Review: Flux by Orion Carloto

I discovered Orion Carloto’s writing this past summer in the Local Wolves magazine, which is just an all-around spectacular piece of work full of feminism and girl power. So when I later came upon the news online that Orion was releasing her debut poetry collection, it felt meant to be.

“Read every word, experience every moment, and take in all the sorrows and revival that girls just like you have gone through. You aren’t alone.”

(Above quote and illustration from issue 43.)

Pulling inspiration from her personal adventures growing up, being in love, battling mental health, and the brutal pain of losing it all, she dug deep in her own woes and allowed those sorrows to fuel her writing. With original illustrations by artist Katie Roberts, Orion Carloto creates a dream world for the brokenhearted and paints a whimsical picture around the themes of love, loss, solitude, depression, sex, nostalgia, and unrequited romance.

“I can’t wait till I see your face and my brain thinks I’m looking at a stranger.”

However, I was discouraged to find an abundance of generic pieces that read less and less like poetry, as the book went on, and more like ordinary sentences structured to appear as poems.  I was also a bit let down because I was expecting something along the lines of Rupi Kaur’s milk and honey, meaning the collection would discuss both romantic love and self-love. I think Flux is a more worthy follow-up to consider if you’re a fan of Lang Leav‘s work.

Finally, on a much brighter note, that’s not to say that there weren’t noteworthy moments in here. I’d like to share a few of those enticing pieces:

---

And thanks to my recent walk down memory lane, I got to discover this old gem buried in my playlist, which turned out to be perfect song while reading Flux:

ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Expected publication: October 24th, 2017

Note: I’m an Amazon Affiliate. If you’re interested in buying Flux, just click on the image below to go through my link. I’ll make a small commission!

Support creators you love. Buy a Coffee for nat (bookspoils) with Ko-fi.com/bookspoils