In the Darkness of Shards: Poems from a Broken Place
by Catherine Anne Castillo
Author: Catherine Anne Castillo
Version: Ebook (ARC)
Release date: 22 December 2025
Rating: ★★★.5
Synopsis
In the Darkness of Shards is a raw, unflinching collection of poetry that explores trauma, love, and the journey of self-reclamation. With piercing honesty, Catherine Castillo reflects on a relationship where love and pain intertwined, exposing the toxic cycles and emotional chaos that shaped it. Through vivid, evocative verses, she invites readers to examine their own relationships, confront their own hidden wounds and begin their own healing journey.
More than just poetry, this book offers a lifeline for anyone navigating toxic relationships, loss, and transformation. Each verse provides a mirror to the heart and a guide to reclaiming strength through vulnerability. In the Darkness of Shards is a testament to resilience, showing that even in the darkest moments, self-understanding and empowerment are within reach.
This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Catherine Anne Castillo!
In the Darkness of Shards is a poetry collection about toxic relationships, trauma, love, and more. All the poems in this poetry collection are raw, heartfelt, and intense. The poems are very direct, making it feel as though Catherine Anne Castillo is speaking directly to you about her trauma and emotions. It was rather beautiful how open the author was about what she went through, her suffering, and her heartache.
This poetry collection reads like one continuous story, and the more you read, the deeper you get into the author's story. It's like you directly experience her heartbreak and trauma, what the pain felt like, and how she slowly built her self-worth piece by piece. Catherine Anne Castillo doesn't romanticize her suffering but shows us how ugly and painful it can truly be.
In the Darkness of Shards is the first poetry collection I read by Catherine Anne Castillo, and I'm pleasantly surprised. I didn't know what to expect, and I really appreciated the directness and openness of these poems. There's little left to the imagination, because you could clearly read what the author went through and how she dealt with it.