Today I am #reading: Here at Dawn by Beau Taplin (@beautaplin). A good book when you are in your feelings and I am in them tonight. I want to love and break and mend. I also adore these in between pieces of art.

Never had I read a poetry book as touching as this one.

The authors starts by addressing the reader telling them that when he was a young boy he would find wonder in all things around him, and that by the collection of these poems he hopes to encourage the reader to do the same - and you know what, he did just that.

I absolutely loved this book and will be picking it up as soon as it’s released. I will also be picking up his other two books.

This was a nice, quick, empowering work of poetry that I found fun while also encouraging me to find peace in myself and in finding magic in the world around me.

so i got into this expecting a regular "instagram poetry" book with flowery language and little else, but it was a pleasant surprise. the flowery language is present but with purpose. there's actual substance to these poems and passages and my personal favorites were: 'a needle and thread', 'true fulfillment', 'the gift in goodbye', 'self expectations', 'the pioneer', 'in this silvery moment', 'the magic trick', 'a shipwreck in a storm', 'a villain and a friend', 'a soft landing', and 'verses of birdsong'. these are the main ones that resonated with me. but there was the repetitive direct life advice which was unnecessary and added nothing new. it wasn't even hidden in the lines for the reader to figure out what the author is saying. i personally don't like that maybe others do. but overall, it was a decent read.

Before reading this poem collection, I was promised magic. I think I found it, though it was not what I thought it would be. I perceived the poems to be a lot about self-love and about how to see the positive in every situation, especially in the negative ones. I liked this aspect of the book. I found some poems to be quite obvious and hence, at the end of the book I cannot remember any poems specifically. But the fact that it is sometimes stating the obvious can be nice as it reminds you of the essential, especially when written so poetically. However, maybe because of that, I had a hard time focusing on the poems; my mind often wandered even though my eyes were reading, and I often stopped the book to do something else. Moreover, I couldn’t always relate with the poems which made it more difficult to feel the words. I would recommend this book to people who have experienced difficult times, especially heartbreak.

Thank You Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start by saying that this book is absolutely magical and a delight to read. Beau Taplin's writing left my heart feeling full. The collection was beautifully written, captivating, and easily relatable. It covers a range of topics such as self- acceptance, self- discovery, healing, finding the magic in the little things.

I will definitely be picking up a copy and look forward to read more from the author.

However, I feel like the poetry could have been better organized.

Review also posted to my Goodreads account.

The book is a collection of raw poetry, the kind that speaks to the soul and makes you reflect. This pond of poems provides an entire worldview of life and love.
Following the themes of love and self-realisation, along with so many undertones, it stands out as one of the refined poetry collections. But there is still that essence of vulnerability and uncertainty in this pure form, hence it is also somewhat raw and direct.
If you do decide to read this, and I highly recommend that you do, read these poems – “True Fulfilment”, “As Neatly as Novels” and “The Mighty Oak”. These three were my very favourites.
Every damn poem is worth saving. A gentle reminder of life lessons. Something you can frame and look at every day for hope and for inspiration. The author said so in his acknowledgements and I agree, this book is the kind where you mark the pages and highlight the paragraphs; the kind that advances through generations.

Very moving poems that kept my heart warm as I read the book. It was a very pleasant read. I enjoyed every poem

Very moving poems that kept my heart warm as I read the book. It was a very pleasant read. I enjoyed every poem and learned about every topic the author wrote in his book.

This poetry collection is like a balm for the heart. I loved the message of self-love and self-healing present in these poems. My only criticism would be that I would have wanted the poems to have a bit more complexity to them. Although they were well-written and easy to read, I found them to be at times a bit too simplistic. Other than that though, I enjoyed this collection.

Okay, so here’s the deal. Was this a good poetry book? Sure, I guess. Was I able to get through it? Yeah. Was there anything wrong with it, pre say? I suppose not. But. BUT. I did read like a self help book, but in poetry form. I felt like I was watching Dr Phil, who was telling me that all bad things will be brighter by the end. I don’t know. Maybe I just like more raw, darker poetry. Maybe I just don’t like happy-go-lucky poems like these.... who knows.

On the flip side, I will add that every few pages, I would really enjoy a poem. It was just so hit and miss that I never really knew how I felt.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Beau Taplins poetry is utterly captivating and reaches out to you through every poem. This book was so beautifully written and I connected with it from the very first poem. I felt the poems were so relatable and understandable and I found myself going back and re-reading someone them again and again.

These poems speak to you and tell you you are as unique to the world around you as the world around you is to you and to embrace your uniqueness.

I want to thank Netgalley, Beau Taplin, and Andrews Mcmeel Publishing for this ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

At the first few poems of this book it doesn't make me feel anything. But at the later parts, I slowly find it relatable, and I feel like it speak to my soul. It is so raw, honest, and blunt. Even so, there are so many beautiful metaphors in this and I got impressed on how the author strings those metaphors and words together to make a fascinating proses and poems. It deeply talks about sensitive topics, including break-ups, mental health, grief, and self-love. Reading some part of it makes me sad but there are also some inspiring part where you want to be a better version of yourself. And I loved that!

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Name: Here at Dawn
Poet: Beau Taplin
Genre: Poetry, Love, Life
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Review:
Here at Dawn is a marvelous collection of poetry. The poetries are mesmerizing and they have a certain kind of magic in them which pushes us to seek beauty in the most simple things.
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His words are simple yet so profoundly meaningful. He seeks to address to the magic within us. Every poem of his is beautiful in its own way. Some were relatable, while some were heartbreaking. The way he used words is unique and original.
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Over all this was a good collection of poetry. In the forward the author urges the reader to fall down the rabbit hole into the collection, but it felt more rooted in reality than wonderland for me. A couple of the poems really pulled at my heart strings, specifically those on lost love and depression. Throughout my reading experience I kept thinking to myself that this book would be great as a resource for bibliomancy (flipping to a random page and seeking oracle guidance;) each poem was vague enough that you could journal on how it relates to your own life effectively. It felt very much like scrolling through someones instagram feed, especially with the images sprinkled throughout (that didn't make much sense to me.)

I was already familiar with the author, which is why I downloaded this book. All and all it was an enjoyable and quick read, but it very much follows the "tumblr poetry" style which, at this point, has grown a bit tired for my personal taste. There were still a few texts that resonated with me, but nothing I think will be memorable enough that I'll find myself thinking of it at a later date. Still, if someone asked me whether or not they should read this book my answer would definitely be a yes! Just because it wasn't my favourite doesn't mean someone else won't enjoy it a lot more!

Beau is one of my favourite poetry writers, and this collection did not disappoint. Definitely another favourite collection and I will be buying a hard copy

Here at Dawn by Beau Taplin is an artistic and honest expression about coming to terms with loving oneself and others as well as self-discovery. Each poem has soft and empowering messages. I've found, while reading, that many were on the bland side of self-love. Not much was breakthrough for me. I did however have a few standout gems that had a combination of colorful imagery, emotion, and eroticism that inspired me, such as A Slight Morning Fog, The First Language, and Lilith. This collection also has somewhat religious undertones in case that is something you do or do not enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy.

Unfortunately, this one fell flat for me. I love Beau Taplin's previous collections and was very excited about this one but I felt not connection to Here at Dawn. While there certainly is some beautiful writing, this felt like reading stale self-help pieces in poetic form.

3.5 out of 5

I’m a bit surprised at how much I really enjoyed this! When reading poetry books, I look for two things: 1) how well did the poet convey their message through the collection and 2) how much did I connect to it as a whole. Beau Taplin succeeded at both! It had a very clear message of healing and self-discovery that is portrayed throughout the collection of poems. It felt solid and unified as a whole. I just wish it was organized a bit better to depict a stronger image of healing. Sometimes the poem placements didn’t seem like it was following any specific patter to enhance the experience. in my current stage in life, the themes explored are some that I hold very dear. So to see some of my own personal experiences and emotions put into words was a bit gratifying. This is a collection that not only I think is great on its own and anyone could enjoy, but people that have gone through a major life-changing event would really connect to and love.

I just wish it wouldn’t get quite preachy on the whole “look within you” sort of thing. It started out great and somewhere in the middle those peachy poems started to roll in and by the end most, if not all, of them just sort of muddled in my mind. I can’t really remember a single one. This is the main reason I knocked down one star, and the other .5 is due to the lack of organization from my perspective. But other than that, I think it’s a great poetry book that I can see myself recommending! This made me excited to read more of Beau Taplin’s future works!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this title.