Rating: 3.5

In this poetry collection, Amanda looks at the duality that can exist within a person. She cites her inspiration as Persephone, who both rules over the spring season and the Underworld. Within her, she is both life and death, the first stirrings as it awakes from winter's slumber and the very end as the soul departs from the body and makes its final journey.

Through her poems, she shows how this duality exists within herself. She is both vulnerable and strong. She is both someone who has felt uncertain and someone brimming with confidence. The poems read like quick punches, jabs against whoever tries to hold her back or make her feel less than. At times though, this duality misses the mark. She has poems that are clearly about how she dresses for herself, how she is not trying to appease anyone. Then there are those where she talks about how she is wearing something particularly in the hope of catching someone's eye. These felt like they derailed the overall flow of the book for me. Can't quite place my finger on why, but they didn't feel like they fit. (Another section that threw things off for me were the more current references to the pandemic, but that didn't bother me as much since it's such a thing of our time right now, and it pins the book to this very moment.)

I love the message behind her poems, and the illustrations are gorgeous in this poetry book. It is a beautiful volume to add to her collection.

Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things by Amanda Lovelace is a standalone poetry collection that resonated deeply within my body and mind. The juxtaposition of the flower and fire elements that comprise our femininity is explored in alternating verses, and provide a deep emotional dive into the female psyche. So much of this collection touches upon personal experience, betrayal, and the ongoing struggle to find meaning and a sense of belonging. The beautiful illustrations serve to enhance these evocative words, and are truly sublime. As with Ms Lovelace's previous work, this is a collection that I will return to again and again. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an ARC.