divyareads's reviews
214 reviews

Dragonhearts by Trista Mateer, Nikita Gill, Amanda Lovelace

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

3.75

When the Stars Wrote Back by Trista Mateer

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.25

this is a beautiful, provoking collection. it’s not my favorite of the trista mateer collections i’ve read and some poems feel like fragments of bigger poems, some feel like statements, but regardless i still found amazing pieces that made me feel deeply in this one. 

William Shakespeare's The Clone Army Attacketh by Ian Doescher

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

obsessed with r2’s dialogue and i would pay so much money to see this performed 

Dream Work by Mary Oliver

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

5.0

The Poems of Emily Dickinson Reading Edition by R.W. Franklin, Emily Dickinson

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

5.0

shine your icy crown by Amanda Lovelace

emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

2.75

i used to love amanda lovelace, but since starting my english lit degree i fell out of love with her and into more literary poets. i wanted to go back and see if i still liked her at all, but none of it is poetry. she writes beautiful messages - which is what captivated me when i first read her works - but some of these read like excerpts from essays (“they say never to play favorites with your children” especially) and others are affirmations more than poetry. i also hate the notion that a woman is more rebellious for not enjoying romance arcs in fairytales as she expressed in the opening two poems. 

The Carrying: Poems by Ada Limón

challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

5.0

in the words of emily dickinson “If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can warm me, I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.” 

flower crowns & fearsome things by Amanda Lovelace

emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

2.75

i love the messages sent through the poems and even though these are sentiments that have been reiterated in western feminism does not mean they have been dealt with, so i appreciate her keeping the conversation alive. however, judging the poems objectively is different - most of these poems read like conversations or tweets. the language is not creative either, as she speaks directly without relying on poetic conventions such as even basic similes and metaphors. when she does use them, they’re very simple and basic. the other issue i have is with one poem that docked any high rating i could have given her. “sigh.” perpetuates the “i’m not like other girls” narrative and the poem following it seems like a poor attempt to cover up the message in “sigh”. nevertheless, i think the concept of this collection is beautiful and i think it could be amazing with some work. 

A Bound Woman Is a Dangerous Thing: The Incarceration of African American Women from Harriet Tubman to Sandra Bland by DaMaris B. Hill

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNext by Felicia Rose Chavez, José Olivarez, Willie Perdomo

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.25