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A Collection of Dreamscapes
A Collection of Dreamscapes by Christina Sng is an exploration of the darkness inside us, the shadow-self that screams and begs, forever fighting to claw itself out. It's a siren song of transformation, an uncovered diary that bleeds fairy tales and dystopias, and it reads like a grimoire full of spells and curses that bring monsters and madmen to life.
Between these pages, readers will meet women who hide behind the taste of poisoned apples, who set themselves on fire, who weep at riverbanks, the taste of freedom too much to swallow, too heavy to bear. They will be whisked away to faraway lands and unimaginable worlds, the drip of fog-soaked dreams a steady flow down their throats while they choke on betrayal and bathe in the waters of tears twice cried.
Sng's poems are a blend of dark fantasy and science fiction, a changeling's whisper and an ogre's cry. They are both subtle and violent, and they weave themes of empowerment and strength through stars and earthquakes, forcing us to push away the rubble and look at what we've had to do to survive. They are the sacrifice in the forest and the haunting in the house, every gasp and ancient fear a reflection of the violence we've had to bury deep inside ourselves, all those battle cries and reimagined dreams we desperately try to forget. Here, Sng marries blood and magic, forever walking hand-in-hand with scar and ash, their imprints both a nightmare and a blessing, a dream and the truth.
Swallow them carefully. Once they're inside you, there's no getting them out.
Between these pages, readers will meet women who hide behind the taste of poisoned apples, who set themselves on fire, who weep at riverbanks, the taste of freedom too much to swallow, too heavy to bear. They will be whisked away to faraway lands and unimaginable worlds, the drip of fog-soaked dreams a steady flow down their throats while they choke on betrayal and bathe in the waters of tears twice cried.
Sng's poems are a blend of dark fantasy and science fiction, a changeling's whisper and an ogre's cry. They are both subtle and violent, and they weave themes of empowerment and strength through stars and earthquakes, forcing us to push away the rubble and look at what we've had to do to survive. They are the sacrifice in the forest and the haunting in the house, every gasp and ancient fear a reflection of the violence we've had to bury deep inside ourselves, all those battle cries and reimagined dreams we desperately try to forget. Here, Sng marries blood and magic, forever walking hand-in-hand with scar and ash, their imprints both a nightmare and a blessing, a dream and the truth.
Swallow them carefully. Once they're inside you, there's no getting them out.
170 pages, Paperback
First published April 16, 2020
10 people are currently reading
317 people want to read
About the author
Christina Sng
102 books56 followersChristina Sng is a poet, writer and artist. Her work has received honourable mentions in The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, and nominations for the Dwarf Stars and Rhysling Awards. She is the author of several chapbooks, including Dark Dreams (2011) and A Constellation of Songs (2016). Her first two full-length poetry collections from Alban Lake Publishing and Raw Dog Screaming Press were published in 2016.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
July 8, 2020
Wow. This is my first time experiencing Christina Sng's writing voice, but it certainly won't be my last. She has such an incredible way with words, weaving together dark fantasy and horror, fairytales and social commentary — needless to say, I enjoyed this quite a lot. I don't think this leans as heavily on the "horror poetry" side as I expected it to, but I enjoyed the SFF and speculative elements to it all the same and found it a nice mixture of genres and themes.
Most of all, I loved the section of fairytale retellings and, without going into too much detail and risking spoilers, the way many of those stories blended into one another seamlessly. I tend to view most fairytales as singular beings separate from one another, and to view them as all being connected like this was such a fascinating take on the presentation that I really enjoyed.
Though this wasn't what I expected, I'm truly so happy I had the chance to pick it up because Sng's writing just blew me away. It made me desperately want to pick up more of her collections, starting with this one's predecessor, A Collection of Nightmares, which I have no doubt will be another instantly beloved piece of work for me.
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
Most of all, I loved the section of fairytale retellings and, without going into too much detail and risking spoilers, the way many of those stories blended into one another seamlessly. I tend to view most fairytales as singular beings separate from one another, and to view them as all being connected like this was such a fascinating take on the presentation that I really enjoyed.
Though this wasn't what I expected, I'm truly so happy I had the chance to pick it up because Sng's writing just blew me away. It made me desperately want to pick up more of her collections, starting with this one's predecessor, A Collection of Nightmares, which I have no doubt will be another instantly beloved piece of work for me.
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
January 20, 2021
4 1/2 Stars and bumping upwards for Goodreads because it was THAT good and because Goodreads refuses to give us the 1/2 star. Boo and hiss GR.
This little book of dark poetry will entrance you with its dark magic and simmering rage. Within its pages you will find fairytale worlds filled with magic, wonder and furious brutality. If you like dark fiction, I recommend giving it a try. The poems are broken up into themed chapters that often progress from one to the next continuing in a story-like fashion.
The first section was about bloodlust, destruction and war and I’m not entirely certain my brain comprehended it all on the first go but the poems all pulled me in and created a complete story.
I mean:
“His eyelids cut in a half-moon
To ensure he witnesses every moment
Leading to his death”
What is there not to love about that?!
The Fairy Tales section was one of my favorites. They’re beautifully modern but yet manage to maintain a fairytale-like mood filled with the whims of the fey, the evils of men and they are bloody and vicious as well they should be!
All the Monsters in the World brings forth devastating violation, murder, and even a quirky vampire poem that offered some sweet, much needed relief from all the unrelenting but purifying violence.
“They will arrive
With their guns and scythes,
Here we will wait
And eat them alive.”
Hahahaha! Dare I say how much I love the way Sng puts words together?!
There’s one poem here that will sit with me forever. It’s called “The Girl and Her Wolf Dog” and It broke me into a million pieces and put me back together again. If I had to pick just one perfect poem from this collection, a collection filled with them, it would be this one.
Do something nice for you and give it a read! I doubt you’ll have regrets.
This little book of dark poetry will entrance you with its dark magic and simmering rage. Within its pages you will find fairytale worlds filled with magic, wonder and furious brutality. If you like dark fiction, I recommend giving it a try. The poems are broken up into themed chapters that often progress from one to the next continuing in a story-like fashion.
The first section was about bloodlust, destruction and war and I’m not entirely certain my brain comprehended it all on the first go but the poems all pulled me in and created a complete story.
I mean:
“His eyelids cut in a half-moon
To ensure he witnesses every moment
Leading to his death”
What is there not to love about that?!
The Fairy Tales section was one of my favorites. They’re beautifully modern but yet manage to maintain a fairytale-like mood filled with the whims of the fey, the evils of men and they are bloody and vicious as well they should be!
All the Monsters in the World brings forth devastating violation, murder, and even a quirky vampire poem that offered some sweet, much needed relief from all the unrelenting but purifying violence.
“They will arrive
With their guns and scythes,
Here we will wait
And eat them alive.”
Hahahaha! Dare I say how much I love the way Sng puts words together?!
There’s one poem here that will sit with me forever. It’s called “The Girl and Her Wolf Dog” and It broke me into a million pieces and put me back together again. If I had to pick just one perfect poem from this collection, a collection filled with them, it would be this one.
Do something nice for you and give it a read! I doubt you’ll have regrets.
May 23, 2020
"You've always told me / That I warm up your heart / I throw it in the fire / Now, that's a start."
A Collection of Dreamscapes is the second poetry collection I've read by Christina Sng, and both were enjoyable reads! I love that some of the poems were connected in this book, and it was fun to see everything woven together throughout the collection.
My top 5 poems were Little Red, Into the Tall Grass, The Lady of the Lake, Mortal Life, and Noonwraiths. There were several others I enjoyed as well, but this were my favorites.
Some of the poems in this collection went a bit over my head, especially the ones in The Love Song of Allegra. I rated all of the poems in this collection positively, but I found some of them to be confusing. I didn't feel a connection to all of this collection, just parts of it. Overall, it was a good read, and I'll definitely be reading whatever Christina Sng writes next!
A Collection of Dreamscapes is the second poetry collection I've read by Christina Sng, and both were enjoyable reads! I love that some of the poems were connected in this book, and it was fun to see everything woven together throughout the collection.
My top 5 poems were Little Red, Into the Tall Grass, The Lady of the Lake, Mortal Life, and Noonwraiths. There were several others I enjoyed as well, but this were my favorites.
Some of the poems in this collection went a bit over my head, especially the ones in The Love Song of Allegra. I rated all of the poems in this collection positively, but I found some of them to be confusing. I didn't feel a connection to all of this collection, just parts of it. Overall, it was a good read, and I'll definitely be reading whatever Christina Sng writes next!
February 26, 2020
I had the honor of reading an early copy of this book and giving it a blurb, and with Sng it really is an honor. I cannot wait to get the paperback copy and reread the whole thing on paper. Plus, that cover! Gorgeous.
One of the many things that draws me into Sng's poetry is how expertly she shapes each piece. This is a poet who takes her craft seriously, who understands the work that goes into revising, editing, and revising a piece again until it is perfect, until each word of the poem lures you deep into its lullaby -- and in this collection of magic and light, of darkness and blood, you'll find yourself held captured by those lullabies until they turn into screams. This is truly an enchanting collection that you do not want to miss this year.
One of the many things that draws me into Sng's poetry is how expertly she shapes each piece. This is a poet who takes her craft seriously, who understands the work that goes into revising, editing, and revising a piece again until it is perfect, until each word of the poem lures you deep into its lullaby -- and in this collection of magic and light, of darkness and blood, you'll find yourself held captured by those lullabies until they turn into screams. This is truly an enchanting collection that you do not want to miss this year.
April 30, 2020
Three words that describe this book: immersive, creepy, accessible
What I love about Sng's horror poetry is how easily you slip into the world. she is creating. Readers new to poetry, might be worried about the format, but rest assured, this is not the poetry from hundreds of years ago that you were forced to read in school.
The poems flow so easily. The unravel like stories, super creepy and unsettling stories, but ones that complete envelop the reader. You read along easily, feeling the world, the plot, and the unease she is. creating with each word with all 5 of your senses.
Honestly, this is a collection that will remind many readers that they do like poetry. This is collection that will remove the barriers many readers feel poetry puts up in their way. That is because this is a poetry collection that is about using the format to tell an amazing and united horror story of the terror, dread, and unease within our collective human folk lore, fairy tales, and mythology. It is a collection that unites us as a species and pays homage to our historical desire to tell horror stories.
As a result, it is a collection that is not only a fun read for horror fans, it is a great advertisement for the genre itself.
A COLLECTION OF DREAMSCAPES is the follow up to the 2017 Bram Stoker Award winning poetry collection, A COLLECTION OF NIGHTMARES. I highly recommend both.
I would also like to make a general statement about the publisher of this collection, Raw Dog Screaming Press. Libraries, this is a publisher you need to know about. They are publishing the very best horror poetry in the country and the rest of their catalog is stellar. I stand behind the publishers as people and their product. I have yet to find a bad book that they have published. Bonus for libraries, they are easily available through your regular ordering platforms and the physical books hold up to multiple checkouts.
For fans of fairy tale and folklore inspired dark fantasy or horror like Oyeyemi or Novik. Other horror poets who are similar, Stephanie Wytovich and Linda Addison.
If you like the short stories of Carmen Maria Machado, you also need to try Sng.
I have more about this book on my blog including an interview between Sng and Linda Addison here: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2020/04...
What I love about Sng's horror poetry is how easily you slip into the world. she is creating. Readers new to poetry, might be worried about the format, but rest assured, this is not the poetry from hundreds of years ago that you were forced to read in school.
The poems flow so easily. The unravel like stories, super creepy and unsettling stories, but ones that complete envelop the reader. You read along easily, feeling the world, the plot, and the unease she is. creating with each word with all 5 of your senses.
Honestly, this is a collection that will remind many readers that they do like poetry. This is collection that will remove the barriers many readers feel poetry puts up in their way. That is because this is a poetry collection that is about using the format to tell an amazing and united horror story of the terror, dread, and unease within our collective human folk lore, fairy tales, and mythology. It is a collection that unites us as a species and pays homage to our historical desire to tell horror stories.
As a result, it is a collection that is not only a fun read for horror fans, it is a great advertisement for the genre itself.
A COLLECTION OF DREAMSCAPES is the follow up to the 2017 Bram Stoker Award winning poetry collection, A COLLECTION OF NIGHTMARES. I highly recommend both.
I would also like to make a general statement about the publisher of this collection, Raw Dog Screaming Press. Libraries, this is a publisher you need to know about. They are publishing the very best horror poetry in the country and the rest of their catalog is stellar. I stand behind the publishers as people and their product. I have yet to find a bad book that they have published. Bonus for libraries, they are easily available through your regular ordering platforms and the physical books hold up to multiple checkouts.
For fans of fairy tale and folklore inspired dark fantasy or horror like Oyeyemi or Novik. Other horror poets who are similar, Stephanie Wytovich and Linda Addison.
If you like the short stories of Carmen Maria Machado, you also need to try Sng.
I have more about this book on my blog including an interview between Sng and Linda Addison here: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2020/04...
December 16, 2020
Review to follow...
February 26, 2020
Thanks to Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi, I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of this gorgeous book of poetry from Raw Dog Screaming Press.
I love the nightmarish but beautiful ambience of the cover because it illustrates the amazing words found within so well.
The book is split into five separate sections, and the overall narrative in each of these parts fit together perfectly.
The Love Song of Allegra tells the violent, sad and amazing story of the warrior Allegra and the war she takes part in. There's so much action, blooshed and vivid imagery with a backdrop so visceral the events played out inside my mind like an awesome feminist fantasy tale.
Fairy Tales is a wickedly delicious assortment of poems full of familiar characters who also surprised me. The situations they found themselves in are warped into surreal and brutal portions to satisfy the monster hidden within.
All the Monsters in the World took me on a roller-coaster ride where the monsters rule. Some are human, others are fictional, but all of them managed to creep under my skin to create nightmares, and a variety of apocalyptic situations where there is no hope left.
Although, sometimes even the loss of hope is the true salvation.
The Capacity of Violence starts with a jolt of violent revenge that then catapulted me from one poem about the capacity and true strength of victims to an even deeper one. Just because predators so openly use mental, emotional and physical force to oppress their prey, it doesn't mean these tortured souls are weak.
It takes greater strength to accept outwardly and resist inwardly, slowly building a resistance that topples the most vile of abusers.
Myths and Dreamscapes sends us on a shadowy journey beyond the stars. Where the ancient world and the distant future collide, and we embark on trips that range from the intergalactic to the afterlife, and so much more.
While I enjoyed every single poem because they're all captivating in their own way, there were some that resonated on a much deeper level with me and will remain in my mind for a long time.
A Collection of Dreamscapes is the first book I've read by Christina Sng, but it definitely won't be the last. The amazing poems spilled inside the pages of this collection are violent, wondrous and even grotesque. There are a lot of dark issues and nightmarish imagery in this wickedly beautiful collection.
The awful abuse against girls and women is captured in such vivid and real ways that it caught me off-guard and caused a wave of familiar sadness to sweep inside me. But even then, all of that hopelessness is often turned into empowerment.
This is a fantastic book of poetry that doesn't shy away from true monsters or the many found in myths. The imagery touches the wonderment of fairy tales, the intrigue of myth and our interest in future worlds.
Even within all the darkness, these soul-stirring words managed to find the smallest glimmer of hope in every scenario.
I loved this and it's going straight to my Keeper Shelf.
I love the nightmarish but beautiful ambience of the cover because it illustrates the amazing words found within so well.
The book is split into five separate sections, and the overall narrative in each of these parts fit together perfectly.
The Love Song of Allegra tells the violent, sad and amazing story of the warrior Allegra and the war she takes part in. There's so much action, blooshed and vivid imagery with a backdrop so visceral the events played out inside my mind like an awesome feminist fantasy tale.
Fairy Tales is a wickedly delicious assortment of poems full of familiar characters who also surprised me. The situations they found themselves in are warped into surreal and brutal portions to satisfy the monster hidden within.
All the Monsters in the World took me on a roller-coaster ride where the monsters rule. Some are human, others are fictional, but all of them managed to creep under my skin to create nightmares, and a variety of apocalyptic situations where there is no hope left.
Although, sometimes even the loss of hope is the true salvation.
The Capacity of Violence starts with a jolt of violent revenge that then catapulted me from one poem about the capacity and true strength of victims to an even deeper one. Just because predators so openly use mental, emotional and physical force to oppress their prey, it doesn't mean these tortured souls are weak.
It takes greater strength to accept outwardly and resist inwardly, slowly building a resistance that topples the most vile of abusers.
Myths and Dreamscapes sends us on a shadowy journey beyond the stars. Where the ancient world and the distant future collide, and we embark on trips that range from the intergalactic to the afterlife, and so much more.
While I enjoyed every single poem because they're all captivating in their own way, there were some that resonated on a much deeper level with me and will remain in my mind for a long time.
A Collection of Dreamscapes is the first book I've read by Christina Sng, but it definitely won't be the last. The amazing poems spilled inside the pages of this collection are violent, wondrous and even grotesque. There are a lot of dark issues and nightmarish imagery in this wickedly beautiful collection.
The awful abuse against girls and women is captured in such vivid and real ways that it caught me off-guard and caused a wave of familiar sadness to sweep inside me. But even then, all of that hopelessness is often turned into empowerment.
This is a fantastic book of poetry that doesn't shy away from true monsters or the many found in myths. The imagery touches the wonderment of fairy tales, the intrigue of myth and our interest in future worlds.
Even within all the darkness, these soul-stirring words managed to find the smallest glimmer of hope in every scenario.
I loved this and it's going straight to my Keeper Shelf.
April 30, 2020
A Collection of Dreamscapes is my first collection of poetry by Christina Sng - and because of this I am absolutely going to snag a copy of a previous collection titled A Collection of Nightmares. The cover is what first drew me in to this book of poems because, well, have you seen that stunning art??
These poems are haunting, stunning, and poignant. A few of them I read more than once just so I could fully grasp all that was being written down. And I found that reading them aloud helped slow my consumption so that I could feel and absorb them in the best way. This practice also helped me because, as the title suggests, some of these poems are quite dreamlike and you don't always see the full picture at first. So going back over it or purposefully slowing down really enriches the reading experience. I decided to take my time with this and only read a few poems in the morning or the evening. Spreading this out over 2-3 weeks was a treat I gave myself, and one I hope to gain with her other published works as well.
I highly recommend this dark and enchanting collection of work from Christina Sng. You will really be moved by the way she puts these poems and stories together. From myths of death and rebirth to monsters and fairy tales, this is a solid collection!
My many thanks to Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi and Raw Dog Screaming Press for this copy and for creating another Sng fan in the world! 4.5 stars and rounding up for Goodreads!
These poems are haunting, stunning, and poignant. A few of them I read more than once just so I could fully grasp all that was being written down. And I found that reading them aloud helped slow my consumption so that I could feel and absorb them in the best way. This practice also helped me because, as the title suggests, some of these poems are quite dreamlike and you don't always see the full picture at first. So going back over it or purposefully slowing down really enriches the reading experience. I decided to take my time with this and only read a few poems in the morning or the evening. Spreading this out over 2-3 weeks was a treat I gave myself, and one I hope to gain with her other published works as well.
I highly recommend this dark and enchanting collection of work from Christina Sng. You will really be moved by the way she puts these poems and stories together. From myths of death and rebirth to monsters and fairy tales, this is a solid collection!
My many thanks to Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi and Raw Dog Screaming Press for this copy and for creating another Sng fan in the world! 4.5 stars and rounding up for Goodreads!
September 26, 2021
3.5 I really enjoyed this collection. I think the qualms I had with it weren’t necessarily a fault on the collection or author’s choices, but more due to my personal preferences in style.
Things that made this collection shine for me were the reimagining of fairytales and myths. I admired the fresh life breathed into old tales. I also enjoyed the female centric angle to pretty much the entirety of this collection and how the women represented were able to get their justice. Another strong aspect was the language; Sng’s overall word choice was impeccable and left a a feeling of dreamy wonder. Lastly, the poems within the individual sections of the collection felt strong and consistent to each theme, which provided a sense of being grounded as a reader.
The only thing I will say that brought some poems down for me, but won’t necessarily for others, was the addition of hints of technology in the fairy tales. While it made them more modern I just personally didn’t prefer these elements added. Lastly, I personally do not mesh with science fiction on pretty much any level, so the sci-fi poems fell very flat for me. However a reader who enjoys sci-fi is sure to find these specific poems to their liking.
Very pleased with my overall experience and cannot wait to pick up another of Sng’s collections soon!
Things that made this collection shine for me were the reimagining of fairytales and myths. I admired the fresh life breathed into old tales. I also enjoyed the female centric angle to pretty much the entirety of this collection and how the women represented were able to get their justice. Another strong aspect was the language; Sng’s overall word choice was impeccable and left a a feeling of dreamy wonder. Lastly, the poems within the individual sections of the collection felt strong and consistent to each theme, which provided a sense of being grounded as a reader.
The only thing I will say that brought some poems down for me, but won’t necessarily for others, was the addition of hints of technology in the fairy tales. While it made them more modern I just personally didn’t prefer these elements added. Lastly, I personally do not mesh with science fiction on pretty much any level, so the sci-fi poems fell very flat for me. However a reader who enjoys sci-fi is sure to find these specific poems to their liking.
Very pleased with my overall experience and cannot wait to pick up another of Sng’s collections soon!
April 29, 2023
You sewed my lips up
To keep me quiet,
Never imagining
It would only fuel my rage.
You see,
I, too, have a capacity
For anger and violence
Kept carefully under control
So the little ones don’t see
And don’t learn.
But I know now
It was a mistake.
For when I woke up,
Unable to speak or scream,
The thick catgut you used
Ripping my lips to ribbons,
The storm inside me
Finally erupted.
And with my bare hands,
I tore you apart.
Yes, adrenaline works like that.
You must have forgotten.
{A Capacity for Violence}
This isn't so much of a review, but rather an endorsement. I. Am. Obsessed. with this collection. The writing, the imagery…it’s phenomenal. Poetry lovers, you need this. Horror heads, you need this. Readers, you need this. If you're looking for a collection of poetry that plays with themes used in fairy tales, folklore, mythology, and dabbles in feminine rage, fabulism, and horror (body and cosmic specifically) - this book is for you.
Read with the My Dark Library Bookclub on Instagram.
To keep me quiet,
Never imagining
It would only fuel my rage.
You see,
I, too, have a capacity
For anger and violence
Kept carefully under control
So the little ones don’t see
And don’t learn.
But I know now
It was a mistake.
For when I woke up,
Unable to speak or scream,
The thick catgut you used
Ripping my lips to ribbons,
The storm inside me
Finally erupted.
And with my bare hands,
I tore you apart.
Yes, adrenaline works like that.
You must have forgotten.
{A Capacity for Violence}
This isn't so much of a review, but rather an endorsement. I. Am. Obsessed. with this collection. The writing, the imagery…it’s phenomenal. Poetry lovers, you need this. Horror heads, you need this. Readers, you need this. If you're looking for a collection of poetry that plays with themes used in fairy tales, folklore, mythology, and dabbles in feminine rage, fabulism, and horror (body and cosmic specifically) - this book is for you.
Read with the My Dark Library Bookclub on Instagram.
October 29, 2020
The collection of over 80 poems is grouped into five sections: The Love Song of Allegra, Fairy Tales, All the Monsters in the World, The Capacity of Violence, and Myths and Dreamscapes. If you want more specific thoughts/insights into each section then go read the review on my blog at readingvicariously.net!!
Just know that this is an excellent collection of poetry, full of poems that are worth reading over and over. Needless to say the beautifully descriptive language and fervent imagination of the author make for wonderful stories. Their cruelty, brutality, and violence clearly put the collection as a whole in the category of “dark poetry,” but that’s not to say there aren’t also threads of grace, love, and redemption. And with such a variety of styles and genres (myth, fantasy, science fiction, crime thriller, and straight horror just to name a few) there’s something here for everyone to enjoy!
Favorite poems include “Always a Beast,” “Memoirs in the Dark,” “The Tooth Collector,” and “ Future World”
Thanks to @rdspress for sending a copy to review, and to @christinasng for her wonderful poetry!
Just know that this is an excellent collection of poetry, full of poems that are worth reading over and over. Needless to say the beautifully descriptive language and fervent imagination of the author make for wonderful stories. Their cruelty, brutality, and violence clearly put the collection as a whole in the category of “dark poetry,” but that’s not to say there aren’t also threads of grace, love, and redemption. And with such a variety of styles and genres (myth, fantasy, science fiction, crime thriller, and straight horror just to name a few) there’s something here for everyone to enjoy!
Favorite poems include “Always a Beast,” “Memoirs in the Dark,” “The Tooth Collector,” and “ Future World”
Thanks to @rdspress for sending a copy to review, and to @christinasng for her wonderful poetry!
June 15, 2020
Christina Sng is a fantastic poet! This collection takes on trauma and the road to recovery, revenge, fairy tales, and self exploration and it's all told in beautiful evocative prose that will leave you gasping for air.
Not all Dreamscapes are nice and I enjoyed the darker side of the fairy tales. If you're a fan of dark feminist poetry you should definitely pick up a copy of 𝘈 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘴!
Not all Dreamscapes are nice and I enjoyed the darker side of the fairy tales. If you're a fan of dark feminist poetry you should definitely pick up a copy of 𝘈 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘴!
May 10, 2022
Read this for the second time during National Poetry Month 2022, and just as in love with it as I was on my first read-through. Christina Sng's ability to make magic with her words is unparalleled, and I love the dark fantasty-like qualities to many of these.
August 20, 2021
Christina Sng has a genuine gift for weird poetry, and A Collection of Dreamscapes really demonstrates why she stands out from the pack (along with fellow weird poet Wade German). Sng uses plain language and avoids both obscurity and obvious supernatural bromides, a practice which too many of her peers fall into.
Although there are no weak poems in this collection, "The Girl Made of Electricity", "Noonwraiths" and "Winter's Gift" are showcases for Sng's ability to capture a sliver of light in the very darkest settings, where revenge and violence may provide a catharsis to those who have been relentlessly victimized. It's that weaving of palpable human feeling into grim settings which allows Sng's work to transcend the tired commonplaces of the weird poetry genre and express something real and memorable.
Although there are no weak poems in this collection, "The Girl Made of Electricity", "Noonwraiths" and "Winter's Gift" are showcases for Sng's ability to capture a sliver of light in the very darkest settings, where revenge and violence may provide a catharsis to those who have been relentlessly victimized. It's that weaving of palpable human feeling into grim settings which allows Sng's work to transcend the tired commonplaces of the weird poetry genre and express something real and memorable.
February 5, 2021
This was so great. Review soon.
December 16, 2020
I had the honor of blurbing this book:
“To be escorted by Christine Sng through A Collection of Dreamscapes is to become the warrior queen of a forgotten land, a tech-savvy fairy tale maiden, a girl made of electricity with the power to short-circuit the world. It is a journey of monstrous possibilities, surreal surroundings, and entrancing mythologies, and one that—though we all must wake up eventually—I did not want to end."
“To be escorted by Christine Sng through A Collection of Dreamscapes is to become the warrior queen of a forgotten land, a tech-savvy fairy tale maiden, a girl made of electricity with the power to short-circuit the world. It is a journey of monstrous possibilities, surreal surroundings, and entrancing mythologies, and one that—though we all must wake up eventually—I did not want to end."
December 16, 2020
Sng's poems, which I have been dazzled by and amazed for years, have a dream-like quality here, which is not surprising given the title of the work of this collection. She conjures images of myths, of heartbreak, evoking the same tragedy of Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabel Lee."
Her poems are carved from the most beautiful gems, each one a special gift bearing different surprises for the reader. The emotions that her poems evoke hit the reader deeply, and resonate with strong chords of sorrow. Like her contemporaries, Sng's poetry reaches up like dark tendrils of a mandrake and pleads, with sad insistence, that the reader allow themselves to be overtaken by the emotions they present.
Those who enjoy mythological figures of strong women will enjoy this collection, every bit as fierce as 'Beowulf' but suffused with tender care to intensify the electric images.
Women and the energy of what it is to be female and have power, to have beauty, to be feared and reviled for it but in some rare cases, adored and appreciated for it, posed here not as a threat but rather something to celebrate, make this a must-read not just for Women in Horror month, but also year-round.
Anyone with an appreciation for fine, dark poetry on sorrowful themes needs this book in their life. Herein there are images of battlefields, both metaphorical and literal, of demons, of the power and indomitable spirit of women who do not allow themselves to be conquered.
I also found the linearity of the collection had a fascinating resonance for me, wherein the poems were connected by storylines. I haven't seen that in poetry, and I enjoyed it here.
Sng elevates her poetry to new levels here--she is a modern day bard.
The Romantic Poets, in particular Percy Shelley and Lord Byron, also infuse the pages of Sng's collection with their energy, and not simply because of the similarities in themes. There is a powerful interplay of homage mixed with extension and going even further than the originals had hoped.
It's not adequate enough and too simplistic to say that Sng writes beautifully or that her poems feature a lushness to them. The focus here on aspects of fairy tales that get ignored, like in Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Snow White, and others, here put a spotlight on those experiences, and re-center the women in a way that feels ingrained and transformative.
One of the central themes of the collection is women refusing to don the mantles assigned to them from fairy tales, and all of the messages that Conservativism and other modern-day controlling forces impose, particularly on women. It takes these things and tears out their guts. It challenges simplistic falseties like 'happily ever after' and makes these fairy tale princesses, usually stuck in Disneyfied boxes, to become who they really are.
There is trauma, as the collection moves forward, of what happens to female bodies, of the silent things we suffer, of the fear that it will happen again, that no one will believe us, and that hovering toxicness that threatens every interaction, every tiny inkling of what may be, of what we may be accused of later lest we are not careful.
To try to condense this magnificent collection in a pithy, quotable "one line" summary would not do it justice. There's an elegance here, even as the darkest depths of actions and emotions are being explored, and an aesthetic that blends together so many amazing forces. It is a collection that needs to be read and celebrated as widely as possible, studied in schools for how profound its impact is. "A Collection of Dreamscapes" feels like a grimoire that every wronged woman must possess, that contains the tools of how to take what has disempowered us for so long and fight to change that.
Her poems are carved from the most beautiful gems, each one a special gift bearing different surprises for the reader. The emotions that her poems evoke hit the reader deeply, and resonate with strong chords of sorrow. Like her contemporaries, Sng's poetry reaches up like dark tendrils of a mandrake and pleads, with sad insistence, that the reader allow themselves to be overtaken by the emotions they present.
Those who enjoy mythological figures of strong women will enjoy this collection, every bit as fierce as 'Beowulf' but suffused with tender care to intensify the electric images.
Women and the energy of what it is to be female and have power, to have beauty, to be feared and reviled for it but in some rare cases, adored and appreciated for it, posed here not as a threat but rather something to celebrate, make this a must-read not just for Women in Horror month, but also year-round.
Anyone with an appreciation for fine, dark poetry on sorrowful themes needs this book in their life. Herein there are images of battlefields, both metaphorical and literal, of demons, of the power and indomitable spirit of women who do not allow themselves to be conquered.
I also found the linearity of the collection had a fascinating resonance for me, wherein the poems were connected by storylines. I haven't seen that in poetry, and I enjoyed it here.
Sng elevates her poetry to new levels here--she is a modern day bard.
The Romantic Poets, in particular Percy Shelley and Lord Byron, also infuse the pages of Sng's collection with their energy, and not simply because of the similarities in themes. There is a powerful interplay of homage mixed with extension and going even further than the originals had hoped.
It's not adequate enough and too simplistic to say that Sng writes beautifully or that her poems feature a lushness to them. The focus here on aspects of fairy tales that get ignored, like in Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Snow White, and others, here put a spotlight on those experiences, and re-center the women in a way that feels ingrained and transformative.
One of the central themes of the collection is women refusing to don the mantles assigned to them from fairy tales, and all of the messages that Conservativism and other modern-day controlling forces impose, particularly on women. It takes these things and tears out their guts. It challenges simplistic falseties like 'happily ever after' and makes these fairy tale princesses, usually stuck in Disneyfied boxes, to become who they really are.
There is trauma, as the collection moves forward, of what happens to female bodies, of the silent things we suffer, of the fear that it will happen again, that no one will believe us, and that hovering toxicness that threatens every interaction, every tiny inkling of what may be, of what we may be accused of later lest we are not careful.
To try to condense this magnificent collection in a pithy, quotable "one line" summary would not do it justice. There's an elegance here, even as the darkest depths of actions and emotions are being explored, and an aesthetic that blends together so many amazing forces. It is a collection that needs to be read and celebrated as widely as possible, studied in schools for how profound its impact is. "A Collection of Dreamscapes" feels like a grimoire that every wronged woman must possess, that contains the tools of how to take what has disempowered us for so long and fight to change that.
August 12, 2020
dream·scape
noun
plural noun: dreamscapes
a landscape or scene with the strangeness or mystery characteristic of dreams.
Dreamscapes is the perfect word to use to define this collection of poetry by Christian Sng. There is a dreamlike quality to Sng's writing, each poem is expertly crafted to evoke a thought, an image, a sensation. Unlike prose writing there are no words wasted here, sharp and to the point these poems pull you into hallucinatory landscapes brimming with the fantastical, the beautiful, the dangerous, and sometimes verging on the fringe of nightmares, which is fitting as the author has another collection of poems aptly titled A Collection of Nightmares.
This collection is broken up into different sections each with its own unique feel and theme. From sprawling epics reminiscent of Homer's The Odyssey to bursts of violent delights, monsters lurking in the shadows to dark and twisted fairy tales.
The Love Song of Allegra - A series of poems that collectively tell the story of the warrior woman Allegra in the fashion of a Greek epic.
Fairy Tales - You won't find the Disney versions of classic fairy tales such as Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty here. These poems have all been spun with a dark black thread. The Brothers Grimm would be proud.
All the Monsters in the World - Full of monsters performing monstrous acts, but us, humans, always seem to be the scariest monsters of all.
The Capacity of Violence - Vicious and raw. These poems are full of emotion and how we all have the capacity, slumbering dormant within us to unleash violence. Sng's words cut to the bone. She wields the pen as deftly as she would a blade.
Myths and Dreamscapes - Mythology infused with dark fantasy. These poems have a magical quality to them that makes them feel as if they are from another time and place long since lost.
Some of my favorite poems from this collection are:
The Child Who Would Be Queen
The King Who Became a Sycophant
Grandmother Red
The Mermaid
When There Are Monsters
The Monsters Within
Memoirs in the Dark
Violation
Into the Tall Grass
The Joy of Sewing
Lobotomy
The Forest of Discarded Baby Girls
Noonwraiths
The Tooth Collector
A Capacity For Violence
The Giants of Easter Island
Styx
The Light At the End of the Tunnel
The Wasteland
Lyrically spellbinding. A Collection of Dreamscapes by Christian Sng gives us but a glimpse, a moment frozen in time, of conjured worlds both beautiful and desolate. Populated by the innocent and those whose innocence has crumbled away to reveal the writhing darkness within.
I once thought as many of you who are reading this probably do, poetry isn't for me. Take a chance. Expand your reading horizons and you may just find that it's not that poetry isn't for you, but that you have been consuming the wrong poetry.
I received an ARC of this book from the publicist for review consideration.
Video review: https://youtu.be/qv_6s3dk7A0
noun
plural noun: dreamscapes
a landscape or scene with the strangeness or mystery characteristic of dreams.
Dreamscapes is the perfect word to use to define this collection of poetry by Christian Sng. There is a dreamlike quality to Sng's writing, each poem is expertly crafted to evoke a thought, an image, a sensation. Unlike prose writing there are no words wasted here, sharp and to the point these poems pull you into hallucinatory landscapes brimming with the fantastical, the beautiful, the dangerous, and sometimes verging on the fringe of nightmares, which is fitting as the author has another collection of poems aptly titled A Collection of Nightmares.
This collection is broken up into different sections each with its own unique feel and theme. From sprawling epics reminiscent of Homer's The Odyssey to bursts of violent delights, monsters lurking in the shadows to dark and twisted fairy tales.
The Love Song of Allegra - A series of poems that collectively tell the story of the warrior woman Allegra in the fashion of a Greek epic.
Fairy Tales - You won't find the Disney versions of classic fairy tales such as Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty here. These poems have all been spun with a dark black thread. The Brothers Grimm would be proud.
All the Monsters in the World - Full of monsters performing monstrous acts, but us, humans, always seem to be the scariest monsters of all.
The Capacity of Violence - Vicious and raw. These poems are full of emotion and how we all have the capacity, slumbering dormant within us to unleash violence. Sng's words cut to the bone. She wields the pen as deftly as she would a blade.
Myths and Dreamscapes - Mythology infused with dark fantasy. These poems have a magical quality to them that makes them feel as if they are from another time and place long since lost.
Some of my favorite poems from this collection are:
The Child Who Would Be Queen
The King Who Became a Sycophant
Grandmother Red
The Mermaid
When There Are Monsters
The Monsters Within
Memoirs in the Dark
Violation
Into the Tall Grass
The Joy of Sewing
Lobotomy
The Forest of Discarded Baby Girls
Noonwraiths
The Tooth Collector
A Capacity For Violence
The Giants of Easter Island
Styx
The Light At the End of the Tunnel
The Wasteland
Lyrically spellbinding. A Collection of Dreamscapes by Christian Sng gives us but a glimpse, a moment frozen in time, of conjured worlds both beautiful and desolate. Populated by the innocent and those whose innocence has crumbled away to reveal the writhing darkness within.
I once thought as many of you who are reading this probably do, poetry isn't for me. Take a chance. Expand your reading horizons and you may just find that it's not that poetry isn't for you, but that you have been consuming the wrong poetry.
I received an ARC of this book from the publicist for review consideration.
Video review: https://youtu.be/qv_6s3dk7A0
April 22, 2020
Another absolutely beautifully put together collection of dark poetry from Sng. Her words are haunting, entrancing, and beg for your absorption. At the conclusion of each poem I read, I found myself just sitting in silence letting the words ruminate in my mind as I prepared to submerge myself into the next otherworldly dreamscape.
The collection itself is broken into five sections, each so immensely different while still being strung together so perfectly. My favorite section was "Fairy Tales." I sometimes find it difficult to full appreciate fairy tale retellings, but these had me entranced! I could not wait for the next one. Right from the start of the section we are introduced to the witch's cottage with the scent of burnt flesh wafting from the chimney and stabby children! The stabby children did it for me; I just had to read on. "The Woods" and "Hansel and Gretel" were my absolute favorites from this section.
𝐼𝓃𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒, 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓇𝓎 𝒸𝒽𝒾𝓁𝒹𝓇𝑒𝓃
𝒲𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓈𝒽𝒶𝓇𝓅 𝓀𝓃𝒾𝓋𝑒𝓈, 𝒽𝑒𝓈𝒾𝓉𝒶𝓃𝓉
𝒯𝑜 𝓁𝑒𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒾𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝒹 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑜𝓃.
𝐿𝑒𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝒷𝑒. 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒷𝑒 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝑒.
Another favorite section was "All the Monsters In the World." The poem "Violation" created such a knot in my stomach as my jaw dropped- gut wrenching and raw. I also loved "Concepts." I don't want to give it away, but the last stanza put a little smile on my face- a creepy, dark heart kinda smile.
The section titled "The Capacity for Violence" was dark and dreadful, and I loved it. "Lobotomy" was a favorite in this section. I have this crazy, unnatural fascination with the practice of lobotomy in the not so distant past. The book "My Lobotomy" is what really spawned that fascination (look it up, it's incredibly disturbing and heartbreaking), and this poem took me back to all the feelings I had reading that book. "The Deer" will leave you with all kinds of thoughts, and I'll just say, humans are terrible beings.
If you've never read poetry before, this would be a perfect place to start. The words on these pages are beautiful beyond measure, but they will also haunt you long after your close the cover. If you are already a lover of dark poetry, this collection will sit in your heart and solidify that adoration.
*Thanks to RDS Press and Erin Al-Mehairi for providing me with this absolute treasure to read and review.*
The collection itself is broken into five sections, each so immensely different while still being strung together so perfectly. My favorite section was "Fairy Tales." I sometimes find it difficult to full appreciate fairy tale retellings, but these had me entranced! I could not wait for the next one. Right from the start of the section we are introduced to the witch's cottage with the scent of burnt flesh wafting from the chimney and stabby children! The stabby children did it for me; I just had to read on. "The Woods" and "Hansel and Gretel" were my absolute favorites from this section.
𝐼𝓃𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒, 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓇𝓎 𝒸𝒽𝒾𝓁𝒹𝓇𝑒𝓃
𝒲𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓈𝒽𝒶𝓇𝓅 𝓀𝓃𝒾𝓋𝑒𝓈, 𝒽𝑒𝓈𝒾𝓉𝒶𝓃𝓉
𝒯𝑜 𝓁𝑒𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒾𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝒹 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑜𝓃.
𝐿𝑒𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝒷𝑒. 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒷𝑒 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝑒.
Another favorite section was "All the Monsters In the World." The poem "Violation" created such a knot in my stomach as my jaw dropped- gut wrenching and raw. I also loved "Concepts." I don't want to give it away, but the last stanza put a little smile on my face- a creepy, dark heart kinda smile.
The section titled "The Capacity for Violence" was dark and dreadful, and I loved it. "Lobotomy" was a favorite in this section. I have this crazy, unnatural fascination with the practice of lobotomy in the not so distant past. The book "My Lobotomy" is what really spawned that fascination (look it up, it's incredibly disturbing and heartbreaking), and this poem took me back to all the feelings I had reading that book. "The Deer" will leave you with all kinds of thoughts, and I'll just say, humans are terrible beings.
If you've never read poetry before, this would be a perfect place to start. The words on these pages are beautiful beyond measure, but they will also haunt you long after your close the cover. If you are already a lover of dark poetry, this collection will sit in your heart and solidify that adoration.
*Thanks to RDS Press and Erin Al-Mehairi for providing me with this absolute treasure to read and review.*
April 22, 2020
A Collection of Dreamscapes by Christina Sng is a poetry collection divided into 5 sections and featuring an array of beautifully dark poems.
I particularly enjoyed the rewritten "Fairy Tales" and "Myths and Dreamscapes" sections.
A Collection of Dreamscapes opens with "Allegra," a 5-star stunning and beautiful mythological story within a poem. I absolutely loved this one. I must note though, that the poems in this opening section should be read in order – as I realized – but you will enjoy them nonetheless.
As I said, I loved the "Fairy Tales," where Sng takes on common tales like Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast and twists them all. Sng also has several different stories/poems about a single fairy tale, like Rapunzel.
My favorites were: "Little Red," "Snow," "The Girl from the Tower," "Jack and the Giants," and "The Mermaid."
"Snow," the poem on the Snow White and Seven Dwarves tale, is different from anything I've read. Sng introduces ideas such as social media into the story. That said, I felt the poem was a bit long, less poetic in some places, and unbelievable in others. Still, it was definitely a far cry from the prince charming theme known for these types of tales but still Snow White wasn't the strong woman, unlike Sng's version of The Red Riding Hood.
An interesting take is Sng bringing the modern world into the fairy tales. Interesting but a bit jarring still. You can find this in "Snow" and "Rapunzel."
"Beauty Sleeps for a Century" is a good rewrite of the Cinderella story, however, there was a significant repetition of "but" throughout that, for me, disturbed the flow of the poem.
I also liked how Sng mixed some of the tales together as you'll see in "Cinderella," "Always a Beast" and "Living Well Is the Best Revenge."
I absolutely loved "When There Are Monsters." It’s a dark and powerful piece and easily relatable to the real world, where monsters aren't just confined to books or TV screens.
The poem "The Monsters Within" is one of the more gruesome pieces in A Collection of Dreamscapes. It sent shivers down my spine. Similarly, "Violation" is a dark, gruesome and heartbreaking piece.
"In the Tall Grass" is a full on sci-fi poem. And I've never read a poem like it before. It's interesting, exciting, and definitely different.
I absolutely loved "The Lady of the Lake," with Sng's take on it; dark but brilliant. I wish I can quote it whole.
"The Joy of Sewing" is a creepy and gruesome piece that reminded me of the movie The House of Wax.
One recurring problem for me with A Collection of Dreamscapes is that many of the pieces read as more prose than poetry. An example of this is seen in "The War of the Fall," which has a great story but is not very poetic. I also found the sequence of the poem to be a bit confusing.
I have no problem with free verse, I write in it mostly myself but when writing in free verse there is a fine line between just dividing your sentence and having poetic flow to the piece. At the end of the day, you want people to read your free verse pieces as poems not as a newspaper article.
Other recommended pieces in A Collection of Dreamscapes: "Margritte of Mer," "Concepts," "Lobotomy," "Annalise Wanders the Forest," "Noonwraiths," and "The Tooth Collector."
Overall rating for Christina Sng's A Collection of Dreamscapes: 4 stars
Originally I rated this collection 3 stars, but upon an inspection while writing the review, I think the book deserves 3.75 to 4 stars.
Note: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) of A Collection of Dreamscapes by Christina Sng from Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi. This review is part of National Poetry Month.
I particularly enjoyed the rewritten "Fairy Tales" and "Myths and Dreamscapes" sections.
A Collection of Dreamscapes opens with "Allegra," a 5-star stunning and beautiful mythological story within a poem. I absolutely loved this one. I must note though, that the poems in this opening section should be read in order – as I realized – but you will enjoy them nonetheless.
As I said, I loved the "Fairy Tales," where Sng takes on common tales like Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast and twists them all. Sng also has several different stories/poems about a single fairy tale, like Rapunzel.
My favorites were: "Little Red," "Snow," "The Girl from the Tower," "Jack and the Giants," and "The Mermaid."
"Snow," the poem on the Snow White and Seven Dwarves tale, is different from anything I've read. Sng introduces ideas such as social media into the story. That said, I felt the poem was a bit long, less poetic in some places, and unbelievable in others. Still, it was definitely a far cry from the prince charming theme known for these types of tales but still Snow White wasn't the strong woman, unlike Sng's version of The Red Riding Hood.
An interesting take is Sng bringing the modern world into the fairy tales. Interesting but a bit jarring still. You can find this in "Snow" and "Rapunzel."
"Beauty Sleeps for a Century" is a good rewrite of the Cinderella story, however, there was a significant repetition of "but" throughout that, for me, disturbed the flow of the poem.
I also liked how Sng mixed some of the tales together as you'll see in "Cinderella," "Always a Beast" and "Living Well Is the Best Revenge."
I absolutely loved "When There Are Monsters." It’s a dark and powerful piece and easily relatable to the real world, where monsters aren't just confined to books or TV screens.
The poem "The Monsters Within" is one of the more gruesome pieces in A Collection of Dreamscapes. It sent shivers down my spine. Similarly, "Violation" is a dark, gruesome and heartbreaking piece.
"In the Tall Grass" is a full on sci-fi poem. And I've never read a poem like it before. It's interesting, exciting, and definitely different.
I absolutely loved "The Lady of the Lake," with Sng's take on it; dark but brilliant. I wish I can quote it whole.
"The Joy of Sewing" is a creepy and gruesome piece that reminded me of the movie The House of Wax.
One recurring problem for me with A Collection of Dreamscapes is that many of the pieces read as more prose than poetry. An example of this is seen in "The War of the Fall," which has a great story but is not very poetic. I also found the sequence of the poem to be a bit confusing.
I have no problem with free verse, I write in it mostly myself but when writing in free verse there is a fine line between just dividing your sentence and having poetic flow to the piece. At the end of the day, you want people to read your free verse pieces as poems not as a newspaper article.
Other recommended pieces in A Collection of Dreamscapes: "Margritte of Mer," "Concepts," "Lobotomy," "Annalise Wanders the Forest," "Noonwraiths," and "The Tooth Collector."
Overall rating for Christina Sng's A Collection of Dreamscapes: 4 stars
Originally I rated this collection 3 stars, but upon an inspection while writing the review, I think the book deserves 3.75 to 4 stars.
Note: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) of A Collection of Dreamscapes by Christina Sng from Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi. This review is part of National Poetry Month.
August 21, 2020
*I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.*
A Collection of Dreamscapes by Christina Sng is an exploration of the darkness in all of us, the shadow-self that screams and begs, forever fighting to claw itself out. It's a siren song of transformation, an uncovered diary that bleeds fairy tales and dystopias, and it reads like a grimoire full of spells and curses that bring monsters and madmen to life.
This is my second foray into Christina Sng's work. I read her last work of horror poetry and it was phenomenal, so when I had the chance to read another work of her poetry, I jumped at the chance! And I was definitely not disappointed!
Sng weaves horror and dark fantasy with fairy tales and beautiful myths to create breathtaking, page
turning poetry. As much as I loved one poem, I couldn't wait to get to the next to see what Sng had created for me! I will never get tired of reading her lyrical prose that seem to bleed from her pen and dance across the page, telling a dark tale or a nightmare that flows with whimsy and carefree-ness. I cannot wait for her next collection!
A Collection of Dreamscapes by Christina Sng is an exploration of the darkness in all of us, the shadow-self that screams and begs, forever fighting to claw itself out. It's a siren song of transformation, an uncovered diary that bleeds fairy tales and dystopias, and it reads like a grimoire full of spells and curses that bring monsters and madmen to life.
This is my second foray into Christina Sng's work. I read her last work of horror poetry and it was phenomenal, so when I had the chance to read another work of her poetry, I jumped at the chance! And I was definitely not disappointed!
Sng weaves horror and dark fantasy with fairy tales and beautiful myths to create breathtaking, page
turning poetry. As much as I loved one poem, I couldn't wait to get to the next to see what Sng had created for me! I will never get tired of reading her lyrical prose that seem to bleed from her pen and dance across the page, telling a dark tale or a nightmare that flows with whimsy and carefree-ness. I cannot wait for her next collection!
April 19, 2020
Beautifully written poems reaching into the depths of darkness and pulling out the fleshy beating heart of our souls... this book drowns you within tales of humanity rooted in evil. This collection is unlike anything I had read before having a few different sections within. I loved the rewritten fairy tales that were raw and ripped open... they satisfied my dark thoughts of what if...
*does have hints towards sexual abuse within this collection*
*does have hints towards sexual abuse within this collection*
Read
April 20, 2020The latest book I’m taking on in this series is A Collection of Dreamscapes by Christina Sng.  this book is broken up into five different sections, each one containing its own personality and character which stand to set it apart from the others. There is the smallest amount of overlap, but it almost reads more as five separate collections.
The Love Song of Allegra – I’m so happy that this portion of the book was selected to kick things off. we get a series of 17 poems that all work back to back to tell an epic story in the tradition of, well, an epic poem. Think The Odyssey.
It lays out the story of Allegra, a warrior who takes the lead in this fantasy.  as I mentioned before, all of the poems work together to tell a complete story, but just like a novel might have a chapter that sticks in your memory, I absolutely adored the vivid imagery and brutality present in The King Who Became a Sycophant.
Fairy Tales – I treasured my time spent with this section. I thought it was the strongest in the book. It’s mostly made up of fairytales that we know well, and Sng gives them a twist, usually in a morbid or modern sense. Some are contained within a single poem, other span two or three to tell different aspects of a well-known story.
Sng does include some more obscure tales to mix it up as well, such as Girl on Fire. My favorites were the modern day take on Rapunzel from Rapunzel and The Girl From the Tower as well as the new spin on Hansel and Gretel.
All the Monsters in the World – As you might suspect, The section tells separate tales of monsters, both real and human. The monstrous ones are good and chill-inducing, but the human element is where the author truly shines.
Violation is probably one of the best examples in this book at taking a snapshot of raw emotion. And there’s so much implied, but left unsaid.
The Capacity of Violence – The poems here tend to be very visceral. One of my favorites, Mortal Life, contains this stanza, and I’m a little ashamed to admit it made me smile.
“You’ve always told me that I warm your heart. I throw it in the fire, now that’s a start.”
One of the coolest parts about this section is the way the two poems, The Joy of Sewing and A Capacity for Violence, book end the experience.
Myths and Dreamscapes – Another favorite section. I am a sucker for authors who work around and incorporate established mythologies into their work. Greek is the most prominent, but it’s seamlessly interwoven with our worldly tales and Sng’s own creativity.
The origins of Easter Island told in The Giants of Easter Island is intriguing. This section also contains my favorite poem in the entire book, When the Earth was Young. It’s short, simple, and gorgeous. Not a wasted word to paint the picture and I’ve been back to visit a few times since I first read it.
I feel very confident saying that this collection has something for everyone. I enjoyed every section on its own merits, and if I asked to pull 10 favorite poems from the finished product, I have no doubt that each section would be represented at least once. I highly recommend this book and I’ll be moving Sng’s other collection, A Collection of Nightmares, a bit up my list. 
I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review consideration.
The Love Song of Allegra – I’m so happy that this portion of the book was selected to kick things off. we get a series of 17 poems that all work back to back to tell an epic story in the tradition of, well, an epic poem. Think The Odyssey.
It lays out the story of Allegra, a warrior who takes the lead in this fantasy.  as I mentioned before, all of the poems work together to tell a complete story, but just like a novel might have a chapter that sticks in your memory, I absolutely adored the vivid imagery and brutality present in The King Who Became a Sycophant.
Fairy Tales – I treasured my time spent with this section. I thought it was the strongest in the book. It’s mostly made up of fairytales that we know well, and Sng gives them a twist, usually in a morbid or modern sense. Some are contained within a single poem, other span two or three to tell different aspects of a well-known story.
Sng does include some more obscure tales to mix it up as well, such as Girl on Fire. My favorites were the modern day take on Rapunzel from Rapunzel and The Girl From the Tower as well as the new spin on Hansel and Gretel.
All the Monsters in the World – As you might suspect, The section tells separate tales of monsters, both real and human. The monstrous ones are good and chill-inducing, but the human element is where the author truly shines.
Violation is probably one of the best examples in this book at taking a snapshot of raw emotion. And there’s so much implied, but left unsaid.
The Capacity of Violence – The poems here tend to be very visceral. One of my favorites, Mortal Life, contains this stanza, and I’m a little ashamed to admit it made me smile.
“You’ve always told me that I warm your heart. I throw it in the fire, now that’s a start.”
One of the coolest parts about this section is the way the two poems, The Joy of Sewing and A Capacity for Violence, book end the experience.
Myths and Dreamscapes – Another favorite section. I am a sucker for authors who work around and incorporate established mythologies into their work. Greek is the most prominent, but it’s seamlessly interwoven with our worldly tales and Sng’s own creativity.
The origins of Easter Island told in The Giants of Easter Island is intriguing. This section also contains my favorite poem in the entire book, When the Earth was Young. It’s short, simple, and gorgeous. Not a wasted word to paint the picture and I’ve been back to visit a few times since I first read it.
I feel very confident saying that this collection has something for everyone. I enjoyed every section on its own merits, and if I asked to pull 10 favorite poems from the finished product, I have no doubt that each section would be represented at least once. I highly recommend this book and I’ll be moving Sng’s other collection, A Collection of Nightmares, a bit up my list. 
I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review consideration.
April 16, 2020
When I read the synopsis for this book I didn’t really have an idea of what to expect. I thought it would be just simple cute poetry with some horror thrown in and it ended up being beautiful dark narrative poems. Here are a few of my favorite tales.
(1) The love song of Allegra. A story of the trials of war and of self sacrificing gods for their people to flourish. The chosen warrior fighting demons with magical spears. They are ruthless in their torture!
“ℍ𝕚𝕤 𝕖𝕪𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕕𝕤 𝕔𝕦𝕥 𝕚𝕟 𝕒 𝕙𝕒𝕝𝕗-𝕞𝕠𝕠𝕟
𝕋𝕠 𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕞𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥
𝕃𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠 𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕕𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕙.”
(2)Fairy tales. This is the section I was most excited for when I flipped through the book. I mean the first poem of it I read I began to smile ruthlessly. This is what I’m looking for!
As I read I could envision Tim burton making this into a movie! They are like modernized grim tales. “The mermaid” is my favorite grizzly fairy tale story told!
(3)From all the monsters in the world- most of these were monster tropes if I remember correctly theses were a couple of my favorites “violation” , “into the tall grass” , “all the monsters in the world”
(4) the capacity for violence - I loved every poem in this section as I did the first 2, I just wished they were move like novellas or longer .. I wanted more! I don’t know why human monsters scare and intrigue me the most.
(5) myths and dreamscapes - I think most of these poems were ones from the heart but this one was my favorite! “ the girl and her wolf dog” ♥️
I don’t have any poetry books like this and I loved it more than I thought I would. The only issue I had is that I hated some of them ended so shortly and I wanted more story from specific poems.
(1) The love song of Allegra. A story of the trials of war and of self sacrificing gods for their people to flourish. The chosen warrior fighting demons with magical spears. They are ruthless in their torture!
“ℍ𝕚𝕤 𝕖𝕪𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕕𝕤 𝕔𝕦𝕥 𝕚𝕟 𝕒 𝕙𝕒𝕝𝕗-𝕞𝕠𝕠𝕟
𝕋𝕠 𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕞𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥
𝕃𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠 𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕕𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕙.”
(2)Fairy tales. This is the section I was most excited for when I flipped through the book. I mean the first poem of it I read I began to smile ruthlessly. This is what I’m looking for!
As I read I could envision Tim burton making this into a movie! They are like modernized grim tales. “The mermaid” is my favorite grizzly fairy tale story told!
(3)From all the monsters in the world- most of these were monster tropes if I remember correctly theses were a couple of my favorites “violation” , “into the tall grass” , “all the monsters in the world”
(4) the capacity for violence - I loved every poem in this section as I did the first 2, I just wished they were move like novellas or longer .. I wanted more! I don’t know why human monsters scare and intrigue me the most.
(5) myths and dreamscapes - I think most of these poems were ones from the heart but this one was my favorite! “ the girl and her wolf dog” ♥️
I don’t have any poetry books like this and I loved it more than I thought I would. The only issue I had is that I hated some of them ended so shortly and I wanted more story from specific poems.
Read
May 3, 2020This collection off poetry provided the kind of dark escapism that I had been craving. I was excited to read this book because I loved the poet's previous work A Collection of Nightmare.
The book is divided up into various sections: The Love Song of Allegra, Fairy Tales, All the Monsters In the World, Capacity of Violence and Myths and Dreamscapes. Each of the poems were appropriately categorized. However as I read this entire collection I got the sensation of the magic of slipping into a dream that was reminiscent of a dark fairy tale. In fact, when I read of the poems in the middle of the night it provoked nightmares as it stirred something in that state between a sleep and awake. The skillful combination of lyricism and narration that fleshed out these images made this collection irresistible! It did not feel like the kind of collection that I needed to give myself the goal to complete be reading as it delightfully brought me to the dark corners of my imagination.
I've also published a longer version of this review on my blog: http://glamorousbookgal.blogspot.com/...
The book is divided up into various sections: The Love Song of Allegra, Fairy Tales, All the Monsters In the World, Capacity of Violence and Myths and Dreamscapes. Each of the poems were appropriately categorized. However as I read this entire collection I got the sensation of the magic of slipping into a dream that was reminiscent of a dark fairy tale. In fact, when I read of the poems in the middle of the night it provoked nightmares as it stirred something in that state between a sleep and awake. The skillful combination of lyricism and narration that fleshed out these images made this collection irresistible! It did not feel like the kind of collection that I needed to give myself the goal to complete be reading as it delightfully brought me to the dark corners of my imagination.
I've also published a longer version of this review on my blog: http://glamorousbookgal.blogspot.com/...
May 31, 2020
Thanks so much to Raw Dog Screaming Press for providing me with an ARC of this book for review. I first read the incredible work of Christina Sng in the Miscreations Anthology by Doug Murano, and her poems were my favorite part of it. I knew after that, I needed to read more by her.
Christina Sng can take the most horrific topics and weave them into beautiful, luscious works of poetry. I was truly mesmerized by every word on ever page. Normally, I would highlight my favorite poems in a collection, but there are too many to name here because I loved them all. I will say that the entire section “A Capacity For Violence” was probably my favorite.
I recommend A Collection Of Dreamscapes to everyone, whether you are a poetry lover or not. If you don’t believe yourself to be someone who enjoys dark poetry, I urge you to pick up the work of Christina Sng. You’ll thank me later!
Christina Sng can take the most horrific topics and weave them into beautiful, luscious works of poetry. I was truly mesmerized by every word on ever page. Normally, I would highlight my favorite poems in a collection, but there are too many to name here because I loved them all. I will say that the entire section “A Capacity For Violence” was probably my favorite.
I recommend A Collection Of Dreamscapes to everyone, whether you are a poetry lover or not. If you don’t believe yourself to be someone who enjoys dark poetry, I urge you to pick up the work of Christina Sng. You’ll thank me later!
June 17, 2020
Christina Sng's collection of poetry, A Collection of Dreamscapes, blends dark fantasy, science fiction, and horror, examining the many-faceted aspects of women, from their hopeful dreams to their shadow selves. These lyrical poems offer tale of "women who hide behind the taste of poisoned apples, who set themselves on fire, who weep at riverbanks, the taste of freedom too much to swallow, too heavy to bear."
April 15, 2021
Overall, this is another strong effort by Christina Sng. While some readers may nitpick about the occasional miss in this collection, the bulk of the narratives in this book are strong. If one is a fan of Sng’s previous collections, they will not be disappointed, and readers of horror poetry will certainly want this book in their permanent library.
Full review here: https://www.cemeterydance.com/extras/...
Full review here: https://www.cemeterydance.com/extras/...
January 16, 2021
Stuff Dark Dreams are Made on...
Well written they are. This collection is a mixed bag of sorts, the mixture of science fiction, fantasy, myth, and horror. Even the interpretation of fairy tales were wicked and sometimes hilarious like with Snow. Others are retold differently. Sometimes there are influences of Angela Carter, and a bit of Ray Bradbury. Definitely recommended.
Well written they are. This collection is a mixed bag of sorts, the mixture of science fiction, fantasy, myth, and horror. Even the interpretation of fairy tales were wicked and sometimes hilarious like with Snow. Others are retold differently. Sometimes there are influences of Angela Carter, and a bit of Ray Bradbury. Definitely recommended.
May 8, 2024
Sng's collection reads like a darker, modern Brother Grimm, full of poems that feel like fairy tales. Her visual language is unsettling and beautiful, creating characters, monsters and stories that will stick with you for a while.
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