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Malkah's Notebook: A Journey into the Mystical Aleph-Bet
"Musing through a space that’s somewhere between an illuminated, psalmic narrative poem and a graphic novel attuned to the soul, Malkah’s Notebook is an intimate trip through Jewish mysticism and feminist theology." — Foreword Reviews
Malkah is a child when her father tries teaching her to read Torah. But they don’t get very far. As Malkah studies, her questions multiply. She discovers an earlier, hidden story of creation within the Hebrew Aleph-Bet letters in the first line of Genesis. And a door opens. Malkah’s discovery takes her on a lifelong journey in search of her beginnings—into Jewish mystical texts, far-off places, archaeological digs, ancient gods, and ultimately into the nature of existence itself.
Part bedtime story, part poem, part journal, and coupled with highly evocative illustrations, Malkah’s Notebook is a love letter to the Hebrew alphabet that unlocks life’s greatest mysteries.
Malkah is a child when her father tries teaching her to read Torah. But they don’t get very far. As Malkah studies, her questions multiply. She discovers an earlier, hidden story of creation within the Hebrew Aleph-Bet letters in the first line of Genesis. And a door opens. Malkah’s discovery takes her on a lifelong journey in search of her beginnings—into Jewish mystical texts, far-off places, archaeological digs, ancient gods, and ultimately into the nature of existence itself.
Part bedtime story, part poem, part journal, and coupled with highly evocative illustrations, Malkah’s Notebook is a love letter to the Hebrew alphabet that unlocks life’s greatest mysteries.
312 pages, Hardcover
Published March 1, 2022
2 people are currently reading
1263 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 16, 2023
I read this book in a single sitting and I have a feeling I'm going to be thinking about it for a long time and returning to it frequently. I will say from the outset, though, this book may be a challenge to engage with if you aren't familiar with the Hebrew aleph-beht and how Hebrew as a language operates. There is also a fair amount of knowledge of Jewish mysticism and rabbinical commentary required to get the most out of this story. I recently took an Essentials of Judaism class that touched on some of this and really feel it made all the difference in elevating my reading experience.
The story was beautiful, with stunning, thought-provoking illustrations. It focuses on some of the many (many, many, many) interpretations of Torah (particularly Bereishit) in its original Hebrew language. There are multiple nods to ancient Near Eastern cultures and gods, and the story also has a very feminist, coming-of-age vibe as we follow the main character Malkah from girlhood and her initial questions of the Hebrew text into adolescence when she leaves home to learn more on her own. The text switches from third person to first person in the final part, giving us even more insight into what Malkah has learned and taken away from her childhood studies and her journey as an adult.
If you have some familiarity with Hebrew and Jewish spiritual thought, I cannot recommend this book enough.
The story was beautiful, with stunning, thought-provoking illustrations. It focuses on some of the many (many, many, many) interpretations of Torah (particularly Bereishit) in its original Hebrew language. There are multiple nods to ancient Near Eastern cultures and gods, and the story also has a very feminist, coming-of-age vibe as we follow the main character Malkah from girlhood and her initial questions of the Hebrew text into adolescence when she leaves home to learn more on her own. The text switches from third person to first person in the final part, giving us even more insight into what Malkah has learned and taken away from her childhood studies and her journey as an adult.
If you have some familiarity with Hebrew and Jewish spiritual thought, I cannot recommend this book enough.
May 8, 2023
Visually stunning tale of a young girl's interactions and insights into the aleph bet. While I am quite familiar with the Hebrew alphabet, I did find some of the character's reflections difficult to follow, but that was more than compensated for by the gorgeous illustrations. Really a unique book that I will certainly reread multiple times, gaining greater understanding each time.
March 6, 2022
This book is a complex, multilayered storybook. It masquerades as a kid's book, but the kind of kid's book that is best experienced, at least initially, with a parent. While it does reinforce learning the aleph-bet with little stories and verses meant to be read aloud, the letters are given personality, quirks and associations that frame a pretty complete worldview. This allows the mystical power of those letters to surround the central character and, by extension, the reader.
The stunning illustrations are also loaded with mystical meaning and they reward scrutiny. Initially they are stylized and simple, and as Malkah grows into adolescence the illustrations become as richly textured, layered and complex as you might expect the young woman herself to be.
There isn't anything conventional about this book from any perspective, Jewish, gentile or even Kabbalistic, and not just because the student is a girl. Characters include rabbinical Sages from Talmudic teachings, holy places across continents, Berber Muslims, Bronze Age gods, and of course the letters themselves. While the teachings of her Kabbalist father inform everything about the way she understands her experiences and environments, there's an almost rebellious pull toward getting out of the library and into the world. For example, Malkah's greatest epiphanies come from digging in dirt, not poring over the "crumbling old books" that loomed in towering stacks over her childhood. She actually struggles with the opposing pull back into the comfort of the library of her childhood.
It's divided into four sections. The fourth is the most complex but includes verses that are simple and accessible to even the very young learner. Studious readers will find considerable depth in the messages and images here.
One could imagine a kid pulling it out and puzzling over it repeatedly, over the course of years, while subtly developing the ability to look at the world from the same deeply meaningful framework that Malkah does. For this reason, it's worthwhile to get the hardcover book rather than the Kindle version, which does not invite re-examination the way a physical book might.
The stunning illustrations are also loaded with mystical meaning and they reward scrutiny. Initially they are stylized and simple, and as Malkah grows into adolescence the illustrations become as richly textured, layered and complex as you might expect the young woman herself to be.
There isn't anything conventional about this book from any perspective, Jewish, gentile or even Kabbalistic, and not just because the student is a girl. Characters include rabbinical Sages from Talmudic teachings, holy places across continents, Berber Muslims, Bronze Age gods, and of course the letters themselves. While the teachings of her Kabbalist father inform everything about the way she understands her experiences and environments, there's an almost rebellious pull toward getting out of the library and into the world. For example, Malkah's greatest epiphanies come from digging in dirt, not poring over the "crumbling old books" that loomed in towering stacks over her childhood. She actually struggles with the opposing pull back into the comfort of the library of her childhood.
It's divided into four sections. The fourth is the most complex but includes verses that are simple and accessible to even the very young learner. Studious readers will find considerable depth in the messages and images here.
One could imagine a kid pulling it out and puzzling over it repeatedly, over the course of years, while subtly developing the ability to look at the world from the same deeply meaningful framework that Malkah does. For this reason, it's worthwhile to get the hardcover book rather than the Kindle version, which does not invite re-examination the way a physical book might.
November 23, 2025
This extraordinary book swept me away from the moment I opened it. Mira Z. Amiras has created a narrative that feels simultaneously ancient and innovative, deeply rooted in Jewish mysticism yet boldly imaginative in its execution. Malkah’s lifelong exploration of the Aleph-Bet opens into a profound meditation on creation, identity, and the human desire to understand our place in the cosmos.
The structure part poem, part journal, part bedtime story creates a unique rhythm that mirrors Malkah’s evolving consciousness. It is rare to encounter a work that so skillfully blends personal storytelling with mythological depth and philosophical inquiry. Amiras writes with a clarity and emotional resonance that make even the most esoteric ideas feel accessible and alive.
Josh Baum’s illustrations are nothing short of breathtaking. They amplify the mood of the narrative, offering visual insights that complement the text’s mystical undertones. Together, words and images form a cohesive whole an artistic and intellectual tapestry that captivates from start to finish.
Malkah’s Notebook is a triumph. It will appeal to readers of literary fiction, spiritual seekers, scholars of Judaism, and anyone who cherishes stories that illuminate the mysteries of being. This is a book to treasure, reread, and share.
The structure part poem, part journal, part bedtime story creates a unique rhythm that mirrors Malkah’s evolving consciousness. It is rare to encounter a work that so skillfully blends personal storytelling with mythological depth and philosophical inquiry. Amiras writes with a clarity and emotional resonance that make even the most esoteric ideas feel accessible and alive.
Josh Baum’s illustrations are nothing short of breathtaking. They amplify the mood of the narrative, offering visual insights that complement the text’s mystical undertones. Together, words and images form a cohesive whole an artistic and intellectual tapestry that captivates from start to finish.
Malkah’s Notebook is a triumph. It will appeal to readers of literary fiction, spiritual seekers, scholars of Judaism, and anyone who cherishes stories that illuminate the mysteries of being. This is a book to treasure, reread, and share.
November 23, 2025
This extraordinary book swept me away from the moment I opened it. Mira Z. Amiras has created a narrative that feels simultaneously ancient and innovative, deeply rooted in Jewish mysticism yet boldly imaginative in its execution. Malkah’s lifelong exploration of the Aleph-Bet opens into a profound meditation on creation, identity, and the human desire to understand our place in the cosmos.
The structure part poem, part journal, part bedtime story creates a unique rhythm that mirrors Malkah’s evolving consciousness. It is rare to encounter a work that so skillfully blends personal storytelling with mythological depth and philosophical inquiry. Amiras writes with a clarity and emotional resonance that make even the most esoteric ideas feel accessible and alive.
Josh Baum’s illustrations are nothing short of breathtaking. They amplify the mood of the narrative, offering visual insights that complement the text’s mystical undertones. Together, words and images form a cohesive whole an artistic and intellectual tapestry that captivates from start to finish.
Malkah’s Notebook is a triumph. It will appeal to readers of literary fiction, spiritual seekers, scholars of Judaism, and anyone who cherishes stories that illuminate the mysteries of being. This is a book to treasure, reread, and share.
The structure part poem, part journal, part bedtime story creates a unique rhythm that mirrors Malkah’s evolving consciousness. It is rare to encounter a work that so skillfully blends personal storytelling with mythological depth and philosophical inquiry. Amiras writes with a clarity and emotional resonance that make even the most esoteric ideas feel accessible and alive.
Josh Baum’s illustrations are nothing short of breathtaking. They amplify the mood of the narrative, offering visual insights that complement the text’s mystical undertones. Together, words and images form a cohesive whole an artistic and intellectual tapestry that captivates from start to finish.
Malkah’s Notebook is a triumph. It will appeal to readers of literary fiction, spiritual seekers, scholars of Judaism, and anyone who cherishes stories that illuminate the mysteries of being. This is a book to treasure, reread, and share.
November 14, 2022
Review - Malkah’s Notebook
By Mira Amiras
Malkah’s Notebook is visually sumptuous, a feast for the eyes & heart and a meditation for the soul. It speaks in a language that makes complex yet core wisdom teachings from Jewish mysticism vividly come to life.
Malkah is a lonely young girl, bereft of her mother, imbibing her father’s love through journeys into his library “filled with dusty old books” that she learns contain questions that open doors to more questions. We accompany Malkah through these doors on her lifelong quest into the mythic stories from Jewish mysticism, only to find them nested within the deeper roots of the Pagan pantheon of gods and goddesses of the Middle East and North Africa.
This is a book that will appeal to adults as well as children, and to those of us who continue to hear that “still small voice” of the child within asking “where am I really from?”
Shoshana Simons, PhD, RDT
Professor & Former Program Chair, MA Counseling Psychology Program, Expressive Arts Therapy Concentration, California Institute of Integral Studies & Voice Actor
By Mira Amiras
Malkah’s Notebook is visually sumptuous, a feast for the eyes & heart and a meditation for the soul. It speaks in a language that makes complex yet core wisdom teachings from Jewish mysticism vividly come to life.
Malkah is a lonely young girl, bereft of her mother, imbibing her father’s love through journeys into his library “filled with dusty old books” that she learns contain questions that open doors to more questions. We accompany Malkah through these doors on her lifelong quest into the mythic stories from Jewish mysticism, only to find them nested within the deeper roots of the Pagan pantheon of gods and goddesses of the Middle East and North Africa.
This is a book that will appeal to adults as well as children, and to those of us who continue to hear that “still small voice” of the child within asking “where am I really from?”
Shoshana Simons, PhD, RDT
Professor & Former Program Chair, MA Counseling Psychology Program, Expressive Arts Therapy Concentration, California Institute of Integral Studies & Voice Actor
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August 15, 2022Written by author, Mira Z. Amiras and illustrated by Josh Baum (winner of the Future Map prize,) Amiras shares Malkah’s lifelong journey learning the Hebrew alphabet. Her journey is captured through brilliant illustrations joining the beauty of letters with a rich tapestry of images created through collage techniques and pen and ink.
Malkha is introduced to the reader through her relationship with her father who is teaching her to read the Torah. The author, nurtured by her own father, creates part bedtime story, part poem and part journal in a visual mosaic; the author describes her earliest teachers - from archaeological sites, Jewish mystical texts and libraries of the world.
Illustrations begin with Malkah in a very simple black dress, a silhouette, like a Hebrew letter" and morph into the more complex as Maleah's learning evolves. At the pinnacle of her adventure, she “explodes into a millioni new letters.”
February 12, 2023
Malkah’s Quest
Malkah’s Notebook is a unique book about the mystical Hebrew Aleph-Bet that draws the reader into a reflective journey into an explorative quest for meaning and truth. The illustrations are a visual triumph. The author Mira Z Amiras and the illustrator Josh Baum have come together in perfect harmony and crafted a masterpiece, which is an absolute joy to read. It warms the reader’s spirit and soul, gently awakening the senses and bringing the Hebrew letters to life. A must-have that stands alone, but is also an ideal companion to the multi-award winning film The Day Before Creation. This book will appeal to all ages, to be re-read and re-read, it is enlightening and full of constant discoveries. A book that keeps on giving. Just turn the pages and let it speak to you. I love this beautiful book.
Malkah’s Notebook is a unique book about the mystical Hebrew Aleph-Bet that draws the reader into a reflective journey into an explorative quest for meaning and truth. The illustrations are a visual triumph. The author Mira Z Amiras and the illustrator Josh Baum have come together in perfect harmony and crafted a masterpiece, which is an absolute joy to read. It warms the reader’s spirit and soul, gently awakening the senses and bringing the Hebrew letters to life. A must-have that stands alone, but is also an ideal companion to the multi-award winning film The Day Before Creation. This book will appeal to all ages, to be re-read and re-read, it is enlightening and full of constant discoveries. A book that keeps on giving. Just turn the pages and let it speak to you. I love this beautiful book.
March 12, 2022
This book is sumptuous on both visual and reflective levels. It looks like a children's book, but it explores, semi-autobiographically, Jewish mysticism and a thinking bibliophile's quest for truth and explanations. It is a journey of self and mystical discovery for the daughter of an old rabbi. The girl's name is Malkah, and vicariously, we join her to explore the Jewish alphabet, and through that, so much more.
The illustrations are done by a former Torah scribe from Israel, a discerning and thoughtful man who has added to the poetic, fairy tale like storyline immensely. A wonderful book to be held in the hands, to page through, and savor the meaning and image of separate pages. This is a book you can go back to, again and again. A treasure indeed!
The illustrations are done by a former Torah scribe from Israel, a discerning and thoughtful man who has added to the poetic, fairy tale like storyline immensely. A wonderful book to be held in the hands, to page through, and savor the meaning and image of separate pages. This is a book you can go back to, again and again. A treasure indeed!
November 9, 2025
Few books manage to be as intellectually ambitious and emotionally resonant as Malkah’s Notebook. It is both a deeply personal story and a universal meditation on creation, identity, and meaning.
What makes this work so striking is its originality. Mira Amiras has created something that refuses to fit into a single category it’s fiction, memoir, theology, and art all woven into one. Yet it never feels heavy or self-conscious. The prose flows like music, and the pacing allows each image and idea to settle naturally.
I found myself completely absorbed, often pausing just to take in the beauty of a phrase or the subtle symbolism in the illustrations. This is not a book you simply read it’s one you experience, and it lingers long after the final page.
What makes this work so striking is its originality. Mira Amiras has created something that refuses to fit into a single category it’s fiction, memoir, theology, and art all woven into one. Yet it never feels heavy or self-conscious. The prose flows like music, and the pacing allows each image and idea to settle naturally.
I found myself completely absorbed, often pausing just to take in the beauty of a phrase or the subtle symbolism in the illustrations. This is not a book you simply read it’s one you experience, and it lingers long after the final page.
November 9, 2025
As someone who has taught comparative religion and mysticism for over twenty years, I can say with confidence that Malkah’s Notebook deserves to be included in academic discussions about modern interpretations of sacred text.
What Mira Amiras has accomplished is extraordinary: she bridges the scholarly rigor of Jewish mysticism with the lyrical beauty of creative narrative. Malkah’s journey through the Aleph-Bet is not simply metaphor it’s a reimagining of the very act of reading as a spiritual practice.
The prose is luminous, poetic, and dense with meaning. Yet it remains emotionally accessible. I found myself reflecting deeply on the feminine dimensions of divine wisdom that the author so gracefully reclaims. This is a work that will reward close study and repeated reading.
What Mira Amiras has accomplished is extraordinary: she bridges the scholarly rigor of Jewish mysticism with the lyrical beauty of creative narrative. Malkah’s journey through the Aleph-Bet is not simply metaphor it’s a reimagining of the very act of reading as a spiritual practice.
The prose is luminous, poetic, and dense with meaning. Yet it remains emotionally accessible. I found myself reflecting deeply on the feminine dimensions of divine wisdom that the author so gracefully reclaims. This is a work that will reward close study and repeated reading.
November 9, 2025
Malkah’s Notebook reads like poetry disguised as prose. Every sentence feels carefully weighed and measured, like a spell. The rhythm of the writing mirrors the rhythm of prayer the way words repeat, deepen, and spiral toward revelation.
I was especially struck by how Amiras uses the Hebrew letters themselves as living entities. Each one seems to breathe, to hum, to carry its own heartbeat. The result is a book that reads less like a linear story and more like a spiritual composition.
This is a book for anyone who believes that language is sacred that the right words, spoken with awareness, can open doors to understanding.
I was especially struck by how Amiras uses the Hebrew letters themselves as living entities. Each one seems to breathe, to hum, to carry its own heartbeat. The result is a book that reads less like a linear story and more like a spiritual composition.
This is a book for anyone who believes that language is sacred that the right words, spoken with awareness, can open doors to understanding.
November 9, 2025
This book touched something ancient in me. I grew up hearing Hebrew words without fully understanding them, and Malkah’s Notebook gave those letters new life. Mira Amiras reclaims the sacred feminine within Judaism not by rejecting tradition, but by entering it more deeply.
Through Malkah’s eyes, we see that the divine story has always been waiting for us to look again, to listen differently. Her curiosity, her courage, her insistence on asking “why” reminded me of the kind of spiritual questioning that makes faith real.
I finished this book with tears in my eyes and an ache of recognition in my heart. It’s a rare and beautiful thing when a story helps you remember who you are.
Through Malkah’s eyes, we see that the divine story has always been waiting for us to look again, to listen differently. Her curiosity, her courage, her insistence on asking “why” reminded me of the kind of spiritual questioning that makes faith real.
I finished this book with tears in my eyes and an ache of recognition in my heart. It’s a rare and beautiful thing when a story helps you remember who you are.
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February 15, 2022Unfortunately, what I wanted to take out of this was not there, and I have to conclude it just is not suitable for a gentile like myself. It's about a girl beginning to explore the sacred words, and starting to peruse her old father's library, but it does so in a way that is quite awkward to people not cognisant with Hebrew letters and thought, meaning the girl in just her first steps is already so far advanced of us non-Jewish readers that not even the dynamism of the artworks on every recto page can help.
November 23, 2025
Malkah’s Notebook is a rare gem beautifully written, deeply reflective, and spiritually resonant. Mira Z. Amiras weaves Jewish mysticism, feminist insight, and lyrical storytelling into a narrative that feels both ancient and urgently modern. The discovery of the hidden creation story within the Hebrew letters is breathtakingly portrayed, and Josh Baum’s illustrations elevate the text into something almost sacred. This book is a masterful blend of scholarship and imagination, and it left me genuinely moved.
February 26, 2024
Malkah's Notebook, which I read cover-to-cover in one sitting, was a perfect, much appreciated midnight treat for me during a bout of nighttime wakefulness. It is lovely and also rich like chocolate. Aptly, it left me with questions--in the best way. And parts of it resonate like a koan. The illustrations are truly stunning, and the text is suggestive and intriguing. If I need a gift for a Bat Mitzvah girl in future, this book will very likely be it.
November 23, 2025
This book is nothing short of extraordinary. Amiras takes the reader on Malkah’s lifelong journey of inquiry one that begins in childhood but stretches into the depths of theology, archaeology, and the human soul. Every page offers a new revelation, yet the storytelling remains accessible and intimate. The combination of poetic prose with vivid illustrations makes Malkah’s Notebook an immersive experience. It’s a work that will linger in the mind long after closing the cover.
March 3, 2022
Visually stunning and seemingly endlessly deep with symbology... a gorgeous book carrying a profound understanding of ancient stories. Definitely steeped in Jewish mysticism (a core part is how Hebrew letters carry different meanings) and will reward deep study, but also speaks to a more casual reader. Highly recommended.
March 12, 2022
Simply a beautiful book. It's not often I get to say that about a book, but the illustrations are gorgeous. The story walks you through a generation of growth both spiritual and intellectual. Grounded in several traditions yet easily accessible. I find a new page to be my new favorite each time I pick up the book. Everyone gets this as a gift this year.
July 12, 2022
Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. But sadly this is not what I expected. Wanting to have a glimpse of what Torah is about, I requested for the book. This is definitely not a book for kids, although graces with pretty illustrations, and for me who don't have any notion of Hebrew, got lost in understanding the meaning of each pages.
June 28, 2022
I won this book through GoodReads Giveaways for my honest opinion
This beautiful book is definitely a keeper for every generation. It's illustrated with wonderful care and tells a story that everyone should read to open their minds to other religious beliefs
This beautiful book is definitely a keeper for every generation. It's illustrated with wonderful care and tells a story that everyone should read to open their minds to other religious beliefs
August 8, 2022
This was excellent. How meany people will understand and appreciate the beauty and the thought that went onto this? I don't know. But it unlocked my dormant love for the Aleph-Bet. Forever grateful to Mira for teaching me the magic of Hebrew and Kabalah.
May 10, 2025
The illustrations are incredible! Captivating and a fascinating creative glimpse into this mysterious and mystical Hebrew alphabet.
May 11, 2025
Absolutely Beautiful ! I wish it had footnotes, because clearly it is based on a lot of midrashim and other research.
June 20, 2025
Phenomenal. Inspiring. Gorgeous. Reverent. Beautiful. Brought tears to my eyes.
March 25, 2024
Absolutely gorgeous. My Hebrew is not good enough for me to understand it on more than a surface level right now. (Text is mostly English with some Hebrew, and illustrations have much more Hebrew.) Will have to come back to it for more, I can see many re-readings in my future.
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March 2, 2022A STUDY GUIDE for Malkah’s Notebook is now available on academia.edu, along with an annotated bibliography entitled Part V CRUMBLING OLD BOOKS IN THE DUSTY OLD LIBRARY. There’s also A Glossary of Hebrew Letters there, which should help a lot!
December 31, 2023
This was an interesting read on multiple levels.
I recently returned from a trip to Israel (hence my interest in the read!). The trip enhanced my understanding of and experience with the text and its references to Hebrew, the Torah, Jewish history, history of the peoples the Hebrews encountered across the millennia (especially early on), and more. The book does encompass some Jewish mysticism as well as references to gods worshiped by said early peoples (Akkadians, Canaanites, etc.), which gave me pause--seeming elevation of polytheism.
The illustrations were the high point for me--absolutely brilliantly done! I also enjoyed Malkah's pursuit of truth, even if she and I would arrive at very different ends. The search for truth is a global one that each person must pursue for themselves.
I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I recently returned from a trip to Israel (hence my interest in the read!). The trip enhanced my understanding of and experience with the text and its references to Hebrew, the Torah, Jewish history, history of the peoples the Hebrews encountered across the millennia (especially early on), and more. The book does encompass some Jewish mysticism as well as references to gods worshiped by said early peoples (Akkadians, Canaanites, etc.), which gave me pause--seeming elevation of polytheism.
The illustrations were the high point for me--absolutely brilliantly done! I also enjoyed Malkah's pursuit of truth, even if she and I would arrive at very different ends. The search for truth is a global one that each person must pursue for themselves.
I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
May 29, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews