Bloodmercy

by I.S. Jones

Genres: Poetry, Womens

88 pages, Paperback

Published September 9, 2025

Reviews

[Carly Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous, gorgeous debut. This book reminded me about what I love in poetry. There's so much myth-making and remaking, so much world-building and rebuilding through the revision/recasting of Cain and Abel as sisters. Each poem is built of beautiful lines, momentum, a throughline of connectivity to expand and contrast back from the biblical to contemporary.

[Lo Celeste Riddell · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely breathtaking collection. wish i could give it 7 stars. gave me chills… i will be haunted by this one for a long long time

edited to add my favorites:
- Cain
- Sister’s Keeper
- Vanity
- Daddy’s Girl
- Patience in the Bramble
- Contempt Towards Eden
- Bloodmercy (p. 20)
- First Sighting
- Nocturne
- Sister’s Dress
- Eve Onto Lilith

…so. the whole book. yeah

[Barton Smock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah what an urgent patience is given an anxious peace by the immediate vision of I.S. Jones as versed in holy thematics that pin nostalgia to a renamed surrounding. Our place in common is Bloodmercy, a ghost psalm that kings a father’s absence, and a landmark that earns its place with celestial hardness, wicked accuracy, and remnant reminiscence. Existence can’t solve the living. Twin butchers climb too high the tree of boredom. Bloodmercy is a work that occurs in the genesis of again. Oh how sound ages want. Oh how a mouth prays to itself to know its shape. Debone, in the reading, in the aftermath of Abel’s bent childhood of straightened witness, the belonged body. Killing doesn’t cure murder. Sisterhood is a shelter stormed by pattern. Abuse a scarecrow of bored angels. Violence leaves history to those arriving. What Jones reimagines beats us to the dream

[Susan L. L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloodmercy is the remarkable debut from I.S. Jones that explores family dynamics, sisterhood, desire, rage, violence, grace, and self-understanding through the biblical stories of Cain and Abel and Adam and Eve. Daring, provocative, inventive, tender, visionary, and, at times, deeply unnerving, these poems allow the speaker to contemplate her capacity to do both good and otherwise, especially as it relates to her most intimate bonds. In a way, blood pushes us as much towards cruelty as it does towards love, and Jones helps us grasp what it means to be undone and remade, beautifully, fearlessly, again and again, by our deepest impulses. I love this book. 10/10 recommend!

[DeeSoul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hunger is a savage god all bodies must kneel to
- pg. 28, "Feast"

Bloodmercy is a spectacular reimagining of the relationship between Cain & Abel, an exploration of violence & desire & what is done with our hands. This entire collection, I was enamored with the richness of Jones' language, the clarity of the voices she was writing in. the world of this collection is haunted by questions of belonging, how we move through a world that shows us so little mercy, how merciful we choose or choose not to be. Hands down one of the strongest debuts I've read.

[Caitlin Conlon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection that I wanted to reread as soon as I’d finished it, flipping back to the beginning and rereading the first handful of poems immediately. The narrative in ‘Bloodmercy’ is really compelling and well-executed—it shines with Jones’s precise and cutting language. This was an excellent debut, and I’m looking forward to reading more of Jones’s work in the future!

[soleil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I think “Vanity” and “Daddy’s Girl” are my favorite.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy cow!! Every single line of this is a revelation. So inventive & surprising. Everyone should read this, esp those interested in faith, black girlhood, & queer femme sexuality. OOF