Readers Review

Readers’ Favorite – 5 Star Review

Reviewed by Diana Lopez

Francis Tolentino shows us the resilience of the Filipino people on the island of Mavulis. Through his poems, he describes impressive scenes, inviting us to see the sea as a symbol of change, and the morning sky as a reminder of strength because the sun shines every day, leaving darkness behind. But he also shares with us the story of the island as a guardian of its people, speaking of it as a passive spectator that endures beyond time.

His verses remind us that life is like the tide with its high and low moments. He also shows us that time heals all things, allowing things to return to their natural course. Winds of Sovereignty: The Mavulis Poems presents poetry in which the island and the sea seem to speak to us, telling stories of fury and calm.

I loved Francis Tolentino’s poetic style. His verses are written in clear and direct language. His ideas maintain a firm and reflective tone, focused on the search for peace. The descriptions present powerful scenes, such as cliffs and storms, but they also include hopeful elements, such as fertile soil and winds that seem to sing.

One detail I liked is how he evokes the force of nature through time, giving us an example of perseverance. This shows that just as the island has reclaimed spaces once shaped by human presence, people, too, can find the strength to rise after adversity. In addition, I found the photographs meaningful because they show a real perspective of Mavulis. Winds of Sovereignty: The Mavulis Poems is a tribute to a place that is home to dreams, hopes, and the longing for a prosperous future.

Readers’ Favorite – Review

Reviewed by Jamie Michele

Winds of Sovereignty by Francis Tolentino is a collection of original poetry around Mavulis, the northernmost island of the Philippines, depicting its connection to the people and world at large. Poems such as Welcome to Mavulis: The Lonely Island describe Mavulis’ isolation and the daily environment faced by stationed soldiers.

Raising the Philippine Flag speaks of hoisting the flag on the island’s cliffs and the procedures surrounding it. Between Pacific and the West Philippine Sea describes Mavulis’ location between two major bodies of water, and what it holds. Voices of Filipino Workers in Taiwan connects Mavulis to workers who view it as a geographic point between workplaces abroad and home.

My Island, Mavulis leans into a direct identification with Mavulis, its guarded shoreline, and a shared point on the national boundary.

Winds of Sovereignty: The Mavulis Poems is a gorgeous collection that introduced me to a completely new piece of the world, and I admit, I fell in love. Tolentino paints Mavulis through verse in a way that harnesses its strong spirit and breathes life into its shores.

It’s almost impossible to pick out a favorite, but Coconut Crabs at Dawn shines for the way it turns a simple breakfast into a warm event, as soldiers gather by the shore, sharing laughter. Tolentino answers their efforts with honest food and firm comfort through the early light.

Typhoons and Shelter is another favorite because it presents the island as a guardian, offering calm support when harsh weather moves in. Families trust the rock that Tolentino so elegantly writes about, and now I feel like I must visit.

Recommended.

Readers’ Favorite – Review

Reviewed by Jamie Michele

Winds of Sovereignty by Francis Tolentino is a collection of original poetry around Mavulis, the northernmost island of the Philippines, depicting its connection to the people and world at large. Poems such as Welcome to Mavulis: The Lonely Island describe Mavulis’ isolation and the daily environment faced by stationed soldiers.

Raising the Philippine Flag speaks of hoisting the flag on the island’s cliffs and the procedures surrounding it. Between Pacific and the West Philippine Sea describes Mavulis’ location between two major bodies of water, and what it holds. Voices of Filipino Workers in Taiwan connects Mavulis to workers who view it as a geographic point between workplaces abroad and home.

My Island, Mavulis leans into a direct identification with Mavulis, its guarded shoreline, and a shared point on the national boundary.

Winds of Sovereignty: The Mavulis Poems is a gorgeous collection that introduced me to a completely new piece of the world, and I admit, I fell in love. Tolentino paints Mavulis through verse in a way that harnesses its strong spirit and breathes life into its shores.

It’s almost impossible to pick out a favorite, but Coconut Crabs at Dawn shines for the way it turns a simple breakfast into a warm event, as soldiers gather by the shore, sharing laughter. Tolentino answers their efforts with honest food and firm comfort through the early light.

Typhoons and Shelter is another favorite because it presents the island as a guardian, offering calm support when harsh weather moves in. Families trust the rock that Tolentino so elegantly writes about, and now I feel like I must visit.

Recommended.

Literary Titan – 5 Star Review

The book traces the story of Mavulis through poetry that mixes history, memory, and national spirit. It moves from the island’s lonely cliffs to the battles of Crete and Corregidor, then follows cables beneath oceans and the lives of workers abroad, before returning to Mavulis as a symbol of hope.

It reads like a long walk around the island while listening to the sea talk back. The poems give Mavulis a voice, a past, a duty, and a quiet kind of power.

The writing feels steady and deliberate. The language is simple and direct, but it makes the ideas land harder than expected. There is a calm weight to the poems that slowly settles in.

The book doesn’t rush. It moves at the pace of tides, and that slow rhythm makes everything feel bigger. The emotion is understated but persistent, creating a sense of pride and reflection without becoming stiff or overbearing.

By the end, the collection feels both like a tribute and a reminder. It honors a place many people will never see, yet makes it feel deeply familiar. It offers quiet lessons about endurance, belonging, and how land holds memory even when people come and go.

Self-Publishing Review (SPR)

A rousing poetic ode to a steadfast sentinel, Winds of Sovereignty: The Mavulis Poems examines and celebrates Mavulis, the northernmost island of the Philippines, and a legendary testament to vigilance.

Beginning with a broad dive into the historical significance of the Vanguard Islands, followed by a compelling portrait of Mavulis itself, these poems vary widely in form and style, but all are underwritten with admiration for the island and the unique purpose and people it serves.

Bringing this isolated locale into a more relatable context, this lyrical collection is rounded out with sincerely passionate poems that highlight the island’s ongoing and unexpected role on the world stage, and its lasting symbolic value.

The poems without a strict rhyming cadence are more evocative, but every poem is marked by devout sincerity and reverence that feels both intensely personal and universal in its depth of imagery and emotion.

US Review of Books

This poetry collection pays homage to Mavulis Island, the Philippines’ northernmost island. In these verses, the island takes on a personality entirely its own. The poems’ speaker describes Mavulis as “the lonely island”—a place where oceans meet and the island “waits” as “the edge, the end.”

Other islands, like Crete, also take a poetic stage, and the island serves as a strong reminder of an island’s existence. Mavulis emerges as an all-knowing, all-seeing entity that knows yet “says nothing” about what the world needs and demands.

Storms, tempests, and warships may roll, but the island stands stalwart and timeless despite the world’s spinning and journeys ending. These poems also remind the book’s audience that even though humankind may lay claim to such islands, islands like Mavulis—and nature overall—carry the hope of a people and the freedom of a world.