This was amazing. I loved Amanda's first poetry collection and this one did not disappoint. I loved how she combined the imagery of witches into her poems and made them so vivid and real. I especially love the message of femininity and womanhood present in all those poems and some of them made me so happy to be a woman.

This book is definitely a must in my life and I am thus going to pre-order it.
Mark your calendars! This is not a book you want to miss!

The Witch Doesn’t Burn in This One, Amanda Lovelace’s second volume of poetry, is ambitious in concept. Like her first volume, The Princess Saves Herself in This One, Lovelace’s style lends itself to a multi-section chapbook of freeform poetry, and like that first volume, many of the poems are so simple as to say almost nothing. The strengths from The Princess—personal, detailed pain transliterated into poetry—are mostly absent in The Witch, leaving it to stand on the emotional residue of current political unrest.

One reason that this structure worked for her first volume is simply that we were following Lovelace through her own journey. It was powerful for its personal nature. This is a similar structure to what you would find from Rupi Kaur, but with extreme simplicity of form for each poem. That in itself isn’t a criticism. Part of Lovelace’s appeal is her readability for those just getting into poetry. The problem lies in the fact that many of her poems sound the same, have the same point, with little variation. Her experiments with text spacing and font changes don’t always add something to what she’s writing, either. So when the narrative of the volume is absent, as it is with The Witch, and the topic of each poem is vaguely political rather than personal, each poem loses more and more impact. It gives the reader the feeling that they’re scrolling through the poetry tag on Tumblr, rather than reading a volume of poetry they bought for $15.

Furthermore, as I mentioned before, the poetry is rather one-note. For the first section, I only marked two poems as standing out. The middle sections faired a bit better, but since most of the topics were either a vague “women are powerful” or a rehash of what Lovelace did in the first volume, it is difficult really to find a lot of good poems to pull out as examples. Additionally, she made several “homages” to other literary works, from The Handmaid’s Tale to The Hunger Games to Hamilton to “Goblin Market”—something that should improve the quality of her poetry… However for the most part, the allusions are superficial. I would ask Lovelace, how are you building on the themes here? How does their inspiration bring strength to your own work?
A few themes appeared in The Witch that were notable. One is the encouragement of women to write poetry and draw from the strength of poets who came before them. This theme would have been strengthened if Lovelace had demonstrated any knowledge of this history beyond mentioning “Goblin Market,” since the poem itself only had a connection of women eating fruit and didn’t develop thematically to explore the meaning behind eating that fruit. Especially given the running theme of fire and witchcraft, there could be endless material for building on women poets who have come before Lovelace. That she doesn’t feels like an omission.
Another theme, which actually turns out well for Lovelace, is her attempt to draw on the notion of sisterhood. Overall, Lovelace’s portrayal of feminism here is a bit reminiscent of the second wave Sisterhood is Powerful bit and tries to totalize women’s experiences, but in several poems she directly addresses the broad spectrum of women and asking that women work together and for one another, particularly for their sisters on the margins. This brings out two poems from one of the stronger sections, The Firestorm, “your sisters are not your enemies” and “witch girl gang”, and one from The Ashes, “there’s plenty of room for all of us.” The latter is one instance in which her use of typography strengthens the reading of the poem on the paper.

The continued reference to fire and witches in effect is more of a motif, and it is disappointing that this wasn’t exploited further. However, in some poems, these elements really come together in a way that resonates and elevates. My favorite of these would be “call me alexandria,” for which the subject is the dismissal of women as unknowable, and the allusion is of course the historical burning of the library of Alexandria. Fire, feminism, violence, and poetry, all in one.

From the themes addressed in her first volume, The Witch follows up with a few regarding body positivity and sexual violence that are worth the time. For few examples, “my body rejects your desires” and “rip to the women who lost these games.” These seem to be Lovelace’s strength. These poems, along with the fighting spirit, however repetitive, will make The Witch another favorite for her fans. In fact, I’d say that if you have a young woman in your life who is just getting into poetry, who may just be getting into social justice and feminism, they will enjoy The Witch, even with all of the missed opportunities for Lovelace to elevate her style, references, and truly produce a powerful collection of poetry.

Ultimately, any review of Amanda Lovelace will have to be bittersweet. There’s so much promise. So much ability for her to lead young readers into deeper and more complex poetry with her bare and easily digestible style. And still, I know that as is, The Witch will probably outsell most collections coming out this year and older ones that young people could explore. Thus, I hope with its target demographic The Witch Doesn’t Burn in This One will put a fire under its readers and have them thinking more deeply about the political implications that are so relevant to their lives, now more than ever.

I haven’t read poetry in a while, but this didn’t capture me like I hoped it would.

This just wasn't good. I don't expect all poetry to be to my liking but this tumblr poetry, where they apparently use the same sentiments and lines (as admitted by the author herself when called on a poem that blatantly copies Rachel Wiley), is not something that is truly repugnant to me. I guess as long as something looks nice against a floral background, the masses will consume.

I’m as on the fence about Lovelace’s second collection as I was about the first one, but for different reasons.

Lovelace’s focus for this collection is less personal healing from individual problems and more broadly speaking about feminism and valid rage. While obviously pulling from Lovelace’s own political and feminist views I found these poems less personal than the first collection. Specifically the honest and narrative-driven nature of the majority of the poems in Princess that I enjoyed weren’t really here – it had a different focus. Yes the collection is split into themed sections reflecting on where the rage comes from, why it’s justified and what to do about it in roughly that order.

I found recurrent themes and images in the pieces – of fire and embers and witches and righteous female anger – both helped give this collection a consistency but also a repetitiveness. None of the poems in this collection hit me individually as some of the previous ones have. Special shout out to the prose poems, though, they were among my favourites.

Having said that, there are some good rallying cries and sometimes you do just need a cold dose of angry lines telling you that you are entitled to be frustrated with things, that it’s not OK, and that rage is a perfectly reasonable and often productive response. I particularly appreciated Lovelace’s statements about the importance of lifting up all women, how rage can be destructive or constructive and how it’s important we don’t burn things down merely for the sake of burning but instead with a purpose, and her reflections on the women that have gone before both in suffering and liberating.

An advance copy of this book was kindly provided by Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Although I have some qualms over whether The Witch Doesn’t Burn in this One is actually poetry, I do not have any trouble in acknowledging how important this book will be for a lot of women living in 2018.
I mean, who even cares if it should be classed as poetry or tumblr prose when each and every one of Amanda Lovelace’s compositions are as resonant and impactful as the ones included in The Witch Doesn’t Burn in this One. In so few words, she is able to convey an incredible amount of emotion in regards to the content and topics covered and you simply cannot deny the importance of each subject matter.
Whether you regard it as poetry or simply a book of quotes, at only 208 pages I can see this being the perfect book for women everywhere, to throw in their bags and flip to a random page when they’re feeling alone - because within these pages, Amanda Lovelace is always there to tell them that we are strong and that we can all get through this together.
Honestly, The Witch Doesn’t Burn in this One hit me like a punch to the gut and now, I can finally understand why so many of my peers have fallen head over heels for the feminist voice that we so dearly needed.

So excited that I get an advance copy from Netgalley in exchange for a review. I absolutely loved this collection of short poetry just like I loved the first collection from this author. This collection has a lot to do with women and everything that's been going on lately in the news with rape culture, men abusing women and all the other terrible things they are capable of doing to women. It's also about empowerment and women rising above, supporting each other, and not taking it anymore in a misogynistic and unequal patriarchy society. This is a call to arms to keep going and don't back down when it comes to sharing your story and not letting men get away with shit ever again. Oprah said it best in her recent speech, a new day is dawning for women and men who hurt women your time is up. If you think you can hurt women and silence them you're so wrong. I love the message of this book and think it's such an important one for this day and age.

This was once again incredibly empowering and I am so happy I got this from Netgalley! Amanda Lovelace hits hard topics of abuse, rape, eating disorders and women's rights. We live in a time where women are told to be only seen and not heard. No one wants to hear our stories of the world being unfair to us just because we are only guilty of being women. Amanda Lovelace gets right in the world's face with this collection and is calling out men for what they have done not only in the past but to this day. This is a call to arms for women. We never ever have to be ashamed of our sex. We are a million times more powerful than men. And we need to recognize that! Thank you, Ms. Lovelace! You have told the world the story of the women who are being silence. Thank you.

Going into this book, I was not sure what to expect, having never read anything by this author before, and ended up completely falling in love with it. Lovelace unapologetically covers the topics she sets out to explore in this collection, through allegories of witches, fire, and the occasional pop culture reference.

With gorgeous prose and imageries which will resonate with readers, as well as make them cackle with satisfaction (in keeping with the witchy metaphors), this book is a veritable celebration of womanhood.

I highly recommend this to everyone, especially readers who wish to explore poetry revolving around themes such as feminism and womanhood. And for those who are perhaps not very familiar or comfortable with poetry in general, this collection is a great place to start as although it covers an array of significant topics, the prose remains very accessible to everyone, especially first-time poetry readers.

I admire poetry like this that is so raw and open. I thought this was a beautiful, pail filled effort that really packs a necessary punch. Thought provoking, intense, and uninhibited these poems will stay with you and impress themselves upon you.

Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC!

This is the second book in the "the women are some kind of magic series", but you don't necessarily need to read the first one before this. I recommend that you do, though. I liked this one better.

In my opinion, the author did a great job writing about rape culture and feminism. Women all around the world can certainly relate to these words. Men should also read it to educate themselves and understand how we feel. I love the poems "how to prevent getting sexually assaulted" and "how to prevent sexually assaulting someone". They seem so obvious, but still, they're so important. With a few words, she sends a very powerful message.

And also, thanks for the trigger warning. I didn't find anything disturbing, but it's important to see that message there for those who might feel uncomfortable for some reason.

Amanda Lovelace has once again ripped out my heart causing laughter, rage, tears and immense joy. So much of this poetry really resonated with me. Especially regarding our president and she who should have been president. I can’t wait to get my own copy when this comes out.

I actually liked this one more than The Princess Saves Herself in this One. This was empowering and found myself relating to so many of the poems. I loved that it dealt with so many topics going on today. I found myself sometimes saying "wow" with some of the poems that really made me think and reflect or delivered a powerful punch.

This one is a little bit different from the first book in this poetry series [book:The Princess Saves Herself in this One|30075802]. Differently from the first one, this one deals more with feminism than the previous one did, basically the whole book is about that, and so I ended up loving every single moment of it. I still don't know how to review poetry very well, but from the short amount of books that I have read from this genre, this one is definitely my favorite poetry book. I'm for sure going to buy and re-read this one when it comes out in March, so I can mark my favorite poems.

I feel like some of the poams are a bit too similar to others cussing it to feel repetitive but overall I really liked it. There were some poems that are beautiful and I’m sure they’ll stay with me a while. I really love the overall messages, of Woman supporting women, self love, and burning down the patriarchy. It has many inspiring messages and I’m definitely glad I read it.

When I read The Princess Saves Herself in this One, I went into it with no expectations. I absolutely loved the result. Now I'm reading the sequel, and I went into this one with high expectations.

First of all trigger warnings, taken directly from the book.

this book contains sensitive material relating to:
child abuse,
intimate partner abuse,
sexual assault,
eating disorders,
trauma,
death,
murder,
violence,
fire,
menstruation,
transphobia,
& more.

While I'm not exactly sure why menstruation needed its own trigger warning, that was definitely some of the content in the book. Other content included the standard fairy tale analogs that I've come to expect as normal in one of Amanda's books (and I will always love!), references to Hunger Games (which I also loved!!), and a whole bunch of women's rights rhetoric.

As much as I am for the power of women, the second half of this collection read as a treatise or a how-to guide on how to be powerful as a woman, how to help shape the resistance. It referenced a bunch of things, from Salem witch trials across to the recent Trump presidential election.

I am sorry to say that, although some of this poetry was clearly informed by her past, much of it read as her own self-empowerment. So much so that I felt excluded from it. It didn't read like it was meant for a reader. Or, at least, it didn't read like it was meant for me as a reader.

Another thing I'm going to mention was the red text, at least in the edition that I read (although I'm sure that at the release date there will also be a copy released with an option of black text). I've seen alternate colours of text used occasionally with various books in various genres and it is always incredibly difficult to read. This book was no different in that regard.

As with The Princess Saves Herself in this One, there were a mix of great poems and plenty that just left no mark whatsoever. I think the prose poems, with the exception of one, were some of my least favorites. I also felt that the poems that showed the evolution of un-spelling words until they turn into a different word were too cheesy so I'm glad there were only two.

But there were also lots of poems I did really like that I'm looking forward to quoting once the book is out. And the thing is, when I read a poem that doesn't impress me, I just move on to the next one. It doesn't feel like it held me back, you know? I linger over and reread the ones that strike me, and just sort of forget the ones that don't. So it's not that the book is part bad and part good — it's part forgettable and part good.

If you enjoyed The Princess Saves Herself in this One, absolutely read this one. If you weren't a fan of Princess's style, then no, this one isn't much of a change so you probably won't like it much more, but I liked it. Personally, I don't think these collections are amazing but I think they have enough good things to offer that I'm interested in reading any of Amanda Lovelace's collections. I'm glad she seems to have a lot of them planned.

Yet again I find myself deeply moved by Amanda's words. When I finished The Princess Saves Herself in this One I was crying, tears staining the notebook I was writing in and convinced that somehow this author knew me personally because she understood so much of how I felt.

The Witch... is different. Because while Princess filled me with understanding, Witch filled me with rage. It made me want to stand up and fight for a cause I love, made me want to turn back time and fight for myself when I didn't.

it turned my blood to fire lit by the sparks those who have wronged me left in my eyes

This poetry collection is a homage to women. It's about us in all the ways that matter. But most importantly, it's about us in the ways some people don't want it to matter. This book will talk about the abuse —both of power and physical —about violence, about lies and omission, about the way women all around the world suffer from the standars and limits society has placed on us. That we as women have placed on us, too.

I finish this book filled with rage. Filled with fire, not a destroying fire but one to rebuild, to reborn from. And like the Phoenix does, women need to burn themselves to be reborn as who we want to be. Without limits, without judgement, only love and support for ourselves and those around us.

After all, women are some kind of magic, don't you agree?

"forget
being ladylike

(whatever
the hell
that means)

& allow
yourself to

show
the world
just how

unapologetically
angry

this
inequality
makes you.

let it all
g o.
-throw flames like a girl"

In her follow up to author Amanda Lovelace's debut The Princess Saves Herself in This One, she has moved on from women just saving themselves to burning down all the obstacles women face and have faced through history. Fiercely feminist and shamelessly angry, Lovelace channels how many women are feeling in today's world.