Tea With Death

by Abigail Wildes, Jeanna Pappas (Illustrator)

Miss Abigail Wildes & Miss Jeanna Pappas cordially invite you to tea. Other guests include Death herself, the ghost of a blackbird, a spattering of Witches, a few tortured souls, and two zombie BFFs.

Slip into this surprising book of illustrated poetry and find yourself utterly swept away in beauty, depth, horror and wicked hilarity! Oh, and here’s your cup of tea--we promise it’s not poisoned! ~Enjoy.

Genres: Poetry

101 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2020

About the author

Abigail Wildes is a weirdo. Displaced from time and maybe even space. She writes her strange and delicious poetry while spilling tea and dreaming of partially restoring dilapidated houses. She's a paradox and a mystery, with a smile like sweet southern tea and a wicked little twinkle that knows all your secrets.

Reviews

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a charming and delightful collection of gothic poetry. Ranging from whimsical to the macabre, it will entertain and amuse any reader. A lovely tome with beautiful illustrations, it makes for a handsome gift and a beautiful addition to your own library. Highly recommended.

[Kat Trent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boy oh boy do I love these poems!
Blessed are the witches is likely one of my favorites, but I don't think I found any that were terrible. I enjoyed seeing the different kinds of poems and the artwork really set it off!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

To start this review I will say that I have very little background in poetry so don’t hold me as any sort of expert. Now, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection, it reminded me very much of a book collection I read as a child called “Scary Stories to Read in the Dark” they both have a wonderful creep factor with just enough morbidity to draw you in and keep you entertained. In my mind a lot of these poems seemed to draw inspiration from the 19th century from the focus on death and dying to the whimsical sense of humor found throughout all of the poems. The illustrations added a greater sense of whimsy and really brought the poems to life. Both together are perfect I couldn’t imagine this collection of poetry without their illustrations.

Diving a little deeper on individual poems, here are a couple of my favorites. Escape from Fear tells the tale of a sailor caught in a storm looking for a way out, this is a poem that will ring true for anyone who has ever let fear hold them back and would highly recommend as a read for someone looking for a reminder that there is light on the other side of fear. “Penny Dreadfuls” is another one of my favorites that speaks to the love of the morbid that we all hide deep inside. If you are looking for a deliciously creepy poem with a surprising ending “Bloodlust” is one of the best poems in the collection for it. It caught me off guard in the best way.

All in all if you are looking for a light, fun read to share with friends or enjoy solo in this time of quarantine then this is a fantastic book to have. It’s perfect for someone wanting to get into poetry and really learn that a poem doesn’t have to be dissected to be understood or be as epic as the Greek poems of old to be beautiful and enjoyable.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this book at a local B&N, the cover grabbed my attention and after reading a few poems I was hooked! The beautifully dark poems are matched with delightfully creepy art to help set the mood! It's a great little collection of poems... Some dark,some humorous and some sad. Grab your tea and have a cuppa with death!

[Laura Loup · Rating 5 out of 5]

I drank the tea! This book is gorgeous inside and out! The most gorgeous illustrations and stunning, vibrant poetry. I laughed, cried, and got the chills!

[Autum Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book of poetry, the imagery and cleverness in the wording is a joy to read. The illustrations are lovely as well. This book would be a lovely gift for someone who likes gothic or witchy things, or just a poetry lover in general. Also I am happy to support female artists.

[Ronald Weston · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wicked little collection of poems with a bit o' darkness, a touch of outré, and a deep sense of humor. I raise my cup ... but dare not drink. The illustrations are spot on! I'm so glad that reading the kindle version was just like viewing a hardcopy.

[Jen Meadows · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of creepy goodness!

Abigail has done an amazing job with her book of tremendous terrors. You can go as shallow or as deep as you prefer. I would rank this along the lines of Grimms Fairytales. The illustrations are to die for, too. I originally read it on kindle but will be purchasing a few copies of the hardcover to give keep and give as gifts. If I were to sum up this book it would be , " More please!"

[Rosie stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had it’s moments but I didn’t overly connect with the formatting. Having said that I still think this will be one of my favorite poetry books.

The blurb compared it to Shel Silverstein and Poe I can definitely see that comparison however I do think the book as a whole leans more towards Poe. I pick this book up as a huge fan of Shel Silverstein so I didn’t get a lot of what I was after.

[Claudia Berdej · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok. Some of the poems were alright, but overall they’re just average. I read it for the gothic spooky vibes! This was full of gothic tropes and cliches, but that’s what I expected and wanted.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tea With Death is an impressive debut collection from Abigail Wildes, featuring poems (many written in ballad form) that range from humorous to darkly supernatural. While there are certainly some forgettable verses in these pages, there are also some highly worthwhile pieces, such as "Monster in the Mirror", "A Raven for Tea", and "Blame it on the Devil".

The icing on the cake is the black-and-white illustrations by Jeanna Pappas, which really adds an extra dimension to the enjoyment of Wilde's poems. This combination of efforts by the two creators lifts Tea With Death above the ordinary and makes it well worth a read!

[Joshua Gage · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection will not work for all poetry readers, even fans of horror poetry. This is not modern poetry with rich imagery and metaphor, but Gothic poetry working within two-hundred-year-old structures and tropes. It is clearly designed to be such, and for the most part works within that genre of poetry. If readers go into this collection expecting Gothic poetry, archaic yet probing and haunting, they will not be disappointed.

Full review here: https://www.cemeterydance.com/extras/...

[Aaron Hanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not normally read poetry but this book has made me change my stance on the subject. Much of the book has a darker tone but also a childlike innocence and sense of humor. Many of the poems were fun to read and those that were not were still employable as I could relate to their subject matter (including the darker ones). The art of Jeanna Pappas lends a kind complementary hand to the book. Some of the art would make great prints.

I purchased this book to read something outside of my normal box of fantasy, science fiction, and manga. Abigail Wildes paints a picture of words that can speak to all on many levels. I will be looking forward to any new content from her.

This book is insanely well written and I will and would drink the tea once again. #IDranktheTea

[Jennigma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't read poetry often. So when my book club decided to meet for a book signing with Miss Abigail Wildes, I decided eh, why not.

Of course I had to purchase the book ahead of time so that I might have something to discuss with the author and with my bookclub.

I was pleasantly surprised by how I received the poetry. It was all at once dark and delightful. 'Someone poisoned the Tea' and 'Disgustingly Rich' are perhaps the two I enjoyed the most.

I arrived at the signing and meeting the author was an absolute delight. I got my copy signed and I am thrilled to meet a like-minded soul.

I recommend to those with dark humor who enjoy a bit of whimsy.

[Robert Lassiter · Rating 5 out of 5]

No spoilers here. It’s refreshing to read a more classic approach to poetry in a world full of modernist BS. The fact it comes from someone within the pagan community makes it even better as it gives the poetry contained within this book a unique perspective. A must have for the serious poetry collection, regardless of your beliefs. Get a copy of it if you can, as I promise you won’t regret it.

[Beth Pronger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such amazing talent! I hope to see more of Abigail Wildes' work in the future. Such whimsical ideas and great, dark and beautiful prose!

[Kaley ❄️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really don't care for poetry but I have been wanting to get out of my comfort zone so I picked this up to see if I would like it. I surprisingly loved it. I like this style, probably my favorite type really from what I have sampled. The themes, ideas, etc. that this particular poetry book talked about really spoke to me :)

[Regina Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, I picked this up for the zombies and ghostly humor, but I stayed for the layered emotions. There's a strange comfort in reading about death when it’s painted with such honesty and whimsy. Some verses had me chuckling, others hit too close to home in the best way. A few poems felt more style than substance, hence the half-star drop—but still, a delightful and thoughtful read.

[Kai · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. Not really for me, hence the rating, but it was ok

[The Book Witch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this collection.

These poems are simplistic, not a bad thing for the record, I am just stating what they are. There is a constant rhyme throughout the poems, which I am personally not a fan of simply because I feel like it disrupts the flow through the poems, and sometimes just weakens the overall effect of it. But these poems also read as if it was for a younger audience than me, and even in the second half when it did get a little darker to the point where I thought it wasn't a middle-grade poetry collection, it still read for a younger audience. So it might be young adult, but I'm not actually 100% sure.

Beyond that though, the poems were just delightful, and whimsical, and clever and all with the backdrop that this book promises, a haunted tea party with dead partiers and perhaps, the tea may be poisoned after all.