The other day I decided that I’d gotten into a rut with my reading. It was time for a little something different. So when Jazalyn offered me a copy of Rose: Future Heart to review, I jumped at the chance for a little poetry.

It was a quick read. Most of the poems were between 10 and 15 lines. The themes were universal: love, betrayal, self-acceptance, personal growth, and some allusions to bullying. They were mostly general. No details were given about the situations that inspired the poems. The point of view either was from a “She” perspective or a first-person “I” perspective and written in free-verse with occasional rhyme and meter.

For a little light reading, this book was fine. However, if the reader wants a little more substance, then they probably won’t find it between these covers. The vagueness of the incidents described and the focus on the poet’s emotional state kept the words from sticking. On the other hand, the book is ideal for teenagers and young adults just coming to terms with being themselves. The poem Im-Possible Dream is a good example. In it, the poet talks about how they have yet to achieve anything just yet but has the confidence that soon that will change, much like any young adult at the precipice of becoming.

So if you are looking for something along the lines of literary Tik-Tok, then Rose: Future Heart is for you.