, sharp, and vibrant collection, witty and emotional and dryly biting, and certainly a strong debut. I look forward to more from Tayi Tibble in the future.

Thank you to Knopf for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lyrical, bright, and steeped in Maori culture. Tibble's work oscillates between swift short lines of poetry and long verbose prose which breaks the flow of the collection in an interesting but enjoyable way.

My favorite poems are: "I Wear Aviators to the Club", "Christmas", and "LBD."

I loved the cover of this poetry collection and was excited to read a new to me Indigenous author from New Zealand. Overall the poems were well done but despite my best efforts I couldn't connect with most of them. I did appreciate the author's range. The style of poems was quite varied and I enjoyed that. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy in exchange for my honest review.

I usually pick away at poetry collections over several days, but I didn’t want to put POŪKAHANGATUS down. Tayi Tibble’s writing has such a strong identity and sense of place that I was completely immersed. There’s piles of truth in her explorations of family, culture, and Māori/pākehā relations.

A must-read for poetry-lovers. Look for the North American release on July 26, or get it now if it’s already out in your region.

This was such a unique book of poetry. To be honest, I'm not sure I've ever read any like it. I love that there was such a huge range of emotions throughout. Although there were many I could not relate to on a personal level, I still enjoyed it so much.

I either love poetry or I don't and this was almost like poetic essays. The poems were a lot longer than I expected so I was thrown off by that initially. I got the poetry as in I understood it and liked the tone and vibes, but I'm not sure I would consider it a must read or groundbreaking.