Eve Koguce's Blog

Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon by Melissa L. Sevigny

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“The spell of the canyon is awfully strong and it holds something of me I know it will never give up.” These words belong to Haldane ‘Buzz’ Holmstrom, the man who had made the first successful solo expedition down the Colorado River. It was considered a reckless endeavour a century and more ago, and that’s why those who did run the river, even if not alone and carefully equipped for the awaiting perils, were seen as heroes. You can fully understand why it was so, looking down at the canyon’s walls hiding the blue band of the Colorado River at Powell Point, one of the lookouts along the Hermit Road Trail in the Grand Canyon National Park. I consider myself lucky to have caught at least glimpses of the Grand Canyon during our trip to the US in 2024. Even a few days we spent there were enough to feel how piercingly true the words of the renowned adventurer are. Indeed, after more than a year, deep inside, I still feel the yearning to see the Grand Canyon again.

Like many others, Holmstrom was sceptical at first about the two women’s plan to run ‘the most dangerous river in the world.’ Yet, he changed his mind after he met both.

In 1938, it was already shocking enough if a woman chose a career over family. But when a woman decided to do something even a rare man had the courage to attempt, it was viewed as outrageous. So, predictably, when Elzada Clover announced her plan to run the Colorado River, to catalogue the thorny plants, she wasn’t met by applause. In the eyes of society, her academic career in botany was something like the extension of an innocent female hobby to gather flowers and dry them before putting them into an album. She wasn’t supposed to ‘get her hands dirty.’

Despite the opposition and discouragement from everyone – their families, colleagues, journalists, veteran river runners, etc. – in the summer of 1938, an assorted group of six people who would unlikely have a lot in common if brought together under other circumstances set off to traverse the Colorado River, known for swallowing even more experienced travellers.

I could have written a lot about the thoughts and emotions this book evoked, as well as shared the episodes that made me laugh or others which made my heart clench with that yearning to take in the impossible might of the Grand Canyon again and feel my palms pulsate with the almost mystical hot energy whenever I looked out at its endless vistas. Instead, I will only say that “Brave the Wild River” by Melissa L. Sevigny is one of those non-fiction books that pulled me in and held me in its grip against all odds.

I am not interested in botany, and the book is replete with plants’ names, also in Latin. I am not a fan of travelling without comfort to test my stamina. It never crossed my mind to go rafting, not in the waters of the gentle rivers of my homeland, Latvia, let alone trying the wild version of it offered for tourists visiting the Glen Canyon. And, to be completely honest, I am not a supporter of the slogan ‘women are capable of everything that men do.’ Well, I do believe that some women are, but, at the same time, I don’t think that every woman must. Anyway, this isn’t a subject to be covered extensively in a review. What I wanted to say is that, despite all the things that could have spoilt this reading experience, I could not put this book down. And it has left a lasting after-effect on me, which I am still processing. Just like I am still processing the impressions and memories of seeing one of the greatest natural wonders in the world.

Clinton Hart Merriam, an American naturalist, zoologist, mammalogist and a lot more, after the 1889 expedition from the San Francisco Peaks to the Grand Canyon, said about the latter that it is “a world in itself.” I think these words explain all.



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Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon

River Becomes Shadow by Anne M. Smith-Nochasak

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“We were desperate people, scrounging in a desperate world.” The three of them on the way to the destination even a better-equipped group is unlikely to reach. A tortured soul, a chronicler, and a hero. The first seems too harshly scarred by life to be more than a guide with excellent bush skills. No compassion or sympathy. The second is awkward and slows everyone down. And the latter is a reluctant hero, as these heroes usually are. Do they have the slightest chance to succeed?

“River Becomes Shadow” by Anne M. Smith-Nochasak is book two of the Taggak Journey trilogy. It is as dark and uncompromising as the first book. In book one, “River Faces North”, rebel grandmother Flo has already taught us that there is nothing heroic in living through the apocalypse. Even if you bow to the oppressors only to divert their attention from the fact that you are actually plotting a full-scale revolution. You cannot draw strength from your old bones go numb in February chill, while you amble to the outhouse, trying your hardest to keep urine from spilling. For if you fail, you’ll be declared too frail to live on your own and sent to the places where no comfort but slow death awaits. Flo could not let it happen. She had to keep hope alive. And she did.

River is twelve, and she is the one who is destined to save the world. The world that desperately needs saving. The religious cult – the Elect – rule over what is left after the bombings that destroyed the civilisation as we know it. They rule by inflicting fear and killing those who disagree with them. And since they have weapons and the remnants of technology left intact, no one can stand against them.

Yet, there is always something that makes people do seemingly reckless things, the things that will definitely get them killed. And it is hope. It isn’t necessarily a shining beacon, making one feel warm and strong inside. “Sometimes the hope sticks in our throats and presses hard and sharp while we cry, but it is still there.” In the end, that is what matters to help those who try to continue. For the hope to still be there.

Tag, the tortured soul, Andrea, the veterinarian turned an apocalypse chronicler, and River, the saviour of mankind, traverse once green, fertile, and beautiful lands of rural Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in what used to be Canada. It is all wastelands now. And toxins aren’t the gravest danger they encounter on their way. The Elect, as any self-respecting cult, has a net of spies who’d hunt and kill or hunt and bring to their masters so they could kill anyone who is declared to be ‘prey.’

You have to become a shadow to escape all the traps, and that’s what Tag, Andrea, and River turn into. They shadow run at night, unseen by anyone who can hurt them. By rebel hunters who’d kill them and take them to the Elect. By people hiding from the Elect in the wilderness, since they are ready to trade anything to save their own lives. By the oppressed, working on the farms, since they don’t want to end up in the arena and be, as Elect calls it, cast into the outer darkness – in people’s view, murdered by stoning.

They are exhausted and hungry all the time. Their bodies ache, and their skin is itchy from insect bites. Yet, in a way, they are free. “Ours was a wilderness freedom – no papers, no records. Free to hide, free to starve. To die alone, free.”

Sometimes, while reading, it felt like it would be better if they gave up. Too much struggle, too bitter the losses, and the hope nurturing them too feeble. Moreover, the people from the resistance whom they met and who were supposed to help them at different stages of their journey seemed too strange, too damaged to trust them with one’s life. How could such people, so outrageously defying the norms, help save the world? They don’t seem capable of saving themselves. And yet, another thought followed as I read on. Was there a better means to fight against utter insanity than putting forward the soldiers for whom the lines of normality are blurred beyond recognition? Besides, rebel grandmother Flo herself had said that trust was the first casualty of the revolution, but life taught Andrea that “consideration would be the second.” You simply cannot remain your trimmed self, with straight rules of behaviour and always thinking about others first, while the world is going crazy around you, but you have taken on the mission to save it.

On the outside, “River Becomes Shadow” is about an arduous journey an assorted group of individuals take to join the revolution and bring down the Elect. In its core, it is so much more than that. It is an unflinching account of human courage, resilience, and the strength of love. It doesn’t treat you gently, hinting at the atrocities people are ready to commit to gain power or to save their skin. Everything is at full display here, sharp-edged and painfully realistic, forcing you to close your eyes and draw a deep breath. And still, peeking through the disturbing scenes is hope. The subtle yet powerful matter that makes people capable of great deeds. Even those who, at first sight, appear weak or too torn by the demons of their past. Because they know what can help them win an impossible battle. “Take all the times and people you are given and appreciate them while they are there.”

Anne M. Smith-Nochasak is the author with a rare talent to make readers think about the controversies of real life while throwing them into the settings totally unlike the cosy surroundings so many of us tend to take for granted. Whether these are the lands oozing with the dystopian gloom or the northern shores of Canada seldom visited by tourists, you feel like you walk along while the characters learn their lessons.

I have been waiting to read the continuation of the story ever since I read the first book. And the moment I finished reading “River Becomes Shadow” I knew I had to reread “River Faces North.” So I did, and now, even though the earth doesn’t turn green under my feet as it is supposed to happen when River wins the revolution against the Elect, my thoughts are filled with the thoughts of Flo and others. Book characters into whom the author had managed to breathe life.



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River Becomes Shadow

The Teddy & Bara Show by Will Tinkham

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Just as it happened with each book of the Americana series by Will Tinkham, after finishing “The Teddy & Bara Show”, I immediately wanted to grab the next one and keep on reading.

It is a futile endeavour to try to retell the plot. Its structure is so unique, and there is so much more to this story than characters and plotlines, that trying to explain it would only spoil it for those who are to read it. What I love most about this author’s writing is how atmospheric his stories are. With immaculately researched period details, baseball references, historical facts and real historical figures thrown in to spice up the narrative, the effect is of a total immersion.

So, who are they, Teddy and Bara? They aren’t the gangsters of the roaring '20s era. Yet, they’ve caught a glimpse of that world, with shady speakeasies, charlatans cheating other charlatans out of their money, and even at that time seemingly invincible Al Capone. Yes, and with that guy, they happened to get caught in a not very nice story that made them flee Chicago.. It wasn’t the first time they had to hide until the storm passed.

They are clowns – by nature and by intention – who not only entertain to earn money but help sick children in the hospitals and their parents overcome despair. They even cause ‘a miracle’ and local newspaper folk proclaim them heroes.

They aren’t pitiful victims of ignorant parents who made their small children work in the fields. But they definitely had their share of tragedy and sorrow in life, even before either hit eighteen.
In Bara’s words, “I see a man with no expectations, no privilege, and no assumptions about what he is due.” While reading, I was thinking that maybe these rare qualities helped Teddy not to fall victim to all the usual traps.

Teddy says to Bara, “I’m not sure what love is, but I know I’d be miserable without you.” And that is what makes this story special. Even though these two could not be further from romantic heroes, and their love story lacks all the elements of classic romance, that they have met, recognised a better half in each other and did not let go of each other changed their lives. Not exactly transformed it from miserable to fantastic, but gave them a chance not to give up.

Set in the times around the Great Depression, “The Teddy & Bara Show” tells as much the story of two souls who could easily get lost in this big, cruel world as it draws a bigger picture – of the life of the whole nation. Tragic and humorous in equal measure, this book cannot leave anyone reading it indifferent. What I personally really appreciated was ‘meeting’ Grace and Pêche from other books of the series. ‘Seeing’ them again on the pages made me feel warmly nostalgic and also a little sad since I know how their lives played out.

Next on my list is “The Miracles”, for after getting to know a little about this out-of-the-ordinary – putting it mildly – family, with each member exceptional in their own way, I simply must learn more.



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The Teddy & Bara Show

The Secret at Sunset Hill by K.T. McGivens

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


At a lavish party, pieces of jewellery disappear at an alarming rate. The hosts are appalled. The guests are distraught. What was supposed to be a dignified, old-fashioned reception, where everyone had a role to play and the etiquette formalities to follow, turns into a chase after secrets.

Katie Porter is young and pretty. She comes from a rich and affluent family, which, although having its issues - and what family doesn’t? – still envelops her in the cocoon of love and care. The only thing in life she is expected to focus on is finding a suitable husband, marrying him and starting a family. Yet, it’s not what Katie wants. While she has her privileged upbringing and status oozing out of every pore, she is more than an offspring of an ‘old-money’ family.

First, Katie wants to be a reporter. To get the job, she doesn’t shrink away from using her connections. I appreciated that she did it easily, not getting distracted by unnecessary scruples. Life is versatile, and it doesn’t mean one is noble if one refuses to comply with its rules. Katie completes her first assignment brilliantly and manages to impress her boss so that he gives her a chance to prove herself capable of writing about more serious topics than debutante parties.

And second, Katie has experienced loss and grief. At twenty-one, and despite the luxury surrounding her from birth, she has her rose coloured glasses off. Although unharmed herself, she bears the scars World War II has left on too many people across the continents.

I liked how the story weaved between the mystery of a jewellery thief and the secrets of Katie’s past. The setting was absolutely charming, with sprawling estates, endless fields to ride a horse feeling as if you were out in the wild, and old mansions with a separate room for every inhabitant and every occasion. Also, it would be a crime not to mention that Mad Uncle Henry is a total darling.

“The Secret at Sunset Hill” by K.T. McGivens opens up what I’m sure is a series of exciting and elegant mysteries. After reading the first book, I cannot wait to see what awaits Katie Porter next in her exploits as a reporter and a detective.



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The Secret at Sunset Hill

Sky Watcher: A Shadow in Time by Heather Lynn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book pulls you in and doesn’t let go. The author has a magical component that she adds to her writing, which makes you live the characters’ lives rather than simply read about them.

“Sky Watcher: A Shadow in Time” by Heather Lynn is a story about Charlotte. At twenty-two, her life has thrown too many curveballs at her. When it becomes too much, Charlotte decides to do something reckless. She decides to save a distant relative from death. It doesn’t stop her that Elizabeth, whom she’d never known existed before she’d begun researching her family history, died almost two centuries ago. Using Wiccan practices, she attempts to perform a spell that should transport her into the nineteenth century. And it works.

Charlotte doesn’t travel to the past unprepared. Her education in the field of medicine and vast knowledge of herbs and their healing qualities prove to be of utmost importance. Besides, she makes sure to learn how to prepare the things she won’t find in a 19th-century store.

Armed with the homemade shampoo and soap recipes, Charlotte travels from Canada to the US, to the place where she knows that Elizabeth was caught by the authorities, accused of witchcraft and hanged. From there, her journey back in time begins.

When Charlotte arrives at her destination, she doesn’t have time to dwell on the shock of having actually accomplished her impossible plan. The realities of the nineteenth century ask for more from people if they want to survive. There is no time to think, only to act. It seems that Charlotte gets rewarded for her courage and determination. The first people she meets agree to help her with the basics: a roof above her head and a job to earn her keep. And the first house she enters becomes her home.

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the inhabitants of the small town who, with every chapter, became more like next-door neighbours than fictional characters. Gradually introducing readers to people’s lives, always a kaleidoscope of happiness, despair, doubt, prejudice, luck, and tragedy, the author makes us feel part of the community. Although I am far from romanticising the past, the charm of a simpler lifestyle seeped under my skin from the vivid descriptions. I was so invested in the story that, I confess, some episodes had me close to tears.

I also loved the complex relationships that Charlotte formed with different people she met in the past. The author handles this aspect beautifully.

It wasn’t in Charlotte’s plan to form strong friendships and fall in love. Yet, it isn’t in human nature to remain detached from the environment one finds oneself in. As it isn’t destiny’s way to make it easy for most. And Charlotte, having interfered with fate’s dealings by breaking the rules of time, would not evade the implications such audacity is bound to bring.

The book ends with a head-spinning cliffhanger. It left me eager to learn what awaits Charlotte next – whether we should say ‘in the future’ or ‘in the past’ remains a controversy that I hope to solve by continuing to read the Sky Watcher series.



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Sky Watcher: A Shadow in Time

Broken Boundaries by Helen Aitchison

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Melody Dartford is broken. After the traumatising events she went through as a teenager, she has not healed. But is it really so? As the reader learns more about the young woman living a seemingly ordinary life in bustling London, suspicions inevitably creep in about something not being right with her in the first place.

Nate Lundie is handsome and successful. His therapy practice is thriving. Even though his marriage has failed, he cannot complain about other spheres of his life. He has enough money to spend on entertainment and comfort. He enjoys his status as a bachelor and being free to choose whom to date. It seems that only good things are waiting for him ahead.

From the outside, Melody is on the mend, and Nate has his life under control.

Until the two meet.

The physical attraction of a dangerous magnitude flares up, threatening to complicate the lives of both. Yet, it feels that both the patient and the therapist don’t care about the risks, so exciting is the chase.

Melody is young and mentally unstable. She has come to Nate seeking professional help. It should automatically place her in the position of a weak one. But as the story progresses, more facets of her personality and past actions appear to draw a completely different picture.

Nate and Melody are deliciously wicked. They are the kind of characters it would have been highly embarrassing to be able to relate to. And you absolutely cannot like them. Still, I couldn’t help but be pulled into the tantalisingly vicious tangle of their relationship, wondering if, in the end, one falls victim to the other’s game.

“Broken Boundaries” by Helen Aitchison made me think about how we, as a society, look at people with mental health issues. It seems that despite having been taught to accept their existence, we are still in the dark about how to interact with them. We assume that if such a person is being treated, they become ‘normal.’ We expect from them the behaviour and way of thinking as we consider ‘adequate.’ In short, we fully trust medicine and science to ‘heal’ them. Alas, just like a giant sequoia cannot be ‘remade’ to fit the size of a ‘regular’ tree, people with mental health issues cannot be ‘reformed’ to see the world the way those without them do.

The author demonstrates a sharp skill in portraying deeply flawed characters in such a way that the reader is forced to try to understand them. Melody follows her inner compass, where the values are set in a haphazard manner. She doesn’t act driven by a conscious wish to harm. Quite the contrary, in the moments of clarity, she shows affection and care for her family and best friend. And Nate’s amorous drive doesn’t make him a monster. A lot of people succumb to lust in different situations and move on. It is the combination of Melody’s altered perception of reality and Nate’s inability to stop her at the very beginning before she developed the obsession that caused a disaster.

Prepare to be pulled into Melody and Nate’s dance, fuelled by passion and obsession, which, with every step, leads both to the edge of an abyss.



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Broken Boundaries

Mercy House by Lubov Leonova

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Picking up right from where my review of the previous book of the trilogy ended… Imagine the sinister castle with the dark corridors and dungeons hiding the sufferings of innocent victims – young girls who possess ‘destructive’ magic, something men ruling the world cannot allow women to wield, so they don’t lose their power…

“Mercy House” by Lubov Leonova is the second book of the “Two Worlds: Beginning” trilogy. While the setting of the first book, “Reading You”, is Lana’s hometown Triville, book two takes the reader first to the capital of the kingdom, Middle Lake city, and then throws them right within the walls of the menacing Mercy House.

Lana must face reality. In the men’s world, her dream to become a detective cannot come true. Besides, her attempts at crime solving brought on some dire consequences that can’t be fixed. Lana has learnt the lesson and moved to the capital to study architecture at the university. Everything goes well. That is, apart from the amorous confessions of the young man whom Lana considered her good friend. Lana’s heart isn’t in designing buildings, but she had enough determination and other talents to keep up with the course.

And then, one day, Lana’s carefully constructed new life crumbles… She finds herself at the crime scene, and what she becomes a witness to puts her on the radar of the people young women generally prefer not to mingle with. Moreover, Lana learns what she can’t simply discard and forget. She is a detective at heart, and a mystery ignites her in a way that designing even the most elaborate house never will.

Despite the risks and dangers of this reckless decision, Lana becomes a Mercy Sister and travels to the Mercy House. Her task gets more complicated when she learns that her best friend Becca, who she thought was living peacefully in their hometown, Triville, is held captive in this gloomy place. Besides, she isn’t sure that she can fully trust her travelling companion, the one who has her own agenda for infiltrating the Mercy Sisters’ circle.

“Mercy House” offers a fascinating setting, which teases the reader’s imagination and versatile characters, whose motives we are left to guess until the end. Moreover, there are dark secrets that, if revealed, can bring the changes the people living in the magic kingdom the author has created on the pages of this trilogy certainly crave and some of them deserve.



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Mercy House: A Dark Castle Mystery

Fugitive Rifts by A-M Mawhiney

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book celebrates the kind of friendship all of us dream of experiencing and which, if given a chance to experience, we would cherish all through our lives. True friendship, like true love, according to Erich Fromm, is based on care, responsibility, respect, and knowledge. Such a powerful bond goes far deeper than chatting, sharing secrets and going to the movies. It can help people change their lives for the better, make more fulfilling choices and reach unimaginable heights. In “Fugitive Rifts”, friendship, in a way, helps save a part of the world and change the fates of people in the future.

Four young people, on the cusp of entering adulthood, struggle with things that can easily break even a grown-up person. They carry their secrets like armour, believing that sharing their problems would show them as weak and make them vulnerable.

Grace is strong and focused on her goal. She is a perfect athlete. It seems that in life, she will be as unstoppable as on the basketball field.

Drew is a ‘golden boy.’ He comes from a rich family, and his faith that the world belongs to him shows in every step of his confident swagger. Yet, a sinister truth is hidden beneath his confident façade.

Ollie is easy-going and perceptive. He appears to be a perfect mediator who is capable of smoothing any argument and making people do what he thinks will lead them to an understanding. But who will help Ollie to deal with the past grief and present tragedy that hangs over his head like a sword of Damocles?

Dottie’s IQ of a scientist is well hidden behind shyness and constant fidgeting. Still, her intelligence is by far a more innocent thing the girl in nerdy glasses is forced to hide.

This book made me smile. Both with a sad recognition of the experiences I’d prefer to forget, and the joy that different scenarios are possible. This book also made me cry. Over the things that might have happened but hadn’t. And over the realisation that nothing can be done to change it. Yet, ultimately, this book has left me with hope filling my soul and making it soar. The story reminded me that no matter how grim the paths we are forced to tread in our lives might be at some point, there is always a chance that bright sunshine is waiting for you around the bend.

“Fugitive Rifts” by A-M Mawhiney tells the story where each reader will find something it was important for them to see. It tackles the topics many of us find urgent, while those in charge prefer to divert our attention to something more likely to bring them political points. I appreciated a fresh, sensible take on the climate change and homeless people problems. Too often we get trapped in the race of our own lives – which only seldom are problem-free – and stay blind to other people’s struggles. Even though, if only we pulled our gazes away from seeking the light ahead in our personal tunnel, we could do something to change the world for the better. For, after all, it doesn’t always take a huge effort to help someone, while the result of a feasible endeavour can surpass any expectations.



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Fugitive Rifts

Reading You by Lubov Leonova

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Having read previous books by this author, I was excited to revisit the world she has created on the pages and learn more about the characters.

The kingdom where magical powers can both elevate or destroy you and where people facing the challenges of taming their extraordinary abilities sometimes succumb to their dark side came startlingly alive for me in “Ghost: A Murder Mystery.” I read it a few years ago and couldn’t stop myself from reading the other two books Lubov Leonova had published at that time.

Since Lana’s struggle to prove her worth in the men’s world remained fresh in my memory, once I learned that the author shared two more stories that precede the one told in “Ghost,” I had to read them.

Lana is a young woman possessing a powerful Gift of mind-reading. Despite this, according to the societal rules, she cannot count on ever achieving her dream of becoming a detective. She is expected to become a wife and a mother, the only roles available for females. I liked the way the author portrayed Lana, letting her make mistakes and learn from them. Even though her intentions are noble, Lana’s reckless behaviour sometimes brings harm to those she wants to help. Youth and the lack of experience aren’t the best tools for solving serious crimes.

“Reading You: A Memory Thief Mystery” is the first book in the “Two Worlds: Beginning” trilogy. From the first pages, the story throws the reader straight into the tangle of Lana’s struggles. On one hand, her life is comfortable and she shouldn’t have a single worry, only which marriage proposal to accept. Besides, by doing this, she would make her father, who raises her alone, very happy. Isn’t that what a dutiful daughter should do? Even though Lana loves and respects her father, she cannot betray her dreams. She understands that it is unlikely for her to ever become a guardian, but she still grasps at any opportunity to prove that she is perfect for this job. And since solving mysteries is her true passion, failed attempts don’t stop her.

While set in a fantasy world, with people possessing magical gifts of telekinesis, mind-reading, paralysing, persuasion, etc., the book addresses the issues we still haven’t managed to solve in the real world. The author touches upon the subject of domestic violence and its consequences for the most vulnerable social group, children. Although awkward in her zeal to help and solve crimes, Lana is someone many victims would like to meet among the sea of indifferent faces of strangers, and, sadly, friends and family.

Since my curiosity about Mercy House was piqued already years ago when I was reading “Ghost,” after finishing “Reading You,” I immediately started the next book of the trilogy. I’ll be sharing my review of “Mercy House” soon. Imagine the sinister castle with the dark corridors and dungeons hiding the sufferings of innocent victims – young girls who possess ‘destructive’ magic, something men ruling the world cannot allow women to wield, so they don’t lose their power…



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Reading You: A Memory Thief Mystery

Reflections: A Poetry Collection by Elena Carter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Poetry doesn’t work for everybody. It takes an intricate combination of factors for the versed lines to reach a reader’s heart. A poet must spill a part of their soul onto the pages, and those lines should touch a familiar string in the reader.

In my case, “Reflections: A Poetry Collection” by Elena Carter has ticked all the right boxes.

I admire the author’s courage to bare her soul in these beautiful poems. I used to write poetry myself, so I know the piercing feeling of sharing something from the very depth of your being that comes over you when you express yourself through poems. I guess I never returned to poetry, even after I started writing again, because of the darkness that would have come from under my pen if I had. You cannot lie in poems. Falsehood irreversibly spoils the words’ beauty, and readers always feel it. And you cannot take the certain edge out of the process of writing poetry. It is an integral part of it, without which the verses become empty shells.

In her poetry collection “Reflections”, Elena Carter shares her thoughts about the myriad of things important to all of us. Finding hope, fighting one’s fears, healing after life has broken you. Through her words, filled with sincerity and depth of understanding, the author offers her reflections, at the same time inviting the reader to seek answers to the questions she poses.

“When do we lose our wings?” I’ve been asking myself this question frequently ever since I’d lost too much and too many. Even though I haven’t given up, it still doesn’t mean that living with the feeling that something is lost forever is easy.

“I know for sure I’ll never run out of love.” These are the words that sustain me.

We share a similar background with the author, and I could feel it acutely reading her poems. It was a very special sensation that warmed my heart, and for that, I am grateful. After finishing the book, I was left with the wish for every person with a kind heart out there that their “All the might-have-beens and could-have-dones” would be outweighed by the glorious moments of “couldn’t believe my luck but it actually happened.”



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Reflections: A Poetry Collection