This is a new collection of poetry by Amanda Lovelace; the first of their work that I've read. First off, the cover and the art within the book are absolutely gorgeous, and I loved the floral and flame theme. I think the visual aesthetics perfectly complimented the content of this poetry collection.
Admittedly, I haven't read a ton of poetry, but I have read enough to know that there are certain styles of poetry that I don't "vibe" with as well as others, and unfortunately these poems were stylistically not my thing. A lot of the poems reminded me of Rupi Kapur's Milk and Honey, which was something I also enjoyed but didn't love.

A lot of the poems in this were really thought-provoking, not to mention gorgeous, but others were a little too short and simplistic for my taste, coming off more like tumblr posts, if that makes sense. An example is "i've learned that not everyone is worthy of a redemption arc". I felt the poems like that could have used a bit more originality infused into them. This being said, I can totally understand why people enjoy this kind of poetry, and I am by no means saying that this collection is not without merit.

Which brings me to what I loved about this: the themes and messages about women, societal expectations, and feminism. I especially enjoyed the ones that addressed rape culture, the demonization of women's bodies and sexuality, and the importance of prioritizing oneself. This is a solid 3-star read for me, and I think it's wonderful to have collections like this circulating in our society, with the potential to have positive effects of younger and older women alike. Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest opinions!

The illustrations in this collection are really beautiful. I can't wait to see the finished copy. amanda lovelace has a very specific style of writing, and I think fans of her work will enjoy this collection. It wasn't my favourite of her work.

A beautiful book of poetry that echoes Lovelace's latest books. Empowering women, dealing with complex and difficult to talk about issues, and strength are the main themes of this newest tome. It's beautiful in its simplicity yet says so much more than the few words on the page. Love everything by her and will continue to read her!

The illustrations included in the book we're beautiful as well as the writing. Thank you so much for sharing this with me!

Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things is such a good book. It is very empowering and inspirational, yet it also contains a lot of emotional poems. I think this could easily be one of my favorite Amanda Lovelace books so far.
The reason why I gave this book 4 stars is because it was a bit repetitive at times. Nevertheless it was a very empowering read.

Amanda Lovelace once again showcases her beautiful feminist poetry in this books. The flower illustrations do a good job of complimenting the poems. A lot of these are joyful celebrations of women. Fans of Lovelace’s other books will enjoy this one as well.

Lovelace does it every SINGLE TIME. i’ve read all her other books and she never ceases to amaze me.

Preaching about self-love & feminism continuously , she continues to inspire me and make me feel so loved every time i pick up one of her books. Absolutely incredible & i would highly recommend x

This is the eighth book of Lovelace’s that I’ve read, and as always, it takes my breath away! What a stunning collection of poems, yet again.

The illustrations throughout are almost as gorgeous as her writing. And as always, each poem throughout is raw, and so emotional, and super relatable.

I cannot wait to purchase this when it is released, so that I can complete her full collection.

As I always will, I highly recommend this to anyone! Even if you aren’t a poetry reader… neither was I until I came across Lovelace.

Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things is an empowering collection of poetry from Amanda Lovelace! This collection is filled with a meaningful push to celebrate yourself, your sexuality, and your femininity while taking a stand against anyone who tries to shame you for those same things. As always, the trigger warnings at the beginning of the collection are extremely important and appreciated for those who are sensitive to any of the topics. The poem "it's not up for debate" is a nod to the idea of my body, my choice and is very timely with what's currently happening in Texas in relation to women's reproductive rights. Amanda Lovelace speaks the honest truth about the shared experiences of women in a way that lets you acknowledge the awful things of the past and helps you walk away feeling like the goddess you're meant to be.

My first read of Amanda Lovelace and I have to say her work is beautiful. Just a stunning read which also emits the powerful energy of women through her prose.

My favourite is the dedication which reads ‘for those who wish to raise hell elegantly’.

I loved the princess saves herself in this one & I feel like her others just haven’t been the same. I loved the illustrations throughout the book. In my opinion, the poems were better towards the end. I didn’t feel like they flowed well, they were just all over the place.

When I first saw Lovelace's newest book, I knew that I HAD to read it immediately! I love Lovelace's work and the artwork featured in her books, so I was super excited to dive in and see what Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things had to offer.

As always, I'll start with first impressions. I absolutely ADORE the cover art and the back cover. The mixture of blooming and burning flowers are lovely, and as I read further do an amazing job of representing this poetry collection and theme as a whole. I wasn't blown away by the title, but my opinion has since changed as I now know what this collection is all about.

I'll also note before I dive into my review that yet again Lovelace included a trigger warning page the beginning of this book, as she always does, which I believe is super important for readers to have, especially with sensitive topics that Lovelace (and many poets and authors alike) tend to explore. More authors should be including trigger warnings, so I'm always very pleased when I do see it.

Now on to the nitty gritty (but spoiler free!).

Right from the beginning, Lovelace explains that this poetry collection is somewhat inspired by Persephone (aka my love, aka the best goddess), the Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld. Aka, a total badass with a lot of duality in her nature, hence the duality of Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things. I was already excited to read this collection, but the mere mention of Persephone made me squeal with delight (quite literally & out loud) and giddily ready to begin reading.

This collection 100% delivers by expressing the duality of people and their nature in true Lovelace fashion. I'm 99% certain that if I saw any of these poems alone, I'd be able to point them out as a Lovelace poem which not only am I proud of, but also serves to show Lovelace's unique and personal style of writing and poetry.

Without mentioning any spoilers, I can say that so many of these poems really spoke to me on a personal level, almost as if Lovelace was reaching into my past and writing poems just for me and my experiences. Many of these poems made me feel as if I was having a personal conversation with Lovelace rather than simply reading her poetry collection. There were also a few topical poems that VERY LOSELY related to the current pandemic, but I love the fact that they could be taken more generally, such as a figurative or literal "mask" as Lovelace mentioned in one poem.

While I did love this collection, I do have a few aspects that didn't thrill me. This collection reads very quickly. I wish there were more, a lot more to read and digest, but it's over so quickly it left me wanting more. This can be a good thing, as I'm excited for Lovelace's next collection and they have many more collections currently published, but I would have been a bit sad to spend the money on a physical book with it being so short.

I think it also feels very quick because every other page is filled with artwork, which normally I would love but it was filled with the exact same two images-growing and burning flowers. The artwork is beautiful, but I'd love different or changing artwork to break up the poems.

In the end I am very happy I read this collection, and I eagerly await more of Lovelace's work.

Rating: 4/5 stars

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love the style of Amanda Lovelace's poetry so much. It's short and lyrical, and so beautiful to read. Having the same artwork repeated between each poem got a bit old after a while but it is beautiful.

Amanda Lovelace’s poems light up my social media feeds by always managing to take a clever, beautiful way to articulate something I didn’t even realise I was feeling. Read all in one go, however, I found that they quickly become repetitive and lose their impact. As we see more and more poets coming out of social media, I think this reading experience is going to become common. Given the chance to reread with fresh eyes, I'd make sure to take regular breaks while reading.

Love this collection of fearsome and beautiful poems. My only complaint is that I read it too fast. Will have to read again!

3.5

I have to admit, this one was a bit weaker compared to Amanda's other poetry collections. The theme woven throughout poems is inspired by Persephone and her complexity. It showcases polar opposites of women's personalities but, in my opinion, fails to do so in a relatable and honest way.

Some of the poems felt a bit recycled and repetitive, but I appreciated themes explored. Amanda stays true to writing, covering feminism, abuse and toxic relationships. The artwork in this was lovely, but I'd still appreciate more poems instead of it.

Nice read all in all, but if you're new to this author's work, I'd rather recommend some of her other collections.

Thanks to the Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

a beautifully empowering collection from lovelace that will inspire you and incredible artwork to get lost in and mesmerized by!

My high school students loved Amanda Lovelace. I liked the princess saves herself in this one. While I wasn't able to complete the witch doesn't burn in this one, I seem to remember liking what I did read even more.

flower crowns & fearsome things left me disappointed. Lovelace is more defensive than fierce. The raw vulnerability I remember from her earlier poetry is largely absent. The poems become inaccessible in their generality. This work feels like an attempt to coast on fame rather than offer much substance. "never will i roll over for anyone" insists she isn't easy to command, but the very next poem directs, "tell me who your dream girl is. . . . i'll be her. <i>i'll be anyone you want me to be.</i>--i don't mind." However, "what's it like to be so bold" resonates: I am reluctant to place myself in conversation at many junctures. I have not been so lucky as Lovelace in "at last." The mask has not protected me from insistence on smiling.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I liked this collection of poems. I felt there were some really strong poems that talked about strength and feminism, showing the strength of Persephone. On the other hand I feel like the poems to show the weakness side of Persephone could have been better than just saying things along the lines of doing and being anything for a man. I enjoyed the couple poems about a mother’s strength and love.

This isn't poetry. This is a collection of midnight tweets at best. Lovelace tries and fails at maintaining flow and rhythm, so the so-called poems read as sentences put together by sheer coincidence. Whilst at least,
Kaur makes it feel as every word has a purpose, I didn't get the same feeling from Lovelace's books.

It's a decision that should've been made 2 books ago, but this is the last time I will read something from this author. I understand people are touched by her poetry, but for me, she lacks a lot of flair and taste.