Bright Minds Empty Souls by Jennae Cecelia | Rating: ★★★★★

"It is a blessing and a curse
to remember everything."

For those of you who have been following me for a while, you may have noticed that I have a massive appreciation for poets who bring us into their lives by simple prose. It never matters how little or much they pen; there's just a spark of life within their words and it's kind of fearless to let countless readers into your most intimate thoughts.

Jennae Cecelia has a voice that shines through in her works and Bright Minds Empty Souls is proof of that. The quality of her writing is minimal in a way that swiftly gets down to the point. Expressing yourself is what poetry is all about, and Jennae Cecelia brings her thoughts to page beautifully. Further, her work feels a lot like she is talking directly to her audience. This makes it easy to connect with.

What I loved most about Bright Minds Empty Souls is that it ties up pieces of her life throughout a period of time. Each poem was written separately and the collection was put together in the end to create the finished product. There's a significance to the collection that I can't explain unless you read it, then, chances are, you would feel it too. When you consider the fact that it took Jennae 6 years to complete this collection, it makes sense--it's crafted out of love.

Uncaged Wallflower Extended Edition by Jennae Cecelia | Rating: ★★★★★

I find myself living in thoughts
of the future more than
the realities of the present.

Jennae Cecelia does it again with her marvelous extension of Uncaged Wallflower. I said it before with her collection I Am More Than a Daydream but, she knows how to draw her readers into her mind with just a few words. It's like they drift from the pages and grab you by the collar, urging you to listen. What I loved most about this particular release, was that sense of optimism that came with it--Uncaged Wallflower is a flicker of hope for new and old readers alike.

The general feeling of loving one's self is most prominent in this collection and that's what makes it so obtainable. Readers will leave it feeling not only connected to Cecelia's words, but a little more hopeful about their future. Not a lot of poetry can come across as hopeful without being overly fluffy and shying away from harsh realities, but Uncaged Wallflower is the exception to that. She doesn't sugar coat the truth, but there is this feeling that nothing is hopeless.

Including ourselves. Including our dreams.