This is Amanda’s second book, the first being The Princess Saves Herself in this One, which I haven’t yet read even though I do own it.

A beautiful collection of poetry that addresses tough topics (rape, eating disorders, and abuse among them) and feminism. My favorite things that came out of this poem collection was addressing self-love, how that’s not always easy and you’re not always going to like everything about yourself and it’s a process that needs to be nurtured, and women supporting women. This poetry is not for everyone but I’d suggest giving it a go.

An emotionally draining though uplifting and enraging read. Absolutely wonderful.

Caution warning: from the author: "sensitive material relating to: child abuse, intimate partner abuse, sexual assault, eating disorders, trauma, death, murder, violence, fire, menstruation, transphobia, and more."

Amanda Lovelace renewed my love of poetry with her first collection of poems, The Princess Saves Herself in This One. The amount of Post-its I used to mark up the meaningful parts baffles the mind. When I saw that her second book, The Witch Doesn't Burn in This One, was available on NetGalley I leaped at the chance to experience more of her intense, personal, beautiful words.

"haven't you

ever wished

you could

dance

in the ashes

of everyone who

ever doubted your worth

& scoffed at

your words?"




There are a lot of topics covered within the pages of this book and it's done so eloquently. Amanda knows words and her craft is executed well. There are poems where the meaning is deeper, some where it's surface level. There are lines that jump out at you for the accuracy they give.



"they don't even know what's coming. how cute."




I found a strong feminist voice coming through on the page. It faced off against toxic masculinity, against societal expectations; for women, for yourself. The content isn't only about the here and now. The Witch Doesn't Burn in This One reaches back in time and traces the path that women have carved out of history to the modern day and offers a view of how the present, the future, can be.



"they scratched it

out the history books,

but on all the

great innovations

you will find

scorch marks

in the shape of

a woman's

magnificent handprint.

do not forget:

we need to be

the history books

now.

- women are libraries about to burst"




There are moments that could be difficult to read and more than could be impactful, that will remind you that there is magic within, a fire that can ignite and inspire, consume, and empower.



"burn whoever tries to burn you."

- coven rule #2

"The Witch Doesn't Burn in this One" is a collection of poetry that any woman will be able to relate to. Through her poetry, Amanda Lovelace discussed topics such as love, accepting oneself, woman's rights, and other feminist topics. Each of these poems is very relevant in today's world. One thing I wish there was more of was personal stories. While I got a sense of the author's feelings on these topics, I do not feel like I got a look inside the author's head.

Wanted to read this but my kindle doesn't support this format.

Feminism is on the point. Provocative. Strong opinion of a woman. I love this so much because these poetry can inspired women to stand tall similar to men. To stand mighty and high like men. Keep producing these kind of poetry. No problem on a very simple and plain poetry, Anyone can read easily without needed any literature knowledge background.

Poetry usually isn't my thing at all but after a bunch of people whose taste in books I really trust kept recommending "the princess saves herself in this one" I finally bought the book and am so glad I did. I loved it and have been looking forward to this second instalment in the "women are some kind of magic" series ever since.

And luckily "the witch doesn't burn in this one" is great! It's intense and raw, full of important things and feminist thoughts and while it didn't resonate with me as much as PRINCESS did, I still loved WITCH - a lot! There is sooo much great stuff in here, so many of these poems are timeless and relevant and inspiring.

Amazing book, awesome poetry and a definite recommendation! And now I can't wait for "the mermaid's voice returns in this one" …

Like her previous book, there are some poems which I think are really strong, with feelings which are identifiable. However, as a whole it just doesn't hit the mark. I found I was wanting for a bit more substance and complexity.

Full disclosure: I received The Witch Doesn't Burn in This One from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 Stars

Amanda Lovelace’s writing has improved dramatically since The Princess Saves Herself in This One. Or at any rate I enjoyed it a great deal more than Princess.

Things I loved:
-The message: WOMEN ARE COMPLEX HUMAN BEINGS LIKE ANYONE ELSE. We can be rageful and vindictive too.
- The homages to classic like Christina Rossetti’s Goblin Market, Laurie Halse Anderson’s Wintergirls, and Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton.
-The eating disorder representation was well - done and realistic.
-The emphasis on sisterhood and women strength
-That there is an included list of triggers

Things I wasn't crazy about:
-Amanda Lovelace’s style is a bit repetitive for my taste

Bottom line: I liked it and would recommend it

Thank you, NetGalley, for the review copy!

I don't read poetry very often but I had read The Princess Saves Herself In This One by Amanda Lovelace before and loved it which is why I am grateful to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book! These poems are so empowering I literally got goosebumps reading some of them. Absolutely loved this collection and I would recommend it as a must-read for everyone.

The Witch Doesn’t Burn In This One by Amanda Lovelace on Netgalley and holy shit. I am in love with it. I read it in one sitting. And plan to read it again tomorrow, I am not gonna lie. This is a picture of me after a heartbreak, a heartbreak that left me feeling shattered and alone. This is the first time after that, that I actually felt empowered and this was because of Amanda Lovelace’s first poetry collection that I read, The Princess Saves Herself in this one.
The Witch Doesn’t Burn in This One by Amanda Lovelace was amazing. I absolutely loved it, so much. I really connected with the poems, they were so raw and emotional and it seemed as if Amanda was talking right to me. As if she understood all the struggles I have been through and am still struggling with. It’s like she personally gave me a kick in the ass to become a badass and to overcome all my struggles and remind me of my worth. And remind me that my life is a gift. That being female is a gift and if other can’t see that it is on them and not me. I do not fail because somebody is unable to appreciate me. And I should never allow people to walk all over me.
I can’t wait for this poetry collection to be released because honestly Amanda Lovelace’s poems are my absolute favourites. They are the poems I turn to to give myself motivation and remind me of my worth. I am picking this collection up as soon as it is out of shelves. I highly recommend you do the same :)

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My second foray into contemporary free verse poetry went much better than my last, if my high rating is any indication. The Witch Doesn’t Burn in This One is my first read from Amanda Lovelace, covering topics ranging from historic female oppression to the 2017 Women’s March.

And I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

At first I didn’t know what to expect and my hopes weren’t super high, but both Lovelace’s dedication and trigger warning at the very beginning made me sit up straighter. This is a woman who both knows and respects her audience, and the more I read, the more I realized that, yeah, I am getting feminist poetry from a female perspective. How novel! (You may think I’m being facetious, but I’ve had a lot of Male Feminism™ thrown in my face lately that has not been great, so this was a breath of fresh air in a room full of Axe body spray.)

Unlike my last poetry book, this one had structure. Glorious, beautiful structure. Not just with the poems themselves (and many of them were structured in interesting and unique ways) but the book as a whole. Lovelace splits her poetry into four parts: the trial, the burning, the firestorm, and the ashes, and within each of these parts, her poems build in ferocity, passion, and content. You really feel like each part is taking you somewhere, building you towards something.

With symbolism largely revolving around witch burnings, imagery of fire and ashes and the rage they come from abound, but I never got bored with it. It never devolves into the raging feminist stereotype for me. So much of it is about women taking back our power, expressing our anger, getting back at our oppressors, but the endgame is one of action, dedicated to leaving the world better than when we found it. There’s a lot of healing taking place.

That isn’t to say the poems pull their punches. Many deal with topics such as sexual assault, insecurity, eating disorders, fear, powerlessness, violence, and the venom that comes with them. They call out the patriarchy, the laughable “Not All Men” saying, and the 2016 US election. All the while, Lovelace pays tribute to women, both fictional and real, by name and by identity, regardless of race, religion, or gender. There are poems dedicated to Eliza Hamilton, Hillary Clinton, Diana Prince, Emma Sulkowicz, and many more that had me sitting there, stunned, when I realized who and what they were about.

So would I call this form of free verse real poetry? Well, poetry is about making you feel something. It’s about making you think and keeping you company. There were so many times I was nodding along, going, “Yeah. Yeah! YEAH!” in my head because the words and lessons in Lovelace’s work were so relevant to me. I have lived so much of this female experience, and I have seen other women go through the more terrible consequences that come with the crime of being born women.

I felt angry and heartbroken at times, but also hopeful and empowered AF. I felt called to action, both for societal change and for personal change, namely to always treat other women like family because they are. We’re all going through a lot of the same stuff and our differences can only enrich and teach us, not divide us. We are united in more ways than those who seek to oppress us want us to know.

Is this real poetry? You bet it is. Mission accomplished, Amanda Lovelace!

I definitely liked the first book in this series, The Princess Saves Herself in this One, more than this second installment. There are a few poems in this collection that I really liked, but most of them were just ok for me.

I do think Amanda Lovelace writes about some important topics. I’m glad this type of poetry collection exists that deals with feminist issues, body positivity, sexual assault, self-love, etc. But I feel like the way these topics were explored in this collection became repetitive. Also, the poems in this one didn’t evoke any emotion from me, which was weird because I feel like I usually relate to poetry that deals with these topics.

I feel like overall themes of the book, witches, witchcraft and witch hunts were interesting and they were present in all the poems. There was a lot of consistency in the collection, both in terms of the overall theme and the different topics it explored. But, as I was saying before, my main problem with this book is that I didn’t feel touched or connected to a lot of the poems and most of them didn’t provoke any emotion in me.

I fell in love with Amanda Lovelace's writing after reading "The Princess Saves Herself in This One" That book helped me to learn love and forgiveness. "The Witch Doesn't Burn in This One" was the complete opposite. It taught me to embrace my reopened wounds, and harness my pain. It caused an eruption in my soul, and gave me a healthy way to feel anger and rage that I had bottle up. Amanda is an incredible writer, one who can elicit the most visceral response I've ever felt towards a poem. She thankfully does include a trigger warning, which is not to be ignored! Reading "Witch" was a surreal experience, many of the poems felt like they had come from my own mind, as they pinpointed my emotions so accurately. An emotional roller coaster, but worth it.

"The Witch Doesn't Burn in This One" is the feminist answer to centuries of male dominated poetry that relegate women to nothing more than fragile flowers and damsels in distress. Amanda Lovelace turns that narrative on it's head, a poetic Call-To-Arms of powerful women to embrace our flaws, and take our rightful place in the world. This is a book that will stay with me for the rest of my life, and I hope it helps other people as much as it helped me.

Amanda did it again. Wow. I think I loved this more than Princess. It was the fire I needed to keep going and keep standing up for my sisters. I absolutely adored the red font. Red is the color of fire and blood, both of which we do. I loved the little nods toward witchy language and I'm calling my group of close friends my coven now, for sure.

I loved how she played with form more in this one and actually made symbols or pictures out of the words of her poems. I think there's a certain delight in reading an copy of this book purely for the lists of poems who start out with the same sentence or initial stanza. It was really cool to watch the transition on the computer and watch the bottom change. The sections were on point and I loved the story that introduced each section and continued as the over arching theme of the collection. I loved the small collections of poems within the overarching collection. Gosh, I can't wait for Mermaid and I really need it now.

Amanda always has the most beautiful writing styles, and her writing leaves me in tears in the best way!

It is hard to find the words to convey exactly how this book makes me feel, but I will try my best. I cried while reading this book from beginning to end. This book is a love letter to women and everything that we are. It is drowning in emotion and it is taking me with it. I think every woman should read this.

"get up, you are nobody's doormat"

I picked this up because I was curious and wanted to jump into poetry a bit more after taking a class on it in school. The writing style is really beautiful and has a such a powerful message to it. I haven't read Amanda Lovelace's first collection The Princess Saves Herself in This One but I'm definitely intrigued after reading this sequel collection!

This is the sequel to the first book and it was just as great or even better then the first. 
It goes into the loving of yourself, feminism, and many other topics that go deep into many things and truly move your heart. 
I give this 5/5 stars