Review: Wild Embers by Nikita Gill

wild embersSince picking up Fierce Fairytales by Nikita Gill earlier this year I was eager to check out her previous book, Wild Embers and see if I enjoyed it as much.  Spoiler alert, I did. Wild Embers was an amazing collection of modern poetry.  The subject matter was a touch more raw than her other work, and there are definite trigger warnings for talk about abuse of all kinds.  This collection explores not only what the abuse may do to someone, but also what it feels like to come out of it.  That is by far not the only subject matter as it touches on stereotypes, misogyny and more, but it was some of the most poignant of the collection.

 

“You are a myth born to the wrong age.  You are the kind of book that has magical stories trapped in every single page.”

While many of the poems are hard to read and tug at the heart, just as many of them are also empowering and encouraging. I’ve said many times that I am not a major fan of modern poetry, which holds true, but Nikita Gill has become an auto-buy author of mine.  I have loved everything of hers that I have read, perhaps because it resonates so much with me, but the content is important and I feel would resonate with many people.

What have you read lately that has made an author an auto-buy author?

Happy reading!

Review: the mermaid’s voice returns in this one by Amanda Lovelace

the mermaid's voiceI’ve read the previous installments in the Women Are Some Kind of Magic series and while I enjoyed them, they weren’t favorites. Lovelace was definitely one of my favored voices in modern poetry and I was willing to give anything she put out a chance. This installment in the trilogy blew me away.

One thing I love about Lovelace’s collections is that she always includes trigger warnings in the beginning. This is so appreciated and valuable when it comes to the type of content being discussed. Her language is beautiful while the emotions and subject matter are very raw and real. The way she phrases and formats her poems lend to the style and the expert use of language.

Perhaps it is my own experiences, but this collection just spoke to me. The progression of the story felt like a real progression of healing and learning. The guest poems from other poets perfectly melded into the collection. While they were different voices being added in, they fit in and belonged there. It was wonderful and heartbreaking at the same time.

I definitely recommend this collection for anyone who enjoys her writing or anyone looking for modern poetry that touches hard hitting and difficult subjects.  The mermaid’s voice returns in this one comes out on March 5th from Andrews McMeel Publishing.

Happy Reading!

Review: Fierce Fairytales by Nikita Gill

fierce fairytalesOkay – first and foremost something that has no bearing on my rating at all but must be mentioned – this cover! It is so breathtaking in person and was done excellently.  The detail when you really look at it is exquisite.

Now that I have that out of the way, I will be the first person to admit that modern poetry is typically not my thing. A six word sentence broken up into three lines does not a poem make in my opinion. I know a lot of people enjoy that style, but I don’t, so I was a little hesitant heading into this. I was pleasantly surprised that this book of poetry and short stories was a more traditional style while still being modern and I LOVED it.

The way Gill twists the common fairytale themes and looks at them in a different way was so refreshing and beautiful. Her writing at times is so lyrical and descriptive that there were times I literally stopped, had to take a breath, and then re-read. I was often swept away by the imagery that she was portraying and building within these passages.

It was great looking at these stories from a different angle and while the poems and stories definitely lean towards feminism, it’s feminism that speaks of strength and resilience, belief in oneself. I was not expecting to love this collection as much as I did, I thought I would probably enjoy it and have a few that really spoke to me, but I truly fell in love with it. i’m definitely looking forward to picking up other collections and works by Nikita Gill in the future and would definitely recommend checking our Fierce Fairytales.

Happy reading!

Review: Witchcraft and Monsters

witchcraft and monsters coversI’m not always the biggest fan of modern poetry collections, but I could resist checking out this title when I saw the cover and description and I’m so glad I did. Though this book is very short, the author’s writing is lyrical and descriptive. There were phrases that literally made me suck in a breath because they were so impactful. I can’t say that there were any poems within this collection that I disliked and found myself identifying with so many of them.

This collection is broken up into different sections that feel like a natural progression. Not only do the themes evolve and change as you make your way through it, but as you make your way through the poems become more reality and less fantasy. It’s obvious that the author has poured herself into this work and truly laid out many of her emotions and thoughts for the reader. That kind of vulnerability is not an easy thing to do and all the more beautiful for it.

I definitely recommend picking this collection up and giving it a read and hope to see more from this author in the future.  Witchcraft and Monsters by Kala Godin is coming out on January 21st by Patchwork press.

Happy reading!