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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
I first heard of Nikita Gill's poetry on Tumblr around 2014 or 2015. People used certain lines from her poems for fan edits of their favorite OTPs, and I was so captivated by her words that I ended up following her blog and reblogging several posts she put up at that time. Four years later, I found myself stumbling upon this book at a store. I was so excited about seeing one of my favorite poets online be published and have her work in my hands, so much so that I bought a copy of it on a whim. I don't know why it took me this long to finish it, but I guess I just wanted to savor the book as much as I could.
Wild Embers is perhaps one of my favorite collections by a modern poet. I usually prefer a more traditional style and approach to poetry, but there's just something about the way she strings words together that tugs at my heartstrings so much. I've always been a big fan of space, so I especially loved how she used stars, galaxies, planets, and even dark matter to create this cosmic imagery and almost celestial atmosphere. Thinking about the ever-expanding universe we live in always makes me feel so inconsequentially small, but Wild Embers made me feel otherwise. It made me feel worthy and powerful and magical, as if I was cut from the same cloth as stars were. The fairytale-inspired poems and re-imaginings were also incredibly empowering as much as they were painfully human.
I'm honestly surprised that Nikita Gill's writing still resonates with me as much as my teenage self did. I'm happy that I gave it a chance again, and I can't wait to read her other, more recent works.
Wild Embers is perhaps one of my favorite collections by a modern poet. I usually prefer a more traditional style and approach to poetry, but there's just something about the way she strings words together that tugs at my heartstrings so much. I've always been a big fan of space, so I especially loved how she used stars, galaxies, planets, and even dark matter to create this cosmic imagery and almost celestial atmosphere. Thinking about the ever-expanding universe we live in always makes me feel so inconsequentially small, but Wild Embers made me feel otherwise. It made me feel worthy and powerful and magical, as if I was cut from the same cloth as stars were. The fairytale-inspired poems and re-imaginings were also incredibly empowering as much as they were painfully human.
I'm honestly surprised that Nikita Gill's writing still resonates with me as much as my teenage self did. I'm happy that I gave it a chance again, and I can't wait to read her other, more recent works.
I love this poetry book! I've been following Nikita Gill's work on social media for some time now, and I bought the book on a whim one day when I saw it was discounted in the bookstore I worked at and holy crap, I'm so glad I did!! The poems are beautiful, I truly enjoy reading through them every once in a while. Ghost Story and Burning are definitely the absolute favorites that speak to me deeply. But I am also so very enamored with every single poem with space and galaxy symbolism: they're such a lovely read, and they give you a feeling that you are holding an infinity within yourself, which envokes a special kind of sensibility in me.
I adore poetry, I really do. But the price of this is what’s lost a star for me, considering the quantity of work. $27aud is pricey for 150 pages.
But the quality is there, and that is what truly matters. This is a unique style of writing, and I appreciate the hard work from any creative mind.
But the quality is there, and that is what truly matters. This is a unique style of writing, and I appreciate the hard work from any creative mind.
inspiring
fast-paced
Me ha gustado mucho, tiene un estilo sencillo que expresa muy bien lo que quiere decir y toca muchos temas importantes. Sin embargo, se me ha hecho algo repetitivo y en algunas partes (como las versiones de los cuentos clásicos) hasta pesado. No obstante, hay muchísimos poemas que me han llegado y mil citas destacables, así que sin duda lo recomiendo. No creo que sea el último libro que lea de esta autora.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
There were gems and there was some gentle wisdom at the beginning and the ending of the book, sandwiching a filling of what read like slam poetry in the middle.
Finding it difficult to rate this book because poetry is so personal.
The majority of these poems just didn’t resonate with me.
Style-wise the poems were all very straightforward and read more like quotes or short anecdotes than poetry. I would’ve liked to see more ambiguity, wordplay, wit or clever rhyme.
Content-wise most of the poems were fairly generic. (With the exception of the reinvented fairy tales and myths. I liked reading those). None of them felt powerful or evoked strong emotions in me though.
Most of the poetry in this book, if not all, is feminist. Now some of these feminist poems seemed to move from advocating gender equality to expressing a kind of anti-male bias that I’m not a fan of. (Not sure if these were the author’s intentions or if it’s just my interpretation).
I’m all for sisterhood and equality, but female domination (as tempting as it sounds) is not the way to go.
While this isn’t my kind of poetry there were still some passages that deserve to be mentioned:
“You cannot burn what has always been aflame.”
“And yet in the fairytales we tell our children, we first introduce [Belle] as beautiful rather than fierce, kind, independent, intelligent, giving, full of light and powerful. Even her name is a testament to outward beauty.”
“And I still wonder, 10 years later, if the lesson she learned for standing up for herself was that no one comes running to protect little girls when it is little boys they are standing up against.”
“Why do we shame Pandora for opening the box, when she simply did it out of curiosity?
Shouldn’t we rather blame the person
who created a box
of such terrible power
as we should blame society
for making rules for our bodies
that we never agreed to,
nor wanted to be our philosophy.”
The hunt for poetry books continues.
The majority of these poems just didn’t resonate with me.
Style-wise the poems were all very straightforward and read more like quotes or short anecdotes than poetry. I would’ve liked to see more ambiguity, wordplay, wit or clever rhyme.
Content-wise most of the poems were fairly generic. (With the exception of the reinvented fairy tales and myths. I liked reading those). None of them felt powerful or evoked strong emotions in me though.
Most of the poetry in this book, if not all, is feminist. Now some of these feminist poems seemed to move from advocating gender equality to expressing a kind of anti-male bias that I’m not a fan of. (Not sure if these were the author’s intentions or if it’s just my interpretation).
I’m all for sisterhood and equality, but female domination (as tempting as it sounds) is not the way to go.
While this isn’t my kind of poetry there were still some passages that deserve to be mentioned:
“You cannot burn what has always been aflame.”
“And yet in the fairytales we tell our children, we first introduce [Belle] as beautiful rather than fierce, kind, independent, intelligent, giving, full of light and powerful. Even her name is a testament to outward beauty.”
“And I still wonder, 10 years later, if the lesson she learned for standing up for herself was that no one comes running to protect little girls when it is little boys they are standing up against.”
“Why do we shame Pandora for opening the box, when she simply did it out of curiosity?
Shouldn’t we rather blame the person
who created a box
of such terrible power
as we should blame society
for making rules for our bodies
that we never agreed to,
nor wanted to be our philosophy.”
The hunt for poetry books continues.
I really enjoyed these poems. Nikita Gill is one of the few modern day poets whose poetry I thoroughly enjoy. The format of her poems and her emphasis on mental health and being the warriors that we are make it so easy to fall in love with her words. A refreshing change, when so much of poetry, old and new, is comprised of love. This is not that. I can't recommend Nikita Gill enough.
This is not my first foray into her work, and maybe that's why I give this 4 stars. Nothing will ever compare to Fierce Fairytales. There were also many parallels drawn to space, the stars, and the planets, which I enjoyed, but those weren't always my favorite poems. That being said, there isn't a single bad poem in this book and many of them stood out to me. Spoke to me in ways that made me feel understood. Gill is very talented with her words. But beyond relatability, her words also inspire hope. I think that's what I needed right now, and why I put this before all the other books I'm reading at the same time. We need more poets who aren't afraid to speak the truth.
I'm so glad I finally read this book, and I've resorted to making notes of my favorite poems should I ever need to return back to them. These poems will not tear you down and force you to analyze your life; instead, they will build you up, and remind you of why you are important.
This is not my first foray into her work, and maybe that's why I give this 4 stars. Nothing will ever compare to Fierce Fairytales. There were also many parallels drawn to space, the stars, and the planets, which I enjoyed, but those weren't always my favorite poems. That being said, there isn't a single bad poem in this book and many of them stood out to me. Spoke to me in ways that made me feel understood. Gill is very talented with her words. But beyond relatability, her words also inspire hope. I think that's what I needed right now, and why I put this before all the other books I'm reading at the same time. We need more poets who aren't afraid to speak the truth.
I'm so glad I finally read this book, and I've resorted to making notes of my favorite poems should I ever need to return back to them. These poems will not tear you down and force you to analyze your life; instead, they will build you up, and remind you of why you are important.