Rayleigh Gray Setser

We Are Storm And Starlight by Sarah Delena White

“If I could give this poetry collection 100 stars, I would still complain that there weren’t enough.”

Review by Rayleigh Setser

We are storm and starlight
Specter and siren
Answer and question

Experience this haunting anthology of poems about longing and heartbreak, grieving and new beginnings.

This I hold as grace: love is not lost
There’s solace in our meeting and our parting
I let you go and love you all the more

If I could give this poetry collection 100 stars, I would still complain that there weren't enough.

This is truly the most beautiful poetry collection that I've read in a very long time, and I don't even know how I found it. I was just scrolling on my kindle, looking for something to read, and the title caught my eye. I am so, so glad that I decided to read it this evening.

The flow and organization of the poems were artfully selected to take the reader on a journey of emotion. We start with adventurous poems about finding one's self-worth and identity, then sorrow in the challenges of finding love. Then our emotions are lifted again with romance and whistful thoughts only to be bashed with heartbreak. But I think what I loved the most is the tasteful end of mixing sorrow and joy together in a hopeful and beautiful conclusion. The entire collection is just incredibly well organized and I felt the transitions from poem to poem were so smoothly twined that it just flowed so perfectly.

And the poems themselves?! My gracious. There wasn't a single one that I didn't want to highlight a line from. The mood and vibes of the poetry are like Autumn and Winter, lyrics and melodies, and Midnights by Taylor Swift. Here are a few of my favorite lines:

"do not say I am a closed book
when you only have to read me"

"choose my winter; I will take your night"

"love me like the fire beneath this flowering earth
like the first flash of lightning on a summer night"

All in all, I adored this poetry collection and I now want to go binge everything by this author that I can get my hands on.

No content warning is necessary; romance is sweet and not spicy/explicit in any way. There is no cursing and no gore. Highly recommended to all poetry lovers.

Rating: 5 out of 5.
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Content Ratings:

Action & Gore:

Rating: 0 out of 10.
0. None.

Romance & Spice:

Rating: 1 out of 10.
1. Very mild content (feel-good vibes but nothing physical).

Cursing & Vulgarity:

Rating: 0 out of 10.
0. None.

Other Trigger Warnings:

N/A

Our Reviews of Other Books by this author:

Published by Rayleigh Gray Setser

Rayleigh is a small town, Texas girl who has only a slight addiction to books *wink*. She has spent the last 8 years reviewing books of all genres and 2 years ago was awarded the Vine Voice badge on Amazon, which verifies her as a Top Amazon Reviewer–her goal is to rank in the Top 1000 Reviewers on Amazon within the next 2 years! Inside the world of literature, Rayleigh is the Associate Editor for PURSUE Magazine. She has judged writing contests for publishers, interned for Hartline Literary Agency, and has given social media marketing classes for authors. She has written 3 books over the course of her teens, and is in the process of polishing them and deciding which will be her debut release. Outside of her writing career, Rayleigh married her high school sweetheart –a U.S. Marine–in 2019. She’s a Junior in college with a major in Accounting and works as an accountant for 2 commercial construction companies in Texas.

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