Intrinsic Desires

Brandon Gene Petit
AuthorHouse (2006)
ISBN 1420891995
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (2/07)

Whenever I read a really well written piece of work, I feel intimidated about following up with writing a review. “Intrinsic Desires” is one of those books that are a tough act to follow. It is difficult to write the perfect words to convey how much this writing touched me, but I will try my best.

“Intrinsic Desires” is a collection of neo-gothic type poems written by Brandon Gene Petit. They are incredible. I love the darkness and the depth that the words carry within each poem. Sometimes I felt more like I was reading a spell and feeling the magic of the words wrap around my soul, than reading just a poem.

I would love to know where Petit takes his inspiration from. I am sure it comes from events happening in his life, but what specifically I can only imagine from his writings. In addition to some of the darker themes, he also mentions vampires, dragons, knights and ghosts. I love these kinds of themes because the fantasy aspects that they contain take away from the boringness of the mundane realities of life.

The poem that I related to most was “Whole.” It begins:

“Trust has become a useless organ,
Lying limp and dead at your side,
A martyr slain in the name of knowledge,
To rest in the shadow of your pride…”

The poems seem like they were written at a different time or maybe in a different reality. I felt like the book I was reading should have been a cloth-covered hardbound edition with old, yellowing pages. In time, these pages will be old and yellowing because I plan to reread these writings over and over again.

I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy the darker fantasy novels. If you are a high school or college student that needs to write a paper about a poem or a poet, “Intrinsic Desires” is definitely the book for you.

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