Publishing date: 18.01.2025
Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

If you want depression manifested in book form, this is the one. Usually I can manage depressive themes fine, but this one took the whole cake and ran with it. The author does not shy away from difficult themes at all.

I did find the book to be somewhat well written. The poems are dripping with potential and charged with emotion. A lot went into writing this book. I feel like I could almost dissect the author's brain just by reading.

However, it was not for me. I didn't connect with the poems, didn't find any of them to be standouts, and didn't really hook my attention as well as I had hoped.

Final ranking and star rating?
2 stars, D tier. Not for me. I simply didn't connect. If the themes mentioned call out to you it might be for you. But not for me, and that's the way the cookie crumbles.

If you have ever wondered what being trapped in the clutches of depression is like, this book of poetry vividly depicts that feeling. You have no choice but to feel the words on the page.

Usually, I read poetry as a palet clenser. Sometimes, it’s what gets me out of a reading slump. Some of the poetry I read touches on dark and serious subjects or uncomfortable topics. This book full on dove into the uncomfortable, serious and dark subject matter, and then swam around in it.

I dont think I was the right audience for this one. I’ve never read sylvia plath, and while I have had my own experience with depression, i am extremely lucky that it was nothing like that. I have, in fact, led a fairly charmed life.

So much feeling went into these poems, however, and it truly shows.

Stunning cover! Beautiful and heart wrenching writing. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this free eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A hauntingly evocative exploration of mental health, trauma, and resilience, Behind the Ghost Metropolis journeys through the shadows of the mind while illuminating glimmers of hope. Dabrowska's prose is both lyrical and sharp, offering a raw and deeply personal collection of poems that feel like unfiltered glimpses into the poet’s soul. This blend of vulnerability and universal relatability makes the work profoundly moving and memorable.

I find poetry collections can be quite tricky. They're generally even more personal than a novel so it's very much a taste thing.

That said, this entire collection just called to me. I felt like the feeling of not knowing where you belong or making all the wrong choices really resonated with me.

These poems made me feel and they made me feel seen. There's not a lot more I can say about them but I hope other people feel the same as I do about this collection.

This is a collection if poems that covers a broad spectrum of difficult subjects. Beautifully written and thought-provoking.