Inspired heavily by the #metoo movement, this final book in the poetry memoir trilogy takes us into the experiences of a woman suffering abuse and surviving the aftermath. I especially appreciated the ode to "Blood, Water, Paint" by Joy McCullough (a fantastic story) and the poems by other survivors at the end. I'm so blessed to be married to an amazing, selfless, and respectful man. My heart goes out to those who have found villains when they're meant to have princes (or princesses).

Oh gosh, I just finished this and it was just so damn beautiful. Seriously. This is the first Amanda Lovelace poetry that I have read (I have 'the princess saves herself in this one' at home, but I haven't picked it up yet but I totally will do that SOON).

Her writing is beautiful. Of course not every poem worked for me or touched me the same that all the others did. BUT MAN, everything was just beautiful and so heartfelt and just everything!!!!

As soon as it's out, I'm going to buy the book and highlight the shit out of it.

This was mY first poetry by Amanda Lovelace (and others) but not my last. This was a powerful read, heartfelt and poignant. I felt like a bystander, powerless to help but willing to witness.

I loved the way the author was able to interweave the hideous hurt with restoration, healing and positivity, in just the right amounts. Nothing about any of the prose was flippant, even the healing better times were impactful.

I would call this inspirational but real. I was moved, I felt the emotions and I enjoyed reading it. I can definitely see myself re-reading this.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Amanda Lovelace’s poetry is really hit or miss for me. Some of them just bore me, but some of them really hit home, which is why overall I do enjoy reading her poetry books. Plus, I love the empowering titles! I feel like she’s really trying to show the srength and fluidity of what it means to be a woman. I hope you enjoy this book too!

these poetry books have been hit or miss for me and i liked this one a lot more than the previous ones. i'm still not sold on the format of them but i think the subject matter is important and i'm glad it's resonated with a lot of young woman even though it's not my favorite.

Amanda Lovelaces’ Women Are Some Kind Of Magic series is an amazing and truthful, emotional and capturing series of poetry collection that can make you sad, but also lift you up with a mix of harsh reality and vivid imaginary.

For me, it is really worth it to buy those books as paperback, because the color schemes they are made with and the way the poems are composed on the pages is amazing.

The words not being capitalized, the word constructs on the pages transport both pictures and reading rhythms, the last lines feeling like they are both the last word and the title – all of it.

I actually love the idea of putting titles at the end. While I was curious in some cases after I started reading a poem and skipped to the end of it to know what it is about and then rereading it, in general I feel like the metaphors have more impact when the title/meaning/last word/summary is at the end.

Still I have to mention that I liked The Mermaid’s Voice Returns in This One least in comparing with the first two books in the series.
The reason for that is for one that I feel like the metaphorical side of it wasn’t as strong with the mermaid imaginary as it was with the Princess, Queen and Witches.

And the last chapter has a lot of 'guest poems'. Since the chapter has the title 'surviving' it makes sense and is a great concept to have different voices of survivors in there alongside the main perspective. I applaud that decision, but I still have to say that I would have liked it more if the collection had stayed with Lovelaces’ work, since that was the ‘voice’ and most of all the aesthetic I signed up for when reading this book, so to say.

I always love Amanda Lovelace’s poetry books. She’s one of my favorite poets and her poems always have that real edge to it. Like she’s not trying to be trendy she’s just literally expressing herself through her poems. I love the mystical fairy tale elements that she adds. Really creative. Very beautiful.

This was my first poetry collection and my first book by amanda lovelace. I adored it. I read it in one day, though I had to take some breaks to process what was written between the lines in this book.

I loved how the title added a new dimension to the poem itself.
I loved the topics, it is so important to speak about them.
I appreciated the contributional work of other poets and how they tied in with the overall topic.

I obviously loved the writing style.
I love how strong and empowering and powerful the poems are, how lovelace tells the story with all it's up and downs.

Thank you for writing this.

**Thank you Netgalley and Andrew McMeel Publishing for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review**

nobody
has
the right
to lure
your voice
out of
you-
not
even if
they’re
a sea witch
looking
to make
a bargain.
-rip this page out & keep it with you

I know I’ve said this in my previous reviews of Amanda Lovelace’s works, but it always amazes me how much emotion she manages to pull out of me. This collection of poetry was much gentler than Witch, in a way that I loved. It was none of the anger while still keeping with the inspirational message Amanda Lovelace puts into her poems. This collection will make you sad while also giving you hope for your future. I feel that the theme of losing and then finding your voice is one many women can relate to, even if you can’t relate to the types of abuse worked through in these poems. Often women are told to be quiet and one of the things I love so much about this series of works (and the title for Mermaid in particular) is the constant reassurance that your voice deserves to be heard. Which is something everyone needs to be reminded about sometimes.

I especially loved that other poets were included in the last section. I liked that not only was the mermaid finding her own voice, but also helping other voices be heard. Plus, it gave me some new poets to look into.

Going back and reading all three of these collections together, I think Mermaid was the perfect ending to the Women Are Some Kind of Magic series. Princess feels like the start of a journey into yourself, Witch is finding the strength and the will to be angry at the injustices you’ve had to endure, and finally Mermaid is learning to embrace your voice and the path you choose to find it.

As always, I love love loved this newest poetry collection by Amanda Lovelace. I will read anything this author writes. Her poetry is always so impactful and emotionally hard-hitting. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of The Mermaid’s Voice Returns in This One.

I liked the concept and the women-empowering themes, however, the writing style disagreed with me and I found it too jerky and disjointed which affected my enjoyment whilst I was reading.

I was expecting more fire and empowerment towards the feminist movement with this novel but felt like I got just another Instapoet; which is way more than what Amanda Lovelace is capable of.

I never read poetry, mostly because I don't usually like it. But I know that Amanda Lovelace's other two books in this series were Goodreads Choice Awards Winners, so I really wanted to sample her latest book before it is released.

All I can say is that I am amazed. Considering how few words are really contained therein - the power they tell is astonishing. I felt all the highs and lows and doubts and uncertainty surrounding a victim of sexual violence. I want to weep for any woman who has had to deal with these too frequent assaults.

I'm glad the mermaid found her voice in this one, and I hope it encourages more women to find their own voices.

I’m not a big poetry reader but found myself picking up The Princess Saves Herself in this One and really enjoyed it. I then moved on to the second one which I felt wasn’t as good but I still thoroughly enjoyed. When I saw that the final book in this series was coming out I needed to read it immediately. Upon finishing I do have mixed feelings. The entire middle of the book was powerful and emotional but I did not get that from the beginning or end. Overall, I still enjoyed.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found this difficult to rate, as I don't often read poetry, and when I do, I'm very picky. As other reviewers have pointed out, poetry is so subjective, and it's not often that poems speak to me or resonate with something I've felt. I had a couple of issues with some of the ways the poetry is presented (I'm not a fan of some of the very short, choppy lines, and the lowercase letters for everything a la Tumblr), but for certain poems it does work well, and it makes sense, given Amanda Lovelace was first known as ladybookmad on Tumblr anyway. Despite these minor reservations, I think this book deserves four stars.

Amanda Lovelace's poetry—and the poetry of the other contributors to the book—is so accessible and so beautifully written. Everything oozes feeling and sincerity. I liked the fairy tale themes and the storytelling (so whimsical and lyrical), and there's so much deeper meaning behind every word and every story. It's a beautiful way to tackle a difficult theme like sexual abuse/assault. There's something to relate to in every poem—even though I haven't been through sexual abuse, many of the messages and themes of the book reminded me of other struggles, such as coping with a mental health problem, or feeling like you've lost or missed out on something because of circumstances/life events that were outside your control. It's a book that can really speak to everyone—it's both sad and comforting, and one of those books that makes you feel less alone.

I'd really like to give the first few instalments a try now, as I never got round to it before, and I've surprised myself by enjoying a collection of poetry for the first time in years.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amanda Lovelace for the opportunity to review this poetry collection.

I thoroughly enjoyed/loved Lovelace's first two collectuons; The Princess Saves Herself In This One, and The Witch Doesn't Burn In This One.

The Mermaid's Voice Returns In This One is another hardhitting inside to the healing peocess of one traumatized by horrible hands. While I did not love it as much as the first two, I still thoroughly enjoyed it, and anyone who's had their dark days, or are going through their dark days, should open this collection and let the words speak to you.

This was really good and three stars seem too low for the book, but some poems were not really... interesting?


Well, I didn't read the first two books in this series, so I didn't know what they were about, even if you can understand it listening to everybody who talks about them. I was very curious about the changes of setting and story in this one, but apparently I didn't understand how this book was conceived and written, so I lost a lot of informations during my reading sessions. I found really good stuff here, a lot of poems were powerful and really good, other poems I did not care for. I was really surprised when I found out that there was a lot of different references to books and fairy tales and children stories, and to poetry books I read last summer as "Blood Water Paint" (really good).

Some poems were like punchs on the stomach, some were really difficult to read, some were complicated to understand. The travel was good, but the ship was in tempest, if you know what I mean. Everything was interesting, but confusing, even if the sound of words and quotes was beautiful.

I think the best poems were the ones with "- mother knows best" at the end.

I appreciate the addition of poems from other authors. Those poems written by other writers were truly powerful and incisive. I want to underline the good quality of poems by Morgan Nikola-Wren, Nikita Gill and Jenna Clare.

I enjoyed reading the first two poetry bundles last year, so it was an easy decision whether to read the third and final bundle of the Women Are Some Kind Of Magic series. Where Amanda Lovelace's poetry might lack in style, complexity and elaboration, it outshines other poetry with its overwhelming and powerful emotions and strong messages. It's actually combination of the simplicity of the words and the overpowering message they are able to communicate that turns her work into something special for me. I admire her for being able to speak this openly about the past and what happened to her. The bundles talk about the three stages she had to go through (the princess, the witch and finally the mermaid) to be able to start healing herself and keep working on the future. As someone who has been in an abusive relationship herself, it's really easy to relate to her words and those who have had or are having a more recent experience will find comfort. What made The Mermaid's Voice Returns In This One stand out from the others is that Amanda Lovelace mixes fantasy with reality this time, using not only poems but also short paragraphs with odes to famous stories by other authors. And that is not all: in the final part of this bundle you can find thirteen guest poems by other poetry writers with a similar topic mixed in between her work. An original touch and something I could really appreciate. I think the second bundle is still my favorite, but The Mermaid's Voice Returns In This One is without doubt a wonderful addition.

I could still not relate to the poems in this collection at all. However, the positivity of the majority of the poems was really inspiring. What I did not like about this collection at all was the poetry from other writers. Those poems were usually longer than Amanda Lovelace's and they actually distracted me. Still, I think this collection was a beautiful ending to the Women are some kind of magic series.

Amanda Lovelace is back with another collection of very brave, personal poems that rival that of her previous collections in this series. This is the final collection in her Women are Some Kind of Magic series and I have to say, it might be my favorite. It handles very dark topics such as sexual assault and self-harm. I absolutely adore the collaboration with her fellow poets on the topic of healing and overcoming. Mermaid gets a spot on my favorites shelf!

I received my copy of The Mermaid's Voice Returns in This One from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It releases March 5, 2019.