I requested and received this book from NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

"In Your Nature" by Estlin McPhee is a beautifully written poetry collection. It did not pack the same punch as other queer poetry books I've read recently. However it is thought provoking and meditative. It's also more religious than I expected.

I found "In Your Nature" a meditative experience. I would get lost in the words of a poem and float off through memories. I believe it's a special kind of writing that can pull you into yourself like that. Something that allows you to experience memories without the hurt they carry. Kind of like intense solidarity. It was an overall good experience.

I greatly enjoyed all of the poems in this collection. However, there are a few that pulled me in. One such group of poems were "Martha and Mary Witness Jesus's Death Across Time and space:August", "Wolf", "Snow", & "Bridge". Some of my other favorites were "Prayer For Whats to Come", "Gay Messiah", and "Glossolalia". But, again all of the poems are wonderful.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC of this book. This is a nice little poetry collection that touches on some tough subjects, namely queer and transgender life. The author looks at their religious past, often using bible quotes and characters to state their points, and it works really well.

I loved these poems as they spoke about transformation and what it truly means to find one's self and be comfortable in their own skin. The overall writing of this was amazing.

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**

Actual rating: 3.5

Estlin McPhee presents their poetry collection In Your Nature, with focus on queer and trans experiences. McPhee ties in themes of folklore, lycanthropy, transformation, and religion as well as various pop culture references.

I will admit that I rarely read poetry. Typically, I read maybe one book or so of poetry each year. I was drawn in first by the beautiful cover art for In Your Nature, and then by the mentioned themes.

I could see myself in a lot of the pieces McPhee collected, and could appreciate their methods of incorporating both religion and folklore into the collection. I also liked the variety of structural composition methods and was grateful for the small explanations of each piece at the back of the collection.

I enjoyed my time with In Your Nature and would happily recommend it to those poetry fans that can appreciate the topics included.

In Your Nature, Estlin McPhee crafts a beautiful and haunting exploration of trans identity and gender. I especially enjoyed the poems that reflected on childhood nostalgia and nature. As someone who has experienced religious trauma, I resonated with the religious themes of growing up queer in a religious environment where it feels like everyone is against you. The poetry weaves in mythology and werewolves in such an evocative way, adding layers to the book’s central themes of transformation and self-discovery.

My favorite poems were “One Direction,” “Righteous Butch,” “Data on Transgender Youth,” “Harmless,” and “Gay Messiah.”

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

God, this was so beautiful.

At first I could have done without the Harry Potter commentary, although as I went along, I understood why those poems were included. So many of these poems are about lost comforts and shifting perceptions, about familiar texts that reliably bring comfort and the people associated with them who seem so focused on causing pain. For exvangelicals, or for people have had to reshape their faith, I suppose the poems about Christianity touch on similar wounds.

Many of these poems were beautiful and meaningful, but there were a few that included such stunning imagery and beautiful phrasing that I might end up buying a physical copy to reread.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This poetry collection weaves transgender identity, nature, and the human experience into a tapestry of raw beauty and quiet resilience. Each poem feels like a walk through the woods—introspective, grounded, and brimming with transformation. The author’s voice is both tender and defiant, offering a space where vulnerability meets strength. It’s a hauntingly lyrical journey that lingers long after the last page. I am not a religious person, so the religious references were a bit lost on me even with the notes at the end of the book, but I didn't feel that it took away from the story much.

I enjoyed a lot of the poems in this collection! “One Direction” and “Turning Back” were a couple of my favorites; seeing 1D lyrics mixed in with Bible verses was a fun surprise, and I’m always a sucker for reading about queer religious trauma. There were some pieces I didn’t connect with as much, but that’s to be expected since art is subjective.

I’m excited to see what Estlin McPhee comes out with next!

Thank you for the ARC NetGalley!

These poems focus on love and life and I deeply related to them. It was refreshing and I think it’s a must-read for queer folk. I look forward to reading more of McPhee’s work!

I was interested in reading this book of poetry because it is about transgender people. I was curious to see what kinds of themes and topics would be in the book. I was surprised by all of the religious references. As a Jewish person who does not have much background in the New Testament, I was not familiar with many of the references and had difficulty connecting with that aspect. However, there were some parts that were moving. If I had more background in some of the content, I suspect that I may have rated this book as a 4.

This poetry collection allows for a glimpse into the life experience of Estlin McPhee. However, "In Your Nature" is not just a collection of personal experiences but also gives you the opportunity to see famous characters and figures in a new light.

From Harry Potter and the comparison between his life and transgender life experiences (especially clever with that series' author‘s transphobic mindset) to Joan of Arc, characters for poems that will be stuck in my mind long after reading them can be found throughout.
Besides the people presented in the story, I also loved the thoughts on religion and relationships, no matter if romantic or familial, in connection to realizing your gender identity. Regardless of how much you can relate to the story being told, you will be left pondering these lines.

Incredibly personal and filled with intriguing concepts, this book is for everyone interested in reading about gender exploration in a magical and fantastical world.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Brick Books for providing me with this ARC in return for an honest review.

A biting (please excuse the pun) and wolfish look at trans identity through the lens of religion, grief, nostalgia, and mythology. "In Your Nature" starts off slow but quickly picks up as the reader moves through the dichotomy of childhood nostalgia and adult disdain for Harry Potter into the swirling darkness of lycanthropy. I was blown away with McPhee's way with metaphor, especially how they work divinity into the trans identity.
A refreshing and visceral read.

My favorite poems are: "The Dream Jar", "Prayer for What's to Come", "Lycanthropy", "Gay Messiah", and "Young Hearts Run Free."

A short, quick poetry read with a good heart that explores coming of age, trans identity, family, religion, and love.

The religious themes are very heavily and overtly explored, some of which I really enjoyed and a lot of which (as a non-christian) went over my head.

I was also surprised to see Harry Potter so prominently featured. I think a lot of writers shy away from mentioning popular media in deference to feigning an aura of sophistication, but it was done really well here. I myself was a huge (like huge, huge) Harry Potter fan, and I just completely blocked out all memory and recognition of it when I learned J.K. Rowling is a transphobe. But I think the way some of these poems navigated feeling the grossness of J.K. Rowling and also relating to a Harry Potter character was really interesting.

And from a narrative standpoint, it flowed well into my favorite thing this poetry collection did--using the character of Remus Lupin and the concept of werewolves to explore things like transformation, change, and being viewed negatively by other people and society.

Some of the poems didn't really hit for me, but that's almost always the case in any collection of work. Overall, I'm glad I read it, and it made me think.

A unique, bold, witchy and lupine exploration of growing up bookish, imaginative, and queer in a religious environment. Of discovering your identity, losing and grieving friends, the strings connecting mother to daughter to grandson, the calls of nature, and the lives of historical figures. Jesus and Joan of Arc really have continuously been fixations for lots of LGBT youth, understandably so. Both broke gender roles in tons of ways and are surrounded by divine imagery and grace often denied to others who do the same. They transcend. I loved the generational family poems most, probably because I'm a drama fly who loves messy tea, by I also loved the poems more about nostalgia, childhood, and nature.

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy, I'm eager to see more from this author in the future!

This is a beautiful written poetry book about intersections of trans identity, magic, myth, family, and religion.
It's easy & fast to read.

Not a lot to say other than that.
Just very beautiful.

Thank you NetGalley & Estlin for the e-copy!