*3.5 stars. Firstly, I'd like to thank Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the eARC for an honest review.

"the grave is another home that doesn't want you".

The is my first time reading Blake Auden's poetry. The title drew me in straight away. This collection is split into four parts and explore grief and loss throughout. I liked that all the poems had titles and Auden's use of imagery is very affective throughout. The poetry reads a stream of consciousness that explores themes like heartbreak, loss and mental health.

"Look ahead and the past can't hurt us. Look behind and the future won't find us".

It was a quick easy read and I enjoyed exploring Auden's writing style. This is a good poetry collection and I'd be open to reading more from this author.

"is it only trauma if you visit it?"

I have explored previous poetry collections from Auden and enjoyed - this one was good but not quite as compelling as previous ones for me.

Although these poems were relatable, brief and the words beautiful as usual, I was left waiting for that goosebump moment that I love to get with Auden.

I really felt some of the works however, such as "Tell Me Something Good" and the rawness of the emotion here really did appeal to me.

The writing was vivid and emotional. The word choice and theming across poems made this a really cohesive collection. I also liked catching the nods to other works.

Haunting, profound and evocative in its rhythms and words, I am glad yo have this beautiful collection of poems. I have loved reading them and so will you.

I enjoyed this collection. It was thoughtful and approachable. Recommended if you enjoy conversational poetry.

To Drown as a Cure for Thirst was a poetry book that I didn't know I needed until I read it. There were some quotes that honestly did not make sense to me at first, but when I got to another poem later in the book, I went back and reread the poems I didn't understand. I grasped the meaning behind the poems very easily after reading a few later poems.

I think this was a good representation of life. Sometimes you don't necessarily understand the things that lay ahead of you until you have the experience necessary to move over the obstacles. Athletes don't wake up and immediately start playing their sport. They practice and train and warm up their muscles.

I was previously given Murmuration by Blake Auden as an ARC from NetGalley and absolutely loved it, so my plan is to read anything that Blake puts out there! :)

Blake Auden's recent poetry collection "To Drown as a Cure for Thirst" has a great cover and even greater title but can't say that it was my favorite from his poetry collections. Some of the poems felt too similar to others or that something was missing.

Here was a list of my favorites:
- Another Small Weight
- You, Like All of Us
- Paper Town
- Dolorosa
- To Shed a Limb
- Ruin

"think i am a ruin,
which is to say that I never
meant to be beautiful,
only to endure"

To drown as a cure for thirst by Blake Auden

I’m not sure if it’s possible but I want to thank the entire booksta universe for this. When I started my bookstagram page I had just rediscovered my love of reading.
Reading had been something that I knew I enjoyed but I never made time for, suddenly I started prioritising my reading time and having time off in this world that praises 24/7 work mode.
Because of the booksta world I not only discovered my general love of reading again but my curious nature was reawoken and before I knew it I was reading work from new authors, exploring new genres and exploring the different ways writers and artists show those new ideas.
Through this I have rediscovered my love of poetry and I am so glad to have read this book as part of my initial reintruction of poetry.

Some of these poems are heartbreaking, some are full of joy and hope. Loss and love , happiness and despair, these poems convey a thousand and one emotions sometimes in as little as 4 lines.

These poems are beautifully mesmerising and I truly enjoyed working my way through this collection.
These poems will stay with me for years to come

Thank you to netgalley, central avenue publishing and of course Blake Auden for this arc in exchange for an honest review

This book is truly breathtaking!

These short, soulful poems immerse the reader in a sorrowfulness that echoes memories from both a near and distant haunting; recollections that slowly bathe the reader in a pool of raw but hopeful mourning, reminiscent of the elegiac poetry of Poe and Stephen Crane.
-- The Minderbinder Review of Books: The Premiere Resource for the One-Sentence Book Review

I didn't expect this book to surpass my expectations. The lack of excitement I felt when I began this poetry collection stems from the disappointment I felt after finishing a recent poetry collection written by someone with a large online following on social media. Blake Auden has the same status, and I was terrified of being let down again by a poet whose work had been popularized by Instagram and Tiktok.

Surprisingly, even though some poems fail to impress me, reading Auden's book is still cathartic. Holding onto his pain drove him to describe his experiences and suffering in a variety of creative ways, which I found fascinating. There are many beautifully written lines, as well as several poems that I found captivating.

Auden has potential, but it will only be realized if he abandons his proclivity to cater to his Instagram followers. I'm looking forward to that day, and he should be as well.

Thanks to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

The dedication read “I think this one is for me” and I was hooked.

I love the imagery in this collection. So much is going on with the jaws and the spine and there is a grit to the skeletal-ness (not a word but should be) of it. I need a physical copy for my shelves.

In the poem I Don’t Know How to Change it reads “…and anxiety has built an entire city beneath my tongue.” I immediately release my tongue attached to the roof of my mouth. If you’re reading this, how relaxed is your jaw?

I more than visualised some of the imagery, I felt it.

“tell me you would want me if only i were a little less broken…” the use of lowercase is not lost on me.

There is also a Notes section in the back which adds to what can be unpacked in the collection, giving context to some and I loved that. This is a poetry collection that takes the reader on a journey of navigating grief and love and I am ready to read it again. Don’t sleep on this one.

Pub Date 4 October 2022
Thank you to #NetGalley and #Central Avenue Publishing for letting me read this incredible collection.

This is the first collection I’ve read by this poet, but I was very intrigued by the subject of the collection. It explores “grief and how it affects—and is affected by—time and memory.” A relatable subject for many, including me.

I found the poems powerful and easy to understand. There wasn’t much that really needed picking apart. I tend to prefer poetry like that. I definitely felt the themes were captured well. For me, these poems showed a lot of… I understand you’re comfortable in your grief, but here is some hope and gentle nudging to push on to go with that comfort.

My personal favourite poems were “I’m Afraid to Die”, “To Shed a Limb” and “You, Like All of Us”. There are so many snippets from the poems that have stuck with me, including “do you remember the last time you held something other than fear between the edges of your fingers?”

I would love to read more by this poet.

Thank you to NetGalley, Central Avenue Publishing and Blake Auden for this DRC in exchange for an honest review.

To Drown As A Cure for Thirst is a poetry collection by Blake Auden about mental health, grief, and heartbreak.

The poet managed to collect some beautiful thoughts and let his feelings flow onto the pages. I personally could relate to quite a few of the poems and some of the thoughts really hit me.

However, this poetry collection felt like a first draft. The author has potential. I wish he'd be a bit bolder and would play more with words and structure. That way, I think, he could make his poetry stick to the reader’s brains and stand out more.

All in all, I thought this was a beautiful collection and definitely worth the read.

I recommend this book to people that feel called by the title. And to those who may be feeling alone in their grief, heartbreak, or are struggling with their mental health. These poems will provide you with comfort

I rated it 3/5 stars

A title and cover that instantly captures one's attention!

After "Murmuration", Blake Auden does yet another brilliant job with "To Drown as a Cure for Thirst". Of course, as with other poetry, I didn't connect with all of the works in this collection; I couldn't relate to some of the experiences. But this takes nothing away from the lovely writing.

Powerful, hard-hitting, and beautiful.

*Thanks to Central Avenue Publishing, the author and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.*

This is the first I've read from Blake Auden and I was drawn to this book by the title and the cover.
These poems felt very personal and that really came through in each of the poems. However I struggled with the lack of structure and it felt like these poems were created to be seen on Instagram and Pinterest, which is usually not my style.

Thanks to Netgalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Following Blake Auden’s gut-wrenching poetry collection “Murmuration”, comes “To Drown As A Cure For Thirst”, proving that he has lost none of his ability to take his readers on a visceral emotional journey.
The poetry is accessible to all poetry readers, and appears simple on the surface, but it is stealthy in the way it can drill down to the heart of your emotions and tear you apart. The collection deals with themes of suicide and self-harm so trigger warnings there.
“To Drown As A Cure For Thirst” consolidates Blake Auden’s reputation as a poet of considerable power and is highly recommended. Read it and weep.

I really loved this poetry book, I realize I haven't read many poetry books by male authors, but I'm most definitely going to check on his work to read his other books.
These poems really got to me but mainly a few; "I'm afraid to die", "I don't know how to change", "Today", "Ars Poetica", "Still alone" and "4:07 a.m." are 100% my favorites. They really made me question stuff and I need a little time to think now... I've really loved reading these poems and am looking forward to reading more of Blake Auden's works.
Also, the cover's so cute!

The language used was quite powerful and direct but captures the themes of love, loss and grief really well. Two of my favourite poems was were 'A loop' and 'Heavy light' because I personally just really liked the imagery they created for me, but there were many others that also create this.The poems are not at all long but still bring across the emotions and themes that they want to and this is one of the biggest charms of the book - it does not need long poems to convey feelings.

I definetely recommend this book, even to those who aren't particularly into poetry but are willing to try.

Thank you to Central Avenue Publishing, the author and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC.

There is something so soft and comforting about these poems. It’s nice to read poetry that is soft and poignant but not visceral or cutting. The poems are both heartbreaking and beautifully written without being flowery or long. I would have adored this poetry collection when I was younger; I know I would’ve carried the book with me wherever I went. They definitely speak to youthful earnestness and youthful heartbreak. They weren’t childish—just simply written that a younger audience would appreciate. Overall, a solid poetry collection that was poignant and raw. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed reading this poetry collection. It was easy to digest, and I thought the way it was written was well done. I felt connected to it every time anxiety was brought up, and the explanations brought along with them, which is what poetry is meant to do, make you feel something.