Really enjoyed this one! I should have read it so much sooner! But I don’t regret it. This maybe a new obsession! I love the characters, plot, etc.

Billy Chapata gets it. He gets... life. And through this volume of his poetry, we see how the world could be if we dare to make subtle changes for the better. His words are so simple, yet told in such wise ways. It really hits home with me!

If you need encouragement in a dark world... If you need some self-love to help you see brighter days... explore the world of Chapata's poetry!

It's a lovely collection of poetry that reaches your soul. Will be adding it to my collection. Nothing like poems like resonate deep inside you, right?

As with Billy Chapata’s previous work, I have mixed feelings about this poetry collection. Overall I do think he has a beautiful way of writing, and some of the poems were really impactful, but as a whole it didn’t take long for it to start feeling repetitive. The poems are all about loving yourself and have very important themes, but it starts to feel cliché and trite after a while.

I’d definitely recommend this in small doses, because the poems are beautiful if you take them individually.

I also did really enjoy the audiobook; his voice has a great quality to it and I always think poetry is better when it’s read by the poet.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Genuinely loved all of these poems. This is poetry I can read and re-read. It’s so good and relatable and it just can’t get enough.

I love that they are short poems and that it gets to the point. I loved hearing the author read the poems, I like that we can hear them how he wrote them.

I loved this audiobook, the poems were very pertinent and the narration made it feel so personal being read to me.

Velvet Dragonflies by Billy Chapata is his third book and once again revolves around the same themes as his first two poetry collections. I listened to the audiobook and he does a great job reading his own poems. I found I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first two since they’re all so similar. I’m still curious to read Accents of Growth.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing for my ALC!

I feel like I am the billy chapata fan club. I can't get enough. I will never get off of billy poetry train. if you have never read him yet you MUST!

This was a beautiful book of poetry. It gave me self help vibes. I loved that the author was the narrator. There were so many relatable topics that the author covered. Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Audio for the audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

<i>Velvet Dragonflies</i> is a poetry collection centered on self-love. Billy Chapata, the author, does a fantastic job narrating his book. I would love to listen to him narrate any book! The poetry was full of affirmations, and I think younger millennials and Gen Z will most resonate with the language.I would especially recommend this book for young people who need reminders of their worth.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

While I did enjoy this book, I did not love it.

It reads a bit like self-help and to be honest, I’m pretty sure I read half of it in various motivational Instagram posts ever since Instagram started and before that on tumblr as well, so it felt like scrolling through my feed did a few years back. The poems themselves were alright and often expanded on the motivational/self-help posts though, so that was a plus.
While much of the advice is solid, it is given in an absolute way as if it applies to everyone and everyone absolutely needs to take it to heart or be labeled ignorant/unwise/naïve/misguided/… It felt very judgmental while trying to act non-judgmental.
If you do want to read self-help poetry this might be a good place to start though.

I listened to this as an audio book, which was nice, the author reads the book himself, his voice fits it very well, though it did not sound like poetry half of the time. The background music was a nice touch, but sometimes a bit too upbeat for the themes of the book.

All in all not a bad read, it just was not my cup of tea.

Wow! For a shorter audiobook these poems really packed a punch! Hearing the author read this, rather than a different narrator, was so cool because it's truly how they should have been read. A lot of these stuck with me, and I feel like anyone would feel uplifted reading/listening to these. I'll definitely be getting a physical copy of the book so I can sink them into my brain more. There were several times one of the poems would stand out to me and I would rewind and listen to it several times to really let it sink in. Very powerful, indeed!

The audiobook has background music, which was cool at first (not used to hearing music in an audiobook) but I found it distracting the longer the audiobook went on. Overall, I really recommend this to anyone who's looking for a boost in self love!

Excellent listen. I enjoyed listening to the affirmations. They were hard hitting and will be getting more books by this author.

4 stars

"Silly me,
I was the right person for me all along."

5 Shining stars for this beautiful book! I LOVED it so much I wish I could copy every single sentence if it!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Powerful, insightful, and moving. Billy Chapata speaks to my soul through his art. Filled with messages of self-empowerment and self-actualization. Accompanied with upbeat rhythms and melodies that serve as a melodic metronome that harmonizes with the poet's messages of self-affirmation. I found listening to this album on my morning and evening walks therapeutic and enlightening as so many quotes resonated with my core and the subtle symbolism is the delicate brushstroke this poet practices. Thank you to the poet for sharing his messages and spreading love and positive energy. I look forward to hearing more of your art.

While I always feel that poetry is subjective, I definitely feel that Chapata's work would appeal to many I know. I was moved, and listening to it as he narrated his own audiobook was almost hypnotic.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Audio for accepting my request to audibly read and review Velvet Dragonflies.

Author: Billy Chapata
Published: 11/08/22
Narrator: Billy Chapata
Genre: Poetry

The narrator (the author) starts this book explaining there is no order. This collection holds his thoughts and he is always growing.

I found his voice to have the same confidence as in his previous works.

The audiobook has instrumental music in the background. I found it distracting.

The presentation does not work for me. The music is too much and the short points read in dictionary format is unsettling.

I would consider gifting this. The poems are self-evaluating and gifted to the wrong person the beauty could be misconstrued. I had the audiobook. I would gift the physical book.

I'm giving 3 stars, for the music and formatting.

What a beautiful collection of poetry. This was full of inspiring and uplifting words that really resonated within me. Billy has a great craft! I enjoyed the audio because it allowed me to understand how Billy intended for these poems to be read and felt.

DNF

Unfortunately, I’m not the right audience for this volume of poetry; it’s not my style of writing right now, but there are definitely other readers out there who will appreciate it much more.

I loved about 95% of these poems. The other 5% I enjoyed, but they felt a little too cliché in the Twitter self-help thread way. That's not an insult btw. I'm a sucker for that stuff. But some things felt nearly word for word what I've seen out in the world. For the positive - this could be great for people who need reminders to love themselves unconditionally. That their struggles are temporary and they're not alone. There's some great words to live by in here, This isn't self-help poetry in a shaming or unrealistic way. I think anyone could benefit from the realistically positive nature Billy possesses.