This was an ARC that I got and started while crying, but I guess it works either way. This was short and sweet and straight to the point. Some things the author wrote really gets to you while others maybe aren’t relatable, but I really like this because everyone gets to have that punch in their gut before the little motivational speech arrives and then you feel that main character energy.

I’m really tired which is probably why it didn’t get to me as much as I thought it would, but I know that once I sleep the rereads are gonna hit home.

This was my first poetry book and It definitely makes me want to read more.

I really wanted to like this but ultimately this collection really fell flat for me. Lovelace's style is so spare that it really needs the metaphorical resonance that you see in her early work; these poems are so straight forward that combined with their brevity, there is no room for interpretation. Her message comes across loud and clear, but they also feel like post-break facebook statuses from the early 2000s.

The author's note at the beginning sets the reader up for a collection about or inspired by the myths of Persephone and I really wish Lovelace had dug into that more. Where is her complicated relationship with her mother? Where is the tug of war between death and the rejuvenation of spring? Her love for the outcast of olympus or conversely her kidnapping and stockholm syndrome, depending on which version you prefer? Persephone is a *very* interesting character from Greek mythology and there's a lot to build on. Unfortunately Lovelace does not use that scaffolding except for some very basic imagery that is frankly trite. The vast majority of these poems are on the same themes that Lovelace always covers, feminism and ending toxic romantic relationships. I'm not saying those aren't good choices for poetry; we've just had several collections from her on the topics.

Sadly, I think I might be done with Lovelace's work at least for the near future. I very much enjoyed her early work, but at this point I'm tired of seeing her trot out the same pony in different hats.

Is this poetry collection going to change your life? No. Is it beautiful and relatable and does it spark thought? Yes.
I’ve never particularly enjoyed obvious, minimalistic poetry (or #instapoetry) but I did quite enjoy this.
The author did a great job exploring the duality of women as a result of being pigeonholed and highlights the assumptions others make and what they take as their right. I enjoyed this collection was from the lens of persephone and the artwork was pretty, but also repetitive.
It is important that the author is writing from her own perspective on life and the struggles she and many other women have experienced should not be discounted, however, I feel sometimes we lose the depth because often it’s not one gender against the other. Some of these passages could be related to by men or non binary people just as much as women and it’s important we understand that.
The truth is we all lie somewhere in the middle of the light meadow and the burning roses. We all want to love someone and do anything for them, but we also want that for ourselves, and when we don’t get that it stings and requires strength not submission. We want to be happy and be whoever we want to be, and when we can’t, it requires strength not submission. Amanda Lovelace encapsulated this beautifully.

Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things is beautifully written while with such of sense of empowerment. Poetess Amanda Lovelace speaks with raw emotion. She reminds us that womanhood is not a position of weakness, but one of power and grace.

I have loved each of her books so far, and look forward to those to come.

I love how Amanda writes. Y basa algunos poemas en Persephone, amo la mitologia.
Siento que fue bastante corto para lo que suele escribir ella, pero aun asi fue placentero y entretenido.

I love Amanda Lovelace. I know this type of poetry isn't for everyone, but I enjoy it. Here is why, in each and every one of her books, Flower Crown and Fearsome Things included, I have at least three poems that I really relate to. The poems speak to me and they resonate deeply with my feelings. It's just nice you are reading something and you think: Yes! That's it! That's exactly how I wanted to say it/describe it.

Granted the whole book doesn't speak to me that way, but I still had the handful that I re-read and re-read. Four stars. Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will start off by saying, I have always been a fan of Amanda’s work. Her poetry collections are part of what inspired me to write my own. But I am honestly disappointed in this collection. It seems so much like her others, no original thoughts except maybe a few referencing the pandemic. The images inside were beautiful but in no way did they need to be repeated after every poem. It made the book about double the size with only half the poetry. I would read her next collection, but I would skip buying this one.

This is the second Amanda Lovelace poetry collection I read and her words are always so powerful.
The common theme of female empowerment is brought together by the figure of Persephone that returns multiple times throughout the collection.
I'm in no way a poetry expert, but I do believe that the poems in themselves are beautiful. They become even more beautiful when put together.

Furthermore, the art in between each poem is STUNNING and perfectly matches the feelings of the collection

"I refuse to be ashamed
For taking up my rightful space.
I refuse to apologize
For daring to have an opinion"

This had some really cool poems and the art work was really nice. I didn't love the whole book. But there where still stand outs for me.

I got a copy of this from NetGalley for an honest review.

Amanda Lovelace is always a go to author for me , and when I heard about the concept of her latest release I was keen to get my hands on a copy as soon as possible. In Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things Lovelace examines the complexity of femininity , its fragility and ferocity through paired poems which she describes as wildflower and wildfire. On a side note the illustrations for both these themes are beautiful, so kudos to the artist Janaina Medeiros. The poems are powerful and beautiful but also thought provoking and at times inspiring, making this a collection that is perfect for dipping into in the moments when you need a reminder of your own strength.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Another great Poetry Collection by Amanda Lovelace about women's struggles and strengths. I devoured this quickly, but it is a book I will be going back to often.

Maybe this one wasn't for me because I did not love it. I liked that Persephone was supposed to be the inspiration but I felt like that did not shine through at all. There were a few pages I liked the message of in regards to uplifting and empowering women but overall I felt this anthology as a whole was so incredibly basic and barely grazed the surface on anything. One poem was about loving yourself and then the next was about begging a boy to stay in love and then the next mentioned how women are always portrayed as damsels in distress.

There are subtle hints of triggering subject matter but again, it's barely mentioned that the content warning is misleading. I feel like this poetry could have been written and complied in an afternoon by most people who are familiar with writing.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. I will not be recommending this book.

Reading Amanda Lovelace it's always a pleasure, this time was not different.
With her poetry you can always find something that talks to you in particular. Se knows how to write good modern poetry.

If you've been following me for a while, you know I love to read poetry from time to time. When I saw that Amanda Lovelace had written a new collection, I knew I had to read it. So far, I think I've read all of her poetry collections and I will for sure read all the ones that will release in the future. Even though this wasn't my favourite collection, I still really enjoyed the read. The poems in this collection mainly focus on femininity. Through the poems, Lovelace wants to show the reader that a woman can be both soft and fierce at the same time. A lot of the poems spoke to me, which led to me tabbing them so I could reread them later. My main issue was that this collection repeats the same two images after every single poem. Even though I really like images in between poetry, I saw no need in having to include the same two images over and over. It made the book twice as long without it needing to be. All in all, I do think this quick read is worth reading. If you're a fan of Lovelace's previous work you will definitely enjoy this one too, but do check out the trigger warnings before reading!

Trigger warnings: intimate partner abuse, sexual assault, cheating, child abuse, trauma, death, violence, misogyny, body image, eating disorders, alcohol, fire

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with an e-arc. This did not affect the honesty of my review in any way.

TW: intimate partner abuse, sexual assault, cheating, child abuse, death, violence, misogyny, eating disorders

I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

I believe that these poems, at least in part, are inspired by the Greek Goddess, Persephone. I really enjoyed the beautiful illustrations between the poems. This collection of poems really spoke to me and I was excited to read every poem! These poems talk about independent and empowered women and I am absolutely here for it!!

Some of these poems are written in the context of the current pandemic, and I think those are the most relatable.

I definitely recommend this book!!

Okay, first and foremost I love this author. Lovelace informed you at the beginning of every book of the different triggers that may effect any person, so you don't get blindsided. The poems that take place in this collection and most of the authors collections in general deal heavily on women empowerment and face head on some very controversial topics. Some topics being, relationship abuse, and even COVID times. Opinions are also voiced within these topics one being the need for more complex women characters in stories. This collection also however has a mention of Persephone the goddess of the spring and the Queen of the Underworld, and how women are just like her, meaning soft and fierce. Page 11- "Everyone loves a strong woman until that strong woman no longer tolerates their bullshit. --the age old proverb".

Poetry is very subjective, so please take my review with a grain of salt.

This is the fourth collection I've read by this author and I've come to the conclusion that her poetry simply isn't for me. I find the writing too plain and the poems themselves quite surface level when it comes to discussing heavy topics such as domestic violence, self hatred, or depression.

This collection felt rather young, which confused me as some of the poems were about issues that mainly adults face. If you're just starting out with poetry and enjoy the simplistic approach that modern poetry takes, Lovelace may be a good place to start. But if you pick up quite a few collections, I'd give this one a miss.

Alright, I love Amanda Lovelace, so as soon as she advertised she was writing a poetry collection based on Persphone I preordered it as soon as I could. Now I am a huge fan of Amanda Lovelace and love all her works, but there was something about this collection that I could not connect to. I believe this is the first collection that I have given 4 stars instead of 5, which is still a stellar rating! What I had issues with is that in my interpretation of the reading there were more ‘fearsome things’ vibes in this selection and I wanted more ‘flower crowns’ vibes. I still love Amanda Lovelace and think people NEED to read this work. I am extremely excited for my pre-order to come in so I can add this book to my collection.

Disclaimer: I received an E-arc from the Publisher, in exchange for my unbiased review.
This was okay. But not very good Read it in one sitting.

I love poetry books. Seeing Amanda Lovelace's poems randomly throughout my day improve my mood and empower me. Thank you for the trigger warnings in the beginning. I bookmarked so many of these poems.