Libertine

by Vega Starlight

Depraved poetry by Vega Starlight.

TRIGGER WARNING: EXPLICIT CONTENT!

Genres: Poetry

287 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 28, 2026

Reviews

[LA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark

Very dark, depressing and vulgar. Hard to say if writer is a man or woman or someone with multiple personalities. It's unlike anything else I have ever read.

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apt Title

A libertine is someone who ignores accepted morals and behavior of a larger society. This poet does that. There are several verse forms and the poet labels them. It is difficult to ascertain the poet's gender. Some poems exhibit misogyny, others masochism, while some seem to be from a feminine perspective. One must wonder if the poet is schizophrenic with multiple personalities. The poems point to a dark and troubled mind.

[Kalea · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great variety of poems and well thought out layout of poems. I would recommend you read this book if you enjoy non-contemporary thinking.

[Courtney Pityer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this in a giveaway.

[Jonie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won this as a Goodreads giveaway. I deleted it the same day I got it.

[♡︎.ᐟજ⁀➴ Erie · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to the author for the gifted eCopy! 💃🏻💅🏻📚

Libertine is one of the most unusual poetry collections I have read in quite some time.

Dark, provocative, unsettling, and often deliberately uncomfortable, this collection is not interested in playing by conventional rules. The poems explore themes of desire, obsession, identity, pain, power, and self-destruction, often through imagery that is explicit, confrontational, and emotionally raw.

What stood out most to me was how difficult it was to pin down a single narrative voice. At times the poems felt masculine, at other times feminine, and often somewhere in between. The collection constantly shifts perspectives and moods, creating an atmosphere that feels fragmented, chaotic, and intentionally disorienting.

🖤 What worked for me:
✒️ Distinctive and fearless voice
🖤 Wide variety of poetic styles and forms
✒️ Strong emotional intensity
🖤 Willingness to push boundaries

That said, this is not an easy collection to connect with. Much of the poetry leans heavily into darkness, vulgarity, and emotional despair. While I can appreciate the author's willingness to explore difficult subjects, there were times when the shock value overshadowed the emotional impact for me. I often found myself admiring the boldness more than actually enjoying the poems themselves.

The overall tone is relentlessly bleak, which may appeal to readers who enjoy darker, transgressive poetry, but it did make the collection feel somewhat repetitive by the end. I found myself wanting more variation in emotional texture to balance some of the heavier material.

📚 Overall, Libertine is a challenging and unconventional collection that will likely divide readers. Some will appreciate its raw honesty and refusal to conform, while others may find the darkness overwhelming. Regardless of where you land, it's certainly memorable and unlike anything else I've encountered recently.

💃🏻 Dark
💅🏻 Provocative
📚 Definitely not for the faint of heart

⭐️⭐️⭐️ A bold and deeply unconventional poetry collection that isn't afraid to explore the shadows.

[Beverly Reid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me