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the mermaid's voice returns in this one

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Member Reviews

I have no idea how this book ended up slipping through the cracks. I read this book earlier this spring, or last Christmas as an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. I madly love everything about Amanda's trilogy of books and how they come round to the women regaining their voices, their tails, and their crowns. About how even the worst in the world, which is discussed in the earlier books and is so important and clear and painful, cannot actually bring them to their knees or bellies for long.

I truly cannot wait to see what poetry and prose come out next from her.

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Wow. I am going to miss this collection. I thought it was well done, empowering, and full of emotion.

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When I saw people online comparing Amanda’s work to Rupi Kaur I immeadiately lost my curiosity. But then, I saw this book on Netgalley and thought I should give it a chance and make my own opinion about it.

This is the first book I read of this series and here’s why: it features a foreword from Lang Leav (one of my favorite poets).
I can’t say I was disappointed because I was excepting this kind of poetry (for me it’s not really poetry though)

Because when you
hit
enter
after
every
single
word,
and the whole thing really just reads more like a regular sentence cut into pieces, that is not modern poetry to me.

The “poems” felt disconnected and there wasn’t any personality in them.
The only thing that saved this from being a one star rating was the fourth section that included the voices of other poets about the same themes. The collaborators were better than the author.

This was the first and last book I’ll read from this author.

Special thanks to Amanda Lovelace, Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

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Beautiful voice and compelling storytelling. Always love to find a new author and a mermaid. Thank you!

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Amanda Lovelace's poetry is once again the perfect comfort I need in such troubling times. I've read her two other poetry collections and this one showcases her growth as both a person and a writer of poetry. I love how simplistic some of her poems can be, yet they pack a huge punch.

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Thanks to NetGalley for the free e-copy in exchange for an honest review

A nice closure for this beautiful trilogy of poem collections, each one with a different message, a different focus, but all parts of the same process. This one is the happiest of the three I'd say, the one with the softest message, and sadly the one I liked the least, but I still liked it very much. It's just that the other two were more empowering and relatable. My favourite is definitely The Witch Doesn't Burn in This One.

I will be checking out the other books by Amanda Lovelace for sure, as I enjoyed her words a lot even if sometimes they made me very sad.

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I don’t know how popular or unpopular my opinion is when it comes to this type of poetry. I want to be completely honest and upfront that this may be a very unpopular opinion. If you like this style of poetry, that’s great, but this is just not for me.

It’s not the content itself that I wasn’t a big fan of, more so the execution. The poems themselves are very touching and I found myself very emotional by the end of the first time reading all the way through. My biggest issue was that the format of the poems made it very hard to really get that emotional impact because each line was so stop and start. I usually like to read poems aloud because they often have a lyrical flow and an added element when spoken. These poems could not be spoken out loud.

I think this style just isn’t for me personally because I prefer lyrical poetry more, when it has some form of meter and form. I am very much from the school of learning that anything with the intention of being poetry is poetry, but in feeling this way, there are definitely styles of poetry that I prefer over others.

Another style issue I had with this text is the purple text. I struggle with different font colors, so this was somewhat straining to the eye. If you have similar issues, this may hinder your ability to read more than a few pages at a time.

Also: please heed the warnings before you read this book. There is some very intense content that may be harder for some people to read. I am very grateful that those warnings are present before the start of the book

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I love Lovelace! Her ability to take some of humanities worst experiences coupled with the emotions and feelings that come with those situations and put them into words is unparalleled. When feeling overwhelmed or alone, grab a Lovelace book. It may not ease your situation, but you won't feel alone any more.

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The Mermaid’s Voice Returns In This One is the final installment in Women Are Some Kind Of Magic. I have read the previous two books and I’d say that this might be my least favorite of the three.

Poetry is so hard to review because poetry is so personal and can be mean different things to different people In the Mermaid’s Voice, a lot of the poems centered around the Me Too movement. It also included work from other authors which I personally loved because I liked how it worked and connected with the rest of the collections.

I enjoyed quite a bit of the poems, but I don’t think there was any that completely blew me away.

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I have read each of Amanda Lovelace's books of poetry, even purchasing the others in the Women Are Some Kind of Magic collection after reading the witch doesn't burn in this one here on Netgalley. I am a fan of Amanda Lovelace's voice and style of writing, as her words move me, shatter me, and often leave me thinking of pain and healing I've experienced in my own life. So when I learned of the mermaid's voice returns in this one, I could not wait to read it.

And I devoured it all in one sitting. I enjoyed the well-crafted metaphors, got lost in the beautiful way she weaves the most brutal experiences, and was even triggered a few times. While I can appreciate an authors brilliant use of words to share her story and pain, sometimes I found myself rushing through a poem or two. It's like you know something bad is about to happen and you don't want to see it, but you take a deep breath and prepare for the coming. I applaud Lovelace to be able to share her story with us readers, even though I found myself racing through the poems discussing sexual violence.

I also liked that this time around, Amanda Lovelace included poems from other authors sharing similar experiences as a survivor. It showed that many women share these experiences and through their strength, have been able to rise from their pain and claim their voices with these words.

While it is probably not a book of poetry I will purchase, I do appreciate the message Lovelace conveyed here. And I thank her for sharing her voice with us, giving other women the courage to use theirs as well.

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I wasn't particularly fond of the "Women Are Some Kind of Magic" series, but always came back to it whenever Amanda put out her new work. Nevertheless, her journey depicted through her work is definitely inspiring. Love the different collaborations presented by other writers in this installment.

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Amanda's poetry collections are always so strong and powerful! I find myself wanting to cherish her words, but end up devouring the pages and next thing I know I have finished the book. I always know her collections are ones I can count on to show not only her strength, but the strength that anyone can have- survivor or not. Her collections speak volumes and are so empowering!

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I've thoroughly enjoyed all of Amanda's previous works from The Women are Some Kind of Magic series, To Make Monsters out of Girls, and even her self published book Dragonhearts. Amanda really opened a new perspective on poetry and has redefined what it means to write it. As an English & Creative Writing student, I have to get my hands stuck on creating some of my own, and it used to be my most dreaded part. Her poetry has completely switched that around for me. And The Mermaid's Voice Returns in This One s no different.


It very much centres around the #MeToo movement, surviving sexual assault and finally being able to speak up and receive support. And it caters this idea of including others' stories into this as it features several other poets such as Gretchen Gomez and Trista Mateer. And with such a heavy subject matter it offers both more painful reads and then follows with a lighter poem as if to hug and comfort.

There is a slight fairytale theme in this collection and offers imagery of Alice and a sense of the 'looking glass'. There's also (obviously) hints at Ariel / The Little Mermaid. The fairy like style was mixed in well with the more harder subject that the collection followed. Also whether Amanda's inspiration came from Disney, Fairy tales, or wherever else, it was exciting to see characters or previous stories that everyone universally knows and used in such ways.

Even though I was given a free e-book arc of this collection, I will be going out and buying it. Some of the poems have really stood out and with all other of Amanda Lovelace's work, they're a collection that needs to be read and re-read all over again.

"Cages are still cages even when they're designed to look just like castles."

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3.5 stars

This is probably her best collection yet. I loved how she explored trauma so powerfully and beautifully.

Some poems I found to be great while some I questioned why they were put in at all if they lacked so much substance.

The last part of the book was comprised of contributing poet’s works, which I thought was really nice and worked perfectly with the message of this series.

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the mermaid’s voice returns in this one is a return to form and theme for amanda lovelace. Just like her first book, the princess saves herself in this one, tackled some tough issues so too does her third book. Don’t be worried about being surprised by this content as the book itself begins with a trigger warning that outlines the issues that the book explores and advises people that some parts may be difficult.

lovelace’s poetry books are somewhat themed around fairy tales and tackle a number of associated issues – You will find poems that deal with abuse, survival, and issues of non-consent. Surrounding these issues and poems are the narrative of the little mermaid, which is used to highlight the larger issues surrounding womanhood and survival

The typical structure of Lovelace’s poems involve un-capitalised lines intersected with line breaks, that typically end with italicised final thoughts. the mermaid’s voice returns in this one is a quick and engaging collection of poetry, while you may struggle with the issues being discussed, you won’t struggle with understanding the poetry. All imagery used is beautiful and poignant, but also accessible.

Best Bits: There were a few stand out poems for me, if you do have a copy of the book check out the below poems:

‘he immediately lowers his umbrella’ – pg 116.
‘today i love the way i look in my sundress’ – pg 131.
‘a victim or a survivor?’ – pg 133.

I will admit that the first book in the ‘Women are Some Kind of Magic’ series, is the more powerful of the series. It wasn’t that the mermaid’s voice returns in this one was weaker or any less poignant than the first, it was just that I wasn’t as enraptured with the poetry.

I would still recommend this book for any fan of lovelace or poetry. the mermaid’s voice returns in this one is a great starter book for poetry readers and an enjoyable read for poetry pros.

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I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t usually read a lot of poetry and I haven’t read the authors 2 previous works, but this was really beautiful and thought provoking. She hits on so many emotions using various references to fairytales. As a woman reading this, it was quite powerful and her message was empowering.

Well done. I’ll definitely be reading more of her works.

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The first book was bearable. The second volume was like reading a worse version of the first one, and now the last one is like reading a worse version of the second one.
In a nutshell: a shallow attempt at trying to write deep, meaningful feminist poetry that it's more close to cheesy tumblr quotes for 14 year olds.
There is nothing more to say about it... not even "keep trying"... sorry.

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Amanda Lovelace never fails to write lovely poems that make you love poetry even more. I have honestly loved it with my whole heart.

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I'm a diehard Amanda Lovelace fan. I will buy anything and everything she writes.

True to form, this collection of poetry is altogether fierce and vulnerable. I connect on a personal level to its references to a particularly unhealthy and dark relationship; instead of feeling triggered, these poems are offering me a lifeboat comprised of catharsis.

To paraphrase Ms. Lovelace, when I read these poems I can reside somewhere between forgiving and forgetting my past.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36297088-the-mermaid-s-voice-returns-in-this-one?ac=1&from_search=true

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This is the first book by Amanda Lovelace that I read, and I was expecting so much more because of the title (and the trigger warnings). Much of the idea which the book is articulated around (that of mermaids and books/fantasy/stories) I found boring and stale, appart from the fact that (ironically) they are not that present in the actual poems. However, there are (a few) gems hidden between all that fantasy.

I didn't like so many poems by other people in her book. It didn't feel as she was using it to inspire her own writing and the readers.

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