Book Title: Genesis
Author: maplelatte7
Reviewer: Read-aholic2006
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(This review is solely based on the first 14 available poems)
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Cover: 4/5
The font size of the title and author's name seems very reasonable. I'm not sure what the picture is, though...a hazy galaxy? Personally, I would've chosen a more vivid and eye-catching image, but I believe it's meant to reference the "beginning of time" when a theoretical reaction sparked the existence of life. So the cover goes hand-in-hand with the title.
Title: 5/5
It's short, simple and striking. The symbolism behind this title flaunts how creative and meaningful it is.
Blurb: 5/5
I would describe this blurb as being a bite-sized appetizer. This first paragraph, comprising only one sentence, quickly describes what the book contains—a collection of underrated poetry. The second paragraph further elaborates on the contents of the poetry collection and then the blurb is ended off with a series of impressive rankings that is bound to lure readers into adding this book to their TBR. I don't think I have any complaints.
Creativity/originality: 10/10
The book contains poetry spun from raw inspiration and pure talent. The poems are either sparked by real-life experiences and emotions or by random ideas totally unrelated to the poet. So, all in all, each poem seems very authentic.
External Structure (Formatting/Rhyme/Rhythm): 10/10
The poet doesn't adhere to a fixed rhyme scheme across any of her poems. The first part of the poem may follow a pattern of ABAB and then take a swerve into a new direction. Or the first stanza would conform to the pattern AAAB and then the next stanza would choose the pattern ABCBDB. Some of her poems are even written in free-verse. The fact that the poet uses an undefined rhyme scheme complements the fact that this poetry collection has no specific theme—so this whole book emanates freedom and passion.
Each poem is written in italics for no particular reason (most probably for aesthetic purposes). Half the poems aren't divided into stanzas, which is rather refreshing as it breaks away from the usual external structure of a poem. It also reflects how a single idea flows into the next line without separation. This visually contributes to these poems' fluid storytelling aspects.
Internal Structure (Imagery/Language/Diction): 20/20
The poet's evocative language and creative use of figurative speech greatly compensates for the vagueness of some of her poems. For example, in her first poem, I couldn't decipher what some of the lines meant and was left perplexed. But the personification and imagery was so well executed, I had to turn my head the other way and ignore my slight confusion. The poem not only painted a clear setting within the reader's mind, but it perfectly embodied that relatable feeling of deep loneliness and purposelessness—I would know; I've had that feeling many times before. The same goes for her poem "The Truth Untold"—I couldn't interpret its full meaning, but the diction was so moving, her imagery so powerful, I couldn't help but fall in love with the poem and its depth.
The author's diction is like a bolt of lightning—striking, beautifully painful, electrifying. Basically, her words make you feel something. "Endurance" is such a gripping poem. It can easily send readers off onto an emotional journey, making them feel either sympathy for the speaker, hatred for the abusive stepmother, disgust toward her violence and cruelty or maybe there's just someone who can relate to the poem.
And the poet also displays a somewhat broad vocabulary.
Writing style/Grammar: 8/10
I had spotted only one typo. Several times the poet uses the contraction it's instead of his lookalike its—the lovely preposition. She also does not hyphenate her compound adjectives, but that's about it.
The strong storytelling style the author uses serves as an effective skeleton for most of her poems. That's why "A Tragedy" is one of my favourite poems from this book. It effortlessly tells the sad tale of how two lovers are somehow torn apart.
Most of these poems aren't exactly clear-cut, which is what makes them so unique and rather deep. None of the meanings are spoon-fed to the readers, so the poems are open to various interpretations. Some poems are quite mysterious—"Whisper my Name," "Silent Autumn" and "The Truth Untold". However, although the flexibility of the poems lead to a wonderful range of different interpretations, the fact still remains that I couldn't dissect and therefore understand a few of these poems. (That may of course only be me.)
But as I've stated before, the poet has a strange way of making you overlook the knots in your mind and focus on the true beauty of her poems—the metaphors, the fiery diction and the breathtaking imagery.
Reading enjoyment: 10/10
These poems were very well-written, so of course I enjoyed reading them. A few of my favourites were "Used & Bruised," "Unvisited," "A Tragedy," "Us," "Letting Go" and "Moment". So, as always, there were just those poems that stood out to me, like bloodred rubies amongst a pool of pearls. Each poem was interesting and captivating.
Overall: 72/75
The author writes lump-in-throat poems. Yes, that's how I would describe them—they can make readers quite emotional. Her writing is bright with vivid imagery and dark with the gloomy aspects that it often tackles. The poet has an intricate mind; anyone can see that in her descriptions and narrations.
I have no helpful advice for the poet. She just has to keep on writing from her heart—from her bubbling laughter or from her deepest wounds, from her most joyous days and darkest nights. If she pours her soul into her poetry, then her words will spontaneously bleed with unadulterated emotion, instantly touching her readers.