Thank you to NetGalley for providing an arc of this collection in exchange for a review!

As someone who does not often read poetry, I was slightly worried when beginning this collection that I would be overwhelmed and confused by the prose and style of this book. Fortunately, I was very pleasantly surprised! Sng has a gorgeous writing style that manages to pack a lot of punch in short poems that still do not feel overwhelming.

This collection showcases poems on horrors, fairy tales, sci-fi, and relatable contemporary experiences all at once. This collection also manages to capture the unique grief of living when others do not, and of grieving your own future while still alive. I particularly loved the focus on monsters and the dichotomy of them being both protectors and those doing harm. I truly wish some of these poems were longer as I would have loved to learn more about the world that Sng has crafted, and I will certainly be checking out more of her work in the future.

A collection of poems that create an intriguing story surrounding fairy tales, sci-fi, and monsters. Inspirational. The perfect addition for the horror section of your bookshelf.

I don't get it. There are some interesting concepts here, but half the poems in this book are too short to be considered haikus, don't have consistent syllabic rules, and don't have much to say. The section focused on fairytales brings up nothing new and is so limited in its style that the ild things it says aren't interesting either. The most promising point is the section that focuses on snippets from a sci-fi story, an ark and the end of the world, and if the collection was able to focus more on these ideas, or the author had decided that very short form poetry was not the way to go with that story, we could have really gotten something out of it. Unfortunately I'm left confused and wanting.

The Gravity of Existence is a very interesting book in the themes that it tackles. I enjoyed the lyricism of the writing style, the sharpness of the author and their use of words and metaphors.
The book is my introduction to the author's works and it was a bit hard for me to grasp the full meaning of some poems.

This is a collection of short poems in various genres: sci fi, gothic horror, mythology, and there's some allusions to physics in there as well. There's a definite theme and flow throughout the book, between the 'tiny terrors', which I enjoyed, and I found several new favourite lines.

This collection was a mix of mystery, mythology and quantum mechanics. Sng’s modern voice collided with these old tales and retellings in a way where some worked extremely well, with a few falling slightly short. The experimentation with form and linguist style was similar to this in the way that sometimes I was enveloped in the story, other times I wished for a little more. Definitely a quick read, and a collection I’ll to coming back to in October when the world is encompassed by spooky vibes! Also, I’d buy this simply because the cover art is absolutely stunning. Gorgeous vibes, fitting for a gruelling read! Looking forward to reading some more of Sng’s work.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me a digital advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
3 stars
I was very interested to see horror/sci-fi in the format of poetry. I like most of the poems, with just a few lines the author can put a lifetime of feelings into a story. I do think some of the poems were hit or miss, for example I wasn’t a huge fan of the super short fairy tale poems. However I was really fond of the second half of the book involving space an such.

The Gravity of Existence by Christins Sng is a collection of horror poetry aptly described as “tiny terrors”. Each of the short poems in the book is a slice of fear designed to make you think about the world and the monsters that inhabit it.

The collection is divided into sections including “Real Monsters”, “Childhood Tales”, “Ghost Stories”, “The Enlightenment of Science”, “In Sickness, In Death”, and “The End”, and is framed by a “Prelude” and “Requiem”. Although I was less interested in the alien and apocalyptic poems, I delighted in her series of fairy tale poems including “Little Red in Haiku”, “Snow White”, “Sleeping Beauty”, and “The Wizard of Oz”. The poems are almost shocking in their brevity as they allude to the untellable aspects of the story. I gasped and laughed at her simple but powerful rendition of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” which reads as follows: “after their walk / the bears discover something / tastier than porridge”. Sng’s sparse style forces you to imagine the atrocities she alludes to so that the poems stay with you long after the words have been digested.

The collection is dark and filled with eerie humor, but there is hope in the poems as well. In one of my favorites, “A Better World”, Sng writes “I cast a magic spell / To manifest my grief / Creating a new world / Full of rage-filled ghouls / Bent on protecting girls”.

Christina Sng is a three-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author whose collection, The Gravity of Existence, will give you the chills and leave you aching for more. If you enjoy small bursts of horror poetry that will linger long after the lights have been turned out, this collection is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

This is my first time reading horror poetry so I really wasn't sure what to expect, and I feel like I got a pretty mixed bag. Some of these poems were haunting, frightening, or even saddening; some of them felt too gimmicky or overwrought and didn't make me feel anything at all. The upside, though, is that the poems are so bite-size that it ends up being an enjoyable experience overall.

A collection of tiny terrors from Bram Stoker Award ® winner Christina Sng. The Gravity of Existence is a weight lifted, a monster freed, a princess with sneakers, a spell for a better world. From one of the leading voices in dark verse, this collection delights in the misunderstood, putting a new spin on werewolves, basilisks, sirens, ghosts, aliens, pandemics, fairy tales and myths. Sng gives new voice to classic heroines and the result is terrifying, magical, and fantastic.

This book of poetry was very enjoyable. Best if read aloud. Can't wait for the next book from Christina Sng. #TheGravityOfExistence #NetGalley

I like to think that I read a good amount of poetry. This was a quick read that I thought would be a fix for some poetry cravings but sadly fell flat. Most of the poems felt very tumblr-esque and thus were not really my cup of tea. However some were cute, hence the two stars rating.

I enjoyed this collection of poems, but what holds it back in my opinion is the length of each poem. Many of them are 10-20 words and I just wish the author would expand on her ideas and descriptions. More detail, imagery, feelings. I personally had a hard time connecting because of how brief they could be.
But what is there, is good! I’ve never read horror poetry before and the genre lends itself well to poems. This collection also covered a wide range of horror sub-genres and settings which I appreciated.

Maybe this is harsh but the first half of this book was just a bit pointless.
but the second half was very deep and meaningful. In particular, I liked; The Immortality of Stars, Magic, All Are Welcome & Life on KEPLER-425b
The poems towards the end of this book were so emotional. I'm glad I picked it up but I don't think there is anything particularly spectacular about this collection.

Thank you Net gallery for providing me with a free copy of the Gravity of existence in exchange for a honest review.


I have never read poetry that wasn't focused on social issues such as feminism, but if that's what supernatural/horror in poetry form is supposed to read like I can confidently say that this genre is simply not my cup of tea.

The whole book read like a pinterest/amino/tumblr post who was trying to fit some sort of aesthetic. It was a bunch of beautiful words mixed together making no sense and if this wasn't such a quick read I'd probably not have managed to finish it.

Wow! What an amazing book!!
Would love to read more from the author.
Thankyou netgalley for the Arc!

After trying to re-read some Edgar Allen Poe this year, I came to the conclusion that "Horror Poetry" is not really my thing, or so I thought. Christina Sng's "The Gravity Of Existence: Poems" has served to prove me immensely wrong, and I couldn't be happier about that.

From the very first poem in "The Gravity Of Existence", I knew this collection would be different. Christina puts words to the vulgar thought patterns that seem to exist quietly in the mundanity of daily life. She highlights the depravity locked inside each human being, creating stunning pictures of human intricacy. What originally presents itself as a collection of easy to read poetry, quickly transcends into all out madness with a sickeningly delicate yet familiar state of consciousness. Occasionally blending in elements of space horror and even a couple fresh takes on fairy tales, Christina leaves no stone unturned, instead, forcing her readers to intricately inspect what lies beneath said stones, regardless of how odious the results might be.

Thank you to Christinia Sng for getting me back into horror poetry with this incredible collection, and to Netgalley for connecting us! I also want to call attention to the absolutely resplendent cover art by Anna Surgan!

It's probably not fair for me to review and rate this book, because I am not a poetry-minded person, so it's very likely I don't appreciate every aspect.

I do try to broaden my horizon once in a while and that, the fact that the themes appealed to me, and that this was an instant download, made me pick up this book from NetGalley.
As I do make it a point to review everything I read from NetGalley because that is the whole idea of the site, review by a layman it is...

I was surprised by how short most of these poems were. Most offer just a single thought, emotion or idea. Some activated my own imagination to create some form of narrative, others just left me with a hint of emotion, most were too short and fleeting to connect with me.
I did highlight some poems I did really like, mostly the slightly longer ones, but overall this was a very quick read that hardly left an impression on me.

So, while I'm sorry to do it, and think people that are more poetry-minded might like it a lot more, I cannot give this more than 2 stars.

If you are looking for a collection of poems where there are metaphors to the future, magical stories in the style of the Brothers Grimm but without falling into nihilism. These poems are for you, once the ink has touched the syllables turning them into words they become magic and remain as a tattoo.

It has a surreal, magical style but keeps you reading until time becomes part of the reading.

This poetry collection was different from the kind of poetry that I’m used to reading, and I mostly enjoyed it.
I was constantly perplexed by this book, as I didn’t connect with the parts I thought I would love, such as “Childhood Tales”, but still found a few poems that resonated with me. My favorites were “A better world”, “First day of summer”, “Monstress” and “Marriage”, I felt the echoes of a longing and strange sadness while reading them, probably because they are closer to the sort of poetry I usually enjoy.

Most of the poems in this book didn’t move me. While I appreciate the technicity, they were often too short for me to appreciate the gothic and horrific themes they address. I was expecting to feel goosebumps and chills, but the emotional part was missing for me. I tend to prefer poetry with more words, with more developed scenes, more images, so these poems were mostly too short, too ‘to-the-point’ for it to make me feel anything or stay with me afterwards.

I was, however, deeply intrigued and weirdly fascinated by the part titled “The End”. It was the first time that I read science-fiction as poetry and I didn’t really know what to think of it at first. It felt like reading poetry written by someone from the future, from another world entirely and I ended up really enjoying it. I really liked the way the poet managed to project themselves into this sci-fi worthy future and summon those feelings of despair and of hope.