An arc of this ebook was provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The author includes a trigger warning page including: intimate partner violence, sexual assault, misogyny, eating disorders, cheating, and child abuse.

The poems are short and taken individually not very impactful, however taken as a whole this collection is relatable to most women even if you have not experienced everything this collection covers.

𝐷𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑤𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑠𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦.

𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑛𝑠 & 𝑓𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 is the new standalone poetry collection by the bestselling and award-winning poetess Amanda Lovelace. Drawing inspiration from the ancient Greek goddess Persephone, revered simultaneously as Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld - "𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑓𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒", the collection explores the complexity of femininity through alternating wildflower and wildfire poems.

Two firsts for me: first time to finish an audiobook and first encounter with Amanda Lovelace's work. I have her previous books but for some reason, I haven't gotten around to reading them and now they're buried deep in my TBR pile.

I finished listening to the audiobook first and frankly, given that this is a poetry book and the author is the narrator herself, I expected more. I don't know, maybe more feelings, more energy in delivering the lines? She sounded flat and monotonous.

The poems were broken up with the author's commentaries explaining the thought process behind each section. Although I appreciate the author's notes, I felt that they disrupted the flow of the poem, failing to sustain the connection with the readers. I found it hard to distinguish between the commentaries and the poetry itself because they sounded the same to me.

When I learned that there's an available ebook version, I read it and that's when I appreciated it better. The cover and both the illustrations inside are pretty! The wordings are simple yet evocative, and as a woman who has experienced and is still facing some of the issues she wrote about, they felt familiar and relatable. Even the trigger warning at the beginning of the book is also thoughtfully worded.

However, as much as the author tried to showcase the duality of women's personalities, the poems felt random and the narrative tying them all up felt weak. Even the alternating artworks representing 𝑔𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 and ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒 felt repetitive and boring towards the end. I wish there was variety since the artworks took most of the pages.

Overall, it's still an interesting read. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a short yet thought-provoking breather from reading longer novels.

𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑁𝑒𝑡𝐺𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐴𝑛𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑤𝑠 𝑀𝑐𝑀𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑃𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝐴𝑅𝐶 𝑖𝑛 𝑒𝑥𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛 ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤.

I've never been a huge poetry person but I have liked some of Amanda Lovelace's collections in the past. However, this one was just really dissapointing. All of the poems just seemed very lazy and there was no original thought expressed in this book. The book seems to focus on several feminist ideas but none of them were original or even approached in an unique way. Almost every poem felt like something I had heard somewhere before and the methaphors I've really liked from Amanda Lovelace in the past just weren't present in this one. However, there's some beautiful illustrations in this.

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

Poet Amanda Lovelace's new collection, Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things is appropriately dedicated to those who wish to raise hell most elegantly (vii).
In this collection, Lovelace explores the concept of dualism in the lived experience of women and the expression of feminity. She draws inspiration from the mythological persona of the ancient Greek goddess Persephone, revered simultaneously as Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld - "equal parts soft and fierce" (p.xi).
The poems flow in sets of two, thematically and stylistically similar but differentiated by their perspectives on the subject-matter. Interleaved with recurring illustrations depicting either a soft flower meadow (representing flower crowns) or a burning rose bush (representing fearsome things) as appropriate, one poem evokes, whimsy, vulnerability and a feminine "inner voice", the other a powerfully insightful ideological rage. The deliberate juxtaposition successfully works to amplify the impact of the poems and the underlying concept of duality.
Within the poems, Lovelace explores themes including feminine vulnerability and strength, self-empowerment, female complexity, male-female dynamics, patriarchy, body image, resilience, violence against women (including coercive control), and gender roles as depicted in myth and fairytale.
The poems are up-to-the-minute in terms of subject matter. [C]ould the bar get any lower? (p.19) and [B]elieve her, no matter what. (p.115) perfectly encapsulate the contemporary struggle for safety, justice and respect in the context of the "Me Too" movement. On a lighter note, [A]t last (p.39) reflects on the unexpected feminist upside of having to wear a mask during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The poems resonated more for me than those contained within the poet's best-known collection, The Princess Saves Herself in This One, which I re-read in preparation for writing this review. Several evoked such a strong response that I feel compelled to share several of the poems with particular friends or female role-models for whom they'd also resonate.
Lovelace employs her signature prose style, dispensing with capitalisation and using deceptively simple, yet evocative, language to explore each poem's theme. The poems do contain potential triggers for some, which the author enumerates as including: intimate partner abuse, sexual assault, cheating, child abuse, trauma, death, violence, misogyny, body image, eating disorders, alcohol, fire and possibly more. She advises readers to remember to practice self-care before, during, & after reading. While several of the poems are indeed quite confronting in their raw power, I felt that the poet approached these difficult areas of women's experience with sensitivity and with great insight.
Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things is a stimulating collection of contemporary prose-poetry, which will strike a personal chord with many readers and contains important messages in the context of up-to-the minute feminist politics.
My thanks to the poet, Amanda Lovelace, publisher Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this thought-provoking and entertaining collection.

I've enjoyed every single one of her poetry collections and this one was no exception. The writing was beautful; the artwork was beautiful. What I'm trying to say, is that this was a stunning read.

Though I will say, the back and forth between "the soft and the fierce" was quite jarring. I thought this would've been executed better if they were each divided into seperate sections. (one whole section dedicated to "soft" and the other to "fierce")

I don't have much more thoughts, so I'll leave my review at that.

Trigger warnings for intimate partner abuse, sexual assualt, trauma, death, violence, body image, eating disorders, alcohol use and so much more.

I received an e-arc from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

FLOWER CROWNS AND FEARSOME THINGS is a gentle rebuttal to anyone who thinks of women/female-presenting people as weak or fragile. This strong celebration of resilience and self-love made me cry and writing down my favorite poems and planning out which ones I could fit into a tattoo on my arm so.i never forget it.

“Flower Crowns & Fearsome Things” is Amanda Lovelace’s new standalone poetry collection. Inspired by Persephone and alternating between wildflower and wildfire poems, the author explores the complexity of femininity.

Thoughts
💭I became a fan of Amanda Lovelace’s work a few years ago, and when I saw that “Flower Crowns & Fearsome Things” was being published this year, I immediately added it to my anticipated releases list.
💭As always, Amanda Lovelace’s words felt so familiar and relevant, as they speak about such important contemporary issues that affect so many people.
💭I loved that the inspiration behind this poetry collection was the duality of Persephone, who was both associated with spring and nature (life), and with the underworld (death). This way, Lovelace is able to explore the complex nature of femininity. That is, how femininity can mean both softness and fierceness, and how empowering it is to realize and accept that complexity.
💭“Flower Crowns & Fearsome Things” is the perfect read for a calm and meditative afternoon indoors. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who (keeping in mind those trigger and content warnings) is looking for a short, yet thought provoking read.

Thank you to @netgalley, @andrewsmcmeel and @ladybookmad for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

While Lovelace’s other collections usually make me feel inspired and empowered, this one made me feel sad and lonely.
The poems are all over the place, there are no grouped topics that flow and fit well. Even though it is intended to be a shorter work I think it would have benefitted from an overarching storyline.

𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑨𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒘𝒔 𝑴𝒄𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 ✨

•

That was awfully a surprising 2.5 ⭐️ from me.

The collection taking inspiration from Persephone and using this greek mythology character as a based for the poems is pretty interesting. I was definitely sold and expecting a lot on how it would turned since I did enjoy the author’s 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆 duology in the previous year I believe when I read it.

BUT THIS ONE. This was a big let down for me. The cover is really pretty, I love it so so much and that’s the only thing I love in this poetry book.

Now for the collection. I did bookmarked a few that I thought made sense, yes, I did. However, I would say that 90% of the collection in this poetry book is very generic. I’ve seen someone stated that this poetry book 𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝑰’𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍𝒔 and 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒄 𝒕𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒍𝒓/ 𝑰𝑮 𝒑𝒐𝒆𝒎𝒔 and I definitely agree to them. The collection really seemed repetitive other than being generic and it doesn’t really have impact on me.

If the author is aiming for both aiming for an 𝒂𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒐𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 like her previous collections, 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆, on this one it did failed on the empowering part. As for the aesthetics, I would say she passed on that one, with that cover and those pretty illustrations and formatting style?

Overall, this was a major let down for me.

Good poetry, really good poetry, should say something to you, possibly something different depending on when you read it. This book gave voice to my anger in the moment and gave me a more productive way to think about it. I'm not sure what better compliment I can give it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things by Amanda Lovelace is the author’s eighth work I believe, and I have now read all but one of her collections, to give you an idea of how big a fan I am of her work.
Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things alternates between wildfire and wildflower poems, the ability to be soft and fierce that you don’t have to choose between, just embrace. This book felt like a pep talk from that friend who is concerned about you and wants you to know you don’t have to settle and you should always love yourself first and foremost. I loved it. The illustrations between each poem alternating the style were gorgeous too. Can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy to add to my collection.

This is my first collection of poetry by Amanda Lovelace. The poetry collection is about duality, how women can be soft and fierce at the same time. Persephone from the Greek mythology inspired these poems.

I read an ebook and listen to an audiobook at the same time. The author reads this audiobook, which is always welcome. I like that. I like the book version also because of the illustrations.

Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing the for the ARC and the opportunity to read this! All opinions are my own.

**I received an advanced copy of this book on Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are entirely my own**
I have found myself quickly becoming a huge fan of Amanda Lovelace's work and always look forward to new releases. This book did not disappoint at all, I absolutely loved it! From the dedication and author's note to the poetry itself, this book quickly became one of my absolute favorites. Heck, the dedication itself drew me in immediately.
Her poetry always touches on some tough subjects, some of which are things I have experienced in my own life, so I like that each of her books includes pages for trigger warnings.
I love how relatable her books always are, especially this one right now. She wrote about so many of the issues women are facing right now at this moment. And it's not that her other books haven't, they have, with this one though it's our reality at this very moment. There's even a nod to the pandemic, which I really liked.
This book was by far my favorite book from Amanda Lovelace (of the ones I have read so far, I have a couple more in order to catch up). Can't wait for the next one!

Thanks so much to the author, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and Netgalley for the complimentary advanced copy of this e-book. All opinions are entirely my own. { #giftedbook } All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on my blog at tacklingtbr.home.blog

TW (from the book): "This book contains sensitive material relating to: intimate partner abuse, sexual assault, cheating, child abuse, trauma, death, violence, misogyny, body image, eating disorders, alcohol, fire, & possibly more. Remember to practice self-care before, during & after reading."

I, like so many others, fell in love with Amanda Lovelace reading her Woman Are Some Kind of Magic trilogy a few years ago. I've read all but two of her collections since then, and to this day I've yet to be disappointed in any of them. They are quick (although not light) reading, and I always love setting aside an afternoon to make myself a cup of tea, read one of her collections, and reflect on it.

I understand that her writing style might not be for everyone, as most of the poems are no more than a sentence or two, but I've always found it to be a really nice breather in between reading longer, more verbose novels.

This particular collection was taking a look at femininity and feminism through the story of Persephone, and using wildflowers and wild fires to show the soft, delicate sides versus the hard, fierce sides. This might just be the teen-girl-obsessed-with-mythology in me, but I loved that aspect of this collection.

I will say that there are two small things keeping this from a 5 star collection for me. Part of me missed the small bit of narrative flow that so many other of Amanda's collections seem to weave through the various poems. There was a little bit of it with the story of Persephone, but I wish that it had leaned just a tiny bit more into that, since it always feels like it just ties the collections together with a perfect bow. And one of the best parts of her collections is always the illustrations, as silly as that sounds. They are always soft and dreamlike and lovely, and they enhance the poetry so much. The illustrations in this collection were really lovely, but I wish that there was just a little bit more variety in them, rather than having the same two alternating. I'm sure Amanda had a reason for choosing that style this time around, but I'm just not sure what it is.

Overall I would absolutely recommend this collection to any of my friends, so long as it was healthy reading for them. The trigger warnings at the beginning of these collections are really no joke, and if those triggers will not be healthy for you to read, then these books aren't for you. But if you can do it safely, then curl up with a blanket and a pot of tea, and make this a part of your quiet, self-care day. (Note: Sounds of heavy rainfall definitely encouraged, but not required. I guess not everyone can live in the PNW.)

Last night I finished another book, in which one of my favorite characters is always reminded for saying "I choose neither". I loved her for that. Then, this morning I started reading "Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things", and I felt like the universe was trying to tell me something. On the author's note, she says: "Remember: there is no need to choose one or the other". So... I might need a while to process what this means to me. Thank you.

I love her poetry and I totally agree with her ideas. This was a great read! The only reason I'm not giving it more stars is because I'm taking into consideration how I rated her previous books and how I felt about them. But I definitely recommend it.

* Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing an advance copy.

I've read a few of Amanda's books before, and I enjoy her straightforward tone of voice and concise descriptions. I liked some of the poems in this collection more than others which is how I felt with her previous collections as well. Overall I wasn't super dazzled with the book, as some of the poems felt more like musings than an actual structured poem, but I know that's a popular approach toward writing right now so I did like it through the lens of that type of format. It reminded me of scrolling through Tumblr as a teenager, which was a nice reminiscence.

I liked being able to read through these poems with ease, and I felt the strength of the message behind each. I thought the accompanying illustrations were beautiful. I love the way the pages are laid out as I think it makes it easy to pick it up and read it over and over again, which is something you want out of a book.

I’ve been a fan of Amanda Lovelace for a little bit now and truly look forward to everything she releases. With that being said when I saw her newest collection of poems on NetGalley I had to request it. As soon as I got my approval I immediately read it.

Amanda definitely has a way with words. Her writing has gotten better and better with each book she releases. I also enjoyed the art work as I normally do with all of her books but it’s the one negative I have ... it was the same artwork throughout the book. I would have loved to seen other artwork vs the same throughout as her previous works have been stunning. Did it take away from this story absolutely not. Just have been spoiled in the past and would have loved to seen more artwork as it’s also something that adds and makes her books that more stunning.

I highly recommend this one and don’t stop here as Amanda has a lot more stunningly beautiful poetry books. Take time to get lost in her written word and enjoy the ride.

I read all of Amanda's books, so when I saw this title I knew I had to check it out. Her last book "Shine Your Icy Crown" was really good and well written so I had really high hopes that this will follow in it's footsteps.

While I do think that her writing has improved a lot since the start, this book was just not there for me. I could see the meaning of the poems, but it didn't made me feel anything, and it didn't spoke to me at all. It yet again felt like I'm scrolling through Tumblr and just reading posts.

I also didn't understand why the same artwork repeated throughout the book, it got really annoying and boring near the end. The artwork in her books are always beautiful and well thought out, so I have no idea what happened here.

The rating is more of a 2,5.

Wow! Powerful and meaningful poetry. I love that the core messages is a woman's strength all on her own..to love herself first and trust that she is enough.

I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy. All opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone.

This one has a lot to do with misogyny, sexual assault, cheating and things I cannot 100% relate to (thank God) so I didn't feel as sucked in or as seen. However, there were definitely a few poems that did stand out to me so, beware of the trigger warnings, but definitely give this a go, especially if you liked her other works!

I loved how it started with that reference to Persephone, who was both the goddess of spring and queen of the underworld. Hence, the being soft and fierce vibes.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the e-ARC in exchange of an honest and voluntary review.