A review by bibliorey
Peonies into Sambal: A collection of Poems & Poems by Phedora, Nur Arissa Zulazman

4.0

“This body is a sanctuary for the soul and I am trying hard to give it real love.”

Peonies into Sambal is a stunning collection of poetry on love, loss, life and growth. I was lucky enough to have received this from Phedora, the author herself.

It was such a beautiful collection of delicate words that I find myself relating to in some of the poems. That reminded me of the old days during primary and high school. The memories I made, the growth I had gone through to turn me into the person that I am right now. It’s simply beautiful. I love how locally interconnected it is with multiple cultures of the different races in Malaysia. There was this one poem about uncle putu mayam that made me miss the bells of uncle putu mayam at my house every evening. It felt like a nostalgic breathe of fresh air.

This is the kind of poetry that isn’t filled with much metaphors or complicated words. Everything was very understandable and relatable, it was a really smooth glide going through this one. The illustrations are STUNNING. Love love love the flower artworks throughout the book.

Reviewing a poetry book is kinda hard because each and every poem are different from each other and they have different meaning, different interpretations to different people. But if you’re in need of something mildly nostalgic, beautiful and whimsical, then this is it for you.

Thank you so much to Phedora for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely adore Peonies into Sambal and recommend you all to go pick this one up if you’re a fan of contemporary poetry or simply in need of something quick, new and yet have so much lessons and meaning.

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