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Bestial Mouths
Bestial mouths whisper, calling you into a labyrinth of nightmares, metamorphosis, and the liminal spaces of the beautiful grotesque lurking within the human psyche. Tolian's debut poetry collection is an unequivocal battlecry for the exploited. Stripped of ornament, the language bites deep, revealing a suspended symbology of human and beast, intimacy and violence, life and death. This book bites deep, exploring themes of identity, metamorphosis, and the primal urge for survival, weaving through time, myth, and shifting perspectives.
The verses serve as a grimoire, an invocation, and a meditation on agency and autonomy over the body and soul—whether it is inherent, taken, sold, stolen, lost, reclaimed, or forcefully wrested back into the self. Sit down on the forest floor, dig your fingers into the soil, and open wide your bestial mouths, consume these words whispered in the darkness.
The verses serve as a grimoire, an invocation, and a meditation on agency and autonomy over the body and soul—whether it is inherent, taken, sold, stolen, lost, reclaimed, or forcefully wrested back into the self. Sit down on the forest floor, dig your fingers into the soil, and open wide your bestial mouths, consume these words whispered in the darkness.
100 pages, Paperback
Published November 14, 2024
1 person is currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Brenda S. Tolian
5 books13 followersBrenda S. Tolian writes within the Southwestern horror genre, slipping between gothic, grotesque, folk, ecological, and body horror. You can find all of this in Blood Mountain published by Raw Dog Screaming Press.
Brenda S. Tolian is a member of HWA, Angela Carter Society and Denver Horror Collective. She earned her B. A in Secondary English at Adams State University and her MFA from Regis University in Creative Writing and is currently earning her Doctorate in Literature at Murray State University. Brenda is a lead instructor at Denver’s Alchemy Writing Workshop in Dark Fiction. Her work appears in Haunted Mtl.com, the Anthology 101 Proof Horror, Twisted Pulp Magazine issue 3, the Denver Horror Collective’s anthology Consumed Tales Inspired by The Wendigo, and the The Jewish Book of Horror. She also co-hosts The Burial Plot Horror Podcast with Joy Yehle.
You can find her on Twitter @BSTolian, Instagram bstolianwriter, and at brendatolian.com
Brenda S. Tolian is a member of HWA, Angela Carter Society and Denver Horror Collective. She earned her B. A in Secondary English at Adams State University and her MFA from Regis University in Creative Writing and is currently earning her Doctorate in Literature at Murray State University. Brenda is a lead instructor at Denver’s Alchemy Writing Workshop in Dark Fiction. Her work appears in Haunted Mtl.com, the Anthology 101 Proof Horror, Twisted Pulp Magazine issue 3, the Denver Horror Collective’s anthology Consumed Tales Inspired by The Wendigo, and the The Jewish Book of Horror. She also co-hosts The Burial Plot Horror Podcast with Joy Yehle.
You can find her on Twitter @BSTolian, Instagram bstolianwriter, and at brendatolian.com
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 6, 2025
It’s been a while since I’ve read any poetry but this one I thought was beautifully done. It was nice to read horror poetry for a change. I enjoyed how the POV would change between poems and I found them captivating. The way this was written left room for the reader to have some of their own interpretation as well.
As for the cover, it’s stunning and I think it conveys exactly how these poems feel.
Thank you to Brenda and the publisher for sending me an arc!!
As for the cover, it’s stunning and I think it conveys exactly how these poems feel.
Thank you to Brenda and the publisher for sending me an arc!!
November 24, 2024
I often have a hard time reviewing poetry, and that is the case here. Most of the poems in this collection didn’t grab me, although a few did find decent fingerholds that they dug into. However, even with the poems that weren’t gripping for me, I appreciated the imagery, which was persistently dark but also vivid. Across the collection the poems bartered in the language of opposites; some were from the point of view of victim, some of oppressor. Some poems were about transformation and becoming something new, others were about ending, dissolving away from what was. As a collection it managed to feel both earthy and ethereal at the same time, without ever feeling like it was confused about what it was and what it wanted to do.
The predominant style is one that is incredibly stripped down, exposing as few words as possible without explicit narrative framing, with the juxtaposition of image and emotion serving as the connective tissue binding the individual words across line breaks into full-throated organisms. While this style allows for strong imagery and contrast, when it predominates an entire collection I find it hard to sustain that force, and that is why I say that most of the poems, while I could appreciate them, were not particularly gripping for me. Depending on what kind of poetry works for you then your experience may be entirely different. If you appreciate a sparse but evocative style that has strong, dark imagery then you should check out this collection.
(Rounded down from 3.5)
I want to thank the author and the publisher Raw Dog Screaming Press, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The predominant style is one that is incredibly stripped down, exposing as few words as possible without explicit narrative framing, with the juxtaposition of image and emotion serving as the connective tissue binding the individual words across line breaks into full-throated organisms. While this style allows for strong imagery and contrast, when it predominates an entire collection I find it hard to sustain that force, and that is why I say that most of the poems, while I could appreciate them, were not particularly gripping for me. Depending on what kind of poetry works for you then your experience may be entirely different. If you appreciate a sparse but evocative style that has strong, dark imagery then you should check out this collection.
(Rounded down from 3.5)
I want to thank the author and the publisher Raw Dog Screaming Press, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 11, 2024
Bestial Mouths by Brenda Tolian is a poetry book that explores themes of identity, trauma and sexuality. Filled with unsettling imagery and themes, the author does a good job of blending haunting narratives using inspiration from gothic, folk horror and the grotesque.
Many poems in this book examine the "bestial" aspects of human nature, using symbols and powerful depictions of metamorphosis. The author delves into topics such as societal control over female bodies. As a person who doesn't read much poetry I found some of the poems to be both likeable and relevant, especially as a fellow woman in today's world. The poems that I enjoyed most were "Full Moon", "Johnathan Fry", "Melancholy", "Child" and "Awake Now".
Despite enjoying some of the poems I'm not quite sure that I enjoy this type of poetry, often times some of the poems in the book felt like an incohesive jumble of words. I would rate this book 2.5 stars, thank you netgalley for a arc in exchange for an honest review.
Many poems in this book examine the "bestial" aspects of human nature, using symbols and powerful depictions of metamorphosis. The author delves into topics such as societal control over female bodies. As a person who doesn't read much poetry I found some of the poems to be both likeable and relevant, especially as a fellow woman in today's world. The poems that I enjoyed most were "Full Moon", "Johnathan Fry", "Melancholy", "Child" and "Awake Now".
Despite enjoying some of the poems I'm not quite sure that I enjoy this type of poetry, often times some of the poems in the book felt like an incohesive jumble of words. I would rate this book 2.5 stars, thank you netgalley for a arc in exchange for an honest review.
October 14, 2024
This chapbook consists of tragic, lyrical pieces evoking feelings akin to the "werewolf form" contorting and refiguring the body into its truest form. Demons in human and mythological form amass in these poems, oozing with feminist perspective. From "asudeM" to "Acrobat Girl," readers handle the tortured lens of inner femininity and societal conformity from the narrator's POV, while with the persona poem "Melancholy" and the amplification technique used in "Impulse," we are left with the sad emptiness the narrator's acceptance of the violence they're a victim of. My favorite of the collection was "Bone of Word, Bone of Feather" as I feel it really was a good example of the storytelling nature a poem can undertake. Thank you, NetGalley and RDS Publishing, for the access to this work!
September 5, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and RDS Publishing for the e-ARC of this book ❤️
I didn’t know horror poetry was a thing but the cover caught my eye. This was really creepy and interesting. I liked the mix of horror and feminine rage.
Jonathon Fry was my favorite one, it reminded me of Jack the Ripper.
I didn’t know horror poetry was a thing but the cover caught my eye. This was really creepy and interesting. I liked the mix of horror and feminine rage.
Jonathon Fry was my favorite one, it reminded me of Jack the Ripper.
November 15, 2024
The cover is awesome! This is a great collection of poetry! They are dark but very well written. If you enjoy poetry, I would recommend this! Special Thank You to Brenda S. Tolian, RDS Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 14, 2025
Each poem in this collection is bloody and visceral. 'Bestial Mouths' definitely leans towards lyrical imagery than structured poetry, but is done in a darkly beautiful way.
September 24, 2024
Such an eclectic variety of poetry in this collection. Beautiful imagery throughout and would love to read more from this author.
November 14, 2024
I loved this book! I always like reading dark poetry and this one doesn’t disappoint. I will say Brenda S Tolian is my favorite poet besides Kimberly Nicole.
September 9, 2024
(Review copy received on Netgalley for review consideration)
Brenda S. Tolian is one of the few and revered horror creators who makes you drop everything you’re doing and immerses you in her immersive prose with a pull so powerful, it can transport readers far. It affects me in a way I am having difficulty putting it into words. Her previous book, “Blood Mountain,” left me hungering for a lot more of Tolian’s work, which has an intensity that few other writers possess.
Like her contemporaries Christina Sng, Stephanie Wytovich, and Cina Pelayo, all of whom who have also had award-winning poetry books from Raw Dog Screaming Press, Tolian joins this earth-shaking coven. Her poems are suffused with an energy of rage, of showing women’s power, of warning those who doubt it that they will suffer. Tolian also weaves in expressions of her own disability in a way that is breathtaking.
Her use of language and choices of new lines, of phrases that slap the reader in the face, is a distinct strength of her poems. With things like “snapping of jaw” and “virgins done wrong” and of couplets “some thing you tell” while “others you swallow,” there’s a way that she constructs and deconstructs the storytelling aspects of the poem as a whole, and it is marvellous to experience.
Tolian’s poems also imbue the reader with a sense of hope in the same way that the other RDSP authors mentioned have also done so. I am thinking of Sng in particular and how the messages in her poems make the promise of justice for the wronged, of those who have caused harm finally get their retribution, that women are going to fight back even harder, that we cannot go back.
The metamorphizing affects and transformations in Tolian’s poems are also vivid, taut, and deeply visceral. At times there is raw desire, and it does not apologize for its need.
Tolian is also a writer whose playing around with shapes and forms in how the poems look on the page in shapes is something else that astounds me and is a pleasure to follow.
And there is a sense of magic that blankets the entire collection as the reader can see Tolian in their mind’s eye, weaving magic like the sorceress poet she is, a siren of dark poetry.
So many of the poems are fraught with an intense energy, and of beauty but also ugly truths and all of them come together in what makes for a *magnificent* collection from Raw Dog Screaming Press.
Do NOT sleep on Brenda Tolian’s newest poetry collection. It deserves to win so many major accolades.
Brenda S. Tolian is one of the few and revered horror creators who makes you drop everything you’re doing and immerses you in her immersive prose with a pull so powerful, it can transport readers far. It affects me in a way I am having difficulty putting it into words. Her previous book, “Blood Mountain,” left me hungering for a lot more of Tolian’s work, which has an intensity that few other writers possess.
Like her contemporaries Christina Sng, Stephanie Wytovich, and Cina Pelayo, all of whom who have also had award-winning poetry books from Raw Dog Screaming Press, Tolian joins this earth-shaking coven. Her poems are suffused with an energy of rage, of showing women’s power, of warning those who doubt it that they will suffer. Tolian also weaves in expressions of her own disability in a way that is breathtaking.
Her use of language and choices of new lines, of phrases that slap the reader in the face, is a distinct strength of her poems. With things like “snapping of jaw” and “virgins done wrong” and of couplets “some thing you tell” while “others you swallow,” there’s a way that she constructs and deconstructs the storytelling aspects of the poem as a whole, and it is marvellous to experience.
Tolian’s poems also imbue the reader with a sense of hope in the same way that the other RDSP authors mentioned have also done so. I am thinking of Sng in particular and how the messages in her poems make the promise of justice for the wronged, of those who have caused harm finally get their retribution, that women are going to fight back even harder, that we cannot go back.
The metamorphizing affects and transformations in Tolian’s poems are also vivid, taut, and deeply visceral. At times there is raw desire, and it does not apologize for its need.
Tolian is also a writer whose playing around with shapes and forms in how the poems look on the page in shapes is something else that astounds me and is a pleasure to follow.
And there is a sense of magic that blankets the entire collection as the reader can see Tolian in their mind’s eye, weaving magic like the sorceress poet she is, a siren of dark poetry.
So many of the poems are fraught with an intense energy, and of beauty but also ugly truths and all of them come together in what makes for a *magnificent* collection from Raw Dog Screaming Press.
Do NOT sleep on Brenda Tolian’s newest poetry collection. It deserves to win so many major accolades.
October 9, 2024
💀 Melioë💀
lies on the lips
cutting of nails
scrying the future
in mountain cut trails
hear the wind moaning
the earth catches the heel
the bestial mouths chanting dark spells
my body is changing,
into something else this touch of madness
hot in the blood
words they are magic
in coming undone
beyond the veil of dreaming and sleep unraveling the secrets i no longer keep
💀Asudem (Medusa)💀
" tangle your hand in the biting mouth, her hair dances alive slip it down slow like rope around the neck don’t be afraid swing above as you swung below mastication of teeth snapping of jaw body and bone slip in the dark eyes close swimming the dark water words muted mid-song virgins in love virgins done wrong naive they drink the wine secrets spun anew hard in the belly like slippery stone some things you tell others you swallow a story was told here that was a lie she begged in razor blades knees bent like bird’s wings a delicate snap broke at the neck broke at the breast feathers falling like snow there are things a girl never asked for there are gazes given, ignored some things are forcefully taken cracked vessel left empty a ghost on the acropolis floor first penetration violent opening next framing a whore veneration like sugar on the tongues of the women in town they created the stoning in tandem with men wives of the monsters crawling on knees to the stone where the innocent are tied small sacrifices, tiny teeth silence the story behead the woman sew serpents in stitches right into the scalp loop knots into the lips silence is expected let men wither under her shame a moving veil she will stone them all."
📝 The author has carved a unique niche in the literary world, blending haunting narratives and poetry with inspiration from the gothic, folk horror, and the grotesque. She writes the Queer, dark, and philosophical exploring the places rarely talked about with visceral symbolism.
Haunting, intricate, and steeped in rich folklore.
Dark...Deep..descriptive..raw...
I do appreciate poetry/poems once in a while though they are not my usual cup of tea but
From the collection, here are the ones which stood out for me:
Melioë, Asudem (Medusa), Stone, A Dream, Coil, Full Moon, Ninava, Johnathan Fry
Thanks to NetGalley and RDS Publishing for the arc 🖤
3.45✨
lies on the lips
cutting of nails
scrying the future
in mountain cut trails
hear the wind moaning
the earth catches the heel
the bestial mouths chanting dark spells
my body is changing,
into something else this touch of madness
hot in the blood
words they are magic
in coming undone
beyond the veil of dreaming and sleep unraveling the secrets i no longer keep
💀Asudem (Medusa)💀
" tangle your hand in the biting mouth, her hair dances alive slip it down slow like rope around the neck don’t be afraid swing above as you swung below mastication of teeth snapping of jaw body and bone slip in the dark eyes close swimming the dark water words muted mid-song virgins in love virgins done wrong naive they drink the wine secrets spun anew hard in the belly like slippery stone some things you tell others you swallow a story was told here that was a lie she begged in razor blades knees bent like bird’s wings a delicate snap broke at the neck broke at the breast feathers falling like snow there are things a girl never asked for there are gazes given, ignored some things are forcefully taken cracked vessel left empty a ghost on the acropolis floor first penetration violent opening next framing a whore veneration like sugar on the tongues of the women in town they created the stoning in tandem with men wives of the monsters crawling on knees to the stone where the innocent are tied small sacrifices, tiny teeth silence the story behead the woman sew serpents in stitches right into the scalp loop knots into the lips silence is expected let men wither under her shame a moving veil she will stone them all."
📝 The author has carved a unique niche in the literary world, blending haunting narratives and poetry with inspiration from the gothic, folk horror, and the grotesque. She writes the Queer, dark, and philosophical exploring the places rarely talked about with visceral symbolism.
Haunting, intricate, and steeped in rich folklore.
Dark...Deep..descriptive..raw...
I do appreciate poetry/poems once in a while though they are not my usual cup of tea but
From the collection, here are the ones which stood out for me:
Melioë, Asudem (Medusa), Stone, A Dream, Coil, Full Moon, Ninava, Johnathan Fry
Thanks to NetGalley and RDS Publishing for the arc 🖤
3.45✨
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this as an ARC.
I'm not entirely sure where to begin with this. I've read some horror poetry in the past and quite liked it. This... I did not. The imagery, while written well, seems disjointed and thrown together as though to obtain the largest reaction from the reader. A sense of cohesion is lost within the pieces. However, the imagery and themes are repeated throughout. There were three or four in a row that blurred together as they used the same language, same imagery, same theme.
It's disheartening since the first poem got me so excited! Rhyming in modern poetry has become taboo or cliche or what have you, yet Brenda did it and I was thoroughly excited for what was to come next... and what came next was centered poems that didn't feel like poems (not to mention it was one of TWO rhyming poems that I can recall). They felt like short stories chopped up, where their vital imagery was taken, and then shoved into a different carcass. Like a weird sausage. I felt like I was missing something.
I also want to touch on centered poetry. I don't know if it's a me thing (it probably is) but I really dislike centered poems, and the fact that all but like... four of these poems are centered really, really, REALLY bugs me. It sometimes felt like a cop out to use centering as a form rather than actually exploring form alongside the writing. It also made it incredibly difficult to read as my eye would jump back to the start but then I'd have to figure out if it was the right start, which often left me adding a word or two from sentence A onto sentence B, which got incredibly confusing. There were also little to no stanzas or line breaks or anything. If I had a physical copy, flipping through this would just be a thick center line of words.
Overall... I don't know. Read it for its imagery, not its cohesion?
I'm not entirely sure where to begin with this. I've read some horror poetry in the past and quite liked it. This... I did not. The imagery, while written well, seems disjointed and thrown together as though to obtain the largest reaction from the reader. A sense of cohesion is lost within the pieces. However, the imagery and themes are repeated throughout. There were three or four in a row that blurred together as they used the same language, same imagery, same theme.
It's disheartening since the first poem got me so excited! Rhyming in modern poetry has become taboo or cliche or what have you, yet Brenda did it and I was thoroughly excited for what was to come next... and what came next was centered poems that didn't feel like poems (not to mention it was one of TWO rhyming poems that I can recall). They felt like short stories chopped up, where their vital imagery was taken, and then shoved into a different carcass. Like a weird sausage. I felt like I was missing something.
I also want to touch on centered poetry. I don't know if it's a me thing (it probably is) but I really dislike centered poems, and the fact that all but like... four of these poems are centered really, really, REALLY bugs me. It sometimes felt like a cop out to use centering as a form rather than actually exploring form alongside the writing. It also made it incredibly difficult to read as my eye would jump back to the start but then I'd have to figure out if it was the right start, which often left me adding a word or two from sentence A onto sentence B, which got incredibly confusing. There were also little to no stanzas or line breaks or anything. If I had a physical copy, flipping through this would just be a thick center line of words.
Overall... I don't know. Read it for its imagery, not its cohesion?
September 13, 2024
Poetry is something that can be intensely personal, and that can also make it difficult to review. In this case, I found myself flip-flopping every few pages; some of the poems in this collection were definitely not my cup of tea, while others really stood out to me.
I was immediately enchanted by the aura of this collection and its description as "a labyrinth of nightmares, metamorphosis, and the liminal spaces of the beautiful grotesque," but unfortunately, things felt off-balance in the beginning. The tight scheme and meter of the first few pages felt disappointingly at odds with my expectations - "the primal urge for survival" and suggestion to ground oneself in the soil of the forest floor upon reading had me expecting a wilder formlessness, raw and visceral, which didn't take shape (or rather, unshape) until much further in.
"Chrome", "Apple", "I Know", "Babylon", and "Opio-Cordyceps" (quite a populous volume) were some of my favorites in this collection, because they so clearly evoked the sensory experiences of a narrative as opposed to a gaggle of words-around-a-theme or a loose collection of adjectives that some of the other poems presented.
Reviews of this collection seem to be pretty evenly split between "hell yes" and "hell no", and I felt that deeply while reading and while trying to compose this review. I've therefore similarly split the difference and given Bestial Mouths three stars, simply because neither extreme felt right for me to go all-in on. There were hits and there were misses, but if you enjoy the mystique of viscera and have a rainy Saturday afternoon to fill, this might not be such a bad way to do it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Raw Dog Screaming Press for sending me this advance copy for consideration!
I was immediately enchanted by the aura of this collection and its description as "a labyrinth of nightmares, metamorphosis, and the liminal spaces of the beautiful grotesque," but unfortunately, things felt off-balance in the beginning. The tight scheme and meter of the first few pages felt disappointingly at odds with my expectations - "the primal urge for survival" and suggestion to ground oneself in the soil of the forest floor upon reading had me expecting a wilder formlessness, raw and visceral, which didn't take shape (or rather, unshape) until much further in.
"Chrome", "Apple", "I Know", "Babylon", and "Opio-Cordyceps" (quite a populous volume) were some of my favorites in this collection, because they so clearly evoked the sensory experiences of a narrative as opposed to a gaggle of words-around-a-theme or a loose collection of adjectives that some of the other poems presented.
Reviews of this collection seem to be pretty evenly split between "hell yes" and "hell no", and I felt that deeply while reading and while trying to compose this review. I've therefore similarly split the difference and given Bestial Mouths three stars, simply because neither extreme felt right for me to go all-in on. There were hits and there were misses, but if you enjoy the mystique of viscera and have a rainy Saturday afternoon to fill, this might not be such a bad way to do it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Raw Dog Screaming Press for sending me this advance copy for consideration!
September 11, 2024
I hate rating poetry (especially Indie poetry!) this low, but I also feel obligated to an honest review when I read books “in exchange for an honest review”.
The stunning cover and the themes mentioned in the blurb were enough to draw me into this book immediately. Horror poetry with themes of body, liminal spaces and “identity, metamorphosis, and the primal urge for survival, weaving through time, myth, and shifting perspectives”…? Sign me up please!!
Unfortunately this turned out to be that style of poetry that I can’t stand. Seemingly random words thrown together on a page, hoping to amass to something profound, but ultimately lacking the cohesion to be more than a mind-map of words with an enter after each. Think of Amanda Lovelace’s style of poetry, now add some horror imagery instead of princesses and flowers, and you have an impression of this collection.
To me, poetry is about the art of words and language. It’s often more music than prose, and although it doesn’t have to rhyme perse, there needs to be a type of rhythm or cadence. This style of modern poetry lacks that completely, and it makes me question what’s even considered poetry… I understand it’s subjective, but simply hitting the Enterkey after every word, or otherwise playing with the print-face to me isn’t enough.
Thank you to Netgalley and Raw Dog Screaming Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The stunning cover and the themes mentioned in the blurb were enough to draw me into this book immediately. Horror poetry with themes of body, liminal spaces and “identity, metamorphosis, and the primal urge for survival, weaving through time, myth, and shifting perspectives”…? Sign me up please!!
Unfortunately this turned out to be that style of poetry that I can’t stand. Seemingly random words thrown together on a page, hoping to amass to something profound, but ultimately lacking the cohesion to be more than a mind-map of words with an enter after each. Think of Amanda Lovelace’s style of poetry, now add some horror imagery instead of princesses and flowers, and you have an impression of this collection.
To me, poetry is about the art of words and language. It’s often more music than prose, and although it doesn’t have to rhyme perse, there needs to be a type of rhythm or cadence. This style of modern poetry lacks that completely, and it makes me question what’s even considered poetry… I understand it’s subjective, but simply hitting the Enterkey after every word, or otherwise playing with the print-face to me isn’t enough.
Thank you to Netgalley and Raw Dog Screaming Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
January 16, 2025
BOOK REVIEW #2 // Bestial Mouths by Brenda S. Tolian
I have long been a lover of poetry. Poems speak to me in a way that sometimes prose cannot. It touches places deep within our minds, making it something perfect to be thought of. Poetry is a great food for thought and can even change our perspective on a wide variety of things. I had actually received this book as an ARC from the publisher, but didn't read this until now, months after it was published. That's really shameful and yep, I shouldn't have done that. XD
Such a poetry collection is Bestial Mouths. I received this as an ARC last October but read it only recently. It is a poetry collection that talks of metamorphosis, liminal spaces and all things grotesque but in a manner that holds the reader captivated. You are enthralled by the poetry, and venture on a magical journey with the poet as they explore a wide variety of topics using metamorphosis and beastly creatures as an allegory. It was was truly invigorating.
Some of my favourite poems from this collection include 'Tiamat Dreaming', 'Asudem', 'Ouroboros' and the very last in the collection, named 'Awake Now'. Fans of dark fiction and poetry must check out this collection.
Rating; 4.75 out of 5 stars.
I have long been a lover of poetry. Poems speak to me in a way that sometimes prose cannot. It touches places deep within our minds, making it something perfect to be thought of. Poetry is a great food for thought and can even change our perspective on a wide variety of things. I had actually received this book as an ARC from the publisher, but didn't read this until now, months after it was published. That's really shameful and yep, I shouldn't have done that. XD
Such a poetry collection is Bestial Mouths. I received this as an ARC last October but read it only recently. It is a poetry collection that talks of metamorphosis, liminal spaces and all things grotesque but in a manner that holds the reader captivated. You are enthralled by the poetry, and venture on a magical journey with the poet as they explore a wide variety of topics using metamorphosis and beastly creatures as an allegory. It was was truly invigorating.
Some of my favourite poems from this collection include 'Tiamat Dreaming', 'Asudem', 'Ouroboros' and the very last in the collection, named 'Awake Now'. Fans of dark fiction and poetry must check out this collection.
Rating; 4.75 out of 5 stars.
November 27, 2024
Publishing date: 14.11.2024
Thank you to NetGalley and RDS Publishing for the ARC. My opinions are my own.
Now THIS is horror poetry. This was exactly what I have been looking for all year in this very specific genre.
I probably like this a lot more because I am a woman that goes through phases of feminine rage, and this book has been infused with the essence of feminine rage. You can really feel the surge of emotions through the pages. The horrors of womanhood, the beauty of it, and the dangers of pushing a woman too far.
The poems were so descriptive and visceral without being crude and overly saturated with gore. I could imagine my own place amongst the lines, in the poems, in their shoes.
I experienced emotions from unbridled rage, to deep and drowning sorrows from this collection. I think a lot of women will when reading this.
Final ranking and star rating?
4.5 stars, A tier. Absolutely stunning. This is prime horror poetry. Beautiful and magnificent. If you, like me, have struggled with finding horror poetry that touches upon the "horrific and beautiful" ... Don't sleep on this collection.
Favorite poems:
Asudem
Skinwalker Moon
Jane
Impulse
Thank you to NetGalley and RDS Publishing for the ARC. My opinions are my own.
Now THIS is horror poetry. This was exactly what I have been looking for all year in this very specific genre.
I probably like this a lot more because I am a woman that goes through phases of feminine rage, and this book has been infused with the essence of feminine rage. You can really feel the surge of emotions through the pages. The horrors of womanhood, the beauty of it, and the dangers of pushing a woman too far.
The poems were so descriptive and visceral without being crude and overly saturated with gore. I could imagine my own place amongst the lines, in the poems, in their shoes.
I experienced emotions from unbridled rage, to deep and drowning sorrows from this collection. I think a lot of women will when reading this.
Final ranking and star rating?
4.5 stars, A tier. Absolutely stunning. This is prime horror poetry. Beautiful and magnificent. If you, like me, have struggled with finding horror poetry that touches upon the "horrific and beautiful" ... Don't sleep on this collection.
Favorite poems:
Asudem
Skinwalker Moon
Jane
Impulse
October 27, 2024
The title hints at the collection's preoccupation with transformation and violence, weaving together personal and mythological horror, trauma and female power. Fans of Linda D. Addison's work, Stephanie M. Wytovich's horror poetry and the body horror in Donna Lynch's poetry will enjoy this collection.
Opio~Cordyceps and Melioë were two of my favourite poems. I loved the extended metaphor of fungal infection in Opio~Cordyceps to create an unsettling exploration of intimacy and control. The language is muscular and visceral, and while some metaphors and images involving teeth, blood, and transformation become repetitive, it makes the collection a cohesive whole.
Tolian's voice is distinct in its particular combination of mythological scope and visceral imagery, so it gets a 5 star rating from me.
Opio~Cordyceps and Melioë were two of my favourite poems. I loved the extended metaphor of fungal infection in Opio~Cordyceps to create an unsettling exploration of intimacy and control. The language is muscular and visceral, and while some metaphors and images involving teeth, blood, and transformation become repetitive, it makes the collection a cohesive whole.
Tolian's voice is distinct in its particular combination of mythological scope and visceral imagery, so it gets a 5 star rating from me.
September 6, 2024
I received this eARC for free in exchange for an honest review.
This book was nothing like I expected, and I'm honestly disappointed. The dedication on the first page got my hopes up, but a lot of the poems in here are just nonsense words thrown together for descriptive imagery. It was like a poem that was written using solely descriptive words to go with the title of the poem. Some of the imagery is nice, but the flow and transition into the next paragraphs are too abrupt, and there seems to be no rhythm or rhyme to any of it.
I found it difficult to get through this because it was genuinely a mess. The sentences and structure of some of these poems are terrible and don't make sense.
Poems I enjoyed:
-Chrome
-Jonathan Fry
This book was nothing like I expected, and I'm honestly disappointed. The dedication on the first page got my hopes up, but a lot of the poems in here are just nonsense words thrown together for descriptive imagery. It was like a poem that was written using solely descriptive words to go with the title of the poem. Some of the imagery is nice, but the flow and transition into the next paragraphs are too abrupt, and there seems to be no rhythm or rhyme to any of it.
I found it difficult to get through this because it was genuinely a mess. The sentences and structure of some of these poems are terrible and don't make sense.
Poems I enjoyed:
-Chrome
-Jonathan Fry
July 22, 2025
La autora crea un nicho único en el mundo literario, fusionando narrativas inquietantes y poesía con inspiración del gótico, el horror folclórico y lo grotesco. Escribe sobre lo queer, lo oscuro y lo filosófico, explorando lugares poco mencionados con un simbolismo visceral.
Con una tapa que es horrible y hermosa a la vez, y una sinopsis que promete mucho, esta obra simplemente no cumplió con mis expectativas. La poesía de horror me intriga y definitivamente probaré más de ella; esta fue más bien regular para mí.
La autora usa una imaginería hermosa y definitivamente le daré otra oportunidad en el futuro. Me encantaría ver una novela corta o algo con un formato más largo de su parte, porque percibo una voz impresionante detrás de las palabras.
Con una tapa que es horrible y hermosa a la vez, y una sinopsis que promete mucho, esta obra simplemente no cumplió con mis expectativas. La poesía de horror me intriga y definitivamente probaré más de ella; esta fue más bien regular para mí.
La autora usa una imaginería hermosa y definitivamente le daré otra oportunidad en el futuro. Me encantaría ver una novela corta o algo con un formato más largo de su parte, porque percibo una voz impresionante detrás de las palabras.
November 20, 2024
Bestial Mouths was so raw and macabre. Dark secrets unfolding in every page. This collection was immersive and heart felt. I read this with fascination and full focus. The many lives of different women at the heart of evil.
I didn't know horror poetry was a thing with the cover drawing me in at first glance. The first page had me intrigued and had me dreading for more.
I loved the writing and the way the collection was put together. I will be reading more from this author.
Thank you to Netgalley and RDS Publishing | Raw Dog Screaming Press for an ARC digital copy for my honest review.
I didn't know horror poetry was a thing with the cover drawing me in at first glance. The first page had me intrigued and had me dreading for more.
I loved the writing and the way the collection was put together. I will be reading more from this author.
Thank you to Netgalley and RDS Publishing | Raw Dog Screaming Press for an ARC digital copy for my honest review.
September 26, 2024
Thank you RDS publishing and NetGalley for this E-ARC!
A beautifully tragic compilation of what’s essentially the female rage we so love to talk about.. Brenda S. Tolian is not one to shy away from the grotesque, but rather embraces it in a way that- like the cordyceps mentioned in one of the poems- just traps you and seduces you to want more. It does touch very rough themes, and it can be quite graphic, so I advise being a bit cautious. However, it’s just my type of book, I loved it!
A beautifully tragic compilation of what’s essentially the female rage we so love to talk about.. Brenda S. Tolian is not one to shy away from the grotesque, but rather embraces it in a way that- like the cordyceps mentioned in one of the poems- just traps you and seduces you to want more. It does touch very rough themes, and it can be quite graphic, so I advise being a bit cautious. However, it’s just my type of book, I loved it!
December 27, 2024
I would like to thank NetGalley, RDS Publishing and Raw Dog Screaming Press for the opportunity to read this book.
Through the poetry in this book, I felt like I was in the roots of this magical, raw, feminine charged existence. Beautifully written and often moving. The author does well to take us through a journey in these primordial almost tribalistic words of verse. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and would recommend to other fellow poetry lovers.
Through the poetry in this book, I felt like I was in the roots of this magical, raw, feminine charged existence. Beautifully written and often moving. The author does well to take us through a journey in these primordial almost tribalistic words of verse. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and would recommend to other fellow poetry lovers.
September 29, 2024
I promise I'll never request poetry again.
Not for me, but I definitely recommend to anyone who's interested in folk horror poetry! The poems themselves were just too fragmentary for my taste, and often endend up feeling like shopping lists of vibes.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!
Not for me, but I definitely recommend to anyone who's interested in folk horror poetry! The poems themselves were just too fragmentary for my taste, and often endend up feeling like shopping lists of vibes.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!
November 6, 2024
If you love or like horror and gothic, you will love this book. I had to read a few poems again and again because it was weird sounding but after reading a couple times I got the gist of the poem. Its a great collection and would love to read more from his author.
I received a free copy of the book and is voluntarily writing a review
I received a free copy of the book and is voluntarily writing a review
September 18, 2024
I found the poetry in this book to be very interesting and engaging. The word choices that the author made were beautiful and I enjoyed the way she weaved stories together by seemingly thin threads. I would happily recommend this book to someone looking for a collection of horror poetry.
September 19, 2024
Revived this as an e-ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review Poetry is subjective, and I really tried getting into this.
Though it at times a pretty atmospheric pictures, it was mostly just words. Single words, pretty words, mind you, but…
It felt like a first draft
October 16, 2024
Enjoyed this poetry collection from Brenda S Tolian. All the poems were good, December Mother was my favorite. #BestialMouths #NetGalley
July 26, 2025
every poem sounds like an ethel cain lyric. and i would listen to the album on repeat.
my favorites were "Jane" and "Opio-Cordyceps"
my favorites were "Jane" and "Opio-Cordyceps"
October 27, 2024
**Thank you to NetGalley and Raw Dog Screaming Press for the eARC of this collection!**
While some of the poems in this collection really spoke to me (Jonathan Fry is easily my favorite of the bunch,) a lot of these poems just didn’t move the needle.
With the cover of this title being horrible and beautiful all at once, and the synopsis promising so much - this one just didn’t live up to my expectations. Horror poetry intrigues me and I will definitely try more of it, this was just so-so for me.
This author uses beautiful imagery and I will definitely give them a try in the future. Would love to see a novella or something with a longer format from them as I do sense an awesome voice behind the words here!
While some of the poems in this collection really spoke to me (Jonathan Fry is easily my favorite of the bunch,) a lot of these poems just didn’t move the needle.
With the cover of this title being horrible and beautiful all at once, and the synopsis promising so much - this one just didn’t live up to my expectations. Horror poetry intrigues me and I will definitely try more of it, this was just so-so for me.
This author uses beautiful imagery and I will definitely give them a try in the future. Would love to see a novella or something with a longer format from them as I do sense an awesome voice behind the words here!
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