Bluebell Review Chamber [CLOSED]

જ Bottles-hearts જ ☾ Helena ☽

Book: bottles-hearts

Author: YOURS-EXE

Reviewer: helixgro

I've read all of the poems in your book that were currently published, and I have to say they were hauntingly beautiful. They spoke of so much emotions, positive and negative, overpowering your fears and standing up to what is true and what is right. While reading, I felt so much sensations and found that I could relate to what you wrote on an emotional and spiritual level. You masterfully capture human characteristics and behaviours, portraying the mind as a wonderful and delicate thing, hooking the reader with your diverse range of words and fine way of writing. It's like writing poetry flows out of you perfectly onto the page, which is an amazing skill to have. You should be extremely proud of your work.

APPEARANCES

The cover uses a palette of dark colours in hues of black, blue and grey, which portray the somber mood of the book and give the reader an idea of what the contents are. We can tell from looking at it that it is not a happy book without even having to look inside. It does a wonderful job of portraying exactly what it contains so the right audience may find it.

The description contains a poem, which instantly hooks the reader with its unique flow. They want to look inside to find out more about your book and read the other poems, as the first one already captured their heart. It's a brilliant hook and advertisement, and if this wasn't a review, I would have gladly clicked anyway.

Each of the separate poems have their own themes and aesthetics, and I really like the use of images that really contribute to the mood and set the theme. Even though everything is written in lowercase, it does well to portray a messy atmosphere, almost as if it was someone who couldn't even find the strength to go on. It gives your writing a tragic sense, speaking all the more to the reader.

CONTENT

I'll speak about each of the poems separately, as I have things to say about each one. As I read further on, I saw a great improvement within your writing as the poems became even more wonderful and filled with further emotions. Your writing level got better and you began to speak about harder and more impactful topics. This growth was brilliant to see, but also was melancholy in a way. I felt like deep inside, you were speaking about yourself. Below are my interpretations and thoughts.

BOTTLES - HEART: This was a great beginning to the book, as it seems to me like an overview of the entire thing. We get a feeling of your writing style. The repetition of the keyword "bottle" conveys how the narrator feels trapped inside their world with no way to express themselves, and the use of words like "ink" and "black" which have connotations to nightmares and darkness show the dreary tone of the poem.

HER: To me, this poems speaks of betrayal and love. The girl in the poem had once opened her heart up to someone, but she was cruelly betrayed and had formed walls around her as to not be hurt again. Comparing her to an ocean, which is something that is dangerous and dark yet still holds so much beauty and life in it. It is the source of all life on Earth. Yet after her trauma, she had become unrecognisable and is now a husk of who she once was.

DRUNK: While not directly speaking about suicide, you tell the reader exactly what is going on in a creative way. A lot of the story is up to interpretation, which I find amazing because it means that the poem is more relatable. Anyone could find themselves in it and be comforted because they are not alone. Perhaps this is one of the most haunting of your poems, because it speaks of a predicament so raw and real in our world today.

INKED: I think that this is a poem of acceptance. The narrator is unable to deal with the great changes in their life, especially the loss of innocence. Facing the death of a loved one is a horrific thing after all, and they are struggling to come to terms into reality. However, I found another meaning when I looked deeper. The four seasons could represent the stages of life: spring/childhood, summer/teenage years, autumn/adulthood and winter/death. When you think about it, the seasons and stages of life correlate. Autumn is when things begin to die, and the narrator is slowly losing their strength and succumbing to old age and death. The dying lover could be a metaphor for youth and the innocence that they wish they could preserve.

ROSE: I adore the rich meaning and symbolism in this. Using roses that symbolise good and love to represent an evil character is a brilliant use of juxtaposition. It makes me wonder if he too was someone hurt by love and if that was a cause of who he is now. In fact, I noticed the repeating theme of love throughout your poems, whether that was intentional or not. I think its a nice touch that could be explored further.

PROMISES: You've said that an event in your life caused you to write this, and I can see that reflect in how the writing style differs. This poem seems much more personal and heartfelt than the others, and that's the beauty around it. It speaks to me of someone who's been betrayed by a trusted friend or a loved one, hence the line "they're meant to be broken, she says" when referencing promises. It's the poem that speaks the most to me and therefore has the greatest impact, placing it as my favorite.

HUES: This is one of the only poems of yours that include rhymes, and I really like how you've used them. The inconsistency of them gives us a scattered impression of the narrator, and when looking deeper the ups and downs resemble the rocking of waves and an ocean. Water is repeated several times too and is presented as the motif, which highlights my theory. To me, the narrator of this poem doesn't know who they are and can't find themselves in today's cruel world where we are judged for the smallest mistake.

CAGED: Initially, I thought this poem spoke of depression and never being able to live up to standards, and I thought this because of the line "terror of being caged is one's realism". I thought that the narrator felt trapped in the box society had forced them into, pretending to be happy even though they're dying inside. After you told me the poem was about sleep paralysis, I began to see another side to it. I saw the brilliant description of emotions and the experience of it, masterfully presented. As someone who never experienced sleep paralysis, this was a vivid description that gave me the impression of exactly what it was like.

SURRENDER: You've said that this is a poem about not being able to fit within the standards of society, and how it is a message that you aren't alone and should always be yourself. This is a brilliant poem with an amazing moral message that teaches so much and helps people love themselves. The line "among thousands of screens" emphasises that you aren't alone, and that people with similar experiences can support you. I also like the rhyming you included, and other than "promises" this is my favorite work of yours.

STAR: This is your newest poem, and your writing has improved so much since the first one. Each word holds so much beauty and meaning, it's wonderful to read. The theme of space and stars gives an impression that their love is so much bigger than the universe and that they are truly happy together, unbreakable. I adore your diverse vocabulary and the not so typical words you use. It makes your work so pleasant and calming to read. Each of your poems can be relatable to someone in some way, and that's what makes it so powerful. You speak of the very real problems in society, and people can feel comforted reading your works.

GOING FORWARD

When it comes to writing poetry, you have a unique and natural flow. However, when it comes to reading your writing out loud difficulties arise. Because of the lack of consistency (which does have it's charm and I do find wonderful) it is hard to present your writing vocally. Some high level feedback I have for you is beginning to focus on meter.

The definition of meter is the arrangement of syllables in a poem. They can be grouped into pairs or sets of three. The arrangement can include stressed and unstressed beats or those that carry the most and least emphasis. To work out meter in a poem you can count the syllables in a line or stanza. Meter is important as it helps read a line out loud, makes it clearer and helps the poem have a flow. You can also experiment with different meter and writing patterns. 

USEFUL LINKS

https://poemanalysis.com/poetic-meter/meter/#:~:text=The%20meter%20is%20the%20arrangement%20of%20syllables%20in,is%20to%20count%20the%20syllables%20in%20a%20line

This website explains all of the different types of meter in a lot of detail.