There were poems that were beautiful, thought-provoking, poems that reached my emotions. However, there also were poems that felt stale, cliché, and like too much effort was put into rhyme instead of bringing something across. I'd say this collection is worth reading, because in the end the good poems definately outnumbered the poems I didn't like!

I also seem to be one of the few who like the short stories. I loved how they give a glimpse into someone's world, and leave the rest to the imagination of the reader.

Hunanyan prefaces the poetry collection by saying: "A key component of good poetry is honesty; much of the poetry in the world doesn't speak to people because it is forced and pretentious. If what you write is true and honest, and you put some actual effort into it, I believe people will respond to it".
Full of rhythm, emotions and images, "Black Book of Poems" stands out by being painfully sincere and contemporary.

This poem book is great, not a kindle copy but was easily downloaded and overall a great poem book.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free poetry collection.*

Not all poems in this collection worked for me, some were better than others, some too enigmatic. However, this poetry collection intimately touched on topics such as loss, trauma, depression, but also happiness and hope. The rhythm in some of the poems was pretty good, some poems were touching even in their brevity.

"Across the border:

Aleppo lies in ruins
Trialed are the weak
The chosen sanction the unsanctioned —-
Murder is monopolized

Now we must charge across the border
To post-traumatic stress disorder" (89)

3-3,5 Stars (because liking poetry is always immensly subjective)