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Printed from https://shop.writing.com/main/profile/reviews/spookyboo
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8 Public Reviews Given
8 Total Reviews Given
Review Style
I love quality pieces that are stimulating and inspiring to readers. Pieces that stimulate me emotionally and intellectually. All my reviews are simply my honest opinion about your piece as a reader and tend to focus on non-technical things over giving an expert review about the boring (but important) technical stuff of writing. I usually look for good word flow, a natural voice of the speaker, and how a piece left me feeling after.
Favorite Genres
My favorite genres are high fantasy, romance, paranormal, supernatural, occult, mythology, history, gothic, and anything dark and involving death.
Least Favorite Genres
Sci-fi, Religion, scientific.
Favorite Item Types
Poetry and short stories.
Least Favorite Item Types
Articles, prose, essays.
I will not review...
I will not be reviewing long pieces, like books or novels, though I will make exceptions if I really like the sample. I will not be reviewing anything that is religious, simply because I don't think I could give an unbiased review of that.
Public Reviews
1
1
Rated: 13+ | (5.0)
You have probably heard the story of Adam and Eve, you have heard the Gospel and life of Jesus Christ, you have heard God's side of the story, but what about the Devil's? Doesn't he deserve a fair chance to tell his side of the story and how he wants it told?
In this short piece we get a glimpse into the being whose name strikes fear in some and horrifying images in others of a horned being with hooves and bat-like wings. But we soon learn that the Devil isn't actually a horned and hooved monster we can run away from. You can board up all your windows, lock your doors, and hide yourself in a box, but the Devil will always reach you because the beast is within every single one of us!
In this piece, the Devil tells us his story in a voice of confidence with moments of aggression. He is villainous, scornful, and forthright. But there is also a calmness to his character that is quite chilling since we know who he is and what he's capable of doing. Although the devil in this story is likely a male, there is something effeminate about him and the way he speaks. Maybe that's just me, but I totally love him like this.
This is supposed to be the Devil's backstory, however, it reads nothing like a backstory, (at least how I have always though a backstory should be told). Although it doesn't read like one and we don't get a glimpse into the Devil's past to understand his desires and fears, we do get a glimpse into who he is. He is the monster inside us that is always tempting men to do evil or commit a crime. But according to the Devil in this story, it is through doing things we are not supposed to be doing that lead to great accomplishments and discoveries. This is something I absolutely agree with. I have always been a bad girl who is always getting herself into trouble, but I've learned so much from those experiences. If I had always been a good and pious girl then I wouldn't be the Satanist I am today!


Demon of Tricks and Treats
2
2
Rated: E | (1.5)
As a Satanist, I don't normally review things of God, because I know I can't give an unbiased review. I also avoid wasting my time reading thing that portray the Devil as villainous and vicious, because I see him as anything but those things; and I'm not looking to argue with anyone, especially with people who spit in the eyes of others, lol. Yet here we are, I, a Satanist, reviewing a poem about a man who refuses all the things that the Devil offers him.

Now, first, what is this poem really about and what is the author's purpose for writing it? Is this poem to show the a righteous religious man who refuses the temptations offered by the Devil? Did the author want to create the ideal, model religious man that other's should imitate? To not me tempted by the Devil and to send him back to the fiery pit of hell? That's how I read the poem and a majority of readers likely have the same or similar interpretation of this poem.

Many readers, most of whom are probably religious, will likely think this poem is about a man of God who is showing great strength by refusing the temptations presented by the Devil; refusing political power, beautiful women, and possibly otherworldly knowledge, all to please his God and go to heaven. But the speaker in the poem doesn't mention God nor heaven once throughout the poem, which I found kind of odd, given that most like to mention God in their poems and literary work.

So, in a way, this poem can open to interpretation given that the speaker of this poem doesn't openly say he is religious nor make any references to God or heaven. For example, as a Satanist, I can interpret this as a poem about a foolish, ordinary man who happened to come across the Devil. A man who is content with his simplistic life and who is too slothful and lazy to rule a kingdom and doesn't want any enlightenment. However, this is unlikely the case, the speaker in this poem is likely a man of God who is meant to be showing strength in the face of temptation.

If this poem is, in fact, meant to portray the model religious figure that others in the religion should imitate, then I see some issues, lol. First, I don't see anything righteous nor good about a man who spits in the eyes of the Devil. I know that speaker likely views the Devil as the most evil being in existence, but I don't think that's the kind of behavior anyone expects to see in a good and righteous man. I mean, I wouldn't spit in the eyes of God, who I greatly detest.

Aside from those things, I thought the poem had good rhythm and flow, with good rhyme. But I do have one issue, I feel like the poem is just a little too short and simple. I don't have anything wrong with short and simple poems, I write plenty of them, but with poems like this one, I feel like it could be longer. Longer not just to make it longer, but longer for a reason. For example, I think the poem could have been more powerful in it's message if the speaker had given some reasons to why he refuses the temptations. We see a reason only given when the Devil offers the speaker many women, an offer to which the speaker refuses saying that he's married, which many people will see as a good thing. It shows that he's faithful to his wife and does not cheat. It shows strength in his character. But when it comes to power and knowledge, the speaker doesn't give any good reason for refusing them but just simply refuses them. Maybe it's just me, but if you're going to give out a certain message, I feel like you should go in depth and explain things. Even if this poem is not so much to educate as to tell the story of a "brave" religious dude against temptations, I feel like it could have been way more epic and glorified.

I hope you liked my review, if you didn't well...I don't care lol, I'm a Satanist after all so my review shouldn't matter that much. Although I didn't like the content of the poem, I had fun reviewing it.

Spookyboo
3
3
Review of Beauty  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (5.0)
It has been a long time since a poem has moved and stimulated me emotionally and intellectually as this poem has. I think this poem is perfect that I cannot find anything wrong or anything I would change about it, which is rare. If I could give this poem ten stars, I would, because that's what this poem and poet deserves. I feel like this poem can be translated a few different ways and that each person who reads it will take something different from it. But there something large and powerful about this poem that I think leaves all it's readers feeling inspired and stimulated.

Spookyboo
4
4
Review of Vengeance  Open in new Window.
Rated: 13+ | (3.0)
I love rom-coms and romantic stories with happy endings and great tragedies of star-crossed lovers. But when love goes wrong and lovers turn against each other, the story takes a turn from fervent love and insatiable lust to one of revenge and cold-blooded murder. As seen in this poem, fatal love stories of are just as beautiful and poetic as those with happy endings.

In this poem we see how extreme passion turns to a thirst for blood and revenge. We can certainly feel the speaker's rage in his choice of words and can feel his hatred for this girl he once loved. I've read and seen many love stories that go wrong, and usually the speaker is unreliable, like those in the stories by Edgar Allan Poe. We often do not know if the speaker is of sound mind or if we can trust them. But here, we see that the speaker obviously feels wronged by this girl and is set on getting even. Though, we will never know if it was by misinterpretation (as is often the case) or if the speaker was truly played by a predatory girl.

I really liked the poem for the story and some uses of imagery. I think the poem also had a smooth flow and a good rhythm throughout the poem. What I didn't like was the inconsistent rhyme scheme. I would love for it have had a consistent rhyme scheme with beautiful and powerful rhymes. I also feel like the story could have been told a little differently and in a way that has a more shocking and tragic ending with the death of the girl. It felt too quick to me to have had that shock effect that I so love to see in poems like these.

Spookyboo
5
5
Review of THE MESSAGE  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (3.0)
This piece caught my attention because of the description. As a Satanist, it rejoices me greatly to see more people turning to demons and worshiping them like gods.

What I liked about this poem is that it shows demons in a positive light instead of how they're commonly portrayed in books and movies; as evil things that cause illness and death. The message in this poem is quite clear, it tells that demons are the bringer of knowledge and wisdom; and that if you seek knowledge and other worldly wisdom, you will find it and you'll find it in a demon. This poem does not make any references to mythology or any religious text, but it is widely known that God and gods often try to keep knowledge and wisdom from man, as in the story of Adam and Eve and the Tree of Knowledge. I would have loved to see some references to something like this. I believe it would not only make the poem a more interesting read, but it would also serve to back up what is being said in this poem, making it far more convincing and persuasive to readers of the opposite side.

Although I really liked the message, I was quite disappointed with how it was written. There are some good rhymes but I feel like this poem can have a smoother flow for a more enjoyable and easy read. I'd make changes to lines 3, 4, 7, and 8 in particular.

Spookyboo
6
6
Rated: E | (3.0)
I don't read much Sci-fi, but this one is about a question many people have: whether or not ETs have visited us, will visit us, and whether or not they will make themselves known. It's a question many people likely have opinions and theories to and it's a question that continues to interest us all. I find this topic especially fascinating because whenever we think about ETs, we are really just viewing and analyzing ourselves and humanity from a perspective outside of the world that surrounds us. In this story, we see an author who is frustrated with humanity and some of the problems he/she sees in humanity and their societies.
My first thoughts after reading this was that this story is much the same as many other sci-fi stories that are out there; where ETs view human beings as barbaric, turbulent, uncivilized, and careless. But this is a common opinion and for obvious reasons. I will be honest, I think the story part of this piece could use a little more work, but the message part of this piece is clear and one I find interesting.

In the story, the author raises the problems of overpopulation, pollution and the lack of concern we have for the well-being of the planet and other people. The ETs realize this and feel that it has reached to the point that they need to get involved. So, in a planet far away they gather to talk about whether or not they should get involved in the problems humans are creating on the blue planet. Some believe they should and others are more sympathetic towards the humans and believe they should give them some time to figure things out. The story ends with ETs invading the blue planet and taking over. I thought the ending was quite disappointing, not because it didn't "have a happy ending," but because I feel like readers don't get anything out of the story overall.

For example, some changes I would make to story is, not just talking about the problem, but giving some solutions to those problems. The solution to the problems, in the story, is obviously the ET's involvement and their choice to invade. But I feel like the story would have been far more interesting if we would have had the chance to see how the ETs live, and to see the "proper" way a society should function. This could have been done in a number of ways, for example by having one of the ETs mention something about it in their meeting or by actually taking us to their plant and having readers see for themselves how societies in higher civilizations function.

I really like hearing about peoples opinions and theories about topics like these and this story definitely interested me. But I just felt like the author gave us the problems and the only solution was alien invasion. There was no feelings of fear or hope or anything like that. It just felt a little to simple and basic and I was really expecting a little more. But overall, I think this story definitely served a part of it's purpose and that is to get people thinking and discussing things like this.

7
7
Rated: E | (4.0)
A sad poem about a person whose life is like a dead, autumn leaf being blown in the wind; lonely, ignored, and feeling hollow inside. I really like the concept but I think so much more can be done with this poem, honestly.
I definitely try to see beauty in everything. So, maybe I was reading and interpreting this poem wrong the first time I read it. Maybe this poem is meant to sound incomplete, like a skeleton; a poem without any flesh, or blood, or life in it. The poem is called "Beauty in Dead Things," after all. So, the speaker of this poem is dead inside, hollow, and without life and we see that in the poem by its lack of descriptions, rhythm, and lack of rhyme. (I know not all poems rhyme, but still, I would have loved to see some rhyme in this poem). If this is the case, then the poet did an excellent job at portraying that in the poem and I feel terrible for being another person who would have brushed off the leaf.
I give this poem three stars because I really like the idea of it and I want to believe that it was meant to be a skeleton of a poem instead of one with flesh and blood. I would have made this poem a little longer, more melancholy, and with plenty of more action and life. I would even write an alternative with a happy ending by making someone pick the leaf up and seeing beauty in the dead thing. I will say, I really like the idea and I can see it inspiring other poets and poems.

- SPOOKYBOO
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