"Artemis Made Me Do It" is a modern poetry collection that reads like a mixed media journal written from the perspective of Greek deity Artemis. The collection is cohesive and covers a range of emotional and important themes but it didn't read as anything I hadn't read before.

As an older sibling, I think I’m the target audience. I also love Greek mythology. This collection of poetry feels like it’s taking names and concepts from mythology and giving the characters present day feelings and problems and struggles. I wasn’t a huge fan of the way that was portrayed. The writing, organization, and art work was unique and well done though.

I picked this up after loving Aphrodite Made Me Do It, but I have to admit I didn't love it as much. While it had its strong moments, it felt like more of the same, and I have read other, similar poetry collections that have spoken to me more. Still, I really do love the mixed media format.

Thank you net galley and Central Avenue Publishing for providing me with a free arc of Artemis Made Me Do It in exchange for a honest review.

This addition to Mateer's mythology collection showcases clear growth in her writing style. The Greek mythos included alongside Trista Mateer's personal story was a such a beautiful expression of womanhood and the pain that comes with it. Artemis Made Me Do It paints a vivid picture of the journey from pain and trauma to healing and inner growth. Overall, this is a lovely collection of poetry but it doesn't stand out as particularly groundbreaking. However if you're looking for an emotionally charged and youthful collection of poetry, I would definitely recommend this title.

Thanks NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for this e-arc!

I loved this book. The imagery interwoven with the written poetry was gorgeous. I'm also a mythology nerd, so the mythos interwoven with Trista Mateer's personal story was a such a beautiful expression of trauma and womanhood.

The only reason why I didn't give this five stars was that my copy had several formatting errors including missing letters. However, since this was an advanced copy it is likely these issues will be resolved by publication.

Thank you net galley for providing me with a free arc of Artemis made me do it in exchange for a honest review.

An absolutely magnificent book. After reading Mateers " Aphrodite made me do it" I am pleasantly surprised by the clear progress in her writing. The themes of woman hood are extremely well explored, and by adding Greek mythology the book becomes even more interesting. Overall a great read I'd definitely recommend to everyone, especially fellow non men.

What a beautiful journey. From anguish and hurt. To acceptance and hope. I think every woman needs to read this!

I enjoyed this collection. Mater's first book was fantastic and though I really enjoyed this one it wasn't as good as the first one. Still a very worthwhile read. I really enjoy when poetry collections have pictures/drawings interspersed in the book, though I did find the missing letters odd. Most I was able to decifer, but there was a few words I could not figure out.

This bill wasn’t bad I just feel like it maybe wasn’t for me? I think high school Aubrey would have loved this book. 28 year old Aubrey just isn’t the right audience.

Artemis Made Me Do It is a beautiful exploration of what it means to be a woman in a brutal world. Interspersed between the poems of the author and Artemis are metaphysical questions and experience impacting both that ultimately boils down to the question “what does it mean to be a powerful woman in a world ruled by men?’

There isn’t a simple answer to this question, but the poet, the goddess, and the reader are called to think about these questions and engage with them. The images and poems invite the reader to embrace the hidden parts of hersel and to come to peace with difficult events, and to realize that they don’t have to accept things just because a parent would like us to.

I love the addition of the journaling prompts. After dealing with the topics addressed in this book, the reader might have a lot of internal conflicts to address, and I like that the poet recognized this and gave the reader an outlet for those feelings.

I really enjoyed this poetry book and it's made me more determined to start getting into Greek mythology and learning more about all the Greek gods/goddesses.
I loved iow this poet was able to combine Greek mythology with today problems. The way the poet was able to interconnect the two where amazing!

The only thing that stopped me from absolutely loving this was the spelling errors just missing letters. For example "suffering" was spelt "su ering" you can tell its obviously a technology error not the poet. I enjoyed the book enough to be able to look past it and eventually figure out what words we're, however, it should definitely be addressed before publishing!

Apart from that, I am now 100% invested in this poet and hopefully more poetry books to look forward too!!!

It has been about 2 hours since I received the mail that I received an ARC for Artemis Made Me Do It and I have just finished reading it for the first time - I will undoubtedly reread this many times over.

I'm quietly sobbing while my kids sleep next to me, because as much as I adored Aphrodite Made Me Do It, I was not prepared for just how good this would be or rather, I was not prepared for the poetry to put so many words to the conflict and trauma I'm feeling inside.

There are so many topics covered ranging from being a daughter, feminist and sister - and as much as I hated the truth that others share in my experiences, it felt empowering to know I'm not alone in that pain.

This book is beautifully written and I'm honoured you'd let me review and read an ARC - I can't begin to tell you the lengths I had gone to get a physical copy of Aphrodite Made Me Do It, here in South Africa. So, when I saw Artemis Made Me Do It was available on NetGalley, I basically squealed.

This was incredibly powerful and everything I needed. Thank you!!

Something to note is that in this digital copy, several letters are missing. You can quickly pick up what the word should read, but typically, I noticed that words containing fi, ft, f, v, ff were all missing these letters. So, "Fire" would read "re" or "difference" reads "dierence". Again, this didn't halt my excitement or stop me from enjoying the book because I could easily work out what was missing but I wanted to mention it.

Trista Mateer is the award-winning and bestselling author of multiple poetry collections, including the feminist greek mythology retelling, Aphrodite Made Me Do It. Mateer is a passionate mental health advocate, currently writing in South Carolina. Her newest collection is titled Artemis Made Me Do It.
Artemis Made Me Do It is an experimental book of fiction, poetry, and graphic hybrid pieces. Visually, this is an intriguing and exciting book. Mateer uses her language to synthesize tarot cards, Ancient Greek mythology, and contemporary feminism into one surreal and political mind trip for the reader, but does it evocatively and effectively. The poems themselves are rich with mythic allusion and classical imagery, but often shift abruptly to modern ideas and images, creating a strong juxtaposition between the two realms that’s very striking.
What makes this book so intriguing is the way that Mateer takes modern socio-political issues, both intimate and personal as well as global and timeless, and synthesizes them with dark and mythic imagery in a way that catches readers off guard. While classical allusions are nothing new in poetry, the way Mateer tackles these subjects, embodying the divine feminine with lyrical skill while confronting modern issues, is unique. For example, one untitled prose piece reads:
After our long hunts across the mountains, the nymphs and I would retire to a
secret grove deep in the forest. We used to laze about naked in the hot spring,
enjoying each other’s company, kissing and laughing and singing.

But women are never allowed safety for long. There is always another grasping
hand. Another hungry mouth. Another prying eye.

Actaeon, out with his dogs, was not the first to hunt me.
This is the sort of work that Mateer delves into. The modern horrors of violence and terror faced by women are explored through the imagery and symbolism of classical Greek myth, creating this sense of timelessness that permeates the book and saturates the reader with dread.
Overall, Artemis Made Me Do It is a very poignant book. It’s a hybrid of prose, poetry, and visual art that amalgamates tarot imagery, classic myth, and modern social issues into one nightmarish experience. Fans of horror poetry will certainly be intrigued by this book, and while the style may not appeal to everyone, those willing to take a chance on the hybrid and experimental will certainly be rewarded.

‘Artemis made me do it’ is youthful and fresh. A masterful artwork using the interconnection of words and pictures to push femininity and female autonomy. A great feminist re-telling with a split narrative between the poet and Artemis herself. A great read for a woman searching for the words that explain her anger.

This book is so good. I've never read a book like this and was surprised by how is organized because it's not a normal book with only words and words. it's more than this. There're pictures with strong messages and deep poems that make you rethink. I'd like to read more about the author and her books.

reading poetry is good for the soul. <3
not only the poems but the other artwork too was so beautiful!

One word, PHENOMENAL! The rawest, most powerful, divine and honest poetry book I’ve ever read!
The writing is eloquent, fierce, and utterly empowering.
I am struggling to find the words to express the impact this has had on me.

I feel so foolish that it takes a poetry book to tell me that it’s ok to feel how I feel. My reactions are justified, and I can fight back, both metaphorically and literally. I don’t have to stay meek and timid. I have power, strength, beauty (in all definitions, not just superficial) and courage. I am perfect as I am.

It is a hard-hitting read and doesn’t shy away from painful topics, so please check the trigger warnings. But it’s that bold rage and honesty that I love.

To say I’m grateful I got an eArc is an understatement. I cannot wait to add a physical copy to my collection. It will become my bible! Not to mention purchasing the other stunning poetry books Trista Mateer has written.

Thank you, NetGalley & Central Avenue Publishing, for granting my request. I fricking LOVED every single page!

As someone who doesn’t read poetry often, I absolutely adored this!! This collection is powerful and angry, the way Mateer intertwines modern day and mythology is so unique. I’ve always loved the story of Artemis, but you definitely don’t need to know a huge amount of the lore to read it! For the people that do, it just makes it more rewarding. Although this almost felt more like a journal than poetry, that just made me like it more! The scrapbook like illustrations really bring it together, I especially loved the incorporation of tarot cards.
“I write poems for you the way other people bring flowers to graves."
A lot of the topics really resonated with me so I appreciated that there was content warnings that the start. This collection brought up a lot of feelings I had buried (mostly rage) but it also made me feel seen and heard. There’s also journal prompts which I loved!
“Remember there is more to life than trauma and ruin.”
I will be recommending this to everyone in my life but especially the people who I know need it, much like I did! I can’t wait to own a physical copy <3

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this collection about queer, angry women who are tired of men and their shit. The parallels between women in greek myth and modern-day women and what they have to deal with were done so well.

The writing was beautiful and the pictures really added so much to it. I really look forward to more of Trista's work.

Unfortunately for me, this book fell a little short of what I was expecting. I thought there would be more Greek mythology in the poems and images than there was. It is still a nice little book that I got through extremely quickly one evening at home. I enjoyed it but didn't love it.