This is such a beautiful collection of poems, they left me in such awe with the inspiring and eye-opening messages within the collection.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the arc.

Very similar to the many other offerings in the genre. There will be readers who connect with it, though it does not necessarily stand out from the many many others.

Writing:
She honestly has such a way with words, I am a big fan of her metaphors. It isn't too complicated, but a little difficult to understand if you're not used to reading poetry or used to understanding it but overall very beautiful writing, even the simple lines are amazing.

Format:
I am fond of the simplicit format, for some of the poems they are in different formats and I feel like the formats fit so well with the poem. Such as a simple poem that is in italics and spaced out or in the center italicized, it just adds something to the poem that I honestly don't know how to describe but I do know that I absolutely love it.

Liked:
While I didn't resonate with all of the poems, the ones I did connect with were very hard hitting and beautiful. I love poems that use metaphors in such a majestic way and there were lines where I was like "wow wow wow", and they were honestly very inspiring for me that I would like to put those lines on my wall. It was a very beautiful read and it makes me want to write my own poems.

Dislike:
I didn't dislike a single thing, even when I didn't resonate with most poems or when some confused me but I am not very good at understanding poems anyways, so honestly this was a good read because it has such gems that would stick with you and that overpowers any negatives, in my opinion.

Favorite Lines:
These are some of my favorite lines of poetry from her book!

"...the Divine spends her evenings painting entire mountainsides and vast fields of flowers, so, daily you wake to a riot of color…"

"Release the small prisons of anger and shame you've constructed in the very cells of your being. You were not made to cling to such moments of despair…"

"Darling, you don't need permission to shine. That would be like telling the sun, wait until tomorrow"

"Tender green seeds took root in my heart, Beloved. Within days I erupted in rowdy blooms. Now when people look at me all they see are wildflowers."

Overall Thoughts:
I am thankful that I decided to give this a read, in truth I only picked this up because it was a poetry book, but it had such amazing, inspiring lines in it that I was glad I read it just to find those gems. I really love the metaphors because it amazed me and made me fall in love with the writing.

Recommendation:
I believe this should be read by poetry lovers and of course, believers of the lord which I think would greatly help with connecting with the poems since I am not heavily religious but even if you're like me, you should still give this a read because there are such good lines that are quite inspiring and beautiful even if you don't end up liking everything about this poetry book.

Infinite Sea of Stars
Poetry to open the heart & wake the inner Divine
By Shannon Crossman
Naked Armadillo Press

I did a lot of research in reading this and before I wrote my review so I had a good grasp on the ideas, because some of the language was new to me. The term “the Beloved” was used a lot, and I found out that it is used in mysticism to mean either a person who is like a soul-mate or becoming one with God.

While this collection is heavy on the spirituality, there is something truly universal to it’s delivery. The imagery, the storytelling, is so artful. Themes like the human experience (and the limitations of that) and finding oneself with acceptance and compassion were described in ways both sensual and simple, deep and absolute.

In deed, I agree with the author that “everything is love.”

Thanks to NetGalley, Shannon Crossman and Naked Armadillo Press for the opportunity to read and review this work.

Thank you #netgalley for an ARC for #InfiniteSeaofStars

Poetry is such a personal endeavour. Like music - the rhythm, style, and word choice is so varied and unique, appealing to different audiences.

What I loved about this collection was it felt like a personal spiritual journey - someone going through an awakening and re-awakening, being filled with wonder and joy and freedom. What truly made me stop and feel were poems centered around self love and freedom.

There were sections of poems that made me feel deeply. Such as:

From Let Her In “Learn to see God when you look in the mirror”
From Curves & Edges “Love all who you have been…You wouldn’t exist if you hadn’t lived the curves and edges of your history”
From Lean In “May all that has been reduced to shadows within you find light again…Nothing you believe to be unlovable truly is”

There were other poems that I didn’t connect with but I could feel the passion and love and authentic voice of the poet throughout.

It’s brave to write poetry and these words are beautiful, although this collection may not be for everyone.

2.5/5 Stars

This was a poetry collection that just didn't resonate with me but I did think the writing was done quite nicely. I did not expect the book to be spiritual and I tend to not like books in general that focus too heavily on religion and/or spirituality unless I specifically picked it up for that.

*Disclaimer: I received a digital arc copy of this read from Netgalley but my review is still my honest thoughts.

I did not really connect with this collection as I felt that it was more of a spiritual collection of poetry however I felt that it was not something for me. I thought it would be a bit different however I felt that it was a bit repetitive.

I don’t think I’ve come across a collection of poems that left me in awe such as Infinite Sea of Stars. Crossman beautifully weaves nature into each piece in a way that resonates and touches you deeply. I believe poetry lovers who appreciate nature, along with those who are in touch with their spiritual side would very much enjoy this book. Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Poetry is always a mixed bag. Some I really liked, some not as much. Overall, I liked the direction and message within this book. And I also really appreciated the little entries for the reader from the Universe itself. A bit of a breath of fresh air from the usual broken-hearted poetry you so often see.

There is something about this collection of poems. It gives a complete impression of what is in this book. As always, a collection of poems always gets that total feeling and something else. In this book the poems are like a letter or a spoken expression. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in order for a review.

I really enjoyed this book of poetry. I liked the context of the "Beloved" that trailed throughout the book and many of the poems. Shannon Crossman has a soft voice in her writing that I think works really well in this instance, and I would definitely be interested in reading more from her.

Good collection. Poetry is so hard to review because it is so immensely personal and what speaks to one may not to another. To me, this felt like the hug I’ve been needing lately - a reminder that we are all magic.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the arc.

Poetry is so deeply personal that I find other peoples opinions don't say a lot. That said I might not understand this but there was no connection for me. All the talk about the divine this and beloved that just didn't work for me. I bookmarked 3 poems that I liked and that's it. Sadly that's not near enough for me to say I enjoyed this or to give it a high star rating.

I would like to thank BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for granting me this ARC in exchange for writing an honest review!

2.5 ⭐️

"everything is love"

This book is like love letters for yourself. Words scripted onto paper that help you feel divine and loved. This book talks about love, sacrifice, and peace. I felt like I was being embraced into a hug while someone whispered "it will be okay". My personal favorites are 'painting flowers', 'wonder', 'salt', 'instructions for opening', 'release', and 'of tempests in teapots'. I love the ocean and most of the poems include it, and that is how this poetry book won my heart. The words were formed in such a way that helped me soothe my conscious and feel better.
As much as I loved this, most of the poems were somehow religious? as it keeps talking about "her" or the "divine" or "Beloved" - I might be wrong but I did feel dazed when it was mentioned.

I am getting a physical copy as I would love to go back to it whenever needed.

Some lessons that I grasped:
- The poem 'receive' is what I have always done and I totally recommend doing as it commands.
Being aware and attentive to the little things that the creator has made.
- Made me aware of so much that I thought was normal such as being imprisoned in my own life
- The light at the end of the tunnel actually exists.
- Try to be in the present as all we do is wander off to the past and future rather than enjoying the now.
- To let go and whatever is meant to happen will happen

A beautiful collection of inspiring and eye-opening poetry. I didn’t love all of them, but the ones I enjoyed really encouraged me to look inside myself and discover who I really am.

I’m excited to read more from the author in the future.