Through simple prose and nature imagery, Battle Cry balances melancholy with hopefulness as it ponders love, illness, longing, and other aspects of life that go so well with poetry. An introspective collection, it explores both personal struggles as well as more abstract musings on the environment and human nature.

Poetry isn't typically my thing, but I'm trying to give it more of a shot. Battle Cry is something that, though I recognize it's not my cup of tea due to the format and mythological elements involved, I have a lot of respect for. The discussions of chronic and mental illnesses were very relatable. 3/5 stars for me, but that's a good thing!

This poetry book was... okay. Listen, I enjoy poetry - I'm not particularly good at it myself but I do enjoy it. And this was not bad poetry, it just was not mind-blowing. I know that's heavy expectation to put on poetry - but truthfully as an art form it needs to bring something new. This very much reminded me of Amanda Lovelace - and I'm not the biggest fan of her poetry either. Listen - not bad. Some of the poems were very touching, in fact. The writing was not bad, but the issue is - you either have to be an amazing writer or talk about concepts no one else has - in a way no one else has. Self-esteem issues and illness have been touched on a billion times and unfortunately I've read about them a lot. Maybe if this was the first poetry book id ever read I would think differently but it isn't. I had to lower it down to 2 starts because it really is hard to get through this book when so many of them just reiterate the same sentiments in very similar words (the repeated references to storm in regards to pain and depression - boring, especially since the poems weren't special). It feels lazy to me - like the editor didn't do their job.

Provided for review by NetGalley.

I appreciate Widelitz’s vulnerability within this book. Some of her poems about chronic illness were great and those were the pieces that I heard her voice. The majority of the other poems weren’t that good in my opinion. I just couldn’t connect with them. Some of them felt forced to fit into the mold of being poetry; they felt disingenuous. All in all, not for me but I do see the value of this book and how it could help those through their own journeys.

I'm not a big reader of poems but Battle Cry intrigued me with its title and then because the author talked about chronic illness and chronic pain. I really liked those poems, they really resonated in me.
I was less touched by those who talked about childhood nostalgia.
It's my first time reading a full collection of poems in English and it's very possible that some things eluded me, even though I found the style to be very straightforward.

I wasn't entirely convinced by the whole collection but some poems will probably stick with me in the future.

Rep: chronic illness like chronic fatigue syndrom
TW: mention of pain

Wow. This is such an amazing collection of poetry. While there was some single-mindedness when it comes to theme, I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing - sometimes those things that touch us the deepest need more time and focus to bring to the surface and process, and I feel that that's a lot of what we see in this book. Overall, I think it's a really cohesive collection. Definitely a insight into the hearts and minds of those of us living with chronic illness.

"Time does not always slip away.

Sometimes he stands
before you, taunting,
waiting,"

Thank you NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for the chance to read and review Battle Cry by Jennifer Sara Widelitz!

I may not be a fan of the book as a whole, but there were definitely some pieces that I liked such as Embrace the Darkness, Reading Between the Lines (my favourite from the book), and I Too Shall Dig.

Some of the themes did feel very familiar, and I wish some more editing had gone into this to remove those. I would willingly read another book by this writer!

This could ruin is the best I have read in a long time. It's a poetry journey through her autoimmunity sickness. She writes about the pain and the sadness she endured through out her life. This is her collection of fights against pain and other feelings. She is one brave woman for going through this. She is a very strong author full of love.
This book is a MUST, !MUST, MUST read. It's a beautiful book with a beautiful soul. I cannot wait to see what she will put out in the world to read next.

I received a free copy of the book and is voluntarily writing a review

This poetry collection was everything. There were some lines that resonated with me on such a deep and personal level I was taken aback. I loved this collection - it was full of raw truth & raw pain. It was phenomenal.