A poetry collection for all of the girls raised on Lana Del Rey's <i>Born To Die</i>. Sneaking liquor from your family, smoking weed with your sorta boyfriend, and reflecting on all of it. I love the irreverence for the world here. But don't be mistaken, her reverence for her spiritual world and cultural history never misses. A good mix of poems and proems (prose poems). I would point out specific poems that I loved but once I dug into this collection each poem was a hit. I particularly enjoyed the way she discussed shame.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for this e-arc. <3

Tibble is excellent at telling a whole story in few words, complete with emotion. This was a quick read that felt very modern and current, and a lot of it felt like a friend talking to me in the middle of the night. Definitely recommend!

Thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for the e-ARC!

I read 35 percent and had gotten this book based on the title and cover. DNF (did not finish) The poetic storytelling really was confusing and I didn’t know what my opinion was. It’s for a much older audience but it went past my head. It’s erotic, vague, and contains vignettes of perhaps the author’s life or fantasies. Like I would suggest you become an expert of Māori culture and livelihood (hopefully I’m not wrong about this) because it’s filled with vocabulary I wasn’t aware of. It’s a niche poetic piece of writing. I wasn’t impressed but I could see this being a great piece for English curriculum to analyze for junior or senior year of high school. I would rate this at 2.5 which is three stars for having qualities of a brave, vulnerable, and exciting poetic piece.

There's no doubt Tayi can write. She balanced playful language and flow with vibrant Maori cultural references so well. This collection featured vivid imagery and lines that made me pause, but they were intertwined with distracting Gen Z slang. I know that makes me sound like a boomer rather than a millennial, but I'm interested to see what Tayi writes next.

A big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.


I really, really love poetry, but sadly, this one wasn't for me. I don't know if it was the writing style, but something was definitely missing.

Thank you @NetGalley and @aaknopf for the e-ARC

Raw and vulnerable, Tibble plays with the definitions of femininity and the sexual nature of women within her experience and community to create a collection of poetry that moves between powerful to powerless. Playing both to the US hip hop culture that is imported into New Zealand and her own Maori roots, the language is vivid, direct and unique.

Tibble chooses to shrug off most of the western rules of poetry to live in free verse or rhythmic flows which keep the collection fresh and exciting. Focusing not on the classical rules of beauty, she chooses to display a beauty that exists just beyond the colonial gaze.

This is the Tibble’s sophomore collection, and in a new printing. It will be exciting to see where she goes from here as much of this collection focuses on her younger experiences.

Fresh, rhythmic, and colorful. Full of Māori inspired imagery and culture, Tibble paints a picture of belonging and love. Her writing has improved since her debut and I'm excited to see how she continues to grow her craft.

My favorite poems are: "Tohunga", "Mars in Scorpio", "Hine-nui-te-po", and "4 the Dead Homies."

This was an interesting collection, and I enjoyed a few of the poems a lot. I feel like some of it was for shock value, but I'm not sure, I feel like after a reread it might feel less like that.

I thoheroughly enjoyed this sophomore collection of poems by Māori poet Tayi Tibble, and I would very much like to read her debut now! Reviewing poetry always feels difficult because it’s often so subjective, but I loved the careful craft of these poems, the modern and down-to-earth voice of them, and how integral the author’s Māori identity is to them. The sense of place and atmosphere evoked was just wonderful.

My one reservation is that it felt like there were some poems, and some places in the longer poems, where the language and flow didn’t quite live up to what the author had demonstrated she can do elsewhere in the collection, so it didn’t quite hit five stars ... but it was a wonderful, deeply enjoyable read, and I would most certainly recommend it.

Thank you so much to Knopf and Netgalley for the advance copy!

Rangikura is a complex and unflinching memoir and poetry/prose hybrid by promising Māori author Tayi Tibble. Descriptions of childhood, puberty, and mature themes intertwine with dizzying speed and almost choppy juxtaposition, as do beautiful indigenous terms and English-language obscenities. While it is incredibly jarring — if not quite off-putting — to read of childhood trauma in New Zealand and adult sexual liberation in America in nearly the same breath, the work overall is strangely beautiful and, if nothing else, unquestionably unforgettable.

Thank you to the publisher! Unfortunately, some poems resonated and others did not. I would recommend this book to some friends and colleagues, but not all.

Badass, Cultural, Emotional, and Raw

I love the formatting and the change from poetry to story to poetry. I felt like we saw many milestones and defining moments in the author's life. Her words flow like a rap song. The descriptive backgrounds really allowed me to envision her on the island, at dinner, in a hotel. At times flexing and others feeling shattered. Highly Recommend.

Through her poetry, Tayi Tibble, brings the reader into her world and the world of her ancestors. It is a beautifully written book that I hope to share with my students and fellow teachers. Thank you for allowing me to read it.

Rage. Vulnerable. Feminist.

Rangikura is a coming of age collection of poetry that is unabashedly vulnerable with feminine rage threaded throughout. Tibble weaves poems that are autobiographical in short and long form. Verses deeply resonate and strongly depict the complicated and messy relationship surrounding family, romantic and sexual partners, and of oneself. Its cathartic and filled with ancestral acknowledgement and love.

Unfortunately I didn't connect with this latest collection of poetry as much as I did the Indigenous New Zealand author's debut book. That said, the poem structures were very creative, had a strong voice and were sprinkled with colloquialisms that left me a bit puzzled. Personally this one wasn't for me but it was still a beautiful collection with a stunning cover to match! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Books for this advanced copy.

This collection rocks. The poems are insightful, funny, and heartbreaking all at once, encompassing the complicated feelings of growing up, womanhood, and maturity in the face of despair and hardship. This collection will strike a chord with almost everyone.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this title.

This book of poems has many beautiful moments and imagery. I did not love all of the poems (which I think is nearly impossible for any poetry book) but the ones that I love sung to me. Her reflection of her childhood and the identity with her Māori heritage made this collection so special. I felt connected with her coming of age and being a woman while enjoying the love of her heritage. She brings you into her world the way she sees it and leaves places where you can see yourself.

This collection by New Zealander, Tayi Tibble, consists of free verse and prose poetry of an autobiographical nature (or presented as such.) It is playful in its use of language, especially in its use of slang and Maori language words, as it deals with a broad emotional landscape.

It has bursts of creative brilliance and evocativeness, but also periods where it's like reading a teenager's diary.

All in all, I enjoyed the collection and would recommend it for poetry readers.

Rangikura by TAYI TIBBLE (Te Whānau ā Apanui/ Ngāti Porou)

The poets know. I treasured this book of poems. I have so many highlights from the book. My favorites are
Tohunga
Hot Hine Summer
Hine-nui-te-pō
Te Araroa
My Ancestors Send Me Screenshots
A Karakia 4 a Humble Skux
My Ancestors Ride wit Me

This is my fourth book for The Diverse Baseline Challenge, the first for the January prompt of a Collection of Poetry.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book of poetry was so fun and transported me back to my early twenties when I was young enough to remember my high school days but old enough to make my own way as an adult. There was so much fun in these poems but a lot of hurt as well. I would recommend this to anyone interested in a fresh voice talking about making mistakes, exploring your identity/identities, being a woman and living in a world made by others (while carving out your own path). I really loved it! Going to go back and read Poūkahangatus immediately.
Thanks you NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC.