Cathedral by Maya Joelle (Poetry Launch!)

You know when you read a book that’s in a totally new genre than you’re used to, and you end up absolutely loving it, and then you dive right into that new genre? Yeah, that was a part of my adventures last week. 

The wonderful Maya Joelle (check out her amazing blog here) has published a book! I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. That was such an amazing opportunity, and I had so much fun finally sitting down to read some poetry! 

Slight disclaimer: I am VERY new to the poetry game, and that impacts a lot of my review. As always, take what I saw with a grain (or bucket full) of salt 🙂 

About the Book: 

Cathedral is a collection of poetry and creative prose about beauty in the midst of grief and joy in the face of great sorrow.

oh brave one,

oh broken, beautifully brave one,

remember.

remember that no matter how tiny the fragments this time,

how far apart they are scattered,

how long you must search,

he will help you find the pieces of the person you once were

and the image you once bore.

// to the broken ones

This book hit me with all of the emotions. There were times when it was so beautiful, and other times when it was just so wonderfully bittersweet. I went on an emotional rollercoaster with this book. 

I haven’t read a ton of poetry, but this book makes me want to explore more of that genre. All of the poems were so honest. They depicted the happier, prettier parts of life and the worse parts. But no matter how dark or sad it became, hope was still able to shine through. 

Some of my favorite poems (summed up in one sentence, of course) 

Ghosts- The longing for the past. 

Treasure– This honestly seems like something out of a fantasy or pirate ship story. 

Brave- Stories hold such tremendous power, jeez.

Fire and Awe – Another shorter poem, it reminded me of just how amazing God’s creation is. 

Setting Sail- The familiar is nice for a while, but someday all of us will need to set sail on a new adventure. 

Goodbyes– We say goodbye so often, but it’s such a bittersweet and special thing. 

Each poem was so honest and emotional. Some made my cry, others made me think long and hard. Either way, it was kind of an emotional rollercoaster of bittersweetness and so many emotions. 

The order of the poems is really cool, too! There are multiple installments of You Tell Me Rejoice and Friend, and there are Shipwreck, Treasure, and later, Setting Sail. I feel like at the end of the book, all of the poems had been tied up nicely with a pretty bow. 

It did feel like some poems were a bit long, but I also have the attention span of a goldfish and know nothing about poetry. *shrugs* And I really would have liked more totally original poems. While the stories that inspire us are so, so important, I feel like some of these poems were pretty close to being the actual thing? 

This book is so short and sweet. I read it in just a few sittings, and it’s simplicity almost helps the themes of hope shine through even more. 

Overall, check out Cathedral! Beware, it might make you cry, but it’s so worth it! 

Check out the book here, on Goodreads or on Pinterest! 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maya Joelle is a wordsmith, bookdragon, and avid forest enthusiast from Michigan. In addition to poetry, she writes high fantasy novels and short stories that turn into novels. When she’s not writing or studying, she is often found marveling at the beauty of creation through the wonders of nature, music, and friendship. She writes poems to remind herself and others of God’s goodness amidst pain and sorrow, for the glory of the Author who knows the ending of her story.

All the important links: https://mayajoelle.carrd.co/

Once again, a huge thanks goes to Maya for writing these great poems! Do you like to read poetry? What are some of your favorite poetry books? Now, I shall resume diving down a rabbit hole of poetry fun. Thanks for reading, have a great rest of your day!

Hannah

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