I am a huge fan of amanda's work and credit her poetry for getting me into modern poetry. Despite loving the overarching narrative of the mermaid finding her voice and becoming strong, the individual poems were not as strong as some of her previous work. However, since this is a collection about healing it is hard to make critiques about it. Who am I to say she didn't present her healing the right way? But, I will say that despite feeling her pain in certain poems, I could not connect to this collection in the way I connected to her previous works.

I also was not a fan of intermixing the other poet's poems in the last section. I liked their poems, but going into this I thought they would be in a separate section. It was jarring to keep switching from amanda's narrative to another. I do like the idea of so many poet's showing different ways of healing and overcoming one's demons, but intermixing them lost some of the value of both their words and amanda's.

I also always forget that I should not read eARCs of poetry because the formatting is usually weird. The formatting of this collection was pretty good, but I still think I need to reread it to truly get meaning out of some of the poems.

I liked this installment best in the collection. The title <I> The Mermaid’s Voice Returns in This One </I> couldn’t be more apt - Lovelace takes her back her power, through her words and healing.

I liked the way Lovelace organized and themed the individual books and the series. There are many stories of strength told within these pages and I really appreciated the words for where I’m at in life right now.

Overall, this was a great three-book series of poetry. The individual poems within were mostly great, but together they were something special.

This collection of poems has had such an impact on me over the days i've been flipping through it's pages. Amanda Lovelace is so gifted at merging the fantastical and the real raw vulnerability of her work. This collection centers around trauma, survival, self-love, and empowerment, but her struggle is reinforced with the magical power of fairy tales and happy endings. For those struggling with trauma a happy ending or even a happy present is so hard to see, even if it is right in front of you. This books tears those blinders off, and refocuses the attention on the possibility of better. It inspires so much hope, and offers so much validation for the hardships of recovery, all without being too triggering, too graphic or too self-loathing. I received an egalley copy of this, but am definitely going to go out and purchase a copy for myself. Though I have not read the first two installments of this collection, I can without a doubt say that I will soon.

Unfortunately I can't read this because the format is not compatible with my laptop. Very sad, I was really looking forward to reading it.

The Mermaid's Voice Returns in This One is the third and final book in Amanda Lovelace's Women Are Some Kind of Magic poetry trilogy.

On the surface Mermaid's Voice goes along in the same vein as the previous two books dealing with tough to talk about subjects such as abuse, assault, loss, etc. with moments of triumph on a pathway leading out of the darkness.

But as I went along I really felt like Mermaid's amped all of the emotions up tenfold. This wasn't a read I could charge through like I did with the other two books. This was one that I had to take longer breaks in between reading.

I enjoyed the inclusion of guest poets. I felt like it was almost a statement of "you're not alone" that these other authors were showing support. It was interesting and nice to hear some different voices within the running narrative.

No matter how difficult and raw I found some of these passages there's always a sense of the weight lifting off shoulders when you get to the end. Like you've poured so much of yourself out that you feel lighter. I definitely felt lighter after getting to the end of Mermaid's.

Overall this trilogy has showcased the strength and perseverance of the body and mind. How life can throw all sorts of things at you, but you can live through it and there can be happiness on the other side.

The Mermaid's Voice Returns in This One by Amanda Lovelace is a collection of powerful, heartfelt poetry, covering some intense topics and themes. While there were many great pieces within this collection, there wasn't one that I personally connected to. I honestly had a bit of trouble focusing because the formatting of the poetry was off-putting for me. Other might not have the same problem as I did.
If I had to pick a favorite piece in this collection, it would be one of he shorter poems:

will i have to spend the afterlife
finding ways to hide from you?

One of the things that I did love about the collection was how the writer made sure to include a trigger warning ahead in the collection to properly prepare me for any potential poems that would be too much for me.
Toward the end of the collection, the writer had other poets contribute a bit of their work into the collection. At first, this had left me very confused because their poems were included in a different font and it wasn't until the end of the poem itself that I'd realized what the situation was.
Despite the problems I'd had with the collection, I would love to see more of Amanda Lovelace's work.

This was a great final book in the series. I think it might be my second favorite. I loved the inclusion of other poets that Lovelace chose to incorporate. While I lost myself with the second book because it just didn’t click with me, this one more than made up for it.

As an active member of the Netgalley community, I have been eyeing Amanda Lovelace's poetry works for some time. The Mermaid's Voice Returns in This One is the conclusion to her Women Are Some Kind of Magic trilogy. Much like ee cummings, lovelace writes all her poetry in lowercase lettering.

she didn't kiss frogs.
she kissed great white sharks.

I don't feel the need to place a trigger warning in my review because as you open the collection, the author begins with a caution that her poetry does cover a variety of sensitive material and so if you are an educator reading my review, I would strongly suggest that you take the time to make up your own mind before bringing into the classroom library.

some days, i still want to believe we can traipse into the forest & come across an enchanted pocket watch that will take us back in time to erase it all& start from scratch.
this isn't that kind of fairy tale.

I have never felt myself to be an expert when it comes to reading poetry and I always come away with mixed emotions. Having read the reviews left by readers who have experienced the entire trilogy, Amanda Lovelace appears to have brought forward a variety of reactions. I found the poetry to be honest and personal, but I am not sure I am completely on Team Lovelace yet.

I've had a kind of weird relationship with Lovelace's poetry. I consider The Princess Saves Herself In This One to be one of my favourite poetry collections of all-time, but I really didn't get along with her second book. I like this one better than that, but it still didn't quite stand up to the first one. I really liked the inclusion of other poets—I liked seeing poets I already like such as Nikita Gill and Clementine von Radics, while also giving me a few new names to check out.

I am writing this post on sunny afternoon while eating a bowl of frozen yogurt and listening to Lana Del Rey’s Lust for Life album. Indulging myself with poems and words by Amanda is always amazing so obviously I was thrilled to be able to receive an e-copy ARC of her new book! Right off the bat I got sucked into the pages. I cried, smiled, and empathized with Amanda through her writing. It felt as though I was talking to myself and all the things that I desperately hoped someone would understand and relate to was looking straight at me from the page. I felt understood.

Amanda Lovelace adds another beautifully well written book to her women are some kind of magic series. I can say that Amanda is one of my favourite authors and I would recommend the mermaid’s voice returns in this one to anyone who is interested in poetry or is just looking for a book to dive into. I would highly recommend you make a space for this series on your bookshelf. Add it to your tbr pile this spring and you can enjoy poem after poem with a bowl of fresh fruit outside.

I truly enjoy reading Amanda Lovelace’s poetry and I was very excited when I was able to read this one. I admire Lovelace’s bravery throughout the entire trilogy and I found it very inspiring to hear her story and how she merges popular fairy tales with modern day reality. The conclusion to this series was very powerful and I love the inclusion of other poets. Through this book, Amanda Lovelace helped other poets find their voice, as well as her readers, find their voices. This was an amazing conclusion to the Women Are Some Kind of Magic series.

I was gifted the first book in the "Women Are Some Kind of Magic" set and though I liked it, it didn't blow me away. In fact there was just one poem that really struck me (it involved sisters). That being said, I saw "the mermaid's voice returns in this one" on NetGalley and was interested enough to request it. So happy that I did.

Not only did more of the poems grab me but I really enjoyed that this was a collaborative effort with a couple other poets. It gave the whole collection a little extra. Poems are so hard to judge though. While some were great for me, others not so much. I also think their was a lot of missed opportunity in tying in the mermaid theme into the overall collection.

3.5 stars round up to 4

DNF at page 140
This poetry collection is not for me it is sooooooo depressing and i don't like this kind of books i love the one who gives me motivation and make me happy special in poetry so i'm not going to finish it i'm so sorry !

This was such a powerful poetry collection, and I just flew through it. The messages in the collection are inspiring and leave me in awe every time. I always love reading Amanda’s poetry because so many of the poems speak to me. I understand her pain and suffering, and her finding her self in the midst of everything. I still think that the first poetry collection in this series is my favorite, followed by the second one, and then this one. It’s not that I didn’t like this one, it’s just that there weren’t as many poems that I just fell in love with. There were several that were frankly just repetitive or had no meaning whatsoever. I can’t say this is a bad poetry book, simply because of the trauma and healing that is shared within. Those are important stories to share, and with each poem, you learn a little bit more of the story. I just didn’t like all of the poems. I thought that the additions from other poets was a really nice touch, and I loved those poems. I will be sure to check some more of their work out. Overall, it was a pretty good poetry collection for those that liked her first two in this little series.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this collection for me to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

the mermaid's voice returns in this one is a collection of poems that revolve around heartbreak and empowerment. For someone who is lucky enough never to be in an abusive relationship with someone on an opposite sex, I cannot relate with the messages inside. However, some passages might benefit me and others for a lifelong read.

I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars, not my favourite of this collection but I love anything Amanda Lovelace writes and will read anything she releases in the future.

The theme of this book in the collection is Mermaids/The Little Mermaid, however there wasn’t as many Mermaid poems as I would have liked. She stuck with her usual Princesses/Queens, which I don’t mind but I think The Little Mermaid tale would have corresponded well with the #MeToo commentary.

It still gives well love fairy-tales and other well known stories, a dark twist with themes of rape, eating disorders, mental health issues and abuse, I appreciate the way these subjects are approached and dealt with, especially the trigger warning given at the beginning of the book.

I really enjoyed the parallels with Romeo & Juliet lovingdifferent lives.
It also is full of verses filled with female empowerment as usual with both of her other books.

This collection also contains guest poets displaying their poems within the same themes, it’s a great addition to the collection and added a lot of variety and I think it really worked well with the addition of the #MeTop movement & message.

If you have previously liked Amanda’s other work you’ll also love this one.

#themermaidsvoicereturnsinthisone
#netgalley

An enjoyable read, although it didn't wow me as much as the previous two books in the series. I conceptually like the theme of the mermaid, however, I often felt myself losing sight of the concept throughout, as I didn't feel it was as prevailing across the whole text as the previous two books. I still plan to purchase a copy for my classroom for fans of the series.

I love Amanda Lovelace and will devour everything she writes. This collection did not disappoint. It was neat that she had different contributors poetry sprinkled throughout.

I’m not a poetry expert, and I am only beginning to try different authors’ works to know if it’s for me. This did not speak to me at the beginning. A lot of the pieces remain confusing for me, perhaps because of the experimental format. But just like any poetry collection, this is meant to be read and digested slowly to be appreciated.

It gives a dark twist to our well-loved fairy tales with its themes of abuse, rape, and mental health issues. The trigger warning at the opening of the book helps. We are taken in a journey of healing and self-acceptance. I believe this is written to speak to people just like The Little Mermaid, those who lose their voices, who find joy in material things and watching other people’s lives different from their own.

Some of my favorite parts: the “i believe in endless worlds” series. Here we see parallel universes with Romeo & Juliet living different lives and the endless possibilities just gave me so much joy. There are also a lot of verses about women empowerment. The book as a whole may not be the best read for me, but there are rare pieces that did resonate. I can definitely see how this would help other readers begin the healing process they need in their lives, too.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an earc.

I gave this a four out of five stars, I really enjoyed reading this but it wasn’t a favorite of mine by the author. I still really liked it though. There are quite a bit of lines I did enjoy though. I do plan on buying myself at least one copy if not more. I do recommend you to pick up this poetry collection and the others she has out too.

Some lines I enjoyed are:

“All this time, I thought myself a motherfucking queen”

“You’re still everywhere I don’t want you to be”

“what if he just does it to another girl?”

“I. When they say ‘no.’ II. When they can’t say ‘no.’ -they’re both assault”

“the first person who touched me wasn’t my first. -I’m deciding my first from now on”

“Traveling through eras we haven’t yet seen until Romeo can hold hands with a boy & Juliet can hold hands with a girl without fear hanging over their heads.”

“Show them exactly what a mermaid-witch-queen like yourself can accomplish”