2.75*

This was a somewhat interesting concept, but I think poetry in general is very hit or miss with me. I do want the poetry I read to say something of substance, and I felt that this lacked that. It was pretty and very Tumblr'esque at times and I can see that it could be aesthetically pleasing.

So if you're into the aesthetics of poetry and quirky references and tales, this may be of interest to you. Otherwise, it didn't really feel that interesting. I did enjoy a few of the poems, but mostly because they seemed fun enough (without spoiling, the poems involving cats were the best).

TL;DR it was just overall not my thing but it also wasn't terrible, but nor was it remotely amazing.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC.

I was blown away by the poems in here! They are short scifi/fantasy/horror poems that will make you laugh, think, and sometimes creep you out! Resist the urge to rush through this collection and savor each one.

I really enjoyed these. Some of them were pretty dark and took me by surprise. The one that hit home most for me was “Marriage”. And then I love all the ones that involved space!

Overall I really enjoyed this and will definitely be looking into this author in the future. The book is separated into parts and I liked all of them, some more than others.
A few of the sections I felt didn't really fit in with the other parts of the book and while they were good it also made my brain go huh?
The childhood tales poems were a bit too small for my liking although the goldilocks poem I literally laughed out loud out of shock and told my mother about it lol.
The title of this collection goes very nicely with the poetry inside of it.

This was not exactly what I imagined, according to the summary. It was enjoyable enough, but nothing really stuck out to me.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc copy of this!

To be honest, I didn't quite resonate with this collection. Knowing it's a scifi-horror, it did pique my interest at first because I haven't read anything like it in poetic form. I guess Ms. Christina's work simply isn't for me despite its rich imagery on space. I'm never used to reading short poems as they tend to fall short in my head, too, like a cliffhanger (it makes me question whether I understand it or not). However, I didn't find those pure nonsense. Sparrow, Monstress, and Monsters at Home are the few that I liked. Anyway, I know there'll be others who are going to intertwine with the beauty of this poetry, just as the author wanted at the beginning.

I really liked this collection of macabre poems. I love anything horror and macabre. This book is a fast read but there will be times when you read it again and again to understand the poetry. If your a lover of horror and macabre, then this book is for you. I loved the book so much, it was great fun to read.

I received a free copy of the book and is voluntarily writing a review

When i seen this poetry book avaible to read, i stopped... looked at the cover.. screamed... read the title... got more exicted... skipped the synopsis and right into the poems.
I was a bit confused with some of them thought but there are quite a few i did enjoy and am happy to read more from this author soon.

The Gravity of Existence is a haunting, lyrical collection. Christina Sng’s poems simultaneously embody and disembody grief, pain, fear, and loss. What on the surface seems like a collection of horror stories in verse and classic stories retold houses at its core a sincere interest in death and its effects. I enjoyed Sng’s unique use of form and meter and her freedom with length (or brevity). A few of the shorter poems had me puzzling over their meaning, without more to interpret the shorter poems sometimes fall flat. Nevertheless, I think this is a collection I will return to - it caused me to think both outside and inside myself as all the best poetry does.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this book.

I hated this book. I am not a fan of lazy poetry — I am even less a fan of poems that could be something had the author reached a tiny bit further. Also, for what reason did this fairytale poetry collection started with a 9/11 poem??

ESCAPE
“Why do you read
The moment you get home?”
I ask my child, her nose in a book.

“To escape the horrors
Of the world,” she says.
I nod and we exchange a look.

And so many of the “poems” are just fucking word association.

“mesmerized
by sunlight
child vampire”

and

“rappelling
for the first time
rapunzel”

What bugs me is that there are lots of interesting concepts that could have been made into really good poems. But they weren’t!

I couldn’t finish this book.

3.5
I did struggle to read the format of this arc but I can really see its potential.
This is the first book of poems that I have enjoyed as it was fun, playful and I was able to understand what the author was trying to show the reader.
I loved the section on fairy tales and apocalypses.

This isn't my first book by the author, but I think I personally prefer her longer work a bit more -- it gives me more time to get acclimated to each poem's tone / theme / message, and I think I struggled with that a little bit because of it here. I've never read short format poetry like this (or, not quite as short anyway), and I did enjoy how quick the style & book were - I was able to read this really fast and despite the speed, still had some vivid imagery in my head throughout!

The Gravity of Existence was a fascinating genre that I haven't read before and was excited about: science fiction/ horror poetry. This was a great read to welcome the fall season, and the poetry was eerie and unsettling. I enjoyed how the poems were broken up into little sections, making for a quick and easy read. However, this wasn't for me. Some of the poems felt a little too bare bones and vague for me. Overall, I am glad to be introduced to the horror poetry genre, and want to read more in this vein.

I am not usually a reader of poetry but this book's description appealed to me. I enjoyed the poems, though not really stuck out to me much. I enjoyed "The End" section the most. It felt like there was a real story in there and I liked how it unfolded. Overall, I enjoyed it for it's simplicity and easiness to read.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Terrifying poetry and prose, in this gripping look at humanity. It takes some very odd turns and will have you questioning the gravity of your own existence.

This collection of poetry was a short and fun read. I really loved the childhood tales section, it made me laugh how short and blunt someone can basically summarise fairytales. A lot of the poems made me laugh out loud and the other half really had me thinking about my entire existence, so what else do you need. I definitely suggest reading this!

So this poetry collection from Christina Sng took about 20 minutes for me to read. Very, very, short pieces. I like the way they’re grouped together in themes to tell a story but honestly, there’s not much here to sink your teeth into. I love Sng’s collections from Raw Dog Screaming Press, so definitely check those out if this one leaves you wanting more ✨
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Review copy from NetGalley

Poetry dripping with melancholy, unusual and not always relatable, but I found bits that strung my heartstrings and made me tear up and even chuckle couple of times.
Short and sweet, sad but not too depressing.
I have no words fitting to describe such personal poetry collection, you just have to read and experience all of the words yourself.

I enjoyed the short length of the poems and reading them was smooth, while at the same time I could savor them. The themes were quite unexpected at times, but they appealed to some old memories I have; others have been interesting to imagine and to visualize.

In some ways I found them very simplistic, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. All in all, I can really say I enjoyed reading these poems.

Thank you!

thanks so much to netgalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review!

i really wanted to like this one but it simply was not it for me. the writing was nice and flowery but most of the poems simply didn’t make sense. it just felt like gibberish.