What the Moon Gave Her by Christi Steyn is a debut collection that talks about rebirth and the way we reconnect with the world around us through love. This poetry collection is divided into six chapters: "birth by the ocean", “you plucked too many petals," “how to grow wings,” "dancing dolphins,” "full moon/bloom" and "two trees intertwined".
What I loved about this book is that every chapter has its own theme. For example, the first chapter entitled “Birth by the Ocean,” uses the various bodies of waters as its theme and symbolism for each poem. The writing style is absolutely beautiful and feels very fairy-tale like. But I expected that the theme would revolve more about the heavenly bodies since it is entitled, “What the Moon Gave Her.”
The illustrations included in this book uses a very unique art style and somehow very loosely reminds of Picasso’s works.
It is unfortunate though that I only resonated with about 50% of the book. I just didn’t feel that emotional impact and attachment on the other 50%. I think it has something to do with the fact that some metaphors and symbolisms were harder to deduce. I truly believe that someone with deeper knowledge with literary or someone who loves classics would appreciate this wonderful book.
I would be excited to pick up Steyn’s books in the future and see how she develops more as a writer. Maybe I would resonate more with her works by then. For now, I would have to give this book 3.5 glorious stars.

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This collection contained simple poems speaking about self-discovery, love, isolation. The pages contained illustrations, similar to Rupi Kaur’s collections, that added to the poems.

Most of the poetry in this collection felt underwhelming – the impact of the poems for me began to decline as I continued through the book. The poems within the first section, ‘Birth by the Ocean’, resonated the most with me. I honestly was disappointed as I continued reading and nearly DNF’d it. I wished it delved deeper into a more specific topic, like “the awakening” or “live in your power”.

Some of the poems felt a bit questionable within the collection, but perhaps I was not the target audience. I appreciated what the collection brought, although it felt surface-level for me, I can imagine a new poetry reader enjoying it.

The poems in Christi Steyn’s collection What the Moon Gave Her revolve around the theme of self-discovery through the natural world. Divided into six chapters (“birth by the ocean”, “you plucked too many petals”, “how to grow wings”, “dancing dolphins”, “full moon/bloom”, and “two trees intertwined”), the book explores metaphorical birth, awakening, and connection.

The poems are often personal with Steyn advocating “if you cannot write poetry / write about yourself my dear / there in the lines / a poem will appear.” This excerpt is similar in style and tone to many of the poems in the book which directly address the reader and use simple rhyme. Several poems suggest the reader connect with nature to “become a waterfall” or “let [your] wings grow”. Some poems meditate on the pains of romantic break up, isolation, and loneliness, while others unfold as lists such as “how to be invincible” or “how to become love”. An interesting series of poems sets out to explain colors to someone who can’t see, and a standout in the collection, “hands and names”, uses the moving image of the hands of the poet’s grandmother to explore love and loss.

The poems are scattered with simple pen and ink drawings that match the mood of the collection. Although I didn’t find any memorable stanzas and was sometimes underwhelmed by the simple use of rhyme scheme, there are many pieces which may resonate with female readers who have experienced friendship, doubt, love, loss, and spiritual awakening. Like the moon in the title, the collection offers readers the potential for beautiful transformation.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Thank you for this eARC!

This was whimsical, sweet, and a variety of different feels. Sometimes it takes reading a poem to put you in the exact place that it's talking about. Some of these poems hit you right in the feels and I enjoyed reading them!

"bring back ease / become a breeze / you are rushing only to rush somewhere / while you are already there" (a fine place)

What the Moon Gave Her is a poetry collection with a magical and light feel to it. From mental health to body image, topics are discussed with vivid imagery and a gentle hand.

I think my favorite poems from this collection were cocoon days, my mother is a garden, and 26. I loved the sentiment of these three and really connected with the topics and the wording Steyn used.

While I enjoyed a handful of the poems in this collection, I found myself overall unable to connect to the poet. A lot of the overall tone just doesn't make me excited to read the pieces, and the imagery tends to fall flat. I also struggled with the fact a lot of the poems had absolutely beautiful first lines, but then they tapered out into familiar imagery or overdone metaphors.

Overall, I don't think this poetry collection was for me! I will be interested to read more of Steyn's work, but I won't be rushing to pick up her next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel for providing me with a copy for an honest review.

This poetry collection was an interesting read with a lovely writing style and lush prose. The descriptions alone are masterful. I didn’t personally connect with the poems but they were truly beautiful.

I want to applaud the author for sharing their poetry with the world. It takes a lot of confidence to publish a book in general. However, I did not like the writing as well. I did not enjoy the poems. The poems didn’t flow well and they felt clunky to read.

Honestly, the more I read, the duller it became. I ultimately stopped at 43%. I thought the notion sounded incredibly intriguing at first. however, the execution lacked quality. I might pick it up once more in the future. Despite the fact that the author undoubtedly has the ability to produce wonderful pieces, I just didn't connect with these.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of ‘What the Moon Gave Her’ in exchange for an honest review.

Early access from: Net Galley

I think my favorite poem from this collection was "slim thick," which I do not think I would have appreciated as much if I did not find the author on Instagram and find the video of her reading it.

Most of the poetry I found to be baseline; I tend to enjoy the classics a bit more, and I know that I've enjoyed a poem when I feel that certain pang in my chest. I did not feel any of this when reading, which left me slightly disappointed. I feel as though the author is attempting to convey a deeper meaning through her pieces, but it is not delivering as much as I would like it to. Scratching the surface, if you will.

Furthermore, the themes and categories of the poetry collection are all over the place. The moon, the ocean, flowers, trees, etc... the list goes on. I feel like it reaches all over the place, and I would have enjoyed either one large theme or a focus specifically on the other themes, such as "awakening," "learning love," or "live in your power."

I do believe this author has the energy and skill to hone and perfect the craft with a bit more practice. I do admire the self-drawn illustrations, which I found to resemble Rupi Kaur collections. I will be looking forward to the next few collections.