As always, Trista Mateer’s writing is so beautiful it cuts straight though ti my heart and soul. Reading this felt like healing. I’m so grateful to have read it. I love the way she examines womanhood through the lens of Artemis and her mythology. No one is just one myth, and Mayer definitely showed many sides of Artemis, femininity, and womanhood.

"You must be in touch with your rage and your anger and your darkness. When I thought I was lost, I used those feelings to propel me forward".

TW: Rape.

Torn between is it deep or is it teenage angst vibes. Great idea but reads like my hormones have hit on my period and I think it's me against the world.

'Remember there is more to life than trauma and ruin. Even when it doesn't feel like it.'

I enjoyed the art and poetry in this collection but overall not as a whole. In my opinion, they are much more effective separately than together in this book. It felt like there was no structure to how the images and poems followed, so I felt a bit disorientated when reading.

I did appreciate the greek mythology references and some of the poems definitely hit more than others.

I was glad to see that content warnings for added and were available for others to see because the poems deal with some things that people may want to prepare for such as trauma and body image.

This feminist poetry collection, although it didn't hit all the right spots for me, may definitely be someone's favourite collection and for that, I do recommend it. Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to reading so, while the collection was overall not for me, the poems were well written and could be right up someone else's street!

Thank you so much to the publishers for providing me with an eArc of this book in exchange for my honest review!

4.5/5⭐️

I thoroughly enjoyed Aphrodite Made Me Do It so when I saw another poetry book was being published but this time around Artemis, one of my favourite Greek goddesses, I was very excited.

I really liked this addition to the series Trista Mateer has started. The way she connected her own experiences with sexual assault, being an older sister, and just being a woman to those of Artemis in mythology was beautifully done.

Artemis is the quintessential depiction of an eldest daughter, always expected to care for others, support, be strong and steady. Her story is poetic in itself and Trista really brought Artemis’ story to life.

Artemis in general is a baddie who takes what she wants and settles for nothing less than what she deserves and it’s inspiring as all hell. I also have never heard the interpretation of Greek Mythology that Artemis wasn’t a sacred virgin in the literal sense but laid with women instead so she was never beholden to a man but I am HERE for it. I love that interpretation of the stories.

The ‘names to know’ and quick description of Artemis at the beginning is also great for those who don’t know as much about Greek mythology, or even just those who need a refresher (like me).

After two successful and well done installments in this poetry collection, I am hopeful that next we will get Persephone Made Me Do It (another favourite goddess of mine). I’ll be keeping an eye out for that, for sure.

This ARC was sent to me by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Thanks to both!

Great short collection of poetry. Really intriguing and inspiring, recommend giving them a read. High 4 star rating.

Fucking insane. I adored this. i might not read alot of poetry but i know good poetry when i see it. thank you netgalley for this arc. amazing. going to reread it some time in the future. worthy of every star. can't recommend enough<3

5/5

Delightful mixture of Greek mythology, tarot readings, deep resonating poetry, and visual photography pieces.

I adore this book, and everything it stands for and everything it taught me. This book helped me look inward without completely destroying my soul, which is always nice. Though had it made me uncontrollably sob, I wouldn’t be angry. And if you end up sobbing reading through this well put together book, then know that I see you. And I appreciate and love you. Wherever you are on your journey.

Count me as a new fan of Trista Mateer. I will definitely be picking up her other books, Aphrodite Made Me Do It and Honeybee. And hopefully someday soon I’ll also pick up the next book of this series? perhaps based on another badass Greek woman? 👀 perhaps one with a name such as Persephone? 👀👀
No matter who the next subject is, I would be delighted to read anything and everything Mateer puts out.

Some of the art was really good and then others completely took me out, looking something like a collage assignment in my politics class. There is so much potential in this book, but for me, it consistently fell flat. I remember one poem about Zeus misunderstanding Artemis that worked incredibly well followed by a drawing of a jokey text conversation between them that basically explained the poem in overly simple terms. Most of it was too on the nose to make me think or not visceral enough to make me feel, but there is so much potential in almost all of these poems.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was beautiful. I loved it just as much as Aphrodite Made Me Do It. It means so much that the author includes content warnings right at the start, especially since so much of her work deals with trauma and SA. This is poetry for the queer, wild, strange woman/ femme aligned who have had enough of being held down, subdued, forced to obey. The use of the art and the way the author intertwines modern day and mythology in an devotional way is so unique. This is poetry about hurting, healing, survival. Fighting back, reclaiming yourself. Finding the wild and feral parts of yourself and nurturing them. Empowerment and rage intertwined.
This collection also felt even more imbued with magic and witchy elements.
I can't wait to see what Trista Mateer releases next.

I really enjoyed this collection of poems! The themes were really emotional for me and I loved how the author used Artemis and her perspective so heavily throughout the book. I really enjoyed the illustrations throughout and how the author tackled themes of trauma was thought provoking and empowering.

This collection of poetry was great. Several pieces felt like they were prose essays, but I still enjoyed reading them. I loved how Trista used mythology in her poetry. Everything flowed well, and the images were great.

This collection was a perspective cleanser. Unlike when I picked up Aphrodite Made Me Do It, this time I hadn't really read much contemporary feminist poetry immediately before picking this up. I feel like that caused me to have a different experience with it.

There is still a lot of sexual abuse content within these pages. I actually had to put the book down once midway through it because the details got to be too much.

But that wasn't the only thing. I absolutely lived for the sections that were written from the point of view of Artemis. I felt they were much much stronger than I remembered Aphrodite's poems having been.

Instead of being a conversation between Artemis and the poet, this one felt more like a sharing of similar experiences. Artemis being so strong and simply not putting up with the abuse of the men around her made for a refreshing change in what would have otherwise been a very difficult book. I also just thought in general that the Artemis poems were stronger because they covered new ground that this poet hasn't already done in all of her previous collections.

Artemis of the Hunt is not at any point shown to be a victim. I particularly loved when a poem suggested that her behaviour may not make her seem to be the hero of her stories, and that kickass goddess just did not care. Definitely my favourite and most memorable poem in the collection.

The only thing I want to add is that, although this is marketed as poetry, and written by a poet, I didn't really think they were poems so much as short prose essays. Nothing about the layout of the writings in the collection said 'poem' to me. It wasn't that there was a mix of different styles like in some collections, it was that the whole collection was just prose. Or maybe I'm being too picky on the subject of poetry.

This is a nice journal. Listen, I would call this a journal/zine, not necessarily a poetry collection, and not really a self-care collection. My favourite parts were when Artemis' story was referenced and the references to sexual assault - those poems actually felt unique and like they were impacting me. The rest felt like prettily written diary entries or tired tropes we've seen often now in poetry. Not bad, but it needs to be marketed differently, as a poetic journal (the artwork and collages support this), and I think to rely on a quote that compares it to self-care feels very fake. Best audience for this would be the Amanda Lovelace, Rupi Kaur poetry readers and not Greek mythology lovers who would expect a whole book about Artemis and her story. Again, it was just ok, and some of the poems definitely fell flat which is why it's not 4 stars.

I was provided the ARC by NetGalley and Central Avenue publishing in return for an honest review.

Trista Mateer is back and filled with more words to relate to and set one’s soul on fire. Paralleling yet again to Greek mythology, Mateer pulls from her life and experience to paint wisdom and honesty with her poetry. This is a must read for any woman or truly any human who debates that there is divine strength and power in being a woman, even with a world that continually exudes the image that we are unsafe. A truly remarkable work that I will indeed be adding to my shelves for my daughter to encounter as she grows into the person she is to be.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. I really enjoyed reading this book. The artwork was beautiful and the poetry was lyrical.

Stunning, absolutely beautiful and gorgeous poetry, full of emotion, raw and open, this may seem strange to say about poetry that covers surviving trauma, (trigger warning for sexual assault, rape, domestic violence) explores rage, problematic mother-daughter relationships and misogyny, but I think we also think beautiful and gorgeous mean girly (in a patriarchal ideal) we should see beauty and gorgeous-ness in the strength of women, in the beauty of self-acceptance, self-love and identity. So much of this poetry is difficult to read at points, but I realise because it made me look at myself and who I am, who I want to be isn’t who I am currently. I loved this more because I have always felt more drawn to Artemis than the other Goddesses, I love her ideals and what she represents. I thought the use of mixed media art really supports the work so well, this is an inspiring and thought provoking book of poetry, one to inspire the strong women we want and need to be, the ones we are.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I’ll try to write a longer review later, but this was a spectacular poetry collection. It is perfect for fans of Amanda Lovelace and Nikita Gill, and I am loving this rise of mythology themed poetry collections. Keep ‘em coming!

Trigger warning: SA

Did all of the things poetry was meant to do. Mythology (both personal and ancient greek) are spun together with commentary collages that make me feel all sorts of things. I don't always "get" poetry, and this was one of the cherished few times I did. Would totally recommend this for novice poetry readers (like myself) and think that even the digital ARC is something stunning to look at.

The poetry in this felt a little simplistic/repetitive for me, often more like mantras or affirmations sometimes than poems. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but it isn't super my thing. That said, I still enjoyed reading most of it, and I did like the illustrations and collages a lot, especially the tarot card ones. Trista Mateer's work is honest and cathartic, and I look forward to the next collection.

The poems I enjoy the most are those about surviving trauma, the way men's behavior is frequently justified without a good reason, and examining female rage and social roles. The topics explored are profound and moving.

With frequent shifts in the narrative between the poet and the goddess Artemis, I believe the author did a fantastic job of illustrating these concepts. I know I would love to read more from her in the near future.