To The Monsters of My Past is a personal poetry collection by Cameron Crews dealing with themes of love, loss, relationships, sex, depression, grief, regret, and healing. Crews uses her skills and love for the written word to share her own journey and battles and process of healing and letting go.

The collection tells the coming-of-age story of a young girl written in verse. Crews uses themes of fairy tales, castles, and princesses to set the tone for the story she Is telling. As the poems progress, the little princess is now a young woman dealing with her first relationships and sexual experiences, breakups, her inner monsters in the form of loneliness and depression, and the death of her rock – her brother.

Crews’ use of rhymes is masterful, making the poems each more rhythmical and fun than the one before. Even though she is telling her personal story, most of the poems feel universal. Through her own struggles, she talks about emotions we have all experienced, making it easy to empathize with her. In the mix of all that, her writing feels like a gentle blanket covering both her and our own wounds, making us feel safe and protected no matter the previous hardships we were forced to deal with.

While most of the work in this collection is very effortless, captivating, and unique, I felt that some poems felt unfinished or simply did not serve a purpose. A few of those poems, such as “Try me,” feel less authentic as a poem and more like decisions or thoughts. They, however, do not detract from the overall message of the collection.

To The Monsters of My Past is an easy read that tells a beautiful story and captures the feelings it intended to masterfully, and I look forward to reading more of Crews’ work as she grows and matures into a strong poet. 

Pages: 144 | ASIN : B08Q7SZLLF