I'm a long-time fan of Amanda Lovelace. Her ability to relate complex, difficult, emotional issues through prose is phenomenal. I love the truth and depth of her voice and am always impressed at the way she manages to turn horrible experiences into moving lessons with positive messages of hope... This was another wonderful collection - although I found it to feel a bit more disjointed between parts than her previous works. This one felt like two books put together in one binding, whereas the others (the other in this series and her "Women are Some Kind of Magic" and "Things that H(a)unt" series) felt a little more cohesive to me. I still enjoyed her writings and thoughts immensely, so it didn't matter. But it did feel a little less like a narrative told through prose and more like a series of pieces that moved in complementary directions...

This was definitely my favourite of Amanda Lovelace's poetry collections that I've picked up! I was very apprehensive going in, as poetry isn't my usual cup of tea, but I was very pleasantly surprised. It was beautifully written, and full of feeling.

-- 3.5 stars --

I liked this book more at the start than at the beginning. I love the concept and the big sister prose parts—so much so that I thought about getting this as a birthday present for my sister. It is feminist and what I search for in modern poetry.

However, it is incredibly repetitive. I found myself skim-reading through some of the passages.

——

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me an eARC. All thoughts are my own, unbiased views.

I don't normally read poetry but I decided to give this one a go since I've heard good things about the author. I ended up loving it! This one is about not letting society dictate your potential and realising you don't need a king to be a queen.

There was a lot of focus on supporting other women and feminism. I definitely felt empowered and represented after reading it. I related to a lot of the poems and seeing that helped me to feel understood and realise that I'm not alone. I feel like every woman could probably relate to this (obviously anyone can read and enjoy it though).

It was an enchanting read and fairy tale and poetry lovers would definitely enjoy it!

Book Review for Shine Your Icy Crown by Amanda Lovelace: ladybookmad
Full review for this title can be found at: @fyebooks on Instagram!

“here, sisters make up a large part of the magic. but that’s the case so much of the time, isn’t it?”

Shine Your Icy Crown is the first Amanda Lovelace collection I have read, and while it wasn't my favourite- I would still try out something else by her.

This poetry collection centres on themes of sisterhood, feminism and self-love. While I am all for those topics in theory, I felt that the execution wasn't as good I wanted. My main issue was the fact that most of the book didn't feel like poetry. It was mostly just advice- good advice, mind you- but advice nonetheless. If I was looking for that I would have picked up a self-help book, not poetry. Here is an example of what I am talking about:

" i. drive the scenic route.
ii. take more self-care days.
iii. sing, even if it's off-key.
iv. make time for your passions.
v. let yourself feel joy."

—don't waste a single moment.

This is obviously a personal preference, and if you enjoy your poetry having explicit and unambiguous messages, I think this collection could be good for you! In my poetry I just prefer leaving a little more up to interpretation, having more elaborate metaphors and motifs, and more flowery writing.

my favourite parts of Shine Your Icy Crown were those that actually felt like a fairytale. I had expected the whole collection to be that way, but unfortunately I had to be content with the little snippets we got in between the instagram poetry. I also loved the illustrations, and imagine the physical copy will be absolutely stunning!

Overall, I am glad I gave this a try. I will be on the lookout for other poetry collections centring on fairytales and feminism if you have any recommendations! I am also still hesitantly interested in Amanda Lovelace's first series of poetry collections- perhaps I will enjoy those more!

★★☆☆☆.5 stars

Thank you to Andrew McMeel Publishing for this ARC

Release Date: 26 January 2021

I wasn’t a big fan of this book. There were a few poems that I liked and that I related to, but overall this was too “tumblr poetry-ish” for me.

As usual, I am the type of poetry reader who very much enjoys Amanda Lovelace. I find her magical approach to words, experiences, thoughts, and feelings to be very intriguing and she reminds me of a mysterious and beautiful "good witch" who lives in the woods and talks to animals.

I love the feminist approach to the things she has to say, and the words that flow from her. That's what I generally look for with the poetry I read - I'm looking for magic in the use of words, and her magic is so unique. I love that she doesn't live in the dark places, but she acknowledges them and uses them to strengthen her magic. I love that her poetry and her words don't live in darkness either. Some of the poetry I've read has felt so dark and it never comes back up for the light.

Amanda Lovelace will always be a poet I'll reach for whose collections I will own and revisit.

Thanks so much to the author, Andrews McMeel, and NetGalley for the complimentary advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on my blog at tacklingtbr.home.blog

TW (from the book) : "This book contains sensitive material relating to: child abuse, toxic relationships, sexual assault, eating disorders, mental illness, self-harm, sexism, suicide, trauma, & possibly more. Remember to practice self-care before, during, and after reading."

Amanda Lovelace's collections are never easy to read, for obvious reasons based on the content (I mean, just look at all of the trigger warnings listed above and in the beginning of the book). But her books always mean the world to me as a read them, and they tend to stick with me for longer than a lot of the other books that I read, specifically collections of poetry.

Similar to Break Your Glass Slippers (the first collection in Lovelace's You Are Your Own Fairy Tale series) and her Women Are Some Kind of Magic series, this book looks really deep into how women are treated. While a lot of her collections are about a woman treating herself well, and not letting others treat her poorly, Shine Your Icy Crown also shines a special light at how women treat each other. The competition that just about all women find themselves in with each other, whether they want to be competing with each other or not.

I have read all of the collections that this author has written, and I always feel like each one means more to me than the last, and that I can revisit each of them when I need them. They are all difficult reads, but at the same time they are so inspiring, and really damn liberating.

Overall I would absolutely recommend this collection to any of my friends, but even more so to all of my female friends. While there are some really intense triggers that are involved in these stories, if you are able to safely read these collections then I think you will be able to get something meaningful out of it. I think the perfect way to read this collection would be either right before or during an active form of self care. If that is reading it in bed, listening to your favorite album, cuddling your pet, or reading it in a relaxing bubble bath.

A beautifully written feminist collection of poetry. This is a collection that will resonate as a reminder of my individuality and my power. It is the book I wish I had as a teenager. The themes, metaphors, and morals are both straightforward and full of depth. The structure of the entirety of the collection itself was poignant. Each part focused on a specific perspective. Each section was introduced by an umbrella metaphor, and then each poem dove into that specific area of growth. I loved how in the first section the poems alternated, every other one being "big sister" which gave a reaction and reassurance to the previous poem.

Time for more poetry! I have developed a slow but steady love affair with amanda lovelace's poetry over the past few years. She remains the only author (aside from, of course, e.e. cummings) from whom I'll accept a lack of capitals. I continue to adore her fairy tale-inspired poetry so get ready for some raving. Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

lovelace's poetry has consistently worked for me over the past few years and I think that in a large part that is due to her engagement with my greatest love: fairy tales and folk tales. Especially in her women are some kind of magic and you are your own fairytale series, lovelace takes on the legacy of these fairy tales and refashions them. As many by now know, the original fairy tales as collected by the Grimm Brothers were dark, confusing, mysterious and not always morally sound. In their next editions, they slowly but surely edited them into something they thought would be better for the children. This trend was followed by both French and English authors during the Victorian period, which leads us nicely to the family-friendly Disney version. Now don't get me wrong, I do love to sing along to their songs, but I also did feel betrayed once I found out what had been cut or smoothed over. Even Hans Christian Andersen didn't escape. Seeing lovelace return some of the iciness and danger to these tales, all in the name of unleashing your own potential, simply fills me with joy.

shine your icy crown is divided into three sections, tracking the journey of a princess from crownless to crowned. Especially the first section truly resonated with me as many of the poems took the form of advice from a big sister. Being a big sister, I had to take a moment at times. At one point I had to stop reading and call my sister to read her one section of the poems, cause it just fit us perfectly. (She also approves!) The second section focuses more on empowerment, seizing your own power and recognizing you can forge your own path despite everything else. The third and final section only consists of the ending of the princess' tale, making for a great resolution to all the positive intentions of the previous two sections. The theme of magic also runs through this collection more strongly than her previous ones, I'd argue. I myself, a continually novice witch, loved this. Once again, lovelace's collection is a combination between poetry and what I'd consider prose poetry. Each forn engages the reader in a different way but they continue to work together nicely.

lovelace's poetry continues to be direct and to the point, but with lovely flourishes. Her prose and poetry are inspiring without being overly 'yas girl' about it, which I appreciate. I recently reviewed another poetry collection which technically operates on the same level, namely that of empowerment and finding joy in the small things. While that collection didn't work for me, shine your icy crown very much did. I do think the difference lies, not to belabour the point, in lovelace's roots in fairy tales. It doesn't feel trite or overdone, but rather as if she's sharing her own thought-process and inspiration with her readers. This collection is enhanced even further through gorgeous illustrations by Janaina Medeiros, which walk the thin line between whimsical and deeply emotive perfectly. You can find more of her gorgeous art on her website or her Instagram.

I did promise I would rave. I simply adore lovelace's you are your own fairytale series and one of these days I swear I will get myself physical copies to line my bookshelves. Any lover of minimalist poetry and fairy tales will find the perfect combination of the two here.

So, this isn't a poetry book. It's a self help book, which is fine, but that's all it is. The words in here don't work as poetry, and I'm saying this as someone who's a fan of short-form poetry in general, a la Nayyirah Waheed and Warsan Shire. There just doesn't feel like there's any real artistry here. The language is overly simplistic and inspirational, exactly like you'd find in a generic book of affirmations, and some of the phrasing is so clunky that I struggled to read the poems aloud. Lovelace uses 'for' as a conjunction a lot (e.g. 'I already have my hands full, for I'm busy saving the world') and it's such an archaic conjunction that it really jarred. I liked a lot of what this book had to say, but not how it said it. It felt very rushed and as though not much effort at all had been put into crafting each poem. It reads like a book of first drafts.

That said, I do like Lovelace's use of poem titles to subvert the meaning of the poem. I thought that was usually cleverly done, although this was popularised with Nayyirah Waheed and Rupi Kaur before her, so I'm not sure I can count it as a mark of specific artistry here. Still, it made some of the blander poems more enjoyable. And when I say 'blander poems', I mean ones like this:

'canceled plans
make her sigh in relief.'

That's it. That's the entire poem. Sorry, but I really don't see any effort or attempts at using language there. It's the kind of thing you can jot down in your notebook at lunchtime in literally 6 seconds, and then never look at again. Here, let me try:

'she said no
because it was more freeing
than saying yes.'

Am I a poet now?

I will say that this is a helpful and beautiful book for young people to have, especially with the illustrations. The physical copy will be a great addition to a lot of young people's bookshelves. Some of the lessons it has to teach young girls are really important, especially about knowing your own worth (although I think that it does occasionally sink into toxic positivity, especially when it advocates an almost entirely self-focused ideology) and I think that if this was marketed more along those lines, more of a self help book or a book of affirmations, then I would be all for it. As poetry, however, it left me completely cold.

I received an e arc from NetGalley for an honest review.

Amanda Lovelace's poetry is always good but with this collection, I didn't connect with many of the poems so my personal enjoyment was lower than previous collections of her poetry I've read in the past. She covers a lot of similar topics as other poetry collections she'd done as well so if you've read others of hers you might feel like some of the content is a little stale.

The poems I did connect with and enjoy were beautifully written but for me personally, they were too far and few in between a mix of those that just fell flat.

I loved the illustrations in this collection and they helped convey almost every poem they were included in.

Overall this was sort of a disappointment since I've loved every other Lovelace I've read. I'll keep reading her collections for now but if I continue to feel lackluster I may not pick up much more.

I’m not a huge poetry fan by any means, but something about 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞’𝐬 way with words just speaks to my soul.⁣
⁣
This poetry is empowering and uplifting while also being very real and vulnerable. I felt like each page resonated with me in a different way while also having an incredible flow that was crafted to weave together perfectly.⁣
⁣
If you’re new to poetry, I think Lovelace would be a great place to start, especially in its relevance to the present day!

This is my least favourite poetry collection from Amanda Lovelace. While I loved all the artwork in this collection (Janaina Medeiros did a fantastic job), I felt like many of the poems rang hollow. They all followed a central theme and story progression, but again, they felt like cliché inspirational quotes. I didn’t find any of them to be particularly poignant, and almost all of them were too short for my liking. There were a few cleaver metaphors that she used that I enjoyed, but most of the poems I found to be very simple, plain, and unoriginal. I would love it if she explored writing lightly longer poems, because those are always my favourites in her collections.

While I did find the themes interesting—the fairytale concept mentioned in the blurb was what piqued my interest— the poems didn't feel polished and the images tended to be repetitive. The fairytale aspect was dropped through the book, until it was just an annotation rather than something immersive. I wish this book worked better in a language/narrative level, instead of just going through topics. They're necessary and urgent topics (sorority, eating disorders, resistance against the pressures of patriarchal society) but the execution dims the work. The art, on the other hand, was really well done and it fits the aesthetic of the book in a wonderful way.

Thank you to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the chance to read and review this e-ARC.

This was motivational, touching everything good. It brought out the strength in me to just be who I want. To go against the norms of society. There was so many quotes that could be taken away to carry with you on a day to day bases.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Amanda really has the most beautiful way with words. The stories they craft into these poems is so lush and imaginative, so raw and real and dark, they really reach in, pull your heart out and proceed to place it back. But with infinitely more love and life inside of it.

I loved this poetry collection so much. I could relate to so many, they all spoke to my soul in a way. I love art like this that make me feel so many different emotions at once.

If you love poetry, especially poetry that forms a story, I can’t recommend this enough. Please check it out! Though do read and check the trigger warnings as these poems do deal with dark and heavy topics.

5/5⭐️


TW: trauma, sexual assault, child abuse, toxic relationships, eating disorders, mental illness, self-harm, suicide, sexism

Review will be up on my blog on release day!

Amanda Lovelace has some of the best poetry books that I have ever read. I have loved every book that I have written by this author and always have them in my must buy list.This book definitely lived up to the hype that I gave it in my mind.

It’s hard to rate which one of Amanda’s poetry books is my favorite. I am always baffled at how much more amazing the poems are. I’m a huge fan of feminist poetry in general so having a go to author in the genre is very important to me.

Shine Your Icy Crown is a collection of poetry by Amanda Lovelace. This is the second book in the You Are Your Own Fairy Tale series however; this can be read without reading the first one.

This is a story about not letting society dictate the limits of your potential. It’s time to take back your power & realize that you don’t need a king in order to be a queen.

Poetry is not a normal genre for me, but when I was offered an advanced copy of this book I figured I should get out of my comfort zone and check it out. I’m so glad I did. I loved the poems in this book. They are about empowerment and being the you that you are without letting others judge you. This book has such a great message for women, and many of the poems resonated with me. Lovelace’s poetry is emotional yet relatable at the same time. She writes beautifully, and I am looking forward to reading more of her books.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeet Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.