Not for me. I am not very open to the kind of poetry that makes me feel like I am reading regurgitated cliches. In my opinion, the pieces lacked personality.

I love the first book and its concept but this one didn't hit me at all. And I DON'T KNOW WHY and I wish there's something more.

I gave this a three out of five stars. I have read a few poetry collections by R.H. Sin now but I really enjoyed this one. I want to buy myself a finished copy when I get the chance. I liked so many of the poems in this collection.

I enjoyed this book, but when you read RH Sin his books tend to blend together a lot, so don't binge read them like I did.

While I enjoyed Sin's Whiskey, Words, and a Shovel series, I think I have outgrown his cliche and repetitive poetry. He writes too much about how women have been mistreated but he is the answer as God's gift to women.

I think this is going to be the end of my journey through r.h. Sin’s work. It really is just not for me. I enjoyed the first few collections I read by him and was quite hopeful, but as I read the others, things went downhill. To be honest, I feel as though I am reading the exact same collection of poetry over and over again when it comes to his books. Not only are the topics repetitive, I swear there are some poems that are the same but worded slightly differently. That is the overall feeling that this collection gives.

It is very clear that Sin definitely has a talent for writing as his words tend to be quite beautiful. But the style he writes in pulls one’s attention away from that. His poetry can be hard to get into because they are quite choppy. It is not entirely clear why he cuts off lines where he does as there is no real powerful, emotional effect that comes from it. This causes me to become disconnected from the words and meaning, therefore taking away a lot of the desired impact.

As I have said in the past, it is nice to see a man writing poetry that speaks on the strength and beauty of women and does make an attempt at promoting equality. However, what bothers me is that there is still this feeling I get with some of his poems that he is portraying us more as an object or possession rather than as a human. That slight arrogance also remains, as he writes about how terrible all other men are and implies he is the only one worthy of being with a woman. I apologize if this review sounds like I am ranting in any way—it is absolutely not intended to offend or to criticize the author as a person. Both his writing and his treatment of subject matter just really rub me the wrong way.

Absolutely loved this collection. I related to so many poems in this book and I feel that everyone will be able to find several they can relate to. Beautifully written and I cannot wait for the third installment.

Divers metaphor and symbol a poem should embody before becoming a poetic artifact – that is what I have learned from Paul Ricœur. A poem is stripped off of its essence when the writer boldly reveals what he means. A poem isn't just some broken down sentences, like what this book represents; it is a plash of metaphorical symbolism. It does not end at the surface. To reveal the meaning of a poetry reduces it to a lexical-based writing, it becomes what Ricœur calls as "dead metaphor," however, a poem should live. It should exemplify the genuine emotive reference showered to the text. Planting Gardens in Graves II is simply a collection of emotions. Reading the book is comparable to a dialogue with the writer, but to be able to fully grasp a poem is to become one with the poet. The book did not give me that sense of home. It established the line between the reader and the writer – especially, when the writer imposes what a woman should be, what a woman is, how a woman should act. The book is not empowering as it markets; it is manipulative, explicitly coming from a man.

I could have praised the book had it been written as a short story, or an inspirational one, but unfortunately I couldn't appreciate it as poetry. It presents to me as an anthology of Tumblr posts rather than a literature founded by aesthetic and rhythm.

Needless to say, I have enjoyed some parts of the book. I could relate – I hurt with it, I weep with it, but I could only give it two peonies because of the points I had to stress above. Recommended for a light relatable read; not suited for readers who are critical when it comes to poetry.

Beautiful series of poems that tell a story individually and as a collection. While the poems are short in length, they provoke in-depth thought and discussion.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book just as I enjoyed the others from Sin. While there are several repetitive ones from his previous collections, I found the others brilliant. There were quite a few that struck a chord within me and I found myself bookmarking one after another! Sin never fails to amaze me as always

Thanks Netgalley for the advance copy of this!

Let me start out by saying that I'm almost always the first person to say "I don't like poetry." I'm an English major in college, but most of the poetry I've had to read just doesn't connect with me. Nothing against the classic, great poets, but I just haven't felt anything groundbreaking from reading poetry.
Well, r.h. Sin (and a few other poets) are changing that for me.
I've seen r.h. Sin's work at Target, and I've always been intrigued by the short, brief poetry that looks like something I'd see posted on Tumblr or Instagram. I've never read any of his poetry books before, but when I got the chance to read and review Planting Gardens In Graces II, I jumped on the chance. I'm not sure what poetry was in the book before this one, but I can genuinely say that for a newcomer to r.h. Sin's work and to poetry in general, this book definitely provided for me.
Let's talk about the poems themselves. Very few poems are longer than a single page, which allows you to just read a single poem at a time, or to binge a few and then reflect. Unlike the poetry that I had to read in school, these poems are of relatable, modern subjects, such as love, heartbreak, and anxiety. There's a palpable sadness running through the entire thing, which I think separates it from some of the more uplifting poetry in this style that you can find on social media sites. Sometimes a sad poem is all you need.
There's no complex rhyme to pick apart, just a nice rhythm dictated by the line breaks. I appreciated the varying poem lengths. While many of them are short, consisting of just a few lines, others are longer and definitely feel deeper. Still, I found myself enjoying all of the poems, and reading them slowly, as one would sip a hot, flavorful tea. You don't have to read them in order. I did, to see how r.h. Sin wanted to present these poems, but opening up to a random poem and just seeing what it was to offer works just as well. My only complaint is that this book wasn't divided into themed sections, but then again, maybe this poetry book works better in the way it's currently organized.
This book earns 5/5 stars from me. Partially because it's bringing me out of my "I hate poetry phase," and partially because it's the type of book that I just know I want to keep on my bookshelf for a long time. I currently don't have a section for poetry, so I guess that r.h. Sin will get the first spot.
Here are some of my favorite lines. Like what you see? Pick up your own copy on 7/10/18!
- "Chase success/not him/choose yourself/not him"
-"I began making a list/of all the benefits/of loving you/and the page remained blank"
-"The world is cold/burn bridges to keep warm"

Planting Gardens in Graves II isn't what you call 'a bundle of joy'. It's harsch, rough and very, very realistic and true. This isn't supposed to be fun or easy, it's supposed to make you think and realize what you've been doing with your life. Are you good enough for her? Are you good enough for you? Planting Gardens in Graves II makes you reflect on everything you've done relationship-wise so far. And that was exactly what I needed.

Some words to describe this bundle: Harsch, emotional, relationships.

Unfortunately I couldn't open this file in order to do a review. I usually use a kindle but I tried several apps to open this file but it simply wouldn't work.

I am quite a fan of the works of R.H Sin, but I found this book fell short of the mark for me. I didn’t find a lot of inspiration and reassurance like I usually do. It felt rushed for publication. I expected more from him.

Thank you to r.h. Sin, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and Netgalley for allowing me the extreme pleasure of access to an advanced reader copy of “Planting Gardens in Graves II” for an honest review.

I have been in love with every single poetry book put out by r.h. Sin, and this one is no exception to the rule. These poems are short, sharp, and so quick to the point with every emotion. I felt the sting and burn of these emotions, of the how relations take us to place we never though we’d go, and how we never see it truly until we are out and looking back.

I will be buying a copy of this for myself, for my friends who love poetry, and for my AP Literature classroom.

My first ever poetry book by R.H. Sin! Was super excited to get to read this book early. I really enjoyed the collection of poems. I ended up liking quite a few of them. Maybe not a favorite poetry book but loved it all the same. Definitely worth the read!

I  received a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

I honestly enjoyed this work. Like most poetry book, there were some for me and some that were not my thing.

I enjoyed the amount of depth and feeling in some of these. I always enjoy reading a few poems and then putting the book down for a while to absorb the poetry.

One of my favorites:
Don't hide her
Love her out loud.

r.h. Sin does it again mixing simplicity with intense emotions. From 'almost to the bottom' and 'dead alive', the poets paints vivid imagery of devils and souls, blood and tears, and humanity's neverending love affair with happiness and sorrow.

Planting Gardens in Graves II by r.h. Sin

Release Date: July 10, 2018

Publisher: Andrews McNeel Publishing

Genre: Poetry

Rating: 4 / 5

Reviewing poetry is new to me, but I do know that r.h. Sin is an incredible poet and thoughtful writer.  He empowers women and recognizes the struggle of finding the love we so deserve.  I resonate with his poems about strength and rising up, but find less connection in his poems about heartbreak or toxic relationships, hence the 4 star rating.  I am absolutely in love with his poem "to the reader."  My heart was soared as I read it and felt like he was talking directly to me.  It made me see why he writes what he does and how he desperately wants everyone to believe in themselves.  

"to the reader." ends with the lines 

"you are not a burden

i won't judge you

i'll do my best to understand you

i hope you find what you are looking for"

Yes, r.h. Sin, I definitely found what I was looking for in your poetry. I think a lot of women (and men) will find comfort in your words.  Thank you for writing empowering poetry on important topics.

I love reading things from r.h. Sin but it seems to be so repetitious as of late. Some of the poems here just feel stagnant, was hoping for a little better quality. Still enjoyable, and talented, just needed some more.