"Target"

“Target”
Written by Kate Evans

“Target” is an interesting and unique reading experience. “Target” is a collection of poems, separated into the years that Kate has written them. We see Kate early on, optimistic and happy in life. Then, over the years, Kate becomes a bit sad, melancholy, perhaps she’s had some experience with mental illness. We see her grow as a person through her writing, so this feels reminiscent of a memoir. In addition to “Target”, Kate also sent me a copy of her actual memoir, “Call It Wonder”.

Not only does Kate’s experience change in the years the poems were written, we also see different writing styles, some more writing techniques, and different voices in her different years. Kate has a fascinating use of juxtaposition through her book. She also uses metaphors, personification, and unique similes. 

The poems I enjoyed most were:

1. First
2. Bed
3. Two Women on a Summer Morning
4. Housesitters
5. The Trip of a Lifetime
6. Valentine
7. Collison
8. Regeneration
9. A Life of Yes

* I received a complimentary copy for reviewing purposes. *

"Imagination"

"Imagination" 
Written by Natania Patterson
'Imagination" is poetry meant to be inspiring, to help people through heartache, through lost love, through trials in their lives. Natania does create poetry that makes you feel at ease while reading. 

On the left pages of the book, we have the explanation of the poem, why it was written, and what it's to mean. Naturally, on the right, we have the poem. This adds to the unique reading experience, because we feel more involved in her poetry. I liked this.

The poems I enjoyed most are: "At Night", "Crash", and "Sweet Sayings".

I received a complimentary copy from Natania for reviewing purposes. I plan to pass this on to a beloved family member of mine who would enjoy these poems as well.

Let's Not Live On Earth

“Let’s Not Live On Earth”

Written by Sarah Blake

          Sarah Blake’s poetry is intriguing. I was particularly intrigued by the cover of her book. Sarah’s poetry is very feministic, full of women empowering poetry and positivity. This is not usually the poetry that I pick up, but I was curious to see what this would be like.

          I like it. I do, but because liking a book on Goodreads equals to 3 stars, I feel strange giving these poems 3 stars out of five. I hope you read my review and consider a 3.5 review, because I’m definitely somewhere in the middle.

          Sarah’s poetry is in no way my style, but I definitely find it interesting. It can be sad, but it’s very serious poetry, with about half of it being in prose. She mentions important topics like gun violence, domestic abuse, anxiety, and early motherhood. There’s a poem about a gynecological check up that made me lose my appetite, but it’s important because she spoke about sexual health and awareness, which is a really interesting topic to me.

          Her poetry’s style is a little distracting, but I think it adds to the vibe of the poetry. It reminds me of spoken word, a beatnik poetry night, but this isn’t a bad thing. Romantic poetry is meant to be melodic. This kind of poetry is supposed to make you feel a little on edge and uncomfortable. I think a few of the poems are a little too full of shock factor, but I admire her willingness to write about what feels honest to her. I also really enjoyed her novella, "Star Ship".

         

*I thank Sarah Blake and her publisher for sending a complementary copy of the book to me for reviewing purposes”.

"Vampyr"

“Vampyr”

Written by Natasa Ghica

          Natasa Ghica’s poetry is interesting, sad, melodic, and haunting. Her poetry is not relative to me, because I don’t have an understanding of mental illnesses, including depression, anxiety, and maybe hints of PTSD. I can understand how heartbreaking those feelings can be, but because I have not personally experienced it, I cannot relate well.

          I do however like her poetry. Natasa uses many metaphors, similes, and unique forms of poetry. Some uses are a bit familiar, a bit similar to things you’d find on Tumblr. Oceans crashing, demons drowning. It can be a bit similar to sad, metal music, like Of Mice and Men, My Chemical Romance, and Evanescence.

          In addition, I like that Natasa has separated her poems into sections. They include: “The Beginning”, “The Journey”, “The Heart”, “The Awakening”, and “The Metamorphosis”.

          My favorite poems in this collection are:

6 from “The Beginning”

9, 10*, 11*, 12** from “The Journey”

1, 3, 5, 7***, 9*, 14, and 15 from “The Heart”

14 from “The Metamorphosis”

          My favorite line from the book comes from number 7 from “The Heart”. It says, “The darkness nights with you are still the brightest of my life”.

          I think out of all the poetry I’ve read this year, this is this poetry book I didn’t relate to, but I still really enjoyed and found lots of poems I enjoyed. I also think that the illustrations are beautiful! The artist, Maulina Uami, is wonderful and lovely to speak to.

*I thank Natasa Ghica for sending a complementary copy of the book to me for reviewing purposes”.