Smoke & Mirrors by Michael Faudet | Rating: ★★★★☆

As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

Oh, I've been so overwhelmed with wonderful poetry lately. All this prose, all this intimacy, makes me feel full of some sort of emotion I can't quite express. Michael Faudet is, as per usual, exquisite in the way his prose comes to life. There's something fulfilling about even his shortest of expressions and I cannot get enough of it. I mean that--it's not as though his work is flaw free (no one's is) but at the end of the day it accomplishes everything it was meat to do.

I loved the way that intimacy--far, wide, casual--was explored. There were many standouts that I can't wait to highlight in a physical copy upon its release because, much like with Rupi Kaur, Sabrina Benaim, Amanda Lovelace, Lang Leav and Alicia Cook it's impossible to not feel something at every turn of pen. Isn't that what we all love about poetry to begin with? To fell--compelled, related, understood. To learn.


Smoke & Mirrors accomplishes something that is truly captivating to readers. Not overly explicit (but still explicit, if you were wondering and are unfamiliar with Michael Faudet), not understated, not anything other than what it is and was meant to be. I loved nearly every page of this release and can't wait to get my hands on more work published by Faudet because it just crackles with fiery life. That sounded dumb. I'm just really hyped, okay?

A must-have for all lovers of prose. This is one of the best releases of 2017 in terms of poetry.