La Petite Mort

The poems brought me to view the myth of a vampires life experience in new light. The depths of never ending immortality. Of a blood craving that is not wanted, but cannot be ignored. Of the sorrow for the blood drained victims. Of finding a love that could not last without a life altered. Of love lost, as change changes everything, and ultimately leaves us bereft. Thank you to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

"Rufus Hobster is a vampire.
He writes poetry."

Really good poetry.
I struggle so much with poetry, I really want to like it so I try time and again to give it a go. It barely ever works and I end up feeling like I just don’t understand it. But then books like La Petite Mort come around and my hope is restored, absolutely brilliant!

I'm typically not a fan of poetry, but this is actually a quick fun read. Many parts where I was uncomfortable and I'm not quite sure if that was the intention but it definitely did it well.

3.75

"Am I merely a voiceless choir? A congregation waiting, still and expectant, watching with eyes that never see."

I honestly quite like this poetry collection. It's fragmented yet carries vivid imagery of the character's perspective and emotions. Every line is full of intense longing, passion, and sadness which I very much enjoy devouring. However, the end part fell short and lacks a bit of an impact for me. Overall, it's a raw and promising stream-of-consciousness poetry collection.

Thank you to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial, and Eli Wilde for the opportunity to read La Petite Mort in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a story-based collection of poems told from a vampire's perspective. Only about 100 pages long, this collection is a quick read, but not the same as a hi-lo novel that you find more for teen audiences. This is definitely an adult selection of poetry.

Rufus Hobster is a vampire, and his romantic tale and spiral into mental darkness is told through his poetic visions.

There is a lot to say about the depth of each poem and how it tells Rufus' tale and explores his relationship. He continually mentions "the virus," which I took as being a vampire, as I have read books before about vampirism as a disease. Another take on "the virus" could be how depresseion/mental illness affects the mind, consuming someone like a virus taking over. Either way, there is a lot to take in from Wilde's word choice.

The collection delves othen into synesthesia, or the use of the five senses to help the reader experience the world how Rufus does. There are some great metaphors throughout the collection, especially in relation to religion/holy aspects that are intriguing, as there is the stigma of vampires being specifically unholy.

The poems hint at Elise, a human lover who may yet become a vampire. Per the book description, the loss of Elise is what brings Rufus into his downward mental spiral. At one point, it is hard to determine what is real versus what is all in his head versus what is merely a dream.

Overall a really enjoyable collection that tells a story. I fell like the poetic structure could be played with a bit more, with the poems exploring different line or word breaks. Excellent word choice and a really fun way to explore the vampire perspective.

Rufus Hobster is a vampire and this is a book of poetry written from his perspective. it is beautiful and intricate. I truly enjoyed reading this. thank you netgalley for the ARC

An interesting story full of twists, turns, fun characters and overall a book I would consider reading time and time again.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me a copy of La Petite Mort by Eli Wilde in exchange of honest review. Never experienced reading a gothic-horror poetry before, but this booked definitely hooked me up on this genre for sure.

This book is not your typical poetry book because Rufus Hobster, A vampire, write this book. It’s first person POV, rufus tell us a hauntingly poetry for his journey as a vampire, before he met Elise, during Elise and past Elise. And each prose is just so beautifully haunting and I’m just so mesmerized by it!

It’s a collection of poem from Rufus experience as a vampire, around 100 pages, quick read and entertaining, daunting but still fun to read too! It’s definitely more suitable for adult audience.

I’m not usually one for poetry and I often find I can’t connect well with them at all, but I wanted to give this a go as I love the idea of a poetry collection from the POV of a vampire. I’m really happy I did — La Petite Mort by Eli Wilde did not disappoint.

La Petite Mort is a collection of poems by the vampire Rufus Hobster. The poems explore his feelings on immortal life, his relationship with God and a woman named Elise. It’s a soul-crushing and emotional collection that makes it impossible to not feel a connection to Rufus and it’s a perfect book for anyone who loves vampires.

Eli Wilde has done an exceptionally good job portraying the emotions of an immortal who has lived for hundreds of years, who struggles with his feelings on immortality, humanity and everything in between. It also feels absolutely perfect to write a poetry collection from the POV of a vampire, as you can imagine only an immortal would have the range of emotions that rarely can be carried onto paper by mere mortals.

I’m still new with poetry and I’m still not sure how I feel about poetry in general, but I did enjoy this collection a lot and for once, I also felt I could understand the different poems and the emotions they tried conveying. A definite recommendation for anyone who’s into gothic poetry and vampires — but also for anyone who is new to poetry!

Thank you NetGalley and Eli Wilde for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial and Eli Wilde for an arc of this book in exchange of an honest review.

This was my first poetry book of the year and, man, what a book!!!! I really enjoyed this read. I was a little scared at first because on NetGalley it's in the horror stories category, but after reading it I understood why. It's not a book to be scared of, but it's told from a vampire's perspective where he tells of some of his kills, but it's SO beautiful.
Eli Wilde is to be congratulated for this incredible book and now I will follow the author in the next releases!
My favorite poems were Nocturne, Revelation, Dark Wind, Each Night, More and More Elise, Listen darkly, Hear Insanely and I Think Maybe

Curious and absurd. It was a great time.

I don't read a lot of poetry because I tend to find it hard to follow/understand, but this poetry collection was very approachable. The premise itself, poetry written by a vampire, is so silly and I love it. This was a really fun read, and I even found myself getting invested in the characters' story.

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this title.

La Petite Mort is a collection of absurd and curious poems from the perspective of a vampire. I've not had the pleasure of reading anything quite like this before. It truly was a wonderful experience mixing fantasy with poetry.

I found the collection of poems entirely beautiful yet eerie and couldn't put the book down, just curious to read more haunting poems. This collection is extremely unique and I am excited to be able to recommend it to fans of both deep poetry and mysterious vampires.

I honestly quite like this poetry collection. It's fragmented yet carries vivid imagery of the character's perspective and emotions. Every line is full of intense longing, passion, and sadness which I very much enjoy devouring. However, the end part fell short and lacks a bit of an impact for me. Overall, it's a raw and promising stream-of-consciousness poetry collection.

More of a 3.75 stars but I'm more than happy to round up! I'm not a huge fan of poetry but I've got to admit: the descriptions in this text were incredibly moving. I really enjoyed the tortured tone the book had and would definitely recommend it to a customer. It took me a little while to really get into it and it's not a book that I can picture myself in- it's more like looking at a painting and appreciating how beautiful it is but also how separate it is to you. Overall, I'm happy I read it and will look out for more of Wilde's work.

Wilde weaves a lyrical story through his dramatic poetry collection. Love, sex, and immortality are featured and explored through a variety of short griping poems. The storyline revolves around a vampire, or at least, that's the implication. Technically, the reference to the character's blood lust is as a "virus", but readers quickly realize this is a immortal love story with a vampire as the lead role.

At times, the narrator may be challenging to identity which makes it a little unclear who is speaking, but this may be a fault of my own as I don't typically read poetry. Still, I found the rhythm easy to connect with and the theme enticing. Overall, a quick haunting read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Eli Wilde for the opportunity of reading this book in advance in exchange for an honest review.

. . .

This book shows us poems written by the hand of a vampire, letting us explore his thoughts of loneliness, tiredness, love, lust, belief, a bit of hope, mostly hopelessness and an eternal questioning of his own existence.

Personally, a good number of poems captive me, they were dark, lovely, sad, very passionate and I adored them! The way in which there is a whole story unfolding through the verses of this, that is sometimes a bit unclear, is something that I enjoyed greatly, and it is an interesting way in which to tell a story like this.

There were also some poems that I found a bit corny, they were really cliché for this kind of themes and atmosphere, and for me, they seemed a bit out of place with the rest of them, getting a bit tiring, but I consider they were a minority.

I would recommend this book for people who just love angst, deep thoughts of sadness but also love, and that adore when these two intertwined, and for my part I would surely read more from this author.

This is a gorgeous collection of poetry with a really unique twist. It’s written from the perspective of a vampire in love with a human.

The language is lush and gorgeous, and there’s an interconnectedness to each piece that’s really easy to follow.

Eli Wilde’s La Petite Mort is a poetry collection based on Rufus, a vampire who falls in love with a human. Elise when she leaves sends Rufus into a downward spiral as he faces madness. This collection is told through his voice which is dark and chilling.

The poetry is written in a visceral way. Through Rufus’s words the reader experiences his darkness. He uses the senses to portray through clever metaphors his hurt and longing for Elise. The descriptions border on macabre and beautiful making this collection interesting to read.

I really enjoyed this poetry anthology. It was an interesting concept to try and have it follow a storyline somewhat, although I do think that some pieces seemed out of place it still worked because, after all, it is written from the perspective of a vampire!

I found Rufus fascinating: his contemplations on life, un-life, happiness, depression, immortality, love, and true death juxtaposed against his thoughts and musings on religion and the reality of his situation really helped this anthology work for me.

I'll be buying a hard copy, reading this again, and doing a more in-depth review for my upcoming website/blog.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you net galley for an ARC for my honest opinions.
I enjoyed the depth and complexity of the prose. I look forward to more from this author in the future

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

The book's haunting beauty surpassed my expectations. Despite the fact that I rarely read poetry, I enjoyed this one. I was totally dazzled all through. Overall, a fantastic and highly underrated read.

vampire and short stories sign me up! this year is the year for short stories and just recommending them to people who don't typically read has been fun to get their opinion. i really liked the format of this and word choice used!

Le Petit Mort by Eli Wilde is a haunting and thought-provoking collection of poems that explores the themes of love, loss, and mental illness through the eyes of Rufus Hobster, a vampire with a talent for poetry.

The book takes the reader on a journey through Rufus's memories of Elise, The Girl Who Synchronised Death, and their tumultuous relationship. The poems are dark, gothic, and at times, disturbing, but they are also deeply moving and thought-provoking. Through Rufus's eyes, the reader experiences the beauty and pain of love, the despair of mental illness, and the horrors of mortality.

The author's writing is raw and visceral, and his words have the power to evoke a wide range of emotions in the reader. The poems are not just about Rufus and Elise, but also about the human condition and the struggle to find meaning and purpose in life.

Le Petit Mort spans several genres, including mental health, dark romance, horror, philosophy, and fantasy. It is a book that will appeal to fans of gothic poetry and those who enjoy thought-provoking literature. Overall, Le Petit Mort is a beautiful and haunting collection of poems that will stay with the reader long after they have finished reading it.

I love when the author makes you feel uncomfortable. Nice poems! Thank you to Netgalley, publisher and author for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.