The Purple Palace & other poems (2024)

Beautiful poetry and illustrations. So comforting and creative to read. Absolutely a new favorite poem collection!

shayna is a really important artist to me. her words and spirit around creativity and constantly reinventing oneself to bet he person you’ve always dreamed you would be is,,,, it has been quintessential to my growth constantly. i really enjoyed reading her poetry. i’d say it was a 50/50 of poems i loved so much i dog eared them and then poems that felt a little forgettable. i think one thing this book suffered from was lack of editing and refinement on her original thoughts but i think that’s the way she creates. regardless, the ones that stuck with me though found a way to be playfully full of punches. i felt very held and like this collection spoke to my inner creative, messy, loving child. this feeling is rare and very important to me so overall i did enjoy the collection despite thinking it could have been edited down a bit.

“So you take a small step forward, breaking invisible things; the beauty of being lost is that a step in any direction feels like progress.”

“who am i when i’m alone... do i like myself? do i have doubts? if i’m being honest, i’m still figuring that one out.”

“Sometimes all it takes is a haircut. A small, insignificant action to feel that this is once again our body, our future, our existence. It’s like falling in love with the world again and again as children do.”

“IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO BE THE PERSON YOU’D DREAM YOU’D BE WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER”

I feel like I will never be truly done with this book, but as far as pages go, I guess this means it's over.
I will try to summarize what this book made me feel, but I feel like every word I write will lack of enough meaning to truly explain it.
This book felt like a constant shiver, like fire runing trough my veins, burning everything on its way to the deepest chamber of my heart, this book felt like a hug from the inside, this book is a bruise, and a kiss, and a warm piece of bread in the morning.
It's tears of loss and understanding, it's feelings you didn't know you had inside of you, it's goosebumps every step of the way.
It's words of encouragement, it's a sore throat and the spoonful of honey needed to mellow it out, it's screaming inside of your head because finally, you get it.
It feels like someone is watching you, studying you from the other side of a two way mirror, you feel seen.
It feels like pasta and wine with a friend and like all of the sensations have been spilled raw out of your body.
It is the best book I have read in a very long time, and I feel like I will carry this book with me, wherever I go, because it also feels like a travel companion.
than you, thank you, thank you so much for writing this book.

This collection of poems was such an enjoyable read!

It was nice to explore all the nooks, crannies, crevices, and the corners the of what essentially creates this dreamy place in the author’s mind known as "The Purple Palace".

These poems speak to what it means to be your own person in the world and coming to terms with not being everyone’s favorite cup of tea. Most of all, it is a gentle reminder to make sure that at the very least, you are your own favorite kind of tea.

Loved reading this very emotionally honest book of poetry. The illustrations are also quite lovely

Vulnerable and raw and so full of life — I want to crawl inside these poems and stay awhile

How do I say this without sounding completely batty...you know THOSE books? Those feel it in your gut, lump in your throat, tears of uncertain loss, happiness, and nostalgia all wrapped into one book? Those books that can transport you to a feeling you haven't felt in years? Those books are precious because you only come across so many in your lifetime. I don't have many... but the “purple palace and other poems“ was it for me. I haven't felt that way about a book in years. Shayna, I thank you for bringing that feeling back to me.

What a beautiful poetry book to spend time on and read. I could clearly see the growing from start till finish. My favorite poems were: THIS IS LIFE NOW HURRAY and EZRA’S WALK TO SCHOOL. Beautiful beautiful words and thoughts.

Absolutely loved this collection of poetry, by one of my biggest inspirations in both life and art and so having something physical of hers that I can share with others is a dream come true.
Really raw and beautiful poems, definitely a collection for people who want to feel a true connection with the author and enjoy conversational style poetry!
Well done Shayna! ❤🦋

Shayna Klee's writing is honest, compassionate. Her way of choosing words and combining them is like a colorful abstract painting; full of hope, but leaving space for interpretation in a mysterious kind of way.
I enjoyed reading it.

Love this poetry book. It's just a magical, brings joy moment. I fell in love with her world and the illustrations (who are beautiful btw), i definitely recommend this poetry book for the one who wants to fell in a world apart and fell consciousness about little things of ours life.

I love this collection of poetry. It inspires me, brings me joy, challenges me and leaves me wanting to write.

Such a wonderful book of poetry, so incredibly moving and magical. A very special book which I will no doubt read repeatedly.

Best book of poems x loved it

“There was a time when the most exciting part of my
day was when I would crawl into my bed at night
and imagine all the delicious things I would eat in
the morning; spaghetti and cakes, jam with assorted
cheese.
In the morning I would not be hungry anymore.”
-Vase of Pain
Honestly, same. Lol.

I picked up this book on Amazon because the cover was intriguing. Wacky, weird, I like it.
But the contents were just okay. This is an extremely chaotic confessional, and I love that! Shayna is definitely f*cking out there and not afraid to show that off. The art she created for the book was also stunning!
But, most of the poems didn’t resonate with me, and a few actually came off very instapoet-esque. Not sure how many times I read the words; balloon, stone, and pizza. Things got kind of repetitive. Also, a few grammatical errors are sprinkled throughout. I know it’s self published, but just fyi.
Ok and, random rant, but in Vase of Pain, she is upset about having to throw out perfectly good flowers. But, in House Plants, she’s pouring wine into her plants. Which one is it?! Pro or anti plant? Just a contradiction I got hung up on.
My favorite poem was, Inside My Shell. Super relatable as a content creator.
Also, I think it’s fair to note that I wasn’t aware that Shayna is a YouTuber until after I read this. She seems like a delightful person and I’m sending her lots of creativity!

I might be biased because I already love Shayna's youtube videos, but this is the best poetry collection I've ever read. It's relatable, raw, and and more realistic than anything I've read before. It felt like a coming-of-age read for my adulthood.

This collection made me feel validated in the way I look at the world, and also challenged me to shift my perspective more to the positive. Truly inspiring, I can tell this is one I'll go back to many times in the coming years.

One of my favorite quotes from the collection (and one I relate to very much) reads,

"Invite me to your party please. I might not come, but I WANT to be there. I would bring cider and listen to every conversation--the beauty and terror making my face twitch suddenly..."

I <3 Shayna and her willingness and ability to make art that is deeply personal and moving. I especially loved the second part of poems, since I feel that is the stage of life I'm grappling with now.

This poetry book is such a beautiful representation of an equally beautiful human being. Reading the words of a fellow expat navigating life abroad in pursuit of her dreams was so inspiring. Shayna’s approachable and raw approach to poetry makes it easier to retain and understand without compromising the art of her words. It even inspired me to start writing again. Finishing this book gave me a new lease on life with a fresh perspective and the motivation to be the person I wanted to be as a child 🤍

After watching her videos and hearing her speak, it was almost as if she was narrating it as I read. It felt very personal and well written, I am grateful to have had the chance to read it.

Great inspiration. Loved it so much, especialy part II

This book is immersive and creative, and it transports me to another world. A world where everything is free and compassionate. It's a book you can always read again and see how your ideas change. It's a piece of heaven, and I'm obsessed! Shayna is one of my role models in life for her beautiful, cheerful, enthusiastic and free-spirited outlook on life. I highly recommend reading this book :)

It's hard to rate. I loved and connected with some poems and others I thought is it poetry? I appreciate anyone willing to share a part of themselves and know that you can't connect and please everyone.

I think whether you are a lover of poetry, or someone who is dipping their toe into the poetry pool...this is a book you will enjoy.
I bought this book 4 days ago, and have read it 3 times over since then - each time I read it, I interpret the poems differently, and love each one more. Whatever kind of person you are, there is something you will be able to pull from each poem and relate to yourself.
I almost felt nostalgic as I was reading these poems, they make you feel like not only can you relate, but you have shared the experiences in some way.
A gorgeous collection of poetry, would recommend for sure.

I discovered Shayna through her Youtube channel which documents her life as an art student in Paris France. This book is the fruits of a years worth of creative labour and is a delicate work of intimate creativity.
Her poems trace her childhood recollections growing up in America and take us through her own personal journey to find herself.
Shayna's dedication to creativity is astounding and this book of poems completed perfectly with her own illustrations is an ode to the nature, need and purpose of living a creative life. If you want to revive your hope or tired soul read these beautiful poems.

I thought the pomes are pretty good, though I wished for Shayna to maybe include a few less of them. Don't get me wrong, poems such as Superman Ice Cream or Stop Telling Girls to Smile are very cool and overall she poses important questions and brings crucial themes. The illustrations are divine too. But I can't get over the fact that there are more than 20 poems and only 4 that I liked deeply (the rest of them I don't dislike, but rather tolerate in the book). Overall, it's interesting to read, would recommend it but not as a must-read.

I keep thinking about these poems so I thought I'd review - "objectively" this book doesn't deserve 5 stars, most likely not even 4.... but Shayna has just been such an inspiring artist to me, her poems are raw and full of life and her passion for creating things (even if she's not an "expert" in the fields of art she moves in) is so infectious! And I guess that's what keeps bringing me back to her and her art :) Props to her for being such an icon !!!

I stumbled on Shayna's youtube channel by chance not too long ago and fell in love with her slow living vlogs in Paris. So when I found out she was self publishing a poetry book (something I really want to do one day, too) I was super excited! The collection of poems in The Purple Palace are refreshing and honest, and instantly transport me to sun soaked days full of potential and hope.

2.5 stars:

“There are things I do not know, and that is what scares me. Little tricks of the world that if you fall for, people shake their heads and say ’how sad’...

The future is you revisiting places you’ve once been, with a fresh set of eyes. It’s the closest we can ever get to time traveling.”

3.5 - Poetry isn't really my jam, but I decided to give this collection a try after discovering Shayna Klee on YouTube (where she shares vlogs on art and life as an American in Paris). Her positive (almost naive?) vibes are a breath of fresh air. The poems here highlight her dreamy style-some really resonated with me and some didn't, but overall it was a quick, lovely read.

More like a 3.5. I felt this collection was uneven; in my opinion, the second half was much stronger than the first half. Shayna should also consider getting an editor to scan the poems for mispellings or punctuation errors; they occur as early as the first poem, with "its" often being written as "it's." I could let a few slide, but considering that you're asking your readers to pay for your poems, it's not unreasonable for your readers to expect basic errors like these to be corrected.

That being said, I have such immense respect for Shayna for following her dreams and publishing her poetry! Her YouTube channel is massively inspirational to me as an artist and writer, and I love her honesty, her vulnerability, and her sweet and loving nature. I will continue to purchase her future releases, even if they aren't quite for me, because I appreciate her so much and I want to support her efforts to inspire other artists. It's hard to say whether my own writing would be without her work.