Curing My Venom

by A. Rinum, Fatima Munir (Illustrator)

A spiritual journey through the five stages of grief.
Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance

Tiny speck of hope
peeking through my window
tell me what you seek
there is nothing for you here
maybe you should leave.
I am just an ounce of emptiness
fading behind this dark
stay away from me
before you lose your spark.

O’ my foolish child
how do you not know?
You are the light I come for
and yet you have no clue
this spark you see in me
is a reflection of you.

Genres: Poetry

216 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 7, 2019

Reviews

[Jessica (Odd and Bookish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very emotional collection of poetry that centers on the 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

After reading the first two sections (denial and anger) I was a bit unsure whether I was going to like the collection. I didn’t connect to many of the poems in those sections. But I ended up loving the last three sections. The last one, acceptance, was my favorite. I had so many favorites from that section.



One thing that was unique about this collection was the paired poems. I’m not quite sure what to call them but after some poems there would be a, “go to page __” and that poem would be a sort of response to the original one. Sometimes, there would even be another page direction on the response poem. I haven’t encountered that before and thought it was a clever touch. It made the book very cohesive and managed to tie all the sections together in a subtle way.

There were also illustrations throughout the collection and I loved them. They complemented the themes of the poems well.

Overall, this is a wonderful collection. I recommend it for fans of Amanda Lovelace and Rupi Kaur.

[Pani · Rating 4 out of 5]

**I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review**

Curing My Venom was the first poetry I ever read and I would’ve never picked up a book in this genre if I wasn’t provided with it because I never thought I would enjoy it. Surprisingly I ended up enjoying it! For me it wasn’t like picking up a novel and finishing it in a couple of days, but more like sipping it like a glass of fine wine every few nights.
A few of the poems hit close to home such as the “Loyal Betrayer” and “I’m Done With This Breaking” and I’m sure I’ll go back to reading them from time to time.

[Kayla Randolph · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this collection just didn’t do it for me. While I think the “Choose Your Own Adventure”-esque instructions that connected some poems to others were a super creative idea with lots of potential, the execution didn’t wow me here.

That being said, I make an effort to highlight the good in poetry collections because I know how personal poetry is. These are the poems I most enjoyed:

- “I don’t need you. Do I?” (Pg. 18)
- “Fallen angel” (Pg. 49)
- “Thank you for breaking my dreams” (Pg. 57)
- “Mountains of sorrow” (Pg. 103)
- “I am grief” (Pg. 125)
- “Betrayed” (Pg. 133)
- “I don’t want to play anymore” (Pg. 142)
- “Am I precious?” (Pg. 155)
- “I am the fire” (Pg. 176)

[Syeda Sumayya Tariq · Rating 4 out of 5]

This poetry book is divided into 5 parts, based on each of the 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. I just loved how each part is was so on point and truly portrayed that feeling. My favorite part was grief, it was so raw and the words hit me right in the feels.

What I absolutely loved about these poetry is how they ended in hope and not in total hopelessness.
Not to mention, the illustrations were so beautiful and creative, and depicted the poetry so well, I was basically awestruck.
I'm not fond of poetry so much but this is a real good one.

Thanks to the author for sending an ecopy of this book to me in exchange for an honest review.

[Mackenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

when I let my fears consume me
did I understand
that I was afraid
in all senses
of being human.

I do not read poetry often, but when I do I always fine myself enjoying the narrative journey. Curing My Venom is a collection of poems focused on the stages of grief but also other themes such as mental illness/mental health, failure, self-hatred, jealousy, and acceptance. Included along the way are illustrations that fit the mood of the poems. 

Curing My Venom is an interesting collection of poetry. A. Rinum's words are braided perfectly with Fatima Munir's illustrations. I found myself being caught in a loop of rereading a poem then gazing at the accompanying illustration. One of my favorite things about poetry and poetry books is that you can visit a poem time and time again and always find something new, this holds true with Curing My Venom. I read through it a few times before sitting down to write a review, each time I found myself drawn to a different section and more so illustration. 

Curing My Venom is divided into five sections which aline with the stages of grief:

Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance
A. Rinum's words are powerful and dive deep into raw emotions we don't like to talk about. You can feel Rinum's emotions as you read but she leaves room for you to project your own experiences over her's. You can make this collection about your struggles, all about you, or read it as her struggles. 

Reading Curing My Venom will not heal a grieving heart, but it will give you a place to start to explore those emotions. If anything, Curing My Venom gives the reader comfort in knowing you are not alone in your thoughts--no matter if they are focused on grief or yourself. 

If you know someone who is going through a rough spot in life they would benefit from reading Curing My Venom, but Curing My Venom is not limited to those struggling. I recommend you give Curing My Venom a read if you are interested in poetry. 

[_thatgirlwiththebook_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have never read a poetry book before because I like reading stories more than poetry. But I liked this book. I finished it in 2 sittings because the poems were short (some long too) and kept me going smoothly. I loved some poems so much that i screenshotted them to share with y'all on stories (which im going to post after this review).

So basically this book has 5 parts named: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance that represent the 5 brutal stages of greif that we all go through at some point in our lives. Some of the poems in these parts are highly disturbing and depressing, while the others are soothing and motivating and then there are some so heart breaking that will hitch your breaths up.

I totally agree with Rinum on these five stages of grief. Her stages portray realities and bitterness and beauties of life in marvellous short poems.

I loved the creative metaphors, the plain vocabulary used in the poems and not that dictionary-needed heavy words. This book was simple yet beautiful and im still awestruck at the illustrations with poems. They are so on the point.

[Sefo · Rating 4 out of 5]

You would want to like a book you received from its author to review, and try your best to enjoy it, so you don't have to disappoint them (which I'm not even qualified to do, I'm not experienced enough to critisize) until you reach a point in the book were you suddenly really love it!
Curing my Venom is a collection of peoms that deal with the five stages of grief which are: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance.
Since I don't usually read poetry, I wasn't sure I would like this book, so it took me a long time to read it. When I started reading it, it was a very different experience. It's like I just need to admire what's written in this book, its meaning, and the way it's all brought up together. That's different than the novels I usually read. I can go back to this book and read again my favorites parts of it, and pick some quotes!
The overall look of this book was beautiful from the cover, to the stunning illustrations, and most especially how the peoms were organised. It's like I'm listening to a song at one part, then reading a letter at another one, or having a conversation with one of my feelings.
The parts describing the last three stages of grief were so emotional and relatable, that's when I got deeply impressed by the poems and what they described.
The ending was so inspiring, after the rest of the book somehow described perfectly what someone might go through in their life, the last part comes a guide and a way out full of hope.
I'm not fan of poetry and I surpringly liked this book, so how about you out there who like poetry, I highly recommend it for you!

[Khulood [IG:Khulogophile_reads] · Rating 4 out of 5]

"PR E-ARC Review"
✨ Thank you Rinum for sending your ebook my way for an honest review. "Curing my venom" is a collection of poetry, divided into five phases or stages i-e Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptence. Through these stages author takes us to know that how we get cured from our own venom, how we go though go through different phases because of our ownselves, how we go through the journey of anger to Acceptence.
✨When i started i wasn't sure that will i get the book or no, but reading more and more formed a connection with the words of the book. It felt like the author is talking about Me and my life using her words, each poetry portrays the reader and it's life. It doesn't make you bore but makes you fall in love with this book.
✨The title and the cover is so captivating, and puts the reader to curiosity and excitement to read it ASAP. ✨

[Shamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received the PDF of this , such an elite Read , from the author in exchange of an honest review. And I'm gonna be brutally honest here as , I was scrolling through one page to another , i felt like i was going through all these stages , in real. My heart skipped a beat at every truth that was been scribbled there in very comprehendable way. I just wanted to , THANK YOU , Aisha for writing ultimate stages from which one go through. Would love to read your other work as well❤

[Amina Kamran · Rating 5 out of 5]

"My venom may not be the same as yours, but I will pray for you to find a cure. Your wars may not be the same as mine, but it's okay we will both be alright."

Curing my Venom is a poetry book by @shadowsofrinum. It is not just mere words but a solace to come out of your weaknesses, to make your weakness a strength. To fight the poison that is spreading in your blood, that is drenching your soul.

This book takes you to a journey of five stages of grief that are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. It will teach you how to be yourself. To believe in yourself to love every bit of your self. To be confident and fight the one who is trying to beat you. This book helps you fight with the mental issues and taboos of our society.

From anger to acceptance the illustrations of the book were beautiful and catchy. I love acceptance part more as the book ends with a hope. I will recommend this book to every person who is thriving through the hardest time. Struggling with their worries and trying to fight their venoms.

It is okay to break
It is okay to bend
It is okay to be dependent
It is okay to fall
It is okay to fail
But it is never okay to giveup.

Rating:🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

[Rhea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Curing my venom is a poetry anthology written by A. Rinum. The anthology is divided into five sections which represent the stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance.

A Rinum speaks about her battles dealing with tough issues such as mental illnesses, hopes, dreams and failures, and details her journey to self-acceptance. Rinum also draws on her personal experiences as a first-generation immigrant when writing her poems to give readers a raw and honest look into some of the issues she’s had to deal with. The book is a well written and stark reminder that life might get difficult but giving up is never an option.

Venom is heavily used throughout the book as a metaphor that refers to our weaknesses, a reminder that Venom isn’t always deadly, it can sometimes help people in the same way that our weaknesses can be remodelled into strengths and power.

This book is a well written and stark reminder of how unavoidable certain situations are and that we may not always have control over certain aspects of our environment, but we choose whether to let those factors break us down or build us up. A. Rinum draws from her experiences as an immigrant and a young woman to fuel her idea of her venom, which is an all too relatable phenomenon. Throughout the anthology, readers are faced with poems that lead you on a journey from one emotion to another.

The topics of the poems range from self-doubt for not fitting in, to anger at the world for its portrayal of women. She reveals her weaknesses, her disorientations, her ailments, her worries and her joys. Rinum discusses wanting to break out of her cage and being her own hero instead of waiting for someone else to come do it for her.

Each ‘chapter’ of the anthology has a very distinct theme. They all come together at the end in Acceptance, where she uses every single weakness and flaw to strengthen herself and encourage readers to do the same. She uses what had been poisoning her at first (her venom) to become a shining beacon of hope.

Curing My Venom is in no way an easy read. However, it is a necessary one. As one reads the poems, there is a sense of morbid relatability. A. Rinum (whether accidentally or deliberately) has created a space in the mind of the reader where one feels safe enough to unpack themselves and face each of their poisons and venoms. After reading this book, if done properly, readers should have gone on a healing journey of their own alongside the author.

That is part of the beauty of this anthology, instead of having readers peer into the author’s reflections, the anthology seems to be more of a guide to dealing with your demons. It acts as a companion through which Rinum’s experiences are prompts on the journey to healing and self-acceptance.

I give this anthology five stars out of five, because of the messages it sends, and the themes that Rinum discusses. The poems in the book are dynamic and well written. It was an absolute pleasure to read.

I would recommend this to any fans of poetry, especially Rupi Kaur’s poems, or the ‘I wrote this one for you’ anthology series.

[Liam Xavier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aisha Munir (known as A.Munir) is a talented writer, and the vocabulary and emotion displayed in ‘Curing My Venom’ is powerful, let down only by a few forced rhymes and the irrelevancy of ‘Denial’.

As a quick summation of the book then: Curing My Venom is structured along the 5 stages of Grief. I get the feeling when reading, that the grief she speaks of is not a typical death, but more the death of a friendship or a relationship. I like this twist around because I do believe – while not to the same extent – losing a friendship or relationship is unfathomably painful sometimes. There is a genuine feeling that whatever happened between Munir and this person stole a part of her, and we are reading a culmination of her thoughts leading to her eventual catharsis.

As I said, the vocabulary used and the way certain emotions interact with each other has the ability to strike a strong chord within the heart. Anger is arguably my favourite chapter because there is more of a truth there than in the others. The words and the structure of the Poetry – or at times Prose – builds and builds like Anger does to a climax that either scrunches our fists or flattens us into sadness as good poetry should.

The illustrations, drawn by Fatima Munir, are astonishingly beautiful. Each image interacts with A.Munir’s words perfectly and the delicacy of each one is quite stunning. I often wonder how a book works or doesn’t work with illustrations, but Curing My Venom is undoubtedly helped by these works of art.

My main fault with the book, and perhaps this is my own pedanticism, is with certain rhymes that feel as if they exist only to rhyme. Sometimes when writing poetry we get stuck on one particular word, a particular ‘darling’ and rather than sacrificing it we reach for a rhyming word to match it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work and I feel, only at a few points, that this is present in Curing My Venom which just momentarily severs the flow. On top of this, and I can’t quite figure out if I’m right when saying this, is that the first chapter named ‘Denial’ doesn’t feel terribly relevant to the poems included in it. This is a real shame because the poems do work and are good, but I found myself reading the pomes more than worse trying to understand why they constituted a ‘Denial’ categorisation. As I say, I may not be right and I think poetry is often open to interpretation, but Denial was just the only chapter that left me a little confused.

In conclusion, Curing My Venom is more than worth a read, with some truly relatable moments of literary feeling and I do implore you all to form your own ideas once you’ve read this. But for me, there were a few points of rhyming and structure that lower it’s impact just a little.

[OneMamaReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

***

This is a poetry book that explores the five stages of grief; denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. This collection focuses on how loss and grief affects a person, the poems winding and weaving their way through loss of self, hate, and the need to cure oneself by means of confronting the worst of themselves. The poetry is flowing, emotional, and beautiful.

I could not connect with every poem, some seemed repetitive of previous poems, and some the rhyming scheme did not have the right flow. However, there were several that touched me deeply and moved me emotionally. Along with the stark black and white illustrations, which amplified the poem they accompanied, the poems resonated with meaning and depth.

Denial is the first stage of grief and focuses on the loss of a loved one, and a persons desire to ignore the truth, to avoid the pain. The poet is lost, confused, hurt, but distracting oneself from reality. The poems reflect on our need to protect ourselves. The poet specifically is avoiding the fact that she is broken, that she needs to begin the healing process.

She then transitions into anger. Anger at herself, her doubts, her family, the world around her. The rage is palpable. A lot of the anger is toward the world and how it perceives the poet or pushes her into a small box. How family and tradition can often be overwhelming, constricting an individual who longs to be free of assumptions or carefully constructed roles.

Bargaining begins with desperation, a need to be loved, specifically by herself. She is bargaining with herself to let go of the hold that her own mind has on her. She must confront her insecurities and the darkness within herself. However, bargaining can only go so far, the poet must be willing to move forward and realize that everyone must lose small pieces of themselves as they relearn to love themselves and release all the hurt, anger, and self hatred.

Depression is the next, and darkest, phase. This section is a deep dive into sadness, self doubt, pain, loss, and the inability to escape your own inner demons. However, once on the edge of the precipice you can either fall or you can take that step back and accept yourself as you are. While this section may be the hardest to read, it also highlights hope.

The final stage of grief is Acceptance, and has the poet accepting herself and embracing her loss and who she has become (poison and all). The poet is now able to see the beauty within herself.

This poetry collection explores themes of identity, religion, tradition, history, love, ambition, self doubt, and the self being our biggest enemy. A. Rinum is a memorable poet and I highly recommend checking out this wonderful work of poetry.

My three favourite poems in the book:
1. "Threads of storms"

2. "You are the milky way"

3. "Because my love you are everything"

I was given a copy of this ebook, by the author, in exchange for an honest review.

[Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

The collection is split into five parts, each representing a stage of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Rinum focuses primarily on mental health and the challenges that occur with illness, but also mentions more positive aspects like self-acceptance.
Rinum's language and word choice are excellent. The images she creates are very evocative and poignant; one can picture them so clearly. The repetition of certain images as well helps to emphasise Rinum's meaning and keeps them at the forefront of the reader's mind, for example poison is frequently used to represent mental illness. However, one of my favourite poems from the collection 'What was I?', uses nature as a way to explore depression and the highs and lows it causes. Sometimes one feels on top of the world and almost invincible and other times sadness seems to be the only thing that ever and will exist. The natural world is used to reflect the 'world' of the mind and I think Rinum deals with those two contrasting thoughts beautifully.
Rinum is also very playful with form. Some poems rhyme, others don't (and admittedly I found some of the rhymes a bit forced and didn't really work when reread) which helps to keep the reader engaged, as well as the lengths varying greatly. Some are short and sharp whilst others go into more depth. There is even one poem ('Downside Up') which is upside down, highlighting the effect mental illness can have on our perspective of the world.
The illustrations by Fatima Munir are also well done. They are highly detailed black and white designs, but they don't overpower the words and compliment the poems really well. It means the collection is this curious blend of imagery and words which combined create a very striking piece of work.
As you can imagine, Curing my Venom is not the cheeriest collection you may ever read, and most of the happier poems are in the fifth and final section. Some hit a raw nerve with me so I had to skip to a happier one straight after, and whilst it a short read I did have to stretch it out a few days so I didn't feel overwhelmed. But the language and drawings are very beautiful. A really interesting debut and one for people interested in poetry. Or perhaps those looking to get back into it; I'm certainly curious to read more after finishing this.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vaguely hearing about this book from others, I thought this was a typical kind of a poetry book. But it wasn’t. The progression in there was like a novel, presenting five stages of curing venom and overcoming grief: Anger, Denial, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance, divided as parts in the entirety of it.

The author penned down each heartfelt verses so eloquently, I could relate with every single word of it. This is a precious bundle of poems that will resonate with your inner-self and make you realize that suffering from heartbreaks, losing someone who meant the world to you, battling your demons day and night, feeling lost and hopeless, being shackled by expectations of society, and seeing your self-worth crumble in the hands of others are common experiences that everyone goes through in life. It is these things that help you rise, find your strength and come back as a stronger version of yourself.

I am glad that the author requested me to review her book. I paged through the kindle version slowly as it was the most effective way to read it. It was inspiring to see courageous young soul like Aisha Munir to pour her deepest thoughts and feelings in lyrical words that touch every readers’ heart. There were beautiful, intricate illustrations that very well accompanied the poems.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves reading soul-stirring poetry about overcoming heartbreak, finding self-love and learning to rise above odds. It’s very uplifting and comforting to broken hearts and people who are curing their venom.

My favorite lines from many:

“In a world breeding with Venom
I desperately searched for a remedy
but only when I was poisoned
did I realize that I was my greatest enemy.”

“I had fallen in love
with the concept of ‘damsel in distress’
because I silently prayed
hoped
and
begged
to be saved from a cruel selfish world
but only when I felt my heart
wilt in my chest
did I realize that I was the villain
in my own little fairy tale.”
The forgotten beast.

“You are the ruins of a garden
in which roses crave to grow
because it is in your impurity
that the roots find solace
it is in your wrecks
that there is nourishment
it is in your imperfectness
that the petals ache to bloom
don’t degrade yourself
for it is in you
that there is a beauty
unseen to all eyes.”

[Huda AlBaqali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I start talking about the book, I want to talk about the cover: At the front, taking up most of the space is a snake made out of tiny white dots that looks like stars – making it look like a constellation of sorts. During my brief conversation with the author, she mentioned how the Snake represents Venom (as in the Venom in the title), and the Keys represents the 5 stages of Grief. Making it a play on how the 5 stages help cure you of the venom, but the venom doesn’t necessarily kill you. I found this very cool to be quite honest.

Now on to the actual contents of the book! I loved the use of the figurative language and imagery that was present in almost every other if not all of the poems written. The poet was able to beautifully capture each stage of grief within her words and deliver it that I was left in awe. There were times I felt the pain stab me, and there were times I felt the tears rush up. I felt everything deeply and don’t regret a minute of it. The artwork is also not what you would usually find in your modern poetry sets, so it was refreshing to experience the pairing of the art and the words.

*****
One of my favorite pieces from the book, titled “Keep Shining”
Adorn yourself
with your flaws
because you have the ability
to break mountains
with a single thought.

Decorate yourself
with the pearls of joy
because you are the sun
of every new day.

You are a gem
among broken pieces of glass
but don’t ever
let the filth of this world
take your glow away from you.
*****

TL; DR – A.Rinum is a wonderful poet and a beautiful master of words, and it was a joy to have read the collection of them all. Her words conveyed the intent and the pain in a painstakingly beautiful way that it left you aching but also not alone. Also – the cover is just spectacular.

[T.R. Horne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetry lovers will really dig this book! I found Rinum's version of internal inquiry to be creative, dark and highly emotional. This book has a special treat as well. The writer has included black and white sketches throughout the book. While some are obviously disturbing, others are introspective and the reader really gets a clear look into Rinum's soul. I loved the sections of the book that follow the course of ones feeling of ineptitude all the way to the realization that they control their own destiny. There will be some times that readers will find a poem or two a little far outside the realm of understanding but for the most part, you'll grasp (and feel) the pain, longing, confusion, anger and then the desire, self-awareness and positivity. You'll get a full circle range of emotions. My favorite poems were Panic Attack for its realism. I felt like I was there and could feel the raw emotion of a young girl going through a panic attack and having the fear that her love would leave her if he knew. Seed of Dreams struck me hard with its thought provoking message about how a person rises from failure and still has the will to dream big. Disguised War is short but impactful for its simple idea of inner turmoil. Readers will also enjoy the stream of thought through the writer leading them from pages all throughout the book as she links certain poems together. This gives it a 'follow your own adventure' appeal. It is profound because it allows readers to see the stream of thought and where emotions led for the writer. I enjoyed the journey through Rinum's soul and know other readers will too.

Raging Book Reviews Recommended

*Special thanks to the author for sending a softcopy for review.

[Finley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a digital copy of this book through a giveaway hosted on GoodReads.

Curing My Venom is a well-written journey in verse through the experience of mental illness. By splitting the collection into the five stages of grief, Rinum is able to simulate the experience of blaming yourself or those around you for the negative emotions your illness causes, giving up any hope of ever healing, even after learning that these feelings are not your fault, before eventually learning that you can and will get better with time and beginning the path to taking back your life from the clutches of anxiety and depression. Both her words and the illustrations that accompany many of her poems are beautiful, and are full of the emotion and pain that she describes. This book is perfect for anyone with a friend or family member with mental illness who wants to learn more about what they are going through, or for a mentally ill person on the road to recovery who might benefit from being able to relate to another person who was in the same boat, as well as anyone else who just enjoys poetry. I fear that this may not be a good fit for someone currently in the midst of the darkest stages of depression, simply because many of the poems may mirror their own negative thoughts and suicidal urges and potentially trigger an emotional attack, but I also know some depressed people (myself teenage self included) do enjoy reading about others in the same boat, and can sometimes even receive temporary solace from the comradery they feel with a writer, so I suppose I would just say know your limits and read at your own risk if your mental illness is not yet well managed. Otherwise, however, I cannot recommend this collection enough, and look forward to Rinum's future literary endeavors.

[Gabby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though this took me quite a long time overall, it’s really not a slow read. I read the second half in just a few nights before bed and I enjoyed the reading experience. I have to admit it didn’t pull me in, I usually had to set a goal of a certain amount of pages, but started to enjoy this collection a LOT more towards the end, especially the last section “Acceptance” where I found most of my favourite poems.
One of the hard things were quite a few of these poems were connected. Meaning you read one and were then prompted to “go to page xxx”. Which wouldn’t have been such a big issue however I was reading this as an ebook. By the end I didn’t go back-and-forward between poems.

Typically this isn’t my type of poetry, I find it a bit lengthy and wordy where I prefer to read poetry that is a lot shorter and packs a punch with minimal words. I did prefer the poems in this collection that had some element of repetitiveness, they kept me interested. Also the illustrations were thoughtful and very nice to look at alongside the poems.

Some of my favourite poems;
- Trapped in between
- Thank you for breaking my dreams
- Hidden anger
- Downside up
- Defaulted personality
- Failures don’t go anywhere in life
- It’s time to write your own happily ever after
- I release you all
- the day no fücks were given

This ebook was provided to me by the creator, thank you. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Amanda Hupe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just look at that cover! Curing My Venom by A. Rinum is a collection of intense poetry. The cover alone drew me in. This collection is split up into 5 phases:
1)Denial
2)Anger
3)Bargaining
4)Depression
5)Acceptance

There are some moments of hope, but life does not always work out the way we plan. Everyone will go through these stages in life. Everyone has flaws. The main point of this book is that life can be cruel and we all deal with it in our own way.

Not only is this book filled with emotional poetry but it is also filled with detailed and emotional drawings as well. These drawings really capture the essence of the poetry.

I definitely have a few favorites in this collection. For instance: The Forgotten Beast, Still Uncured, It's Okay to Not Be Okay, I Can't Seem To Heal, and Dance With The Tunes of Life.

This book really captures the emotions and is extremely relatable. I admire the author's raw honesty in the poems. There is never a moment when the emotions are held back. I love that this book really makes readers try to accept who they are and accept their emotions.

This book touches on mental health, grief, and heartbreak. Be prepared for any triggers, as I said, this book is very upfront and honest. Overall, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars! Check it out, especially if you love poetry.

Thank you to the author for a copy of the book!

[Jim Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, do not let my star count override your judgement of content. More on the stars, counting, and my rating challenges later.
For a first ‘feel’ for Munir’s voice, turn to Imperfect, which ends with the question, “would someone ever /crave to be me?”
For a strange, almost out-of-body experience, turn to I envy you, where Jealousy takes over the narrator.
Munir proves that he/she can rhyme, and very well, in Fallen Angel. This short poem is told from a surprise point of view.
For an invocation of self, turn to Let it be today, which includes the key line, “but today you mustn’t back down.”
A frustration at lost sense of place will be found in Lost Connections.
For a final quote, turn to Passive Aggressiveness, which includes this: “I know you are shattered /and the bitterness is burning through your core /but revenge won’t do you any good…”
Now for the star count boilerplate.
My personal guidelines, when doing any review, are as follows: five stars means, roughly equal to best in genre. Rarely given. Four stars means, extremely good. Three stars means, definitely recommendable. I am a tough reviewer. I try hard to be consistent. Five stars feels right to this curmudgeon.
(Note: this reviewer received a free copy of this book for an independent review. He is not associated with the author or Amazon.)

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Curing My Venom is a book of poetry that is divided into the 5 stages of grief; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Using these headlines to organize their poetry, the author takes us through their journey of curing their own venom.

While I can't claim that I connected to every poem in this book, the ones I did connect with got me right in the feels. These poems are both dark and beautiful. They portray the feelings of pain and devastation through many forms of grief and loneliness, but then as you progress in the book you see the underlying hope.

There are illustrations on almost every page of this book. They look almost like sketches done by hand and are absolutely beautiful. I think they contribute wonderfully to the overall theme of the poems.

I'd recommend this book to those who love dark poetry, anyone in a dark place, and anyone who has ever been in a dark place.

[harureads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can we take a minute to appreciate the book cover front and back. BEAUTIFUL. GORGEOUS.PRECIOUS. FRAGILE. Illustrations are very impactful.

SPEECHLESS.
I read few pages and I fell in love with this book immediately. I'm speechless. Emotions depicted by the author are so raw and real. It makes me sad, how true everything is. I relate so much with this book.

Illustration in the book o my god they are so beautiful. When i saw the I instantly want to paint them.

Title of each poem is so accurate and so beautiful.

A wonderful collection of long and short poems. Words written by the author are freaking POWERFUL. I'm in love with her writing style. Her words are so motivational. I'm in LOVE.

It's simply beautiful. The author has poured all her heart in this book. You can see that but most importantly feel what she us trying to say.
The agony, anxiety and insecurities bury our shine and then there is hope waiting for us.

Each poem fills you with so much of emotions. Gonna be in my 5 Star list of this year.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this gem.

[Kathryn Houghton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this in one sitting, and that’s how captivating it was. Curing My Venom deals with 5 stages of grief, and I particularly liked the Depression stage because I related to it in a personal way. I can’t say I’ve lost someone close to me, so I couldn’t really relate to a lot of the poems in the other stages, but I still saw the appeal. I saw raw emotion in a lot of the verses, which I enjoyed. But that being said, I did feel like some of the poems were focusing too much on rhyming, and it tended to not strike as much emotion in me in those instances. Also, I wasn’t particularly fond of the illustrations, I tend to favor very simplistic illustrations. Overall, this book is a must read because the author knows how to appeal to emotions everyone feels, whether you are going through some type of grief in your life or regardless.

[Greta Rase · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently start to read poetry. I havent read to much: Rupi Kaur and other hispanic authors. Its something I want to change: I want to read poetry. This book is really good. I have been sad this year, I have feel like everything is too much for me and that all my doors are closed. Rinum poetry give me a example of the fight with ourselves and the monsters inside our bodies, it makes me feel that im not alone, that im not the only one who feel this grief. The book has 5 stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Each one give us a different feeling and a big evolution, and I think the author really do what she wants to: let us see that the venom in ourselves could bring up a new person, the real person, that its inside ourselves. The brightest and best version of me. I really recomend it.

[Neerja Joshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curing My Venom is a poetry collection by young debutant writer Aisha Munir. Aisha takes you on a journey inside her mind, where she fights her battle with life through these five stages Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. The poetry comes from heart, it is simple, yet you will feel all of her emotions poured into the pages. The poems cover various issues from being a girl in a patriarchal society to the identity crisis an individual goes from time to time. There are few of them which touched me to the core than the others. I will add the quote with which the book starts "My venom may not be the same as yours, but I'll pray for you to find a cure. Your wars may not be the same as mine, but it's okay we'll both be alright!"

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Thank you to the author for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

This book is a collection of poems describing the 5 stages of grief. It touches on themes such as self-worth, self-love, and personal growth. I enjoyed reading some poems more than others, as there’s a variety of poetry styles in this book. Some of the poems truly resonated with me. The artwork was also beautiful and I loved looking at the illustrations. For me though this book could have been way shorter. I found it to be a bit repetitive and some messages became redundant after reading them a few times in different poems. I also found some of the poetry to be too dark for my liking, eg: talking of self-harm. Overall, I’d recommend this book to poetry lovers who don’t mind dark topics but this just wasn’t for me.

[yasmine 🇵🇸🍉 · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 stars ✨

Thank you to the author for the e copy of her book!

It's hard to judge a poetry book because you're reading the writer's heart. What I will say is that I related to a lot of the poems and I really like them, I also really like the illustrations.

My favorite poem is this one :

"I had fallen in love
with the concept of 'damsel in distress'
because I silently prayed
hoped
and
begged
to be saved
from a cruel selfish world
but only when I felt my heart
wilt in my chest
did I realize that I was the villain
in my own little fairy tale.

The forgotten beast"

[Saira · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this beautiful piece of poetry from the author in exchange of an honest review.
Being a poetry fan, I was very excited to read it. It is divided into 5 section 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. and I readily connected to each one of them on emotional strength .

One of its strong points were the connections that the prose show with the pictures and of each text to another. It gave a sense of answer that came with each questions.

My favorite piece of text being :

I know life is hard
And you're shattering like glass
But I promise you
This too shall pass.

[Charlene Galea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received a soft copy of this book for a review of it. I’ve read a lot of poetry books and it’s a good book however I wouldn’t say it’s the best one. Something which I would have liked was to have the physical copy as I think the linking of poems in the books would have made the experience better.
It goes over the 5 stages of grief and it portrays them in an excellent manner. Also loved the illustrations scattered along the pages.