Review – The Chaos of Longing by K. Y. Robinson

Title: The Chaos of Longing

Author: K. Y. Robinson

Publisher: Andrew McMeels Publishing

Publication Date: September 26th 2017 (first self-published on May 31st 2016)

Format: Paperback

Genre: Poetry

Page Count: 160

Summary:  “The Chaos of Longing is a brutally honest exploration of desire—physical, emotional, and spiritual. This revised and expanded edition contains over 50 pages of all-new material.

Organized in four sections – Inception, Longing, Chaos, and Epiphany – K.Y. Robinson’s debut poetry collection explores what it is to want in spite of trauma, shame, injustice, and mental illness. It is one survivor’s powerful testimony, and a love letter “to those who lie awake burning.” (Source: Goodreads)

Content Warnings: difficult parental relationship, trauma, body objectification, sexual harassment, sexual assault, manic depression, graphic depiction of sexual assault, abusive relationships, intimacy, suicidal ideation, racism, sexism

Rating: ★★★★★ (5 stars)

Hello everyone! I’m back at it again with the POETRY. I tend to space out my reading with one fiction book then one poetry book, going back and forth. The Chaos of Longing is kind of a reread? I read the first edition of the collection when it was still self-published, but then the author was given a book deal with Andrew McMeels Publishing! YAY! I first read the self-published edition of The Chaos of Longing back in summer 2017, and I LOVED IT. It was actually one of the first modern poetry books that I read that inspired me to keep going with my self-published author-y thing. And guess what? K. Y. ROBINSON LOVED MY BOOK ALSO??? HECK!!!

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My Top Reads of 2018 (1/3)

This is a transfer from my Patreon, you can find out what I enjoyed in 2018!

In no particular order…here we go! Some of these books I’ve not reviewed yet, but please do check them out!

• Ready Aim Fire by Lexi Vranick – stirring debut indie poetry collection about survival and hope.

• The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli – young adult novel about a fat teenage girl who has so many crushes, but struggles with her body-image.

• The Woods by Marnie Silverman – an indie short supernatural story by a Jewish author.

Review – Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Title: Children of Blood and Bone

Author: Tomi Adeyemi

Publisher: Macmillan

Publication Date: March 8th 2018

Format: Paperback

Genre: YA Fantasy

Page Count: 531

Summary:  Zelie remembers when the soil of Orisha hummed with magic. When different clans ruled – Burners igniting flames, Tiders beckoning waves, and Zelie’s Reaper mother summoning forth souls.  

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, anyone with powers was targeted and killed, leaving Zelie without a mother and her people without hope. Only a few people remain with the power to use magic, and they must remain hidden.  

Zelie is one such person. Now she has a chance to bring back magic to her people and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zelie must learn to harness her powers and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.  

Danger lurks in Orisha, where strange creatures prowl, and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zelie herself as she struggles to come to terms with the strength of her magic – and her growing feelings for an enemy. (Source: Goodreads)

Content Warnings: childhood trauma, war, violence, death, slavery, racism, xenophobia/ic language, attempted rape, torture, self-harm, abusive parents.

Rating: ★★★★★ (5 stars)

This book is an incredible debut. I cannot fault it at all. Tomi Adeyemi is amazing at her craft. Her writing is simply mesmerising. Her ability to create complex characters is astonishing.

Poetry Recommendations (1/∞)

So, I transferred this post from my Patreon as I want to continue this blog series and get people reading more poetry! Without further ado, here are 5 random poetry recommendations in no particular order!

Review – Nothing is Okay by Rachel Wiley

Title: Nothing is Okay

Author: Rachel Wiley

Publisher: Button Poetry

Publication Date:  February 20th 2018

Format: Paperback

Genre: Poetry

Page Count: 96

Summary:  “Nothing is Okay is the second full-length poetry collection by Rachel Wiley, whose work simultaneously deconstructs the lies that we were taught about our bodies and our beings, and builds new ways of viewing ourselves. As she delves into queerness, feminism, fatness, dating, and race, Wiley molds these topics into a punching critique of culture and a celebration of self. A fat positive activist, Wiley’s work soars and challenges the bounds of bodies and hearts, and the ways we carry them.” (Source: Goodreads)

Content Warnings: fatphobia, sexual language, biracial identity discrimination, queerphobia, racism, sexual assault, historical rape

Rating: ★★★★★ (5 stars) 

Have you ever picked up a book and been completely overwhelmed by its brilliance and power? This is it, people.

Black History Month + Free Book February TBR

Hey! It’s now February so I thought I’d share what I’m planning on reading! 

For February, I’m going to honour Black History Month by reading books by black authors and also support a new readathon called Free Book February where you read books that you didn’t buy for yourself personally or got for free!

Let’s get into it!

I’ve not got a particular system in place for Black History Month, but here are the books that I plan on reading:

Mental Health Book Bingo Wrap-Up

Hello! In January, I decided to tackle my reading challenge and massive TBR in a different way, through Mental Health Book Bingo Readathon! Here’s how it works:

Source: @BingoMh

You select books based on a square on the sheet, and once you finish it, you cross it out! Basically, it’s bingo but with books.

The objective of Mental Health Book Bingo is to encourage readers to read a range of books about mental illness and mental health. Mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, are often saturated in literature whereas schizophrenia and personality disorders are rarely discussed.