Sarah Newark

The visceral emotion in this book of poetry is amazing, but only some of the times. One thing I'll admit is that it fits the synopsis, as it is a teen author analyzing emotions of abandonment, fear, pressure, conformity, pleasure, joy, pain, and death- and with that description, it makes sense that some of these topics are less analyzed than others. Some of these topics are treated with sensitivity, not having the same emotional qualities as the better ones, as a teenager contemplating these things would be, as being completely open- as commendable as it is in the way L Wang has done it, isn't as regularly open as some of the poems would have you believe. The reason for me giving it a 3, though, might still not be clear, as irregularity should simply be grounds for a 4, however in not having the coveted language that the student author himself had created, Dragonese, I am disappointed. I might be biased in this regard, but this language is one of the most advanced things I have seen from this author, and do not include it seems almost like a mistake on his part- as it would add to the abstract intimacy the book seems to desire. The only way I will give this anything above a 3, is if Justin L. Wang releases this book in dragonese. Until then, I will remain disappointed, and my days will continue to be ruined. I hope the best for you, Ratardo McBaggd