**received as a finished copy through LibraryThing’s early reviewer program

I was super excited to get my hands on this collection of punk poetry, but these poems read as amateur at best… Kiser explores themes of abuse, exploitation, revenge, and reclaiming power - all strong motifs that should easily connect with her audience - but she never quite reaches the threshold that would make these poems work. Her language often begins her poems with narratively interesting structure, but just as quickly devolves into shallow renditions, staid phrasing, and overused imagery that I would expect from an emo highschooler (and I should know, as I definitely was one). “Nothing More” for example, begins as a mourning song with an ironic twist that reminds me of Emily Dickenson, but by line two we’ve bottomed out with expected rhyme and the same gothic imagery trotted out, one after the other, without any real depth. I also couldn’t stand the constantly changing font size, italicising, and bolding throughout each poem; I’m sure that these moments of emphasis make sense when in performance, but through reading come off as cheap ploys at sarcasm, tone, and anger that the reader might be better left to interpret for themselves. I know I personally won’t be picking up any more of her self-published poetry collections, since I doubt I would enjoy them, but it seems that this work is more self-reflective and self-therapizing that meant for an audience, so I hope that Kiser continues her work - if only for herself. ( )

Well, to paraphrase Oscar Wilde, it’s certainly sincere.

Casey Kiser is passionate about her own pain and trauma. And sharing it. And textual idiosyncrasy; she has a decidedly quirky relationship with italicization, line spacing and boldface. But is it poetry?

I agree it’s best characterized as punk poetry. The other reviewers were obviously impressed by the content. But like so much punk art, the DIY ethos trumps the craft (sorry, but trump is still the best verb, despite associations). It’s just kind of a jumble without any real consistent or recognizable pattern. Maybe inconsistency is her artistic stance? Maybe that’s how her anger and pain need to be communicated. But I’m just not convinced by it as poetry. Again, to paraphrase, Eliot said that if a poem doesn’t move you, then it fails as poetry. For you. Which may be my failure. ( )

A great collection of poetry. This book got me right in the feels. Loved the journey of self discovery, pain and growth. I could really relate to some of it. ( )

This collection of poetry is short but it is very far from sweet. Casey Renee Kiser's "Not Your Kind: The Gaslit Files" is a rollercoaster of brutal honesty about experiences with a toxic relationship that despite all odds, ends up resolved, on the path to healing, and celebratory. Having been through a very similar relationship myself, I found her poems to be triggering at times, especially when her writing style (fonts, sizing, kerning, and spacing) matched the frenetic words they were spelling out and thus making the reader's experience feel as jarring and jagged as the subject matter, but by centering myself and continuing to read, I was refreshed at the end to have found that her arc matched my own. Do not go lightly into this read, but don't pass it over either. ( )

Great collection of poems. Raw and emotional, the reader can really get a feel for the author and what they're thinking, feeling, going through while composing the works. I’ll probably pick it up again every so often to reread many of my favorites. ( )