This book was not for me. I'll be the first to admit that I don't have mush experience with poetry and so in this case I'm going to assume that Lovelace's style just doesn't work for me. I felt like I was just reading a bunch of short tumblr posts that strive to be deep and modern. The kind that people are always re-sharing on social media. There was nothing new and for the most part I felt absolutely no emotion in them or towards them. Mostly they just fell flat. Sure I agreed with most of the messages, but that wasn't enough for me to enjoy this.

Disclaimer: I was given an advance copy of the book by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

You know I enjoy every poetry book written by Amanda Lovelace and I was really excited to see Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things become available on NetGalley. I sped through this collection, and I still got the same feeling of empowerment from Amanda's books. However, this book was fairly short compared to her previous works. I don't understand if it left me wanting for more or disappointed because it wasn't up to my liking. But definitely, I still enjoyed this collection. So maybe it was my personal standards all along.

Please pick this book up! I know you will enjoy it too, but know that this is fairly short to begin with.

My Rating: 4.5/5⭐️’s

Release Date: October 5th 2021

Thanks to Net Galley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for giving me this eARC for review!

Amanda Lovelace has been one of my favorite poets ever since I discovered her poetry collection, ‘The Witch Doesn’t Burn In This One’. Her words about the treatment of women in today’s society always resonate with me and her bravery at writing such true words is awe-inspiring.

I loved how this poetry collection was inspired by Persephone from greek mythology, who happens to be a favorite of mine. A goddess who is both fierce and soft. Because who says you cannot be both? The art inside of the collection is beautiful as well as the cover. Flower covered covers are some of my favs!

I also loved how big of an impact each poem had even though they are short and simply written. I always had a hard time reading poetry in school because of its twisting words and meanings. Whereas in Amanda Lovelace’s poems, it gets straight to the point while having even more to say than traditional poems.

I recommend this collection to anyone who loves contemporary poetry, feminism, standing up for what’s right, and who wants to feel heard and that they are not alone. Anyone of any gender can appreciate and enjoy poetry collections like this!

This was a lovely collection of feminist poems. Some of the poems gave me tweet/meme vibes, but they were still great. The illustrations were illustrations were gorgeous. I wish there were more illustrations along with poems, overall this was a pretty great collection.

In this collection of poetry, Amanda Lovelace shows us that women can be sweet and strong, just as Persephone is goddess of spring and queen of the underworld. Told in alternating poems (one soft and hopeful, the next defiant and powerful), this collection was a joy to read.

There were a couple of poems where I could see the pandemic’s influence, and those really stood out to me. Another that I absolutely loved was “it’s not worth my energy anymore”. I am always down for taking up space and unapologetically living in your body, because no one should govern any part of your body or how you look!

As an ebook, the art accompanying each poem didn’t have the same impact it would on paper. Seeing both at the same time is a more effective way of reading this, so it definitely lends itself better to a physical book.

I just LOVE her work, falling into the status of trailblazers in modern day female poets. Amanda Lovelace will stick a chord with any modern women in an unjust world. I love her brutal honesty and prose every single time. I am so excited to purchase a copy this for my collection when it comes to print. Thank you for a chance to read this first!

I was excited when I saw that Amanda Lovelace was coming out with a new collection, and seeing the theme of it - the duality of Persephone/women, really got me interested. I really enjoyed the back and forth play between the two voices as the collection progressed. The illustrated pages of the two perspectives also had an impact. There are definitely trigger warnings for domestic abuse, rape, sexism and more, but there is a page in the beginning that gives a list. All in all this is another solid collection to add to your library if you are a fan of Amanda Lovelace's poetry.

This is another lovely, empowering book by Amanda Lovelace.
Though I didn't feel the same connection to this book as I felt with her other works, I adore all the flower metaphors and beautiful illustrations and found some poems that entered my heart.
Some of my favorites are-
-wild violet
-am I resilient enough?
-magic still has to exist somewhere, right?
-hopelessly devoted to myself.

This book of poetry hit me emotionally. There was parts I deeply connected with and made me think of past experiences. I enjoyed this so much! 5* rating from me.

Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things is a short but right to the point book. This author hits it home every time I read her. This is an empowering and thought provoking piece of work once again from Amanda Lovelace. There is also a list of trigger warnings at the beginning of the book.

I think the main issue here is that I’m not the target age demographic for Amanda Lovelace’s poetry. Angsty, 15-year-old me probably would’ve been all over this, even if it was wholly unrelatable. This latest book has very loose themes of feminism, abuse, and love but it’s all over the place; one minute she’s in love, the next she’ll never fall for anyone ever again. If you’ve enjoyed their other work, chances are you’ll be a fan of the latest installment, too.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of Flower Crowns & Fearsome Things in exchange for an honest review.

First I must say how excited I was to dive into this book. I read a few of A.L. works before and I really liked it, so when I got a chance to read her new work, before it's even out, I had to grab the opportunity.

I must say Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things was another Amanda's work I liked.

Through short poems the author gives a clear message to the women out there- be unapologetically you, enjoy life and even if there are obstacles, the future is bright and most importantly the future is in you. Let's embrace our gentleness, our fierceness and love ourselves no matter the struggles we face.

I would love to see Amanda's work as a reading material in school's so young women (and men) are reached with the force of a voice so powerful and meaningful.

What also deserves a mention is the artist and her drawings that give the book a special touch. The poems and the images go hand in hand and give a unique reading experience.

My only comment for this book is that I wished it had been longer.

A big thank you to the author Amanda Lovelace, publisher Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for a free copy.

I absolutely loved this collection. It’s so raw, relatable, and powerful. Lovelace captures so many feelings and puts them so beautifully into words.

The lines in Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things are beautifully written. Amanda Lovelace's writing style is gorgeous and exceptional.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½⭐️ (3.5 stars)

As I’ve said before in my previous reviews of her work, but I feel as though Amanda Lovelace’s work just gets better and better with time. Her latest compilation is a force to be reckoned with, and a welcome addition to her expanding repertoire of novels that tote women empowerment.

I’ve really become a fan of the direction her poetry has taken, and even though I don’t always relate to the content, I have really begun to appreciate her voice and the way she expresses her opinions. As always, the artwork in this collection is beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. It alternates between a field of colourful and flowers on a bright spring day and a bush of red roses set aflame at night, just as her poems switch between describing ‘the goddess of spring’ and ‘the queen of the underworld’ – contrastingly sweet and fiery.

While I found some of the poems stronger than others, and a few which felt decidedly similar to other ones I’ve already read by her, overall I enjoyed this poetry collection and flew through it. It did feel somewhat disjointed (and a little jarring) at times when switching between the ‘soft’ and ‘fierce’ sections, however, given that that may have been the intention, I can’t fault it too much there. Overall, I liked the execution and the concept that as women we can be and feel these conflicting things, and still be whole.

If you’re a fan of Amanda Lovelace’s previous works, or other poets with similar styles like Lang Leav and Rupi Kaur, you’ll no doubt enjoy this one just as much.

Thank you to the publisher, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Me ha resultado mucho más plano que sus anteriores poemarios. Se nota el estilo habitual de Lovelace, pero me ha parecido más superficial. También es cierto que es mucho menos duro que sus primeros poemarios y deja un poso distinto.

By this point I have read every collection Amanda Lovelace has ever published so when I found her newest collection I knew I had to read and review right away. Amanda Lovelace´s collections have become a comfort read for me and I am always able to deeply connect to her writing.

In Flower crowns & fearsome things, Amanda Lovelace explores the complexity of femininity through alternating wildflower & wildfire poems.

Like I said, I am a huge fan of Amanda Lovelace writing, I believe she manages to portray beautiful and heart wrenching images in a few words. The author is starting to become one of my favorites. The poetry isn’t groundbreaking or a masterpiece but it makes me feel things no other poetry has ever been able to do.

Every time I read Lovelace´s work I feel good and this was no exception. This poetry collection makes me feel like I matter and even though this is Lovelance´s story I feel seen and represented. These are words you need to hear no matter at what point in your life you are.

I don’t think I have anything else to say really, poetry is subjective and everyone gets to have their own opinion, I liked it, I connected to some poems and I didn’t with others. It is short, you should read it.

Overall it was an amazing poetry collection, the poems are raw and promote self-love which I think is crucial. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a short, powerful poetry book that is easy to read and will definitely make you love yourself a little bit more.

Finally, please read the trigger warnings at the beginning of the book.

Thanks so much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me read and review this book.

In her last poetry book, Lovelace explores how a woman can be both “soft and fierce” at the same time. Many of the poems leave strong impressions on their reader and certainly give them some food for thought. The poems are read as if two different women are reciting them: In the first poem you start reading the voice of the soft, mellow, full of love woman who is often silenced, humiliated, and used by men, then the second poem switches to the voice of the fierce, formidable, hell-raiser woman, who is not afraid to reject the molds that are forced on her and call the patriarchy, sexism, and double standards out. As you read on and the voices switch in every other poem, you find an opportunity to observe how differently (or sometimes similarly) these two perspectives review the same issues, situations, etc., and realize how you can find a little bit of yourself in both women. Lovelace definitely accomplishes what she wished to accomplish through her poems in this book, leaving the reader satisfied with the results.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I just love this author and all of her other books. When I saw this book I was so excited because I have been waiting for it to come out and have already pre-ordered my copy. I send links and pictures and reviews of all of her books to my friends because I love how real and raw they are. So many of the things she writes about I talk about with my friends or feel and there are times that it's like she took right from my head. I love her books and anyone who loves poetry should read them.

5 Stars (I received an e-arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

Amanda Lovelace's collections are always a joy to read but she really outdid herself with this collection. Not only do her poems alternate between a soft girl and a fierce goddess but after each poem has a picture fitting which point of view. Soft pastels, light sky and fields of flowers contrasted to a black background with red flowers and fireballs. Of course I did prefer the badass poems but near the end they are blended a bit more together. But I am excited to have physical copy if this visually and lyrically gorgeous.