Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC to review!

5 stars!

Once again I loved this! I have been anticipating this release for a while and I'm so so so happy to be able to review it!

Once again, the poetry hit me like a train. I just love how the story of Persephone was done. I love the mixed media. I loved how the design of the book is done.

There are trigger warnings, as always, at the start of the book. But how this story was written was truly hitting.
Stunning!

Thank you so much to Trista Mateer, Central Avenue Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for honest review!

Trista Mateer strikes again. I read and adored ‘Aphrodite Made Me Do It’, so the instant I heard there would be a similar poem anthology coming out I was all over it. This did not disappoint! This book combines mythology and reality in a way that is unique and heartfelt. The poems are raw, emotional and confront reality in a striking manner. The illustrations are striking and beautiful in their own right. I will 100% be purchasing this on release day!

To me, the real heart of this collection lay in the art and collages rather than the poems themselves, many of which were short and affirmation-like, whcih sometimes worked and sometimes really felt like they lacked substance. This wasn't my favorite Mateer collection, but I did enjoy reading it.

"As a child, I chased intangible things: wishes and fairies and stardust. When I grew up, I fabricated love out of phone calls and distance."

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I don't read a whole lot of poetry, but I found this collection to be very approachable and relatable. I loved it!

It is quite an emotional collection and I would recommend reading over the trigger warnings before diving in.

I didn't rate the collection five stars due to what I feel was slightly misleading by the book description. This is the third in a series, which I have not read the first two. However, the description of the book did not lead me to believe that so much of this collection would be journal-entry-type collages. I don't necessarily mind this, I even enjoyed them, but I didn't expect it and felt like the actual poetry content within the collection was a lot less than I anticipated due to this.

"I wonder if all women must try not to be hurt by the men they love. And how is it love if it’s so tinged with fear?"

I really enjoy this poetry series. I have enjoyed the previous two books and this one was no exception. The author of these collections has a beautiful voice and I always enjoy the visuals that accompany the poems. These collections also are usually an ode to womanhood, the struggles and triumphs, many women may go through/experience. I also really enjoy the Greek mythology references.
Some poetry can feel a bit pretentious and may be difficult to read, these books are not like that at all. Any casual fan of poetry would enjoy these books. I highly recommend!

I find the concept behind this collection of poetry to be so interesting.
Having read Aphrodite Made Me Do It by Trista Mateer I was more than excited to dive into another of her books.
Knowing a bit about the god Persephone, I knew I'd be in for an interesting read involving talk of dark subjects.
This collection follows the same formula as others in Mateer's Myth and Magick series. She writes poetry from the perspective of Persephone and from her own. The combination of these perspectives helps to enhance the poetry, finding similarities and differences between the story of Persephone and what it means to be a woman in the modern era.
The deep discussion about mother/daughter relationships was unexpected, but incredibly engaging and added so much to this collection.
As always, the artwork is such a wonderful addition to this collection of poetry.
I would certainly recommend this poetry collection for those interested in exploring the genre and those interested in Greek mythology.

Having loved the first collection in this poetry series, and the second one not as much, I'm glad to say I enjoyed this a lot! It might have something to do with Persephone being one of my favourite goddesses, but I loved this interpretation of her. As in the previous installments, I really loved the combination of poetry and visual art: illustrations, photography, collages. This was all so cool to see, and I think it will look even better in a physical copy.

Wow. This book punched me in the gut over and over. Very raw, and very potent for someone with some pretty difficult mom trauma right now. Would give more than 5 stars if I could, and I don’t even usually like poetry collections!

The myths of Persephone meet modern media in an interpretation of her journey from child to goddess in poems and pictures most women will resonate with. Exploring the themes of grief, abandonment, lack of autonomy, lineage, paternal figures and power, this book has a clear feminist context and goal. To me, it felt like a warm embrace. I'm glad of the reminder of the strength held- and the pain endured by women in society to this day. I quite liked it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing, for approving me for a digital copy of the book for review.

The third in Trista's "Made Me Do It" series. I have officially read all three of them, and this one might be my favorite (though maybe because Persephone is my favorite Greek goddess). Like the others in the collection, Trista weaves her story with that of the goddess' through poetry, prose, and art.
This collection tackles a lot of issues, but a lot with maternal figures and the patriarchy. I think Trista's words are magical and raw. Her prose is poignant and real. If you are someone who loves poetry and Greek mythology, this series is a must!

Trista Mateer's Persephone Made Me Do It is a visually stunning, emotionally-wrought collection. With crisp imagery and some truly beautiful lines, I finished this in a single sitting and think many readers will also find themselves in the same position. The formatting was a bit wonky which had me backtracking at times, but the work itself is lovely.

Big thanks to Central Avenue Publishing and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

“SOMETIMES WOMEN MUST SWALLOW DARKNESS IN ORDER TO GROW, TO CHANGE, TO DEFEND THEMSELVES. I AM THE DARKNESS.”

Wow, just wow! This is such an empowering, insightful and brutally honest book of poems. It was beautifully written and extremely captivating and honest. I appreciate the authors raw, powerful words as she did not shy away from speaking the truth that so many have endured through Persephone.

Something I thought was extremely considerate to the authors readers was how at the beginning of the book there is a detailed page with trigger warnings. There was also a list of words and names that are commonly used throughout the book that are helpful to know while reading incase the reader isn’t familiar with the Greek mythology referred to.

The artwork throughout was a aesthetically pleasing touch.

I received this ARC via NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

"When I say I'm angry, they keep trying to talk to me into forgiveness. The truth is, I did forgive him. The first time. Not the second."
I liked the first 2 books a lot more than this one. Don't get me wrong the poetry and the feeling that the author puts into each page is beautiful, but I didn't feel identified like her previous works.

This collection of art and poetry was very thought-provoking and interesting. It’s very short and seems to focus more on the art than the poetry, which I wasn’t expecting. The poems are seemingly through the lens of a conversation between the poet and the Queen of Hell, which makes for an interesting dynamic.

I hadn't read the previous poems in this series but they can be read as stand alone.

I really enjoyed this and wish I had the hard copy rather than kindle version.

Inspiring, emotional and raw.

Thank you for the arc

I didn’t know this was part of a series/collection, so I will be reading the first 2 books soon! I really enjoyed these poems. I saved a few that I resonated with. This is my favorite one:
SHE’S . . . DIFFICULT TO WORK WITH
Difficult women know they deserve better. Difficult women stand up for themselves. Difficult women call you on your bullshit. Difficult women take up space.
Difficult women raise their voices. Difficult women are not afraid of leaving. Or of you.

Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ

"𝑪𝒂𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒂 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒐𝒖𝒕?...𝑪𝒂𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒏 𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆?"

“Persephone Made Me Do It” is a very intriguing and cleverly crafted collection of poems. As the title suggests, there is a heavy reference to Greek mythology throughout, especially Persephone’s story, along with touches of tarot cards and the story of Eve.

Trista Mateer depicts the difficulties that women have faced over the centuries and can still face to this day, how women can be expected to make themselves smaller to suit a man’s ego and how too many women have the same distressing stories to tell. Mateer is angry about this, and she is not afraid to be heard!

Trauma appears to be the main theme explored in this collection. The passion in the poems increases throughout to help portray a woman using horrific circumstances to grow and choosing to come out the other side stronger and less tolerant of taking things lying down, especially for the benefit of other people.

I LOVED how Mateer touched on how women are seen as “difficult” simply because they know how they deserve to be treated and they stand up for themselves. However far we may have come in society accepting women as equal to men, it is simple attitudes, such as this example, which is still experienced frequently today, that shows there is a long way to go to bridge that gap.

There is so much more to this book, but nothing I say will beat experiencing this read for yourselves.

As a woman, I found this a very empowering read, but I believe a man could appreciate it also to better understand the trials that woman have faced, can still face and how we all need to collectively grow as a society.

Highly recommend!

Publication date: 12th September 2023

𝐓𝐖: There are themes of domestic abuse and rape portrayed in this collection so please be aware of this.

I really love this series, and this installment is my favorite of the bunch (so far?). Perhaps not surprising since Persephone has always been my favorite goddess. Everything in the collection--the poems, the prose, the art--was so cohesive; I can't even pick out favorites because they aren't the same when plucked from the context of the whole.

TW (as given by the author): abuse, death, fire, rape, sexual assault, & probably more
(I would add): incest, nightmares/sleep paralysis, blasphemy/anger toward God/religion, strained mother-daughter relationship

DNF
Unfortunately I couldn't read this properly because the formatting on the arc was all mixed up. Also what I did read wasn't for me so I am not going to finish. I'm rating it 3 stars because that is the middle value and I don't feel I can judge this book.

i gave it a four stars - mateer is a beautiful writer, and she conveys herself so wonderfully. this is definitely a special poetry collection for those with 'mummy isses' or just a complicated relationship with mothers in general, which was so heartwrenching to read!