This is a beautifully crafted and incredibly powerful collection of poetry, written from the perspective of Joan of Arc at various points in her life.

Joan of Arc is a figure that means many different things to many different people, and to me, has always – since before I could even start to articulate it – reflected the meeting of my faith and my queerness. I’ve probably DNFed more books about Joan than any other topic, because so much fiction about her felt at odds with my own perception of her.

I don’t pretend to know anything about poetry from a technical perspective, but I know when I enjoy poetry and when it connects with me. This collection was so powerful and raw, especially as Joan went through her trial and imprisonment.

Rose interprets Joan’s life through an undeniably queer lens. Rather than imagine her as having one or another particular identity, he focuses more on how queerness itself – the way someone can exist outside of society’s rules on gender expression – can be experienced through her. I found the moments that intersected Joan’s queerness with her faith to be particularly powerful and moving, and they felt especially poignant.

I am so glad I stumbled across this collection, and I think it’s going to be one I return to many times in the future.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

Absolutely gorgeous collection that merges the telling of Joan of Arc's life, and a young queer person's experience of their own early life as they come into themself.

I really enjoyed getting into this book, I really enjoyed getting to go on this journey with the reimagining of Joan of Arc and enjoyed the lyrical poems. It was a strong biography and had that feel that I was wanting in this type of book. Jake Rose wrote this well and had that research element that I was looking for and enjoyed in this type of book.