Amanda Lovelace always has a way of expressing such deep and raw emotions in a way that is profound but also accessible for everyone. I've read Amanda's other poetry collections and would recommend any of them to my friends and have bought a few as gifts.

Another edition in this wonderful poetry series focusing on abuse, acceptance, relapse, and more self-acceptance. These short poems are so powerful. I feel a real talent in poetry it to pick one perfect word or one perfect series that conveys so much feeling. She definitely has mastered this ability. Some poems are a single sentence, but there is so much life inside of them. There is both a need to heal and erase one's past, but also knowing that the past makes us who we are. This is challenging and cathartic poetry.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: suicidal thoughts, abuse, depression and sexual assault. The book itself has a list of all trigger warnings which was amazing to see and much appreciated. Something I think is necessary in the book community so props to the author/publisher for including it.

First, I need to say that I haven't read the previous books in this poetry series and I'm aware they go together and perhaps should be read as companions to get the overall feel. Given that I haven't read the others yet, I still feel that this collection of poetry was inspiring.

It was raw and emotional. It was gritty and chilling. It was everything it needed to be. Impactful in so many ways. It made me realize just how much people don't know what others are going through or why they do the things they do.

With the Me Too movement in recent news, this collection of poetry that includes poems from other women as well (that I understand is not the norm for this series), is a wonderful homage to the movement.

The poem that hit me and affected me immediately was:

you worry
so much
about
the comfort
of others
that you
cannot
remember
a time
when
you did
something
just
for
yourself.

-you are worth spoiling

This is something that I have been actively working on in my life. I have forever been the person to give and give and give, yet many times felt let down by others. Yet, I cannot stop giving. I always say yes. Personal life or work life, I just can't say no. BUT - over time and with help, I have learned that it's not about everyone else ALL THE TIME. It's a hard thing to remember, but it's important to put yourself first no matter what is happening in your life. You can't move on or up if you don't lift yourself up first. This poem is something that I want to have with me as a reminder.

This will be a book I recommend to others to have the same heartfelt and inspirational experience that I did. I will definitely be reading the previous books in the series so I can experience the magic.

Ever since reading The Princess Saves Herself in This One I fell in love with Amanda's writing.
So I was excited to start this book, but I could not connect to the story that lingered behind the words as they focused more heavy topics such as family violence.

Yet there were some pieces that struck out, and really makes you question life.
Overall it was an enjoyable collection of poems..telling yet again the strengths that women have which we sometimes hide from.

And that is what I loved, the powerful effect that hope has even after everything crumbles. Amanda gives us hope that it will get better. It may seem like we don't have a voice but she gives us the courage to try and shout!!!

This poetry book explores themes such as healing and personal growth, by combining realistic narrations with mermaid lore. While I like the concept of this book and appreciate how the author was able to merge mermaid lore with themes such as feminism and healing, I feel that after two previously published books in the same vein, this new entry in Amanda Lovelace’s poetry trilogy misses the mark a little. The book felt a bit convoluted to be honest. And there were times when it was trying too hard to keep the mermaid theme going. Having read the previous two books in this poetry trilogy, I thought that there was little to nothing here that I hadn’t previously already read. If you are starting the series with this book (you can read them in any order), you might probably enjoy it more than I did. For me however, it just didn’t work. And I have to say, I’m getting a little tired of these poetry books that are pretty much compilations of Tumblr musings. There is beauty in these words, yes, but a lot of the content of this book felt more like something you could have just read online in an Instagram or Tumblr post.

I really wanted to love this... I loved her first two in this series (even though that is an unpopular opinion when it comes to the second book), but I found this lacking a voice. There were some individual poems that I really enjoyed, but as a whole, this just didn't have the same power as the first two. It was definitely underwhelming.

Sadly I didn't like this book at all.
I am very aware that the author & contributors are sharing a very personal journey, that's why I'm not rating the book.
This book follows the same formula as the previous, so if you like them mostly sure you will enjoy this one.

These poems are short and concise. The first time I read this, it felt like the poems were to short and simple for my liking but maybe I just need more time to digest them and think them over. They're certainly modern and the theme of mothering and being a girl are strong throughout the book.

Powerful, inspiring modern poems. I was surprised because I usually don't read poetry but I really enjoyed them.

Finally, he is among us: the last book of Women are some kind of magic trilogy: the mermaid's voice returns in this one, written by Amanda Lovelace. I've been waiting for this release since last year when I read the second book of the series. I was really anxious about it.

Well, I had contact with the book through the NetGalley platform and I was very happy to know that it was available for reading. I downloaded it at the same time.

But let's talk about the book The mermaid's voice returns in this one: when I start reading the book the author already leaves a trigger warning for those who are sensitive to the topics that will be presented in the book. The subjects you will find on the pages follow the same pattern as the previous books. Anyone who has read the previous books when they reach this third and last will realize that the book is more mature, both in content and structure of poetry. It is noticeable through writing that the book has the proposal to complete a cycle, to show that a battle has been won and the author’s purpose has been reached with this trilogy. I really enjoyed the book and the way Lovelace conceived this great finale for the collection Women are some kind of magic.

The book follows the same proposal as the predecessor's editorial project. The chosen colors, title, font and etc, maintains a pattern for easy collection identification. I love the fact that the font is colored because it breaks some of the seriousness of the topics covered in the book.

The mermaid's voice in this one is an incredible poem book, empowered and powerful and super current. It's that book you need. This book will always be on my recommendation list for all those who want to know modern and feminist poems.

As usual I really liked this one, I love that she does these themes each book, it just makes it so fun to read!
She makes me feel so good about myself, thank you Amanda, people like you are the ones keeping these genaration together.

I just don’t know how I feel about Lovelace’s poetry. I thought her first collection, the princess saves herself in this one, was okay; I absolutely loved her second one, the witch doesn't burn in this one. But this collection fell completely flat for me. Though I appreciate the sentiments and topics discussed in this poetry collection, it felt so repetitious of her previous work. So much so, at times I thought I was rereading her last two books.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book (the mermaid's voice returns in this one by Amanda Lovelace) from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This is the third poetry book that I have read by this author. Her writing is powerful and emotional. Her writing deals with difficult topics. It is a book that you could read multiple times and still find new things to feel from the writing.

Poetry is definitely a genre that I usually don't read in one sitting but with her books I have found it impossible to put it down. I have devoured all three of her poetry books as quickly as possible. I will definitely be scheduling a reread for each of them as I feel like there is so much more that I can gain from reading them again.

As always a great read from Amanda! Loving the empowering and feminist themes and links to fairy tales. Cant wait for more work from this author .

<b>In <i>the mermaid’s voice returns in this one</i>, the final installment in her <i>women are some kind of magic</i> trilogy, poet Amanda Lovelace speaks to the importance of agency and creative power as a means to recovering from trauma.</b> I will be honest: I loved <i>the princess saves herself in this one</i>, but <i>the witch doesn’t burn in this one</i> rubbed me the wrong way in a few places and came across as very repetitive, so I didn’t know what to expect in this volume. I was pleasantly surprised.

<b>Lovelace’s growth as a poet over the course of this trilogy is exponential.</b> Her voice is strongly developed and clearly her own—an especially fitting statement, given the title of the collection—and her metaphors and imagery are clearer and sharper than ever. While there are still some moments that feel like “Instagram poetry” (i.e. “deep” statements with line breaks to make them look artsy), her poetry feels far more like…well…poetry! In terms of subject matter, she manages to build a compelling collection that articulates variations on similar themes, especially sexual trauma and self-love, without sounding grossly repetitive or redundant. It is artful but still compulsively readable. And as always, I love her stylistic technique of putting each poem’s title as more of an autograph at the end of the poem, rather than a precursor to the poem itself.

<b>That said, I did have one gripe with this book, which is the primary reason for the 4-star rating: the chorus of other voices.</b> Incorporated in this book are a series of poems by other poets, whom Lovelace asked to contribute to this book. I am not saying that the others’ poems are bad, by any stretch of the imagination; they are, for the most part, well-crafted and fairly on-topic. What bothers me is that this is a book about finding your <i>own</i> voice in the aftermath of trauma, and while it is important to recognize the importance of other survivors as well, and to share with them, these extra poems pulled some of the focus out of the collection. Stylistically, they are also obviously different from Lovelace’s writing, and it was painfully easy to tell when a poem wasn’t written by her, even without looking at the name of the author. Had those poems been omitted, this would have been closer to a 4.5/5-star rating from me.

<b>All in all, this is an important collection from an equally important voice in poetry.</b> For anyone who likes poems, feminism, mental health, or highly-Instagrammable content that still has actual substance, this is a must-read.

“becoming
your
own
savior
sometimes
means
knowing
when
you
need to
ask for
help.

- therapy session no. 1”

Truly love amanda lovelace's poetry and the themes around each book from this series. my favorite remains the witch doesn't burn in this one but still enjoyed this one, a lot.

Such a powerful collection. I felt my voice was heard, I felt this book really got it. Very motivating and certainly opens up conversation.

The Mermaid’s Voice Returns in This One is the third and final poetry collection in the Women Are Some Kind of Magic series and contains poems about abuse, assault, addiction, self-harm, …

I think that this collection wasn’t my favourite of the three books in the series. There were still some beautiful poems, but I couldn’t really relate to a lot of them. Some of them felt a bit weird or just not something for me. However, the collection was still beautiful, I really liked reading it and I cannot wait to read more poetry books by Amanda Lovelace.

Something also really liked was that there was a foreword by Lang Leav and there were poems written by other poets in this collection. I think it’s a nice way of discovering new poets. I also really liked that at the end of the book she inserted all of the social media details of all the poets that wrote a poem for this collection.

Favourite poems
Wanted
Shrinking violets like us
My Midas
Titanic
They’re both assault
I’m deciding my firsts from now on
Goodbye
The good kind of drowning
For my childhood friend
Don’t touch the stones
You are worth spoiling

My Thoughts:
Amanda Lovelace is one of my favorite poets. She is the reason that I started reading modern poetry, and liking it. When I heard that she was coming out with a new collection of poetry in her Women are Some Kind of Magic series, I knew I had to read it as soon as I could. I just finished the book, The Mermaid's Voice Returns in This One. I really enjoyed it.

There's something about the poems in The Mermaid's Voice Returns in This One that speaks to my soul. While I was reading, I found myself being able to identify with more and more of the poems on such a personal level. Some of the poems made my cry because I knew the trauma that the author had been through because I had gone through similar situations myself. Other poems inspired me. They made me want to stand up and take action, not just for myself, but to help those around me. I especially enjoyed a poem entitled Slay Those Dragons II. It was my favorite in the book.

There is only one reason why I'm not giving The Mermaid's Voice Returns in This One a full five stars. In this book, Amanda Lovelace decided to do something different than her previous books. She also included poems from other people. Now, I understand why she did it. It did fit with the theme of the book perfectly. However, I found my self being unable to identify with some of those as well as I could her poems. There were a couple that I even skim read because I just wasn't feeling them. It took away from the enjoyment of my reading experience at times.

Despite the one issue I had with The Mermaid's Voice Returns in This One, I really loved this book. I found it to be relatable, and incredibly inspiring. The Women are Some Kind of Magic series is completed with this book, which makes me sad. I do hope that Amanda Lovelace continues to write more poetry. At this point, I will read anything she writes.

I give The Mermaid's Voice Returns in This One: 4/5.

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.