𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Amanda Lovelace
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Poetry
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

My first time reading Lovelace poetry and I enjoyed it.

𝐆𝐔𝐒𝐇:
• I liked the concept and themes
• Likeable, inspirational quotes
• Loved the formatting and accompanying illustrations—they were gorgeous and sweet, very befitting to the tone and text

𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐄:
• A little repetitive at times with the theme and sentences
• Whilst I liked the writing, I felt like it wasn't memorable, as if I had read this before
• Despite exploring certain topics, I felt like some poems scratched the surface and I wished it delved further

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫: fans of Rupi Kaur, fans of poetry highlighting feminism

𝐂𝐖: abuse, trauma, violence, sexual assault, cheating, eating disorders

Thank you to @NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 𝐌𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠: 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐣𝐨𝐲.𝐜𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞.

I am so happy I got to read this early thanks to netgalley. I love Amanda Lovelace, and was so excited to see that she has another collection coming out. There’s something about her selection of words and the placement of her poems that I love. I also loved the way she connected Persephone, one of my favorite goddesses, into some of these poems, just like she does in some of her other collections. I always look forward to reading her poetry, and this book was no exception. If you’ve read and liked her other collections, I definitely suggest picking this one up.

Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things is the first collection of Amanda Lovelace's that I have read. I was particularly interested in this one because it is based on the Persephone of Greek mythology, who I adore. The poems are short, lyrical, and pack a punch, moving between themes of abuse, femininity and power.

Lovelace writes poems about independent and fierce females alongside love letters to men. This might read as confusing to some, but a woman can be feminist and independent and also be in love. They are not mutually exclusive qualities. This is the strength in Lovelace's collection; as a whole, a woman (Persephone) is not just one thing. She is flower, she is fire, she is powerful, she is gentle, she can love and still be her own person. She is complex.

Definitely worth picking up if you love the short style that can often be found on social media (think Rupi Kaur).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Amanda Lovelace's poetry collection "Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things" focuses in a very empowering and honest way on the true beauty of being a woman - being soft and fierce at the very same time. What makes the poetry collection and, in fact, Lovelace's writing style so fascinating is the presentation of the truth about the complexity of being a woman in such a raw way, there is no sugar-coating, no white lies. The image of the Greek Goddess Persephone is implemented wonderfully into this poetry collection as she is truly someone we should learn from - we, not only as women, but as human-beings, deserve to let ourselves be both gentle and ferocious. The poems are accompanied by flower illustrations which are incredibly aesthetically pleasing. The trigger warnings include cheating, eating disorders, trauma, domestic and child abuse, sexual assault, and more. Lovelace's strong and realistic poems manage to come together and become a whole, a poetry collection that is not simply a beautiful must-read, but an experience.

i've learned that not everyone is worthy of a redemptin arc
-make sure they know consequences are real-

I sincerely love this poems, the lyrical form of eriting of the autor was beautiful to read, it's a series of poems that I think that everyone should read, expresses what many women think but do not say, this book helps and comforts you.

I loved this poetry book. The only thing I wish was different were the pictures. They were the same. I was expecting them to be all different and go along with the poetry.

The collection reminds us of the complexity and duality of women: that we can be both strong and soft; confident and in need of reassurance; loving and seething with hatred; and waiting for your Prince Charming while still being a strong independent woman. It’s aimed at a younger audience than me but I think I would have really enjoyed this accessible poetry in my early highschool years.

It’s written well and has nice artwork to match the message, alternating both poems and artwork between wildflowers and wildfire – much like emotions, especially in our teenage years. It might not be the kind of book every young woman would pick up but will make a great gift for those in your life.

Inclusion of a list of trigger warnings in the opening pages was a nice touch.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will always read Amanda Lovelace, but this one didn't sink in quite as deep for me. I LOVED the concept of fierce but soft, but most of what I read just didn't quite hit all the way home like some of her others.

This collection did not blow me away. I have read one or two of Amanda's collections in the past and it felt like I was reading them again. I think she just has a different style of poetry than what I prefer. The formatting was beautiful and the idea was clever but the execution did not inspire me. Part of the fault could be me following a lot of poets on social media, including the author, so seeing these short formatted poems everyday makes this collection blend in.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ebook.
I've read it in one sitting and I enjoyed it.
I ​am no expert in modern poetry, but who is? As a reader of mostly fiction books, this was an interesting read. There are a few poems I didn't like, but there are the empowering ones that I adored. Some poems were simple and reminded me of the inspirational quotes you find on Instagram. Some other poems were good, but still they were not that amazing, it's like I was waiting for something big.
I like the fact that Amanda Lovelace encourages girl-power with her poems, but they reminded me of other ones I've already read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things by Amanda Lovelace is an amazing collection from the reigning Queen of Poetry. Although I haven't read a collection by her before, I have read snippets and heard many great things about the author. In this collection, which is beautifully illustrated in full color, the author shows the dichotomy between soft and hard, beautiful and deadly, flowers and fire. Through these metaphors, she explores the power of femininity and the archetype of the strong heroine in myths. Through her feminist lens, she illuminates what it is like to be a woman today - both the struggles and the pleasures.

Here is an excerpt from Page xv of the book:

"who said you can't
wear a flower crown
& still remain
a fearsome thing?
- make persephone proud."

Overall, Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things is a beautiful collection that will appeal to readers of feminist poetry. If you're a fan of Rupi Kaur or Nayyirah Waheed, you will enjoy this book as well The poems are funny, intelligent, sad, hopeful, and feminist. They show the true range of women from those who want to stand and be a hero to those who OK are being nobody. One highlight of this book is the stunning artwork that displays the dichotomy between wildflowers and wildfires. Keep in mind though that the same two images are repeated multiple times. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above or if you're a fan of poetry in general, you won't regret checking out this book when it comes out in October!

A beautifully written poetry collection. The poems revolve around the different aspects of being a woman and many of those felt very relatable. The illustrations used in the book make the whole reading experience a pleasant and sweet journey. There were so many brilliant poems that would remain in my heart for a long time. It's one of those books you can read over and over again.

A beautiful collection of poetry - each piece flowed so naturally, I was sad for this to end! Major Rupi Kaur vibes.

I am a massive fan of Amanda Lovelace, and all of her poetry, and "Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things" does not disappoint.

Told from the beautiful perspective of the two sides of a female identifying human, strong and soft, this collection of poetry tells a story of finding your own strength in the face of oppression, and of not being ashamed to fully be a woman, no matter what society is telling you you should be.

I want to have so many of these quotes framed and hung on my daughter's wall, so she is always attuned to the beauty of Lovelace's words and thoughts.

📚 Flower Crowns & Fearsome Things by Amanda Lovelace📚

“For those who wish to raise hell most elegantly”

First off, Thank you to #netgalley #amandalovelace & Andrew Mcmeel’s publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What can I say? Amanda Lovelace has done it again! She has easily climbed to the tippy top of my most beloved poetry authors and for a good reason.

Her words hit deep and make you feel empowered.

I would 100% recommend this book to someone going through a tough time, strenuous relationship or who is struggling to love themselves.



My Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️💫/5
Goodreads Average Rating: 3.71/5

* 176 pages
* Magic
* Feminism/Poetry
* Emotional
* Reflective
* Medium Paced Read

Triggers/Warnings

* Partner Abuse
* Sexual Assault
* Cheating
* Child Abuse
* Death
* Trauma
* Violence
* Body Image
* Misogyny
* Eating Disorders
* Alcohol

I have mixed opinions in relation to this book, honestly I'm not a big fan of contemporary poetry but what I recognize and what I liked was the way the text was constructed, the edition is beautiful and it really hits the spot. The illustrations created a beautiful dichotomy between the poems, which well, they seemed a bit superficial to me (when it comes to feminist poetry), but it gave an interesting texture to the book, since you had two poetic voices at the same time. throughout the text, sometimes submissive, sometimes rebellious. These aspects rescued the content.

What I don't like about books like these is that they seem more phrases than poems, I understand that contemporary poetry is about breaking metric structures and etc, but there is definitely something that I don't quite love in the way in which the "poem" is put together.

In her newest standalone collection of poetry, Amanda Lovelace makes Persephone of Greek mythology her muse, exploring through her the dualities inherent in femininity as well as the fragmented self that we must all contend with—the self we are with others and the self we are when we’re alone, and the result is nothing short of brilliant.

Also tackled herein is the COVID-19 pandemic and the ways it has changed and remade us, from the reasons why wearing a mask is an act of love and respect but also an act of defiance to telling her beloved how close she’ll be able to come to them when the world stops ending. God, that phrase is one I can’t stop turning over and over in my mind. When the world stops ending, when the world stops ending, when the world stops ending….Because isn’t that how it feels right now? As if every day is being lived in survival mode with no end in sight? Thank God we still have poetry to get us through.

All in all, Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things is a stellar collection sure to please new readers of Lovelace’s work as well as her longtime fans. The gorgeous illustrations by Janaina Medeiros complement Lovelace’s words perfectly, giving them more depth and clarity. I feel safe in saying this is a title I’ll be hand-selling to my customers who enjoy poetry.

Although I can never fully grasp poetry not having experienced most things that inspire the poetry, it's still very enjoyable. There's a handful of poems that resonate with me and really spoke to me and gave me the ability to see certain situations in a different light and makes me understand there's other ways to go about certain situations.

First of all, the illustrations repeated throughout are stunning and full of heated emotion. There’s an extensive list of trigger warnings provided by the poet which is always welcome and something that I wish more authors and publishers would put in place to protect their readers’ wellbeing.

This is a strong, empowering feminist collection of poetry that I know will make a lot of people feel seen. (It certainly made me feel seen and empowered!) The poems themselves are fairly short but manage to convey and evoke emotions and heavy topics such as misogyny and rape culture. Some of the poems that stood out most to me were:
- She Likes Being Nobody
- It’s a Pleasure to Disappoint You
- At Last
- Wild Violet
- Never Shall I Fall From my Throne

All in all, this was a fantastic collection. I had heard great things about Amanda Lovelace’s work but had yet to read any of her poems. Having enjoyed this collection as much as I did, I will be picking up the backlist as soon as possible and will eagerly await future collections.

Release Date: 5 October 2021
Rating: 3.5

"don't you think it's funny how bad boys are always deemed swoon-worthy, while bad girls are usually perceived as a threat to society?"

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I am a HUGE Amanda Lovelace fan; I have read and reread all of her poetry collections numerous times, and each time I just fall more in love with her lyrical writing. Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things is no different - it is beautifully written and formatted with gorgeous illustrations. Despite this, I finished this poetry collection somewhat unsatisfied. Lovelace's previous works left me feeling bold and powerful, but Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things just sort of fell flat. Maybe my expectations were too high, I'm not sure. Whatever the reason, it hasn't affected my opinion of Lovelace's work, and I will definitely pick up any future poetry collections!

"would it be nice if my loved ones were proud of me? of course, but I can't depend on the approval of others alone. it's never guaranteed. what matters more to me is finding pride in myself."