Inchor by Aladea

Synopsis:

This book will permit you to defy all the sorrow you once buried deep within you, now riddled within your bones, in order to reach ecstasy and bury seeds instead of persons and gather flowers instead of sorrowful thoughts. 

Fragments of what once made your eyes weep but now make your tears dry. Broken pieces put together to create wholeness within you. 

Based on the genre of milk and honey; Inchor is a poetry book that will delicately unlace the legion of intertwining cords enfolding your brain, in which thoughts are rummaging at all times, to bring out calm from the chaos dominating your soul. You will find the victory of all your previous battles in its poems and it will glorify the shields you have used and act as a weapon to your current daily battles. A mix of metaphors and meanings destined to make you feel the way you've never felt before.

Rating: ★★★★

Review:

I loved the intro! I don't think I've ever had an introduction quite like this for a collection of poetry! Also, I loved that her poems weren't directed at someone in particular or a particular situation. They were universal and I loved that that lets you apply any of the poems to whatever situation you may be going through. 

The only problem I had with this book was that sometimes, because of the way the book's edited, I couldn't decipher when one poem ended and the other began. It didn't happen often maybe twice or three times throughout the entire collection but it did happen.

This book lacked no depth, emotion, or understanding. I absolutely loved it and I 100% recommend picking this up because it is a wonderful quick read.

**The author did contact me with a preview of this book and offer to read and review but I did purchase with my own money and have given my honest opinion.**

Black Butterfly by Robert M. Drake

Synopsis:

This book is a collection of memories and experiences Drake lived after the death of one of his brothers. He promised he would write him a few words after he failed to complete the task while his brother was alive. This book is everything… this book is for all who are breathing and for all who are no longer here. This book is for you.

Rating:★★★

Review:

I liked this but I didn't love it. I loved the sketches, I thought the poems were written beautifully, and I connected with and related to some of them but I still feel like something's missing. I originally added this book to my TBR because the cover caught my eye since it had a butterfly on it but once I read the synopsis of what the collection was about I was set on reading it. I wish I would have been more emotionally connected with the book as a whole. I still want to read more from Robert Drake and even though this isn't one of my favorites I still recommend it. 

Favorites: No Ears, I Am the Fire, Love Moments, Violent Storms, Not a Tomb, Forever Falling, Robin Williams, A Lover's Smile, & Live Die Less 

The Complete Collected Poems by Maya Angelou

Synopsis:

For the first time, the complete collection of Maya Angelou's published poems-including "On the Pulse of Morning"-in a permanent collectible, handsome hardcover edition.

Rating: ★★★★

Review:

Maya Angelou is my poetry grandmother and since her death I've always had the goal to read everything touched by her and I'm so happy to have completed all of her collections of poetry. Ms. Angelou had such a rich and perfect story time voice so I loved how automatically the voice in my head switched to her while I was reading. 

I always knew Maya Angelou to tell it how it was but this 100% made me realize just how much she never sugar coated anything that came out of her mouth. Looking at the time period she lived through and everything she experienced throughout the entirety of her life, I loved the rawness and realness she put in her poems because that's the real way to feel a poets emotions, happy or sad, and see from their point of view.

A few of my favorites were; Take Time Out because it's relevant to my current life situation, the whole collection of And Still I Rise because it was very uplifting as a black woman, and Our Grandmothers, which has accidentally added the name Zenobia to my future baby name list. And of course I can't forget the fan favorites Phenomenal Woman and Still I Rise! I have nothing but love for this book and Maya Angelou in general.

Burned (Burned, #1) by Ellen Hopkins

Synopsis:

I do know things really began to spin out of control after my first sex dream. 

It all started with a dream. Nothing exceptional, just a typical fantasy about a boy, the kind of dream that most teen girls experience. But Pattyn Von Stratten is not like most teen girls. Raised in a religious -- yet abusive -- family, a simple dream may not be exactly a sin, but it could be the first step toward hell and eternal damnation. 

This dream is a first step for Pattyn. But is it to hell or to a better life? For the first time Pattyn starts asking questions. Questions seemingly without answers -- about God, a woman's role, sex, love -- mostly love. What is it? Where is it? Will she ever experience it? Is she deserving of it? 

It's with a real boy that Pattyn gets into real trouble. After Pattyn's father catches her in a compromising position, events spiral out of control until Pattyn ends up suspended from school and sent to live with an aunt she doesn't know. 

Pattyn is supposed to find salvation and redemption during her exile to the wilds of rural Nevada. Yet what she finds instead is love and acceptance. And for the first time she feels worthy of both -- until she realizes her old demons will not let her go. Pattyn begins down a path that will lead her to a hell -- a hell that may not be the one she learned about in sacrament meetings, but it is hell all the same. 

In this riveting and masterful novel told in verse, Ellen Hopkins takes readers on an emotional roller-coaster ride. From the highs of true love to the lows of abuse, Pattyn's story will have readers engrossed until the very last word.

Rating:★★★★½

Review:

I had the privilege of listening to the audiobook version of this and it was one of the best narrations I've ever heard. I've loved all of Ellen Hopkins books I've read so far and this one was no different. No matter what situation Ellen Hopkins decides to sink her teeth in she always elicits so much emotion and energy it breaks your heart and heals it all at the same time.

I'm not an emotional person but Pattyn's situations really tugs on your heart strings and gets you involved in the story. I found myself cheering her on even though something like breaking someone's nose isn't something to cheer on, I had to assess the situation.


What I like most about Pattyn's character is that she wasn't afraid to nor was she hesitant to admit her wrongs or her confusions about things going on in her life. She is one of the most relatable and likeable characters I've ever had the pleasure of getting to know, and not in a cliche kind of way. I thought Pattyn's dad was bad at the beginning of the story (classic abuser) but it was nothing compared to what we found out about the fall out between him and aunt J. And speaking of Aunt J, she's like america's own personal aunt, she's just that amazing as a person.

Even though I though the puppy love relationship was cute, I wasn't a fan of the insta-love that lead up to it. I wish Pattyn and Ethan  had more time as friends before they jumped right into being "in love". Also, the love square or relationship square, which ever you want to call it, was cute but a little awkward taking in the account the people that were involved.

I loved this and I recommend this to everyone!! Beware the heartbreak💔💔💔😭😭

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Synopsis:

A young girl in Harlem discovers slam poetry as a way to understand her mother’s religion and her own relationship to the world. Debut novel of renowned slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo.

Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.

But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself.

So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out, much less speak her words out loud. But still, she can’t stop thinking about performing her poems.

Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.

Rating:★★★★★

Review:

I really loved this!!!

It was honestly hard to pick favorite pieces out of this novel because the entire book was amazing. 
While I was reading this, I felt like I was having a one on one interview with Xiomara. I felt like I was the leather journal she was writing her poems in and she did not sugar coat a thing. I'm not a Dominican from Harlem but I felt like I have so much in common with Xiomara. 

I love that she wasn't afraid to question her faith, because I at times do the same. I love that sexuality was bought up and I don't just mean in a sexual preference way. Sexuality as in her experience with her first period was, how puberty bought to light new obstacles and new but confusing feelings, first love, heartbreak, and thinking about the future in general.

The family drama also kept me well on my toes and hyped up. I found myself laughing one minute, angry the next, and then shortly after wanting to cry tears for Xiomara herself. I got the Target exclusive edition so I did get a few extra poems, some originals from Xiomara's journal and some that didn't make it in the collection, at the end and I enjoyed those as well. This is such a relatable read, at least for females, and reading this does put your emotions in a blender but it is such a lovely feeling. I had a "aha" moment reading the last page of this book so don't waste any more time picking it up.

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

Synopsis:

milk and honey is a collection of poetry and prose about survival. It is about the experience of violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity. It is split into four chapters, and each chapter serves a different purpose, deals with a different pain, heals a different heartache. milk and honey takes readers through a journey of the most bitter moments in life and finds sweetness in them because there is sweetness everywhere if you are just willing to look.

Rating:★★★★

Review:

This is beautifully written, emotionally captivating, and I loved how raw and real she was in her poetry. Don't get me wrong I loved the collection as a whole but The Hurting and The Loving were my two favorite chapters of this book. Also, the drawings were really perfect for the poems they were attached to.

I only gave this book 4 stars because of a personal preference. When I read poetry, I like to read full or mid page poems and there were a lot of 3 liners or page fillers. But these page fillers were done so well and filled with such emotion that I could turn a semi-blind eye to it.

I have no other words to describe how amazing this collection of poetry is just read it! 

**Just be aware there is sexual content in this book and I know that's not everyone's cup of tea.**  

Electric Arches by Eve L. Ewing

Synopsis:

Electric Arches is an imaginative exploration of black girlhood and womanhood through poetry, visual art, and narrative prose. Blending stark realism with the fantastical, Ewing takes us from the streets of Chicago to an alien arrival in an unspecified future, deftly navigating boundaries of space, time, and reality with delight and flexibility.

Rating:★★★½

Review:

I thought this was beautifully written and I just love the fact that she wrote a poem to the one and only Eryka Badu and one about something as simple as freaking Shea butter!!!

I'm not sure if it's because I read this in Kindle format or not but I found it nearly impossible to clearly see and understand the drawings included and also there were almost clip art like pieces of writing that fonts we were way too small and smashed together to read. Those were pretty frustrating moments for me seeing that I had to skip over whole paragraphs at times, due to them being illegible. This made me feel like I was reading only part of the book and not the whole book. 

I wouldn't recommend reading this in kindle or e book format but I would recommend it in physical form. 

The Attribute of Poetry by Elisa Galgut

Synopsis:

These deeply felt poems are at once plain-speaking and alive with complexity; Galgut's elegant response to both pain and loveliness is inspiring. Elisa Galgut teaches in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Cape Town. She has a PhD in Philosophy from Rutgers University and a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Cape Town. Her poetry has appeared in local literary journals and anthologies. She lives in Cape Town.

Rating:★★★

Review:

This actually started off pretty strong for me but it quickly went down hill from there, then I found myself on this weird roller coaster ride between love & hate. I just found myself in an unusual position while reading this, which was confusion. I've never had the problem reading poetry so it was a little unnerving to say the least. Most of the poems were enjoyable and the use of nature was very beautiful, but the others were just confusing. I can't in good conscience recommend this seeing that I was fairly confused during this book but you may see something that I didn't. May the force be with you!

#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women By: Lisa Charleyboy and Marybeth Leatherdale

Synopsis:

Whether looking back to a troubled past or welcoming a hopeful future, the powerful voices of Indigenous women across North America resound in this book. In the same style as the best-selling Dreaming in Indian, #NotYourPrincess presents an eclectic collection of poems, essays, interviews, and art that combine to express the experience of being a Native woman. Stories of abuse, humiliation, and stereotyping are countered by the voices of passionate women making themselves heard and demanding change. Sometimes angry, often reflective, but always strong, the women in this book will give teen readers insight into the lives of women who, for so long, have been virtually invisible.

Rating:★★★★★

Review:

I honestly did not plan on reading this in one sitting but shit happens. I wanted to read Dreaming In Indian but I'm having trouble finding it at my library which is how I bumped into this beauty. This was such a beautiful book and I don't mean just the words that I read. There were so many beautiful pictures and often whole pages that were designed with such talent, I was in awe. 

I feel like I learned so much and got the chance to know so many different people from reading this and that goes to show you just how personalized this book was. I loved that this was made from so many different formats. There was poetry, interview articles, personal background retellings, and some pages that even looked like comic strips.

 I just absolutely loved this 😍😍😍 and I recommend this for everyone to read because I think this was a really powerful read.

A Place Called No Homeland by: Kai Cheng Thom

Synopsis: 

This powerful poetry collection seeks to map the emotional and spiritual territory of diaspora, violence, abuse, and exile. Kai Cheng incorporates autobiographical details from her own childhood and adult life with the rhythms of the oral storytelling tradition and fairytale motifs, poignantly depicting the plight of trans women of color.

Publishing Company: Arsenal Pulp Press 
Release Date: April 17, 2017
Rating: ★★★

Review:

     I received this book from Eldeweiss and Arsenal Pulp Press. This was the first book I've ever read that is centered around the struggles of trans culture and I really enjoyed it. I just loved the poetic rawness and non existence of a filter in this book. I could clearly see that the author was filled with so much emotion and hurt just reminiscing on all her hard times. My favorite poems were In Your Mouth, What the Moon Saw, and Dear White Gay Men. 

     At some points throughout the book I did feel a little disengaged and distant which why I only gave this collection 3 out of 5 stars. But I was always replunged back into the the realness of this book. 

     I would still recommend this book even though I only gave it 3 stars but I would like to warn readers there are TRIGGERS for RAPE VIOLENCE and there is major foul language. So if you have a problem with PROFANITY this is NOT the book for you.      

Glass By: Ellen Hopkins

Synopsis:

Crank. Glass. Ice. Crystal. Whatever you call it, it's all the same: a monster. And once it's got hold of you, this monster will never let you go.

Kristina thinks she can control it. Now with a baby to care for, she's determined to be the one deciding when and how much, the one calling the shots. But the monster is too strong, and before she knows it, Kristina is back in its grips. She needs the monster to keep going, to face the pressures of day-to-day life. She needs it to feel alive.

Once again the monster takes over Kristina's life and she will do anything for it, including giving up the one person who gives her the unconditional love she craves -- her baby.

The sequel to Crank, this is the continuing story of Kristina and her descent back to hell. Told in verse, it's a harrowing and disturbing look at addiction and the damage that it inflicts.

Rating:★★★★

Review:

*This is more of a rant than an actual review per say*

     Obviously seeing that this is the second book in a series there's not really too much I can say in fear of spoiling anything in case you have not read the first book. Reading Crank I was more sympathetic towards Kristina but reading Glass I am very pissed of with her. Don't get me wrong I loved the book but she, as a character, pissed me off to the highest level of 'piss-tivity'. Her disgusting attitude towards others, her abandonment actions toward her family, not to mention her own child, and just her all around not-giving-a-fuck attitude she had about her own self. But I can't be too mad about that because I know that is how people with addictions of this level are in real life but I am still highly upset. I felt like she just gave up on herself but at the same time she was begging for help that no one gave her. 

     Which brings me to the point of her being too dependent upon others, especially on the male species. Kristina pictured and wanted a prince charming to step in and make everything okay and normal for her life again but she was not doing the work the needed to do for her own life. She was too focused on finding "love" in all the wrong places.

"If you can't love yourself, how in the hell are you going to love somebody else?"

Brown Girl Dreaming By: Jacqueline Woodson

Synopsis:

Jacqueline Woodson, one of today's finest writers, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse.

Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become. 

Rating: ★★★★

Review:

"But on paper, things can live forever. On paper, a butterfly never dies."

     I really enjoyed reading this autobiography in the format that this is written in. Being written in verse really made this book go by faster than what a normal biography or autobiography would. I loved the fact that I after reading this I feel like I know Jacqueline personally and like I've know her and her family all my life. I thought it was awesome to have the family photos at the end, which made it so much more personal than any other autobiography that I've read. 

     Jacqueline really opened the door and let all of her readers into her world, her histories, and her memories. I recommend this to everyone because it really shows you from a child's point of view, how the world worked and how the world affected a whole society during this huge time of change in America. 

Where the Sidewalk Ends By: Shel Silverstein

Synopsis:

Where the sidewalk ends, Shel Silverstein's world begins. There you'll meet a boy who turns into a TV set and a girl who eats a whale. The Unicorn and the Bloath live there, and so does Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who will not take the garbage out. It is a place where you wash your shadow and plant diamond gardens, a place where shoes fly, sisters are auctioned off, and crocodiles go to the dentist.

Shel Silverstein's masterful collection of poems and drawings is one of Parent & Child magazine's 100 Greatest Books for Kids. School Library Journal said, "Silverstein has an excellent sense of rhythm and rhyme and a good ear for alliteration and assonance that make these poems a pleasure to read aloud."

Rating:★★★★ 😄

Review:

     I want to buy this so I can add it to my daughter's book collection. I had so much fun and so many laughs reading this! I just think this would be a great way to introduce her to poetry and it's something she can truly grow up with. My favorite poems were Smart, which made me laugh so hard, and Peanut-Butter Sandwich, which made me shake my head. These were really cute poems and they were also poems, in my opinion, that would make children think about the consequences of their actions, which is ultimately awesome! I definitely would recommend this as a great read to have story time with as well as a fun read for older audiences, such as myself. Happy readings guys!

Crank By: Ellen Hopkins

Synopsis:

In Crank, Ellen Hopkins chronicles the turbulent and often disturbing relationship between Kristina, a character based on her own daughter, and the "monster," the highly addictive drug crystal meth, or "crank." Kristina is introduced to the drug while visiting her largely absent and ne'er-do-well father. While under the influence of the monster, Kristina discovers her sexy alter-ego, Bree: "there is no perfect daughter, / no gifted high school junior, / no Kristina Georgia Snow. / There is only Bree." Bree will do all the things good girl Kristina won't, including attracting the attention of dangerous boys who can provide her with a steady flow of crank.

Rating:★★★★★ 😍

Review:

     I absolutely, positively, no freaking doubt about it, LOVED this!!!!! This was just an amazing piece and I can't wait to get Glass the next time I go to the library. I felt so emotionally invested in these poem and that's the best thing that could ever happen while reading any kind of poetry. I would definitely recommend this as a must read for poetry. This is a must read for all poetry lovers as well as for any newbies. Just be warned there are tough topics being discussed in this, such as drug abuse and rape, for anyone who may have triggers.

Ivy in Bloom: The Poetry of Spring from Great Poets and Writers from the Past By: Vanita Oelschlager

Synopsis:

Ivy in Bloom captures the weariness of a young girl tired of a long winter. "I stare out the window," she says on the first spread of brown and gray, "looking for birds or flowers / or even warm showers / but I don't see any such thing." But then Spring comes when "March is out of breath snow melting to flowery waters and watery flowers spring rose from its wintry rest." And Ivy's "heart dances with daffodils." As these words also dance across each spread, Ivy's world erupts into a riot of color. 

Ivy in Bloom introduces the poetry of Dickinson, Longfellow, Browning, Wordsworth, Frost and others. Excerpts from their writings, as seen through Ivy's eyes, will open up poetry as a way for children to express their own feelings about the changing of seasons. This book includes longer excerpts and brief bios of each author.

Publishing Co.: Vanita Books

Release Date: April 1, 2009

Rating: ★★★★★

Review:

     Okay, so this is going to be a fairly short review but I received this from Netgalley and Vanita Books Publishing in exchange for my honest review. I did not realize when I requested this that it was a children poetry book so you can imagine my surprise when I opened it up and saw the cutest artwork ever. This was such beautiful, yet simple writing, it made you feel so innocent while reading this. I really enjoyed this and I will definitely be adding this to my daughter's book collection.

The Heart is a Nursery for Hope By: Elaine Reardon

Description:

The overarching theme of Elaine Reardon's poetry chapbook, The Heart is a Nursery for Hope, is life, in all its quirkiness, from small moments in the day to life changing events. Whatever the heart holds can nourish and transform.

Genre: Free Verse Poetry

Publishing Company: Create Space

Release Date: Sept. 15, 2016

Date Started: Feb. 21, 2016

Date Finished: Feb. 21, 2016

Rating: ★★★★★

Review:

     I requested and received this collection of poems form Netgalley and Create Space Publishing for review. There's not much I can say about this except I absolutely loved it and enjoyed reading it. Everything was just so beautifully written and very emotionally connecting. Her words pulled you in and made you feel how she was feeling during that time. This is the best collection of poetry I've read so far this year and I would definitely recommend this to anyone and everyone, especially those trying to get into poetry because this is just an amazing work of art. 

The Princess Saves Herself in This One By: Amanda Lovelace

Description:

From Amanda Lovelace, a poetry collection in four parts: the princess, the damsel, the queen, and you. The first three sections piece together the life of the author while the final section serves as a note to the reader. This moving book explores love, loss, grief, healing, empowerment, and inspiration.

Publishing Co.: Andrew McMeel Publishing

Release Date: Feb. 14, 2017

Date Started: Feb. 9, 2017

Date Completed: Feb. 9, 2017

Rating: ★★

Review:

     I received this advanced reader copy from Netgalley and Andrew McMeel Publishing in exchange for my honest review. This collection of poems tell Amanda's history of abuse, from the emotional and mental abuse she went through by the hands of her mother, to her own acts of self harm, and more in between. Which is why I hate to pick out things I didn't like because everyone's poems portray what they individually went through and how they individually feel. But there were aspects of this collection that I did not like.

     What I did like was how emotionally connected I felt to some of the poems, some of them even made me tear up a little. There were a few moments in the book that I giggled a little, mostly the inspirational parts, which I also really enjoyed.

     What I didn't like was that half of the collection could have been left out just because they didn't add to the work but they definitely took away. Most of them weren't even poems and it seemed like they were really being used as page fillers more than actual meaningful pieces. I would rather a very short collection of poems that are all really good vs. a standard size collection where half of them are page fillers.