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1,747 Public Reviews Given
1,900 Total Reviews Given
Review Style
I would characterise my reviews as honest and polite. I try to approach each item as a writer and a reader. I keep writingML to a minimum as it is distracting to me. I am starting to experiment with templates, having never really used one before now -- please bear with me while I try to find one that suits my review style! I always try to be constructive, positive and encouraging in my reviews.
I'm good at...
Reviewing poetry, focusing on emotion, flow and imagery. I have a particular passion for short poetry.
Favorite Genres
Dark, Emotional, Experience, Nature, Personal, Psychology
Least Favorite Genres
Erotica (unless it's tasteful and non-clichéd!), Fanfiction, Religious, Sci-fi, Supernatural, Young Adult
Favorite Item Types
I prefer, and am most confident, reviewing poetry. But I do sometimes review short stories, essays and articles etc.
I will not review...
Erotica (unless it's tasteful and non-clichéd!), Fanfiction, Young Adult fiction, novels or novel chapters (unless I know you very well!), horror items rated above 18+ (though I am happy to review other genres with higher ratings), anything featuring vampires, anything written in "text speak" or any non-static or non-book items (except in special circumstances).
Public Reviews
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501
501
Review of The Impostor  
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: E | (4.5)
I found this poem really sad. Although it is short, you get your point across really well. I’m sure a lot of people can probably relate to this too, I know I can.

I only have one suggestion, perhaps use a word other than 'glistening' in the ninth line because you have already used it in the first and it sticks out in such a short piece.

But overall I think this poem is great. This is my favourite part (I think! It was hard to decide!):

‘My shoulders, shaking?
But that was simply laughter - I was never sobbing.’

It’s absolutely heartbreaking. The whole poem is actually!

Thank you for sharing it.

-Ghostranch.
502
502
Review of COMPOSING  
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: E | (4.5)
I love this poem because I love music! Mostly I love listening to it, sometimes playing it. But I have never been able to compose it, so I’m in awe of those that can. I love the simplicity in this piece and the effect of the repeated line. The descriptions are great. I especially enjoyed this part:

‘Musical mind
Haunted by melody and harmony’

It’s beautiful.

Thank you

-Ghostranch.
503
503
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: E | (4.5)
Just beautiful! This isn’t something that I can really relate to because I don’t have children but the emotion in your words makes me believe what you say in the last stanza. Again, I love the rhyme scheme and the form; I like how the last stanza is a modified version of the first, to get your point across. It’s a lovely poem in my opinion and I really enjoyed reading it.

Thank you

-Ghostranch.
504
504
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: E | (5.0)
This is a very powerful poem in my opinion. I love the form; good job on keeping the rhyme throughout! I love this part:

‘An aging man can die with grace,
A newborn babe could take his place.’

I think it’s beautiful and perceptive-it made me think anyway!

The message in this poem is a very important one and I love the way you have conveyed it simply yet effectively.

Thank you

-Ghostranch.
505
505
Review of Haiku 0002  
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: E | (5.0)
This is beautiful. I like that you have included an element of nature, as I believe a haiku should! (I don’t always keep to the tradition myself!) It flows beautifully and I love the word choice. I like that the last line ties in with the other lines; too often I see haikus written with the last line just tagged on, often bearing little or no relation to the rest of the piece. (I’m probably guilty of that myself sometimes!) I love the message in this haiku; it is very sweet.

I'm rating five stars because I think this is perfect; It seems that you have chosen your words very carefully to make each one count. I love it!

Thank you

-Ghostranch.
506
506
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: E | (5.0)
This is so lovely, beautifully written and original. No wonder it has that nice ribbon attached to it! I’m such an animal lover and I used to horse ride when I was younger. But for me, the pleasure was never in riding, it was taking care of the horses and spending time with them. I feel privileged to have known some real characters! Therefore I can completely understand that this horse was your best friend! He sounds amazing-so spirited and dignified. I’m glad he has a chance (had a chance?) to experience a more simple and free life.

Thank you. I really enjoyed reading this piece.

-Ghostranch.
507
507
Review of Summer Day  
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: E | (4.5)
This is such a heart-breaking poem and something I can relate to as well. The emotion is very clear and beautifully expressed. I love the first/last stanza. I’m sure anyone who has lost someone will know exactly what you mean here.

The only thing I feel would improve this poem is punctuation. I found it a bit hard to read without it, especially the fourth stanza.

I think this is a very poignant poem. As your description says this is a work in progress, please let me know if you add anything to it or make any changes, as I’d love to read it.

Thanks you

-Ghostranch.
508
508
Review of Ode to My Dad  
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: E | (4.5)
Oh this poem is so sweet! I love it! It flows really well and the rhyme scheme is practically perfect. But it is the message in this piece that I enjoyed the most. This is my favourite line:

‘Not in a million years would I change our memories,’

It’s beautiful and very emotional.

Thank you, I really enjoyed your poem.

-Ghostranch.
509
509
Review of Howl to the Moon  
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: E | (4.5)
Hi silver wolf,

Your description says that this poem is pathetic and lame. So I was pleasantly surprised when I read the poem because I don’t believe it is either! It is very beautiful in my opinion. The first stanza in particular flows really well-it rolls easily off the tongue.

I only noticed a couple of errors problems:

‘but seeing to the light,’

This line might read more easily if you used the word ‘looking’ instead of ‘seeing’ or if you changed it to ‘but seeing the light’.

Also, ‘feald’ = ‘field’

But otherwise it is a lovely poem with some gorgeous descriptions. I really enjoyed reading it.

Thank you

-Ghostranch.
510
510
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: E | (4.5)
Wow! This poem is very unusual. I don’t think I have ever read anything like it before! I enjoyed the rhyme scheme in this piece. I found the first stanza a bit creepy but it is beautifully and hauntingly written. I also like the second stanza, especially the first two lines; they are very emotional.

Thank you

-Ghostranch.
511
511
Review of In My Reflection  
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: E | (4.5)
I love this poem. It is beautifully written and very emotional. The message is very clear and expressed effectively. I think the ending is my favourite part; it is powerful.

The only thing that might help to improve it in my opinion is if you used grammar; it would help guide the reader through this piece if you get what I mean!

But I really enjoyed reading your poem and it has really had an impact on me.

Thank you

-Ghostranch.
512
512
Review of Angel  
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: E | (4.5)
I really enjoyed this poem. I think it is probably something that a lot of people can relate too. I love this:

‘Angel, how dare you
Invade my dreams bearing
Bittersweet love?’

And

‘Angel, tell me why
You fuel my burning fire
Of uncertainty?’

They are gorgeous!

However, I’m not sure I can quite get my head around ‘hopeful pessimism’! Also, I don’t understand what you mean by ‘Stained truths’.

But mostly I love the language choice in this poem. You use it very effectively to express the emotion. I like how you refer to this person as ‘Angel’ even though your words to them seem quite angry. I also think this poem flows beautifully.

Thank you

-Ghostranch.
513
513
Review of Mirages of night  
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: E | (5.0)
Wow! I was totally absorbed by this poem. The language choice is incredible and creates stunning images. Each stanza is filled with beauty but I particularly love:

‘Their footprints appear etched in sand’

‘The song seems much nearer now
Flames of a bonfire seem to sway with it’

‘Slowly, over moon-kissed sands’

‘Unmindful of her grief, they appear
Myriad shades of red cast upon the sky’

Okay I’d better stop before I quote the whole poem! I’m rating it five stars because it was kind of hard to tear my eyes away from this piece and I know I’m going to want to read it again!

Thank you very much

-Ghostranch.
514
514
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
Wow this is so sad. I love the style. The repeated line is really effective. I only found a couple of problems in this poem; I had some trouble understanding this part:

‘The shows they'd partake in, wishing for a disaster,’

I’m not sure if I have just missed the point but I can’t seem to make sense of this line! I really loved this part though:

‘The painted on vibrance of an illegitimate smile,’

It’s a gorgeous line but I’m not 100% certain that ‘vibrance’ is a word. Perhaps it should be ‘vibrancy’?

But otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed your poem. It is very emotional and powerful.

Thank you

-Ghostranch.
515
515
Review of Sometimes  
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: E | (4.5)
I think this is beautifully written. It is something I can really relate to and I found it heartbreaking.

In the fifth line, should there be a comma or a full stop after the last word? It seems to me that it would read more clearly if there were.

I love the language choice in the second stanza. It’s intense and quite haunting in a way. The last two stanzas are filled with so much emotion. I think this poem is very powerful and it has really moved me.

Thank you for sharing it.

-Ghostranch.
516
516
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: E | (4.0)
I love haiku! This one is very nice. My only problem with it really is the last line, it seems disconnected from the other two lines somehow. I often see this in haiku and I’m pretty sure I do it myself! It would be nice if the last line could be tied in with the wolf in some way, like the other lines. At the moment it just seems like it has been tagged on. I hope you understand what I mean! But I especially love the first line; it is very striking and really grabbed my attention.

Thank you

-Ghostranch.
517
517
Review of Beach Song  
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: E | N/A (Review only item.)
This poem has such a great rhythm. It just rolls off the tongue and that makes it fun to read out loud. The rhyme scheme is excellent and helps the flow. I loved the format too. The imagery is creative and incredibly vivid; I felt like I was there!

Thank you

-Ghostranch.
518
518
Review of Autumn Twilight  
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: E | (5.0)
I love this poem! I found it completely absorbing. The imagery is exceptional-I could feel the crisp breeze and hear the rustling leaves! The language is so subtle yet it still creates powerful images and feelings. I love the effect of the repeated line and other lines that really stands out to me are:

‘Dark silhouettes jut in the sky’

and:

‘Heaven sprouts its blazing garden.’

I am rating this poem five stars because it has really had an impact on me and I know I’m going to want to read it again and again!

Thank you

-Ghostranch.
519
519
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: E | (4.0)
Nicely done. The rhyme scheme is fantastic-good job on rhyming 'jungle' with 'antifungal'! It has a good rhythm, which makes it fun to read. The poem is simple yet very effective and it made me smile; I think it is very sweet! My favourite part is the creative rhyme.

Thank you

-Ghostranch.
520
520
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: E | (4.0)
Wow, another piece with a pretty impressive rhyme scheme! I like the flow of this poem. It has a calming effect, which is very fitting considering the title!

I have one small suggestion. In the second stanza you wrote:

‘These things are all fake
There is nothing real’

However, these lines are basically saying the same thing-in my opinion, one of them isn’t needed so could be modified.

But it is a very minor problem in a pretty creative piece. I like how the poem changes. The strong beat becomes lighter in some places and that helps the reader to experience the peacefulness. I really love these gentle ‘breaks’ in the poem; they are very effective.

Thank you

-Ghostranch.
521
521
Review of Flakes of Snow  
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: E | (3.5)
This piece has an excellent rhyme scheme; I absolutely love it!

However, I think there is an error in the final stanza, did you mean to repeat the word ‘as’? The last stanza is the weakest in the poem in my opinion. It isn’t as subtle as the rest of the piece and the descriptions could be a little more imaginative. But of course you may not agree!

Mostly I enjoyed your poem. It is a lovely comparison-I like how you describe each snowflake as unique and beautiful just after stating that we are all flakes of snow. I think the third stanza is my favourite; it flows beautifully.

Thank you

-Ghostranch.
522
522
Review of The Lost One  
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
I think this poem is very emotional and quite enigmatic too. I love the second stanza. The language choice is absolutely gorgeous.

I only have one suggestion, the ‘And’ words in the last stanza don’t really seem necessary to me and could be cut to make this verse neater. I’m really trying hard not to use such words in my own writing so I keep seeing them everywhere at the moment!

But overall, I think your poem is beautifully written.

Thank you

-Ghostranch.
523
523
Review of Into the Black  
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: 13+ | (3.5)
I love the language choice in this poem and the mood is very dark and intense. But I have to admit, it has left me a bit confused. The stanzas seem a little bit disjointed to me-I couldn’t always see how they were related to each other (but that is probably just me completely missing the point!)

I struggled with the rhythm but I enjoyed the rhyme, it seems effortless. I particularly like the first and third stanzas. They are filled with beautiful descriptions. The first line is very striking and really grabbed my attention.

Thank you

-Ghostrach.
524
524
Review of Her Soldier Man  
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: E | (4.0)
I found this poem quite emotional with some beautiful descriptions and some fairly confusing ones too. For instance, I absolutely love the words in the first two stanzas but I can't quite get my head around what you are trying to say in the last two lines of the second stanza.

In my opinion this poem flows really well and the rhyme scheme is excellent. But I have to ask, what is the reason for the excessive exclamation points at the end of the piece? I found this very strange! But overall I enjoyed your poem.

Thank you

-Ghostranch.
525
525
Review of The Butterfly  
Review by Ghostranch
Rated: E | (4.5)
This is really descriptive and the imagery is great. I almost feel like I'm standing there too, watching that beautiful butterfly. I love the comparisons of the boy to the butterfly and how you liken growing up/being raised to the pruning of a rose-it's such a lovely way of putting it!

Thank you

-Ghostranch.
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