BOOK REVIEW: Water Runs Red

Water Runs Red by Jenna Clare
Published: March 5, 2019

First of all if you are not following Jenna on one of her various social media platforms, you are missing out. Jenna is a booktuber, photographer, and bookstagrammer who self published her debut poetry collection, Water Runs Red.

I was hyped when Jenna announced this, mainly because I am such a fan of her work, but I was not sure what to expect. She chronologized her processing writing this collection on social media and I knew I wanted to buy a copy, if only to support her and her dedication to this project. However, as she started releasing promo poems and excerpts, I started to realize that this collection was going to be good. When she released her documentary about her book and her experience with this whole ordeal, I realized this was going to be different from any poetry collection I had ever read.

I am a big fan of modern poetry and Jenna’s collection follows that popular format. But, what makes this collection stand out are the individual pages. Jenna is an avid journaler and each page looks like a mini collage or a journal entry. She incorporated so many of her own photos and little illustrations into the pages which adds to the vulnerability and the beauty of the collection. Simply put, it is the most gorgeous book I have ever read.

WHAT I LOVED:

The overarching narrative is beautifully done and is present throughout the story
The themes of “bad blood” between friends. I truly believe we don’t talk about friendship break ups (and how painful they are) nearly enough. This book showcases the messy and heartbreaking nature of them
I could relate to so many of the poems, I don’t need to be able to relate to poems to enjoy them, but I appreciated seeing themes that directly relate to my life.
- I had a bad friendship “break up” and no one really understood what I was going through. This collection gets it. Jenna’s words paralleled my thoughts so well. I felt this in my heart.
This book is stunning! I know I have said that a million times, but no matter how many times I say that it is not enough to truly showcase how pretty it is.
- I literally took like 30 screenshots while reading the eBook (see photo below)
How long it is! This is such a chunky collection and it is worth the price
There are so many pop culture references
I know I will go back to this collection
Aside from the theme of “bad blood” there are so many issues covered (intersectional feminism, asexuality, body positivity, politics, and more).
I literally felt the emotions while reading some of the poems. My heart hurt and I almost cried.

WHAT I DID NOT LOVE

Honestly, nothing. This collection was everything I wanted and more. It is a stunning and innovative work of ART.

As a heads up, the paperback is not in color, but the eBook is. If you buy the paperback you can get the eBook for $1.99 (via Amazon Matchbook), but it takes a couple of days after you place your amazon order. I would recommend doing this, because the color is breathtaking and adds another dimension to the poems.