Miranda Vilar BaileyCritiques

Upon receiving "Tarnished Pilgrims " I tried to read a few of the poems and had to put the book down as nothing made sense. I picked it up again a few days later and read a couple of other poems and thought "wow, what a panoramic way to express your thoughts and feelings". Don't expect to just sit and read these poems without allowing time to contemplate and reflect the meaning of each one.

This short collection of personal reflections ends its search for identity at a healthy place, finding the essential in her journey. The prospector will not need to pan for long to find the nuggets of wisdom scattered herein.

I’m always scared to read poetry books that are self-published.

So many poems just went over my head. They’d start out as one thing and end totally different. Leaving me to scratch my head and rereading to see if I missed anything. I didn’t.

Also, just because one uses a plethora of flowery, obscure words, it does not make a great (or even a good) poem. It just shows me you know how to use a thesaurus.

Tried way too hard to sound poetic but forgot about substance.

And “Appreciation,” that was just basic. Many poems throughout the years have done “thank you” poems much better.

It's hard to review poetry since everyone reads it so differently, but I really enjoyed this collection. Each piece was full of imagery and metaphor, which really let me find my own meaning and let the poems speak to me. It was a really enjoyable read.

I just wanted to mention that I really like the cover art of the book. However, I noticed that it wasn't centered, so I thought it would be better if it was. Also, for the back cover, I suggest the author use a better portrait of herself. As for the poems, I must admit that I am not really into poetry, but there are some poems that I love and some that I don't understand. Unfortunately, This was the case, I couldn't find any poems that I enjoyed, but that doesn't mean they weren't good. It's just a matter of personal preference.

I received my book on May 10, 2024. Thank you!!! I read the poems three times. They are so haunting and beautiful. My favorite poem is "Rebel's Hymn." It's touched my soul. Thank you, Miranda.

Thick w/metaphor. Could not connect. Not my kind of poetry, I guess.

Approachable poetry, not too heavy or so deep you don't understand it any more. It's thin, so you can easily grab it and re-read it in one go.
What I dislike, is beyond the author's control. The book is very thin, the paper is thin and the font inside feels very basic. The index is spread over pages, which is not needed. The text on the back is immense. I think this book would benefit from better layout (internal) and better typography. The image on the cover is haunting (a plus!)

Tarnished Pilgrim - 7/10 - A neat compilation of poems that read well and each tells its own tale. Particularly enjoyed ‘Fractured Amour’. Many thanks to the author for the advanced reader copy.