Intelligent Writing 
I simply can’t make myself enjoy the book. The writing is intelligent; it flows smoothly and there are no grammatical or formatting issues. I simply did not enjoy the story. That, in itself, is no reflection upon the authors’ writing skills. It is just my personal preference. **I received this book in exchange for an honest review.**
by Writes4coffee on March 17, 2017
Dark poetry (with some light-hearted twists)
Tetiana Aleksina and Tony Single have swapped poems and compiled them in a little book: One Pulse: Cradle 2 Grave. The poems are surreal and dark. If you aren’t sure what the tone of the poems is, the illustrations throughout will tip you off. Scattered through the book are simple pen and ink drawings of the grim reaper. He might be playing the bongos, posing for a picture (giving rabbit ears to the person next to him), or painting graffiti while smoking a cigarette. While the focus is the text, these pictures illustrate the light-hearted yet morose feeling of the collection.
I enjoyed the interplay between the two authors, as they explored related themes and even echoed each other in the poems. Here are a couple of examples of some lines that struck me:
“The red Sun sinks in the sea.
The blue Moon changes its regular phase.
Life’s carousel spins . . . not with me.”
“let me fly now, let me fly
a host of angels by my side
my end’s nigh now, my end’s nigh
soon to see times other side”
Unlike much contemporary poetry, Aleksina and Single’s work doesn’t completely jettison things like rhyme and meter; I found that refreshing. But they are not married to it. Sometimes the words just flow. Poetry fans, especially those with gloomier tastes, will enjoy this collection.
Thanks to the authors for the complimentary electronic review copy!
on January 24, 2017
Panoply of life
Grim, but not totally.
A collection of unusual poems primarily on the dark side explains this work of verse, inviting the reader to interpretation; imaginative and graphic: life, death and love. Reviewed by the author of The Children’s Story, About Good and Evil.
on December 23, 2016
This Gothic-like Poetic Literature is to Poetry as Heavy Medal Bands are to Music–Unusually Entertaining. Enjoy!
One Pulse: Cradle 2 Grave is a collection of 32 unusual alternating poems by Tetiana Aleksina & Tony Single dealing with life, love, dying and death..
Some are darker than others.
Many express pining and passion for someone they love.
Some are witty aphorisms.
Most can be interpreted in a variety of ways.
All are heady.
They are to poetry as heavy metal bands are to music.
This new Gothic-like style of poetic literature can evoke dark and gloomy emotional responses.
Many of these poems contained terms that I was not familiar with. I took the time to look them up after the first reading and enjoyed them more after reading them a second time.
These poems are not for everyone; however, I found them entertaining and look forward to reading more from these authors.
Enjoy!
on December 19, 2016
A collection of poems that seem to be okay being in a class by themselves
This is something that normally would not fall into this category of book reviews I read yet I tried it. The short book is nothing that can carry any label, much less one, as it is collection of poems that seem to be okay being in a class by themselves. There seems to be a range of emotions, from bitterness with a taste of regret, a sense of ominous threat, self-doubt with a fair amount of self-awareness, all the way to heart-felt sorrow as well as an ominous fate. I personally like ‘not today’ and ‘you don’t say my name’ as my personal favorites yet there are plenty of others that are good enough to be bulletin board material.
by Corkasaurus on December 15, 2016
interesting
This is a short book of a battle of poetry. I am not a big poetry person but this was a little dark.. there were some interesting spots in this.. I actually enjoyed this book and for 2 bucks it isn’t badly priced. The 2 authors are amazing.. their writing makes you feel as if you are watching them and you can feel their comradery. It was amusing. I am glad I got to review it
on December 14, 2016
Some poetry… you decide on the quality
One Pulse: Cradle 2 Grave Kindle Edition by Tetiana Aleksina (Author), Tony Single (Author)
This Kindle e-book was approximately 38 printed pages and sold for $1.99 at the time of writing this review.
Poetry written in the glow of some contemplative, philosophical state of mind. It’s either genius or it’s not… my vote goes to the latter.
As it is… 1 Stars
Ray Nicholson
@ralannicholson
on November 28, 2016
A very good, clever, different, and fun collection of poems
The authors of this clever and often humorous non-conventional collection of poems have collected thoughts that prompt readers to think while enjoying what they are reading. The poetry rhymes and tingles our minds. The drawings associated with the poems add emphasis to the thoughts and are fun to see. Sometimes the authors mock themselves, as in the following, which have no capital letters:
so how dumb am I?
i’m two bricks short of a pigsty
The poem ‘After’ is similar:
like a bucket i’m kicked
on the ground all around
until I spill a river of tears
empty now
Other poems are quite deep, interesting, instructive, fun to read. I look forward to more collections.
by Israel Drazin on November 27, 2016
Great Modern Poetry
The poetic lines of One Pulse could be said to be poetry of love and fidelity, but that would detract from the larger effect of this book of poems, which is metaphorically delicious, philosophically enticing. The poetry weaves in and out between poems by Tetiana Aleksina & Tony Single, each becoming an extension to the other, building a foundation between two people by the weave of the words of fidelity and love. Skillfully written, this book of poetry should satisfy all readers of modern poetry.
on November 22, 2016
Life, love and death!
Once upon a time, two self-proclaimed writers decided to have a poetry battle. What do you think remained when the smoke cleared? No, not innocent victims but a strange boy and girl, the Grim Reaper, a handful of poems with survivor’s guilt, and a book called One Pulse: Cradle 2 Grave, a bizarre rumination on life, love, and death. With pictures! It’s brought to you by Tetiana Aleksina and Tony Single, the same perverted minds behind the popular poetry/prose site Unbolt Me.
What did I like? I have never gotten into poetry so this was a new experience for me and to be very honest I had to read it twice to really appreciate it. It is a very interesting take on life, love and death with very good graphic art.
What are you going to like? Well first if your into poetry you’re won’t have to read it twice! It is well written and certainly will give you a diverse approach on those three topics, I loved the graphic art and the depiction of the grim reaper brought each of them to life. I have to agree with one of the other reviews it is a refreshing take!
I received this from the author for an honest review.
on November 6, 2016
‘I’m an old rag-doll that was thrown into the dustbin together with a punctured ball and a broken clothespin.’
Ukrainian author Tetiana Aleksina (new writer of surrealism, absurdism, horror, fantasy and poems) and Australian author Tony Single (writer, cartoonist, with a freelance illustration business) join minds and imaginations on a blog Unbolt. Here they combine talents in a collection of graphics and poetry.
One from Tony:
zion lullaby
now here’s a little ditty
to remind me of a city, on a hill
that awaits me, beckons me
i’ll drown me not in pity
it’s there in the nitty gritty, in my hell
to inspire me, sustain me
so how dumb am i?
i’ll surely dig until i die
but i’d like to taste this pie
my faith so itty bitty
from rubble made so pretty, no dry spell
dare erode me, crumble me
so sing to me this ditty
out loud of a hilly city, and a well
to water me, refresh me
so how dumb am i?
i’m two bricks short of a pigsty
but i want to taste this pie
how deluded am i?
i’ll surely dig until i die
but i have to taste this sky pie
and from Tetiana
Culling
My name was erased from the
golden family plate.
I got a suitcase, some bank-notes
and a closed gate.
But I’m not offended. It’s better to
be a hellraiser
than to belong to the gold miner
dynasty… and to be born a stargazer.
Clever, entertaining, and as they call it, ‘a bizarre rumination on life, love, and death. It is refreshing to read new ideas told with such glee.
by Grady Harp on October 31, 2016
My Opinion on One Pulse: Cradle 2 Grave
A wonderful and beautifully worded collection of poems complete with fun and macabre illustrations. Dealing with themes of life, death, and more, this was quite the treat!
on October 15, 2016
by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2017-2018
unbolt me 