📙 This is my fifth experience reading one of Amanda Lovelace’s poetry collections, which goes to show you that I am definitely a fan of her work! In this collection, specifically, Lovelace alternates between Wildflower and Wildfire poems, which are supported with artwork.

The poems really worked and resonated with me, for the majority of her work. More so than prior collections. And what I thought was fascinating is the use of duality between fierceness and softness. I feel like it’s important, especially for women, to recognize that channeling each ends of this spectrum can be useful and does not necessarily need to be feared, or avoided. Rather, accepting the intricacies of one’s personality ought to be celebrated and explored.💫

💬 Needless to say I enjoyed this one quite a bit! Although I did enjoy the alternating sequence between wildflowers and wildfires, sometimes it was a bit difficult for me to move through the poems sequentially. I’m sure I don’t speak for the majority of readers, but I think I may have felt a bit more grounded reading a wildfire section, and a wildflower section. Or, something to break up the consistent alternating sequence. But it may have been that the author wanted a buffer so that the reader didn’t feel overwhelmed by the intensity of some of the poems.

Regardless, I enjoyed this collection! Many of the poems are new favourites in this collection.

Olivia 🐈 and I rate this poetry collection a solid ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.75 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrew McMeels publishing for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

CW: sensitive material relating to intimate partner abuse, SA, cheating, child abuse, trauma, death, violence, misogyny, body image, ED, alcohol, fire.

This is my second book by this author, the first being To Make Monsters Out of Girls and I think Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things will be my last.

Before I go into the negative I will say that I really appreciated that within the first couple of pages there's a list of trigger warnings and a warm reminder to practice self care. Poetry is a means of connecting with others but sometimes that connection can bring up past negativity that the reader isn't prepared to deal with. The inclusion of trigger warnings was very thoughtful and my favourite thing about the book.

Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things is Tumblr poetry. The writing is very simplistic and there's little structure. There's a lot of obvious statements that, I suppose, some depressed or lonely individuals will relate to but are a far cry from anything I would consider original.

"the boy is tall & pretty & sad.
-needless to say he stole her heart right out of her chest."

The author states that she was trying to essentially capture the duality and complexity of being a woman but the actual lack of thought-provoking writing just made her contradicting statements seem lacklustre at best or hypocritical.

The floral illustrations are nice. However, considering this book is under two hundred pages and every other page rotates between the same two illustrations, you're not actually getting that much poetry.

Maybe I've outgrown this style of writing, or perhaps I'm not the intended audience and it's meant for a younger age group? Poetry is cheaper than therapy so maybe someone else would get comfort out of it. I think the person that I was in high school would have enjoyed it a lot more than the woman I am today.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things is the newest poetry collection written by Amanda Lovelace. I'm not someone who has read a lot of poetry, but I heard good things about Lovelace's previous books, so I decided to try it out! This book is inspired by Persephone and wilflower en feminity themes are used throughout. It was a quick read and I really enjoyed exploring something I never read, would recommend to people who like to read poetry!

What an absolutely stunning set of poems! Talk about female empowerment. Amanda Lovelace is such an excellent writer and her words really speak to me. These books should be mandatory for girls growing up to teach them self love, the importance of saying no, and that strength comes from within and not social media.

A sincere thanks to NetGalley for this advanced copy.

"Go on and reign over the very flames that were meant to be your end,
Wear them as a crown."
This is by far my favorite among all her works. However, whenever I read her work, I feel like am crossing past poems I've read before (in her past work.) it was extremely fast paced, but not the most memorable. She always explored the same themes, which is not necessarily bad but it only feels too familiar.
I love her simple style and believe she can craft excellent poems using it.
I believe in the magnificent abilities this poet possess, so I will not give up until she drops THAT POEM.

"She's equal parts glitter & hellfire once unleashed you wont be able to contain her."

Amanda Lovelace is back with another lovely collection of fragments made up of brilliantly connected words designed to inspire, to give a voice to those who haven't found theirs, and to not only tell us, but make us believe that you don't have to give up softness for strength or vice versa. We are both, moving fluidly between the two as circumstances and events play out.

"Even if it’s uncomfortable, even if it hurts. from this day forward, i vow to let myself bloom freely— even if others see me as an annoyance, even if they see me as a weed."

So many pages seemed written from the feelings in my very own heart expressed through the capable hands of Lovelace, but the passage above is a thought I've seen buried deep within not only my own core, but the hearts and souls of so many others who have thus far been afraid to own this statement, to demand our rights to bloom in to the people we were meant to be.. Seeing this piece amongst many others makes me feel more valid than I thought possible before experiencing Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things.

Whether you've been following Amanda Lovelace since the beginning (as I have) or stumbling upon her for the first time, this book is for you; You will walk away from this with a different view of yourself or your friends and family than you had going in. Just bear in mind there IS a Trigger Warning at the beginning of this book and I strongly urge you to make sure you are in a mentally safe space before continuing on.

Thank you Netgalley, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and of course the talented Amanda Lovelace for putting this collection in to the world, and for gifting me a digital arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

flower crowns and fearsome things is a poetry collection that explores feminism laced by the concept of wildflowers and wildfires to resemble softness and fierceness side by side.

much like amanda lovelace's other works, the poems assembled here are short, lowercased sentences that some like to call "modern poetry," which i don't consider myself a fan of... however! i was obsessed with the women are some kind of magic series , also by amanda lovelace, back when i read it almost 2 years ago. because besides getting a strong point across, they told a story - with characters and a plot and events moving forward - a story that not many would pick up on and its nuances.

so i expected this new standalone would not fall short from that, but unfortunately, it disappointed me beyond it. the "feminism" explored in these poems felt shallow and surface-level to me. none of them offered any depth, nothing further than what was taken word for word, nothing deeper than outdated tweets and tumblr posts, and poorly recycled if that.

sadly i just found this book frustrating to read. if i saw those early 2000's tweets on my timeline i would mute their accounts, so reading this book was not an enjoyable experience. if you're new to the concept of feminism and/or women empowerment, or maybe you happen to be a time-traveler from a decade or two ago, you might enjoy this book.

— digital arc provided via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I'm not against the "Tumblr Poetry". I enjoyed Amanda Lovelace's previous poetry collection "The Princess saves herself in this one". Unfortunately, "Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things" felt like it had something missing.

In an attempt to be "edgy" and write something deep most of the poems missed the point of feminism. Feminism=gender equality not women supremacy.

The way the poems were arranged in basically no specific order made it seem like the narrator was screaming at a brick wall the majority of the time.

I don't know how "nobody can see me mouthing/go to hell/with my perfect lipstick mouth" escaped the editor, My problem isn't that it doesn't rhyme, it just sounds plain bad.

It's just so sad to think while reading poetry "This could've been worded better".

I know repetition is often used as a stylistic choice to ensure a point but It gets tiring if it's used to this extent. If it felt weird hearing it from my internal monologue, how am I supposed to recite it?

Overall the book can be summarized as "The concept was great...but the execution..."

Havana, ooh na-na (ayy)
Half of my heart is in Havana, ooh na-na (ayy, ayy)
He took me back to East Atlanta, na-na-na, ah
Oh, but my heart is in Havana (ayy)
There's somethin' 'bout his manners (uh-huh)
Havana, ooh-na-na (uh)

Amanda Lovelace's poems are simple and elegant. This poetry collection was no exception too. I loved how she always lifts women up and encourages them through her poems. The illustrations were amazing as always. I'll recommend flower crowns and fearsome things to everyone who wants to read uplifting and encouraging poems. Thank you for this early copy.

First off, I absolutely love the premise of this poetry collection. Amanda Lovelace pulls her inspiration from Persephone, both the goddess of the spring and the queen of the underworld and how this relates to modern womanhood and how we are often soft and fierce all at once.

In the first half of this collection, Lovelace expertly captures the female experience. Specifically how women are often battling their soft femininity with the parts of themselves that have been hardened by life experience. She reminds us that their is beauty in both and you don’t have to pick one or the other. Also I particularly love the dedication in this collection.

However, there was not much of story line to follow so about halfway through the collection, I was like “okay I get it”. Additionally, while most of the poems were fantastic, there were quite a bit that I wished were more nuanced, and therefore don’t sound like something I regularly hear. Finally I wish the art would have varied or progressed in someway instead of being the same throughout.

Thank you to Netgally and and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I am admittedly not someone who picks up a lot of poetry, but I have heard of Lovelace and jumped at the chance to read this collection and see if her work is something I would enjoy. While on the whole this felt a little lackluster, some of the poems did work for me. I preferred the slightly longer entries over the shorter ones and thought the juxtaposition of the soft and strong woman was fun to explore.

I feel like I maybe was not the target audience/demographic for these and would have really resonated with these when I was younger. If you are looking for short affirmations centered around the strength and softness of women, this may be worth checking out. I am interested in going back and checking out some of the author's earlier collections to see if they hit with me in a way this didn't.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this collection in exchange for my honest opinion.

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

The cover of this book is gorgeous and I like the artwork inside the book. Unfortunately this poetry collection didn't resonate with me.

I like the concept, but the delivery was a bit muddled. Some poems are about being an independent woman and being confident and others are about being willing to change anything to get a partner. Some of the poems have a strong "not like other girls" mentality and while the book seems to be trying to banish the trope and talk about how great women and being friends with women is, the way some things are worded seems to promote the idea in other places. Some of the poems are also very short.

Overall this wasn't for me, but I can see it appealing to people who are really into the tumblr-vibe.

Lackluster is too positive a verdict: Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things feels like Kelly Clarkson lyrics penned down in a rush. A bundle totally unambiguous and non-complex while trying to say something about abuse, sexism or relations.
everyone loves a strong woman
until that woman
no longer tolerates their bullshit
- the age-old proverb

Earlier this month I read Broken Halves of a Milky Sun (review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4179848102), which I did not full enjoy, but in terms of complexity, sophistication or even effort that bundle feels miles and miles ahead compared to Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things by Amanda Lovelace.

There is a poem about wearing a mask as a liberation of having to smile as a woman that is speaking of the current moment, but for the rest this bundle feels very generic.
Nearly all the poems feel too simple, too fitting for Instagram with some flower pictures behind them, unambiguous and unambitious.

The poems vary between “Be a goddess”, “Lift other women up”, “You don’t need a man”, “I am better of without you”, “I’ll pull through” and confusingly “Show your love to your significant other by folding clothes”.

Pomegranate in terms of explicitness takes some risks but for the rest this bundle is very bland, even when trying to take on domestic violence or sexual abuse, and I just wish the author had taken her own poem to heart:

why is it that we’re always
the damsels in distress?

write more difficult women.
write more angry women.
write more unlikeable women.
write more cunning women.

write more women who revel
in their wickedness.
- show our complexity

Every time i read a collection from Amanda Lovelace i wonder if will be as wonderful as the last one. If i'll feel the same deep connection like the words were written just for me. I wondered that this time but my concerns were unfounded. This is everything i adore about poetry. When i finished reading it i felt empowered, inspired and understood.

This was the first Amanda Lovelace collection that I've read, but I can see why her work is very popular.

In a collection like this I understand that you're not going to love every poem, but I didn't find myself connecting with many. There were a few that resonated with me, but not to any great extent. What really surprised me is that many of these works seemed to be popular sentiments from viral tweets and instagram posts. This is not to say that the author copied these word-for-word, but the general ideas were the same. Many of the poems were worded the way they were just to seem edgy, at least, that's how it appeared to me.

Overall, it felt like reading a collection of affirmations rather than poetry. I'm not sure who the intended audience is, but I think this would work well for people who enjoy daily affirmations or those who appreciate short poetry in an easy-to-flip-through book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I have read one or two other books by Lovelace that I enjoyed tremendously. This one was good, but not as great as the like of The Princess Saves Herself.

So many poems seemed to be addressing wrongdoers, and it wasn't exactly what I was hoping for.

This is a current, uplifting, empowering book of poetry. Lovelace has a way with capturing the essence of something that many people are going through or thinking, and putting it eloquently and beautifully. The first poem, goddess of spring, was my favorite, and started the book out very strong. Not every poem hit that way for me, but overall it was a pretty, cohesive book of poetry.

Recommended for someone who wants to feel heard, women who need a boost or encouragement, people who want to feel less alone, and people who just like contemporary poetry.

Thanks to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an e-ARC.

The latest installment in Amanda Lovelace’s poetry collection, Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things, is simply beautiful. Lovelace creates another inspiring collection as they draw upon parallels to Hades and Persephone, combined with observations that could only have come from the pandemic. Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things is laced with themes from Greek mythology, exploring the idea of fierceness & softness, and what it means to take up space. This is a short and sweet collection of modern poetry that seeks to bring magic and understanding to the adventures and perils of everyday life. Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things releases on October 5, 2021. Thank you to Amanda Lovelace, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For the publisher: My review will be posted on the publication date and I will publish it on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble etc.

What a beautiful alluring cover of this book of poetry. I was drawn by it and wanted to explore every page and word.
I love poetry that empowers women, realize self worth and encourages to walk the path of healing. The world needs more of that. The message in the book is important.

This book doesn’t entirely read like poetry, the words come across as if they were on a bumper stickers, sticky notes and a quote under a Snapple bottle, fortune cookie or a dove bar. Important words, truthful ones, but not painted words, as poetry should be.

Most poetry books contain art to help paint a picture of the poet’s message, however, the author only uses two drawings throughout the entire book, beautiful artwork of flowers, but I wanted more and was disappointed, it got old after awhile. Still doesn’t take the beauty away from the fields of flowers.

With all that said, I do think this book should be read and would inspire anyone to be uplifted, inspired and know their worth and matter. This book is worth a viewing.

Thank you Netgallery for the access to this book in exchange for an honest review.