This collection of poems perfectly encapsulated the whimsical , fairytale aroma that I love in poetry!
I adored how the book touched upon so many important topics. A few of them being mental health, love, and heart break whilst maintaining the same feeling throughout each poem.
"Change Is Coming" and " "To My Best Friend" are definitely my favourite poems from the whole collection. They hit so close to home and are written so beautifully.
from the front cover to the insides of the pages the art was absolutely adorable. So to say the least I definitely really appreciated those doodles being placed throughout the book!
Overall I think this is a wonderful read for any lovers of poetry and you should defiantly pick it up on July 7th when It releases

a nice quick book with powerful messages that makes it a worth reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this before publication date.

3/5 An okay poetry collection.

The biggest problem I had with this poetry collection is the size of the writing. I read this on the Netgalley app and the font was so small even on my big iPad. Other than that issue I enjoyed this poetry and didn't mind the rhyming like some of the other reviewers. I thought some of this was a bit forced and underdeveloped as I usually prefer very raw and short poetry but it was still a good read and I recommend it if you like poetry

Disclaimer: I read this ARC on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

I really enjoyed ‘Encapsulated Emotions’. The rhyme schemes scattered throughout were quite satisfying, and it’s clear that the author has a way with words. She touches on subjects such as social justice, racism, feminism, and mental health in a way that is not only powerful, but in a way that leaves a lasting impression on the reader. I can hardly wait to see what Rha Arayal comes up with in the future!

Thank you once again to NetGalley and to GenZ Publishing for the eARC!

i got about halfway through this collection before i got bored and skimmed the rest very briefly. while i enjoy rhyming poetry, i don't think this one had quite the right idea and the word choices aren't always the right ones. it's not bad, but i just didn't feel like finishing it.

Rha Arayal was able to capture what many writers strive for in their writing. Taking the essence of growing up and figuring out the strange things in life, giving recognition to what we’re taught vs what we think we know - the book is written in gorgeous flow. Each piece was able to bring light to a moment of recital in my own life, allowing me to relive moments of growth without making them painful. I encourage everyone to take the time to sit down and pursue the words of this book. It may not be for everyone, but it is damn good for young, eager minds to find a little space of being less alone within these pages.

I was provided with an eARC of Encapsulated Emotions in exchange for an honest review.

While there were a few standout lines I loved here and I liked some of the themes touched upon, something about Encapsulated Emotions consistently felt a bit forced and underdeveloped. I have nothing against rhyming poetry (it's basically the only kind of poetry I write too so It'd be pretty hypocritical of me to randomly start hating on it) but rhymes should enhance a piece, not stand in its way and a lot of the rhymes here felt like rhyming for rhyming sake, even if it meant sacrificing clarity, lyricism, or meter.

"but how many more posts
until we fade, like ghosts?
when ten likes takes half a day,
we laugh and say, 'it's okay.'"

☆☆☆

A charming and timely collection in the vein of Rupi Kaur.

Many of the poems were charming and made me smile. My favorites were her lighter ones, such as "glitter--" or "superficial distractions."

MORE MESSY & RAW
It almost felt like she was holding back with the harder-hitting ones. They didn't feel raw and messy--as emotions tend to be--but a step distant from her thoughts & her pain. I'd love to see her go one step more off the cliff of her emotions.

TIMELY
I enjoyed how relevant and timely this collection was, with many poems in response to events that rocked our nation. I loved being invited inside, so honestly, someone else's experience of this past year.

STYLE
I adored her illustrations--absolutely beautiful and powerful.

The rhythm was more choppy than I like. At times, the punctuation didn't seem to work for me, and I did not enjoy the rhyming. The rhymes created an almost forced quality that perhaps aided to the sense of distance I felt.

OVERALL
I enjoyed this collection. I would have preferred it to be a bit more messy and raw.

Recommended for those who'd love a collection similar to HOMEBODY, that reflects on 2020, with rhymes.

•

I will post a review + photo to my Instagram closer to the publication date.

2.4/5💫: While I do love a poetry moment, this collection just wasn’t my vibe. I'm not saying that the collection was bad, as the imagery was vivid and I like the sound work, but these poems weren’t as impactful as I would like to be. The issues that they were tackling were strong, but the poems themselves didn’t quite hit the mark. The collection was, unfortunately, kind of forgetful, so I don’t think I’d find myself ever going back to it in the future. I found it striving for more than it got. That being said, there were some poems I really enjoyed. My personal favorites were “Wasted Pages”, “Seasonal Sadness”, “humans/devil” and “insomniac for you”, to name a few.

Listen, I love a good rhyming poem but I felt like some of the poems on here, the word was only chosen because it rhymed rather than it being the best word to fit the actual poem. Some of the poems were a little too on the nose for my taste but I did like how they were easy to read and understand. All of the illustrations were a nice touch, I did enjoy them.

I try not to critique poetry too harshly, because while I do write my own poetry, I am by no means an expert in the field so I can only express my opinion. I just felt that some of the poem were a bit vague (maybe I just didn’t get it) and just added because they sound nice (example “colors of freedom”). I wanted more, in terms of the poems we got, as some of the poems were a bit short. And I love a good short poem, but some of them could have benefited from more clarity and words.

----My ARC copy of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair, unbiased review.----

Thank you to NetGalley and GenZ Publishing for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This poetry collection was not for me. Some of the rhyming felt childish for the topics covered, and some lines just didn't sit right with me. I appreciated some of the topics the author talked about, but these poems did not resonate with me.

Español

Uno de los mejores poemarios que he leído, su forma de ser narrado es simplemente espectacular, es mágica, me sentí muy feliz leyendo este libro, un poemario que abarca muchos temas y te hace reflexionar sobre ellos.

English

One of the best collections of poems that I have read, its way of being narrated is simply spectacular, it is magical, I felt very happy reading this book, a collection of poems that covers many topics and makes you reflect on them.

I found this collection to be somewhat shallow and simplistic, but it was better than most of the minimalistic poetry I've read in the past.
I get the impression that the author is creative, but her adherence to a rhyme scheme detracts from her work. Many of the rhymes feel forced; by incorporating them, the writer misses out on making more unique, vivid word choices. Another turn-off is that some of the pieces end very abruptly. When I read poetry, I pay close attention to each conclusion; after all, an ending is an important part of the poetic structure. "Encapsulated Emotions" does touch upon some significant topics (such as misogyny, racism, and environmentalism), though I would have liked to see the writer delve a little deeper into these issues.
The free-verse poems are much better, as the writer has more room to be expressive without restricting herself with rhyming stanzas. 'goodbye, grandmother' was one of the stronger pieces in the volume, as was 'ink blood'. These poems allowed me to catch a glimpse of Arayal's talent.
I would recommend this collection to young readers, perhaps 13-14-year-olds who are just getting into poetry, as it contains important messages and uses casual language. Fans of insta-poetry may also enjoy this, but more seasoned poetry readers might not gain much from it.

Thanks to #Netgalley for making this book available to me.

This is a poetry collection that just like its title 'encapsulated emotions' of the writer and sometimes reflected mine. There are a lot of poems that explore feminism, love, acceptance, understanding, and even the decay of emotions.

One of my favourite poems is 'seasonal sadness' where Rha says "although happiness is romanticised, truth be told it is unattainable like a sun of gold", I tell you that one hit me in the sternum. I tell you the speed we all race in search of happiness blinds us to actually finding happiness in the little things outside of our goals. At the end of the day, 'Happiness' is just one emotion in a vast array.

Others I really enjoyed were 'Fairy tales' and 'the strawberry field that we call women'
I hope you check this collection out.

this was such a beautiful poetry collection! it wasn't my all time favorite, but i still enjoyed it a lot. i really loved the way the author rhymed those words so stunningly and in such a beautiful way. this collection is really about everything: humanity, love, feminism, contemplation & so much more. i do recommend reading this if you want a short, beautiful, lyrical piece of literature to spend your lazy evening with!

(I was blessed enough to receive an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review)

This book started off and ended strong. I already felt so deeply connected with that first poem. Arayal uses simple yet hard hitting imagery (full of emotion) to get their point across.

The visual illustrations worked nicely with the poems and helped signify the points that the author was trying to make. The poems reminded me kind of like Mitski. They gave of very musical tones.

While I usually love poem books that rhyme, I feel like the rhymes here weren’t necessary. Not that they were bad, per say. Some of them worked really well. I felt 50/50 on it. Some poems soared with the addition of a rhyme scheme, while others did not. But poetry itself is very subjective.

I feel like the voice portrayed in this collection is rightfully bitter. The problems the author sees on social media (or that they have faces themselves) hurt them, and in turn they write about these problems to release the feelings. The title of the book fits very well with the contents.

My favorite poems were “the earth is just a teenage girl” “I confide in search engines” and “the girl/the ghost.” I will also be posting a condensed review on Herd and Instagram, and on Amazon the full review will go up when Amazon allows it.

I’ll definitely be reading more by this author if anything else by them comes out!

Well, how should I start? I think that first of all, I have to say thank you, to the author Rha Arayal for letting me read the book in exchange for an honest review and to the web NetGalley.
I must say, before I start, that I am a true lover of poetry. I'm a huge consumer of poetry books, and this book that talks about pain, hurt, mental health, heartbreak, depression, traumas, and love, among other topics which whom I'll talk about later in this review, caught my attention immediately.

I was so excited to read it. I read it today, I couldn't wait any longer!

The author writes so beautifully, though in my opinion I'd wished some poems would have been deeper. I also really enjoyed the details! I love when a poetry book comes with illustrations inside, and in this one we can find a lot of them so exquisitely designed. I found them so sweet and pleasing, indeed.

The poems are fresh, and full of emotion and feelings, thoughts, everywhere.

If I had to define the book in one phrase, I would quote from the book itself: "𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑎𝑚 𝑖?"

Encapsulated Emotions is about who you really are, and how some things, some moments, some people, affected your life. How a survivor you are. It’s a journey to find your true self, to love yourself as much as you deserve.

It is about sadness too, and loss, anxiety and our inner struggles. But, as I've said before, and as I've read it, it is about getting self-love, self-acceptance. It is about our inner development. It is about struggling to reach our own validation, to learn how to value ourselves.

It talks about relationships, such as lovers, friends, or family, too. The importance of the family, the happiness lovers give, and the heart warm of having your friends by your side.

Finally, it shows the great impact that has social media on us, and how some things can affect our journey to self-love. This author takes the courage to write about the comparisons that are always being made, about some little things that can cause us anxiety or can make us feel the most embarrassing insecurities to us.

This is a book that I highly recommend if you love poetry. I’m pretty sure you’ll love it. It is a book that gives us a glimpse of the journey we still have to do if we want to win our demons, if we want to be happy, if we want to love ourselves as much as we would love any other person close to us, if we want to heal.

Encapsulated Emotions comes out on 7th of July 2021, so stay tuned!

I leave with one of my favorite poems:

❝𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔

𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒔

𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆,

𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆❞


#EncapsulatedEmotions #NetGalley

2.5 stars

Short poems, a mix of free verse & rhyming stanzas, that touch on feminism, the environment, love & loss, mental health, & more. Overall the poems are a bit simplistic & clichéd, but there are touches of meaningful imagery & bold language.

[What I liked:]

•I especially liked these poems: ”The Strawberry Fields We Call Women”, “My Body, a Tapestry”, “Goodbye, Grandmother”, & “The Shades of Space”

•There are illustrations, ink drawings, that for the most part enhance the written content. The book doesn’t need them, but they are nice.

•The themes of the poems are important & deserving of poetic meditations. Sometimes the writing felt a bit shallow, but I appreciate the subjects the poet tackled.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•Some of the rhymes feel forced, either stilting the meter, using shallow language. I think more imaginative & vivid word choices could have been made if not for the seeking of rhyming lines.

CW: racism, sexism, mental health issues

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]