Crow Calls: Volume Three

The Crow Calls Volumes #3

by Cassandra L. Thompson (Editor/Contributor), Marie Casey (Editor/Contributor)

The Crow Calls Volumes are a series of poetry compilations inspired by Quill & Crow Publishing House’s poetry prompts. These prompts were intended to bring poets together from around the globe in the hopes of sharing a mutual love of things dark and macabre. This is the third volume.

Featuring poems by Brad Acevedo, David Andrews, Amanda M. Blake, Brandy, William Bartlett, Damon Barret Roe, Sophie Brookes, Alice Callisto, Marie Casey, Spyder Collins, Danni Marie Connelly, PS Conway, Daniel Cummings, Kat Dela, Andrew Doughty, Jordan Alyssa Duncan, Danielle Edwards, A.L. Garcia, Michele Grieve, Ayshen Irfan, Rebecca Jones-Howe, Jamie Kovalsky, J.S. Larmore, Ginger Lee, Marvin Lee, J. Lewis, Moxie Malone, Lucas Mann, Andi Marchal, David Middleham, Jenny O’ Gorman, Vanessa Perry, Bex Pinckney, Erin Quill, Sheena Shah, Marc Tizura, Cassandra L. Thompson, Fizzy Twizler, JayLynn Watkins, Melanie Whitlock, and K.R. Wieland.

99 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 20, 2021

About the author

Gothic horror lover Cassandra L. Thompson has been creating stories since she got her grubby little hands around a pen. When she is not busy managing a house full of feral children (human and canine) with her beloved husband, you can find her wandering around cemeteries, taking pictures of abandoned things, or in the library researching her latest obsession. She has a B.A. in History and an MLIS, but she ignores her degrees to focus on writing and running Quill & Crow Publishing House, both of which require copious amounts of coffee and Crows.

Reviews

[A.D. Wills · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read a poetry collection before, but thanks to this one, it won't be my last.

I really appreciated the variety here. I got to read through a poem about a druid and healing, a doom filled Succubus, and overall, just words that really stirred inside me. There was just a lot there that made me feel dread, sorrow, pain, hope, growth. It really was a great, and unique experience for me.

I didn't know what to expect to be honest, but this collection is well worth it. Even if you haven't read a poetry collection before, I promise, you will want more after this one.

[Donald Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just missed the mark...

While the poems in this selection are good, they did not have the same emotional impact as those in the first two volumes. This volume is definitely worth the read, just, for me at least, missed the mark of my expectation.

[Taryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I've read any Crow Calls poetry (I'll be honest, I've been in a reading slump until recently), but I decided to pick this book up and read it a couple days ago. I finished it today, and I have to say that I am not disappointed. At multiple points, I noted the poems on my Kindle that I felt were especially touching, vulnerable, or that spoke to me the most. These poems hold such beautiful, yet terrifying and dark meanings, and I absolutely loved them.

While some of these poems spoke to me, there were others that, of course, did not, as is natural for a poetry collection. Some of them spark a connection, and some don't - totally normal and okay. For me, however, I found some of the language and/or wording used to be too sophisticated; in other words, some of the wording felt forced rather than natural, and it took away from the poem for me, making it difficult to connect on that deep level. However, with this in mind, I did enjoy the majority of the poems provided in this edition of Crow Calls, and I'm so happy to see those familiar names again.

Overall, fantastic poetry, per usual.

[Tanweer Dar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another deliciously dark entry in the Crow Calls series. Definitely recommended to all lovers of poetry, but in particular those who like it gothic and macabre.

The narrative poem about 'The Scarecrow' was truly breathtaking - and pretty disturbing.

There are some beautiful shorter poems, too. Some are poignant, some are powerful, some make you think, some make you feel. All are very well done. It's so nice to see so many talented poets in one place, too.

[Ed Corbett · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite collection in the series.