What do you think?
Rate this book
Candle and Pins
The poems of “Candle and Pins” are inspired by familiar—and some unfamiliar—superstitions, ranging from love charms to burial practices, parsley seeds to the evil eye. Like superstitions themselves, these poems explore the terrain where magic and everyday life intertwine, and where beauty, horror, fear, and belief combine in ways both new and ageless.
ebook
Published February 8, 2018
36 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline West
21 books703 followersJacqueline West on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jacquel...
Jacqueline's blog: http://jacquelinewest.com/blog/
Jacqueline's blog: http://jacquelinewest.com/blog/
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 26, 2019
This collection was nominated for the 2019 Elgin Award. Rating and review to follow.
March 13, 2019
"We turn to dark things in dark times."
Candle and Pins is a collection of around 40 poems about superstitions. I first heard of this collection from my Ladies of Horror Fiction teammates Jen & Toni, and I was so excited to dig into it!
I had heard of some of the superstitions before, but many were new to me. I loved the brief explanation or quote above each poem so that the reader could understand the background of the superstition. It made the experience much easier, and I enjoyed learning about the superstitions I hadn't heard of.
My top 5 poems in this collection are Candle and Pins, Family Ritual, The Footprint and the Nail, Doppelgangers, and Menstrous. There was a good variety of poems - some were eerie, some were amusing, some were about relationships, etc. This is a great bit of horror poetry, and I'm very happy that I came across this collection. Thank you so much to Jacqueline West for sending me a copy to review!
Candle and Pins is a collection of around 40 poems about superstitions. I first heard of this collection from my Ladies of Horror Fiction teammates Jen & Toni, and I was so excited to dig into it!
I had heard of some of the superstitions before, but many were new to me. I loved the brief explanation or quote above each poem so that the reader could understand the background of the superstition. It made the experience much easier, and I enjoyed learning about the superstitions I hadn't heard of.
My top 5 poems in this collection are Candle and Pins, Family Ritual, The Footprint and the Nail, Doppelgangers, and Menstrous. There was a good variety of poems - some were eerie, some were amusing, some were about relationships, etc. This is a great bit of horror poetry, and I'm very happy that I came across this collection. Thank you so much to Jacqueline West for sending me a copy to review!
August 6, 2018
In the last moment, I turned my eyes away – grandfather was cutting. Grandmother prayed.
I was really excited to be offered a review copy of Candle and Pins. Not only am I trying to read a lot of poetry this year, Jacqueline West is an author I already had on my wishlist. She’s an MG/YA children’s book author so reading an adult dark fantasy/horror poetry collection by her was something I absolutely wanted to do. Imaginative horror poetry is a trifecta I am not going to pass up.
Preceding every poem in Candle and Pins is a superstition related to that particular poem. For example, the superstition that goes along with the poem titled Mother-Die is if children pick these red and white flowers, their mother's death is near.
The poems in Candle and Pins breathed life into each superstition which, in turn, added an extra dimension to the entire collection.
My favorite poem of the collection was a poem called Ash Tree. The superstition it was based on states a young ash tree is severed, and an injured child is passed through the split part of the tree. Afterward, the ash is carefully bound, and as the sapling grows together, the child is healed. It reminded me of the old fairy tales that I used to love reading, and it was just a beautifully written poem.
If you love dark poetry, Candle and Pins is a lovely collection to check out. I will definitely be reading more of Jacqueline West in the future.
3.5 stars
I was really excited to be offered a review copy of Candle and Pins. Not only am I trying to read a lot of poetry this year, Jacqueline West is an author I already had on my wishlist. She’s an MG/YA children’s book author so reading an adult dark fantasy/horror poetry collection by her was something I absolutely wanted to do. Imaginative horror poetry is a trifecta I am not going to pass up.
Preceding every poem in Candle and Pins is a superstition related to that particular poem. For example, the superstition that goes along with the poem titled Mother-Die is if children pick these red and white flowers, their mother's death is near.
The poems in Candle and Pins breathed life into each superstition which, in turn, added an extra dimension to the entire collection.
My favorite poem of the collection was a poem called Ash Tree. The superstition it was based on states a young ash tree is severed, and an injured child is passed through the split part of the tree. Afterward, the ash is carefully bound, and as the sapling grows together, the child is healed. It reminded me of the old fairy tales that I used to love reading, and it was just a beautifully written poem.
If you love dark poetry, Candle and Pins is a lovely collection to check out. I will definitely be reading more of Jacqueline West in the future.
3.5 stars
April 8, 2018
I loved Cherma, West's poetry collection built on the stories of her immigrant ancestors, and some of my favorites in Candles and Pins have a narrative quality as well, but most of the poetry is lyric, and the writer's gift for unique and spot-on metaphor particularly makes them edgy, shocking, or heart breaking.
I have come to expect final lines in West's poems that suspend me in a thought or emotion for several seconds after I've read them. "Why are we relieved that a crib is so near to a cage"...."You're the gun"..."This is the garden of lost things"... and "A glass of tea beads on the porch rail, and she leans back, feeling nothing of the coming curse in the breeze that lifts the ends of her hair."
As she did with Cherma, West has chosen a unifying theme that fascinates, superstitions. Most of these were unknown to me. The poet's imagination has fleshed out these simple and ominous predictions in ways that will delight fans of dark literature. My favorite, "A Few Rules", is a grim warning to any youth who might allow themselves to pursue romance while dressed in mourning clothes!
I have come to expect final lines in West's poems that suspend me in a thought or emotion for several seconds after I've read them. "Why are we relieved that a crib is so near to a cage"...."You're the gun"..."This is the garden of lost things"... and "A glass of tea beads on the porch rail, and she leans back, feeling nothing of the coming curse in the breeze that lifts the ends of her hair."
As she did with Cherma, West has chosen a unifying theme that fascinates, superstitions. Most of these were unknown to me. The poet's imagination has fleshed out these simple and ominous predictions in ways that will delight fans of dark literature. My favorite, "A Few Rules", is a grim warning to any youth who might allow themselves to pursue romance while dressed in mourning clothes!
March 13, 2018
What intrigued me: After reading the description I knew this was my cup of tea.
What I liked: My favorite poems were Sin-Eater because this was a superstition that freaked me out as a child and The Garden of Lost Things because of the cadence. The imagery evoked is spectacular.
What I didn't like: It's so short. I will just have to content myself with reading it over and over.
Favorite quote: "We turn to dark things in dark times." - Abracadabra p.12
What I liked: My favorite poems were Sin-Eater because this was a superstition that freaked me out as a child and The Garden of Lost Things because of the cadence. The imagery evoked is spectacular.
What I didn't like: It's so short. I will just have to content myself with reading it over and over.
Favorite quote: "We turn to dark things in dark times." - Abracadabra p.12
May 13, 2018
This beautifully written book of poems based on superstitions is atmospheric, creepy, sad, amazing... "The Cockatrice Egg"... wow.
Of course, read for your own enjoyment because there's plenty of that to be found in the pages, but thinking past that---these poems would be wonderful inspiration for anyone interested in writing a fantasy or paranormal novel.
Teachers, too, check it out.
Of course, read for your own enjoyment because there's plenty of that to be found in the pages, but thinking past that---these poems would be wonderful inspiration for anyone interested in writing a fantasy or paranormal novel.
Teachers, too, check it out.
March 14, 2018
Beautiful collection of poetry that combines the creepy with the awesome and the mysterious.
May 27, 2018
This is a beautiful little collection of poems. West has a unique and charming way with words - even when the subject matter is a bit dark. I enjoyed this very much.
April 19, 2021
Beautiful. Darkly lovely.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews