This was another beautiful, passionate, empowering work of poetry by Amanda Lovelace!

I connected with a lot of the poems in here— many of which made my heart twist and ache and had tears edging at the corner of my vision. Amanda just has such a way with words and knows how to convey such a strong message in just a few.

I definitely recommend this poetry collection if you’re looking for a new one to try— whether it’s your first time trying poetry or your 30th! Cannot wait to see what else Amanda blesses us with!

4/5⭐️

Trigger warning some poems deal with abuse. There’s a wonderfully worded trigger warning at the beginning of the book so you can be aware. Very thoughtful.

The poems are lovely and empowering. Also there are poems sad and relatable. It’s a very quick read and I can’t wait to re-read it to really “get” the poems.

Thanks to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC of this (ebook and audio) in exchange for my honest review.

I’m not always a poetry person, but Lovelace is one poet I am always excited to see new collections from. I really enjoyed this take on Persephone, though, to be honest I also find the retellings where Persephone has choice and Hades isn’t just an uncomplicated villain to also be exciting and empowering. I think the poems did a good job of showing how women can be two things, can be complex, while remaining easy to read and take in. I loved that the audio had commentary from the author, and I continue to be a fan of the art style used for illustrations, though I would’ve maybe enjoyed more illustrations in this one. Definitely recommend this if you’ve liked the other collections put out by this author.

"who said you can't/wear a flower crown/ & still remain/ a fearsome thing?
Amanda Lovelace has a way with words that just makes you sit there and wonder how one person could be gifted with such a beautiful gift of writing. This was my first poetry collection of Amanda's, but not my first encounter with the poet. I have seen her words plastered on Instagram and have heard praise of her work through Goodreads and various blogs. She is a talented woman.
From the first page, I was drawn in to how she crafted such beautiful poems about things that I take for granted. Her words empowered me as a woman to not be afraid to wear my crown and speak my truth.
Overall, I will be reading more of Amanda Lovelace very soon.

Felt like quotes instead of poems. Didn’t enjoy it as much as I would’ve liked, I think it was because I didn’t relate to any of the topics. People closer to the life experiences of the author will find this read more enjoyable.

Amanda Lovelace does it again. Her poems just speak to my soul. I really recommend getting yourself a physical copy because the drawings are so pretty.

Persephone inspires this one and is well worth a read.

this just reeked of Not Like Other Girls syndrome. i think the “poems” are supposed to be deep and meaningful, but they read like the tumblr posts i reblogged when i was seventeen. so many trite phrases and clichés. none of this feels original in the slightest.

i think exploring the softness and fierceness of femininity through persephone and wildflower/wildfire imagery is potentially interesting, i just hated the execution. “we’re going to make it, you & i” and “show our complexity” were the best of the bunch but that’s not really saying much.

Flower Crowns & Fearsome Things by Amanda Lovelace is a brief, empowering collection of feminist poems that represent the duality of softness and fierceness in Persephone and in us all. Some of the subject matter included expectations, double standards, and misogyny. I think it would have resonated more with me if the poems were more autobiographical. They were often more about general experiences. It was a good collection, but I wanted more depth and vulnerability. The illustrations and layout are beautiful, so you may want to pick this one up in paper form. I listened to the audiobook, which is well-narrated by the author and the author adds some insight to poems and topics.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.

Sometimes we just need to read a poetry, embrace our feelings, and remember who we are inside… or, if you’re me this is all the time. I have been reading poetry a lot the last few years as I get older and really deal with my past trauma. I have found many collections of poetry I love over the years, but none have impacted me the way Amanda Lovelace’s collections continue to.
That being said, I was thrilled to see that Flower Crowns and Fearsome things was available on Netgalley. Ever since I came across the “Women are Some Kind of Magic Collection” I have jumped at every opportunity to read a collection by Lovelace. I always end up buying them physically and I N E V E R share them, the copies I own are full of my inner thoughts in the margins and I love to look back at them and see how I’ve grown over the years.
Flower Crowns and Fearsome things is and will be no different. This collection is phenomenal, easily my favorite of hers and arguably her best one yet. Featuring poems centered around/inspired by Persephone, the goddess of the underworld and spring, this collection features poems that are both dark and light based on femininity and the female experience. In this collection the poems continue to be honest and full of wisdom while also hitting hard with heavy topics. Lovelace Writes about feminism, relationships, love, heartbreak, abuse and healing. She has the ability with her writing to make you feel it all.
Whenever I read a collection by Lovelace I feel as though she peered into my soul and brought me what I needed to read. I always find myself feeling comforted and know that I am not alone.

A HUGE thank you to Amanda Lovelace & Negalley for giving me the opportunity to read Flower Crowns and Fearsome things in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adore all of Amanda Lovelace's poetry and with each book her writing gets more profound and I find hits truer. I loved the Persephone and Hades comparisons in some of these poems and that these poems help you love you and realize that you are what matters. Can't wait to read more from them in the future!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

I was provided with a free ebook copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for this.

This is a short poetry collection about feminitiy in which the poems alternate between 'wildflowers' and 'wildflowers'. I really enjoyed this and absolutely raced through it, reading it cover to cover in about an hour. That bein said, I think it's a book I'll return to when I am in the mood for poetry.

The poems are very short and whilst I'm hesitant to compare any female poet to Rupi Kaur, I think fans of Kaur's work will really enjoy this one as well. Despite being short poems, they really pack a punch.

This is my first time reading any of Amanda Lovelace's work and I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be picking up more of her work in the future!

A lot of the time, Amanda Lovelace's works are hit or miss with me. Her earlier poems I wasn't really a fan of, but I have liked the majority of her newer stuff. I really liked this collection that seems to use Persephone as a muse. A few of them I really related to or could see it relating to other people I know that have gone through the situation described. The art is also very pretty in this volume. I do wish it was more diverse with more than just the same two prints, or it was in the book less.

Another great collection by Amanda Lovelace. Can't wait for the next one!

Thank you to Amanda Lovelace, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was BEAUTIFUL!!! The illustrations in this one were so unique and just utterly stunning. They really added the extra element of beauty to this one. The poetry was so relatable and just beautifully written. I really recommend this one. I found myself relating to all of the poems which is a win!!

This is my first read on Amanda, i really liked this modern style poetry, it includes a lot of hidden messages with a simple writing style.
Personally, I really loved this. I think any woman could easily connect to the collection and the persephone metaphor of soft and strong couldn´t be more perfect. The structure of wildflowers and poems is beautiful!
I look forward to reading more of her poems already published.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this Book in return of an honest review.

Thanks, NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book. I have been following Amanda's books since her first book came out. That one was truly something I liked and admired. However, when I read this one, there was nothing out of which I could get a wow! The topics she tried to touch were really good but I couldn't find something that could hit home. I believe this book was not for me though I would hope the next book coming along would definitely bring back that wow factor

First off, I'd like to thank NetGalley and Amanda Lovelace for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for an honest review!

I was interested in reading this because of Amanda Lovelace's immense popularity. I've seen books by them all over Booktok and Bookstagram and decided to give this one a shot. I must admit, though, I'm not a huge poetry fan and that may have impacted my thoughts.

I thought that the cover and artwork included was stunning! I also loved the theme around Persephone as she is one of my favorite goddesses and I find her to be extremely powerful. However, I sadly did not like this one as much as I would have liked. I found some poems to be better than others, which is nearly always the case. My main issue is that I felt as if a lot of them were trying too hard to satisfy the "not like other girls trope". I feel like I would have enjoyed this much more when I was younger, perhaps around 15.

Overall, this collection seemed a lot like something that would be found on Tumblr a couple of years ago... It just wasn't for me. Please don't let this review discourage you though - if you're a fan of Lovelace, modern poetry, or feminist writings, you may enjoy it.

2/5 stars - not for me :/

A great buy for the young person in your life, the addition of art in this one is incredibly lovely. The content itself in reminiscent of many poets but fantastic none the less

This is my second Lovelace book, and I *think* I like it more. About half of the poems I absolutely adore. The other half were just a brand of feminism that’s not for me. I love her healing and her beauty and her strength that she shows through her poems. There are just a few that don’t sit with me is all. I know a lot of people out there will love this tho.

𝗙𝗟𝗢𝗪𝗘𝗥 𝗖𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦 & 𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗦𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 by Amanda Lovelace is as wild and fierce as the beloved goddess that inspired it. This collection reimagines Persephone’s evolution in our modern world through brief and evocative poems interlaced with art of wildflowers and wildfires. Lovelace’s poetry masterfully balances hopefulness, irreverence, honesty, passion, and resilience. It was everything I needed to read at that moment. Add this collection to your list if you’re looking for poetry that soothes your heart and ignites your soul.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing & NetGalley for an e-arc of this poetry collection before it releases on 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟱. I can’t wait for my personal copy to arrive!

Firstly, I’d like to thank Amanda Lovelace and Netgalley for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review. Lovelace is one of the few poets that I enjoy and I’ve loved every collection of hers so face, while I want to remark that this one isn’t bad by any means, it wasn’t for me. Perhaps is the mindset that I’m in right now, I’m finally confident in myself (both physically and mentally) and so am not able to relate to a big part of the poems in this collection, which are about insecurity. Another big portion of the book consists of poems about relationships and romantic affection, both of which I don’t experience often and have little interest in.

There were still plenty of poems that spoke to me and that I’m sure to re-read in the future, those vary from female friendship to experiencing lockdown and social distancing during covid. Furthermore, the illustrations are gorgeous and I loved how they varied to match certain poems. Even though this was my least favorite collection of theirs, I hope that the book finds its way to the hands of those that need it and that they treasure it in their heart just as much as I treasure Lovelace’s other works.

Marina Garrido