Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things by Amanda Lovelace: ARC Book Review

^{This is a spoiler-free review.}

Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things by Amanda Lovelace

^{Expected publication October 5th, 2021 by Andrews McMeel Publishing.}

My rating:

In her new standalone poetry collection, flower crowns & fearsome things, bestselling & award-winning poetess Amanda Lovelace explores the complexity of femininity through alternating wildflower & wildfire poems.

Within these pages, you will find that each of us has the ability to be both soft & fierce at the same time. there is no need to choose one or the other.

Click for Content Warnings:

sexual assault, child & partner abuse, eating disorders, trauma

^{Thank you to the publisher, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.}

“Who says you can’t wear a flower crown and still remain a fearsome thing?”

Inspired by the Greek goddess Persephone, who is both the goddess of spring and the queen of the underworld, Lovelace’s newest poetry collection explores how we can all be both contradictorily soft and fierce at the same time, and what that means for the modern woman.

I’ve said before in my previous reviews of her work, but I feel as though Amanda Lovelace’s poetry just gets better and better with time. Her latest compilation is a force to be reckoned with, and a welcome addition to her expanding repertoire of novels that tote women empowerment.

I’ve really become a fan of the direction her poetry has taken, and even though I don’t always relate to the content, I have really begun to appreciate her voice and the way she expresses her opinions. As always, the artwork in this collection is beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. It alternates between a field of colourful and flowers on a bright spring day and a bush of red roses set aflame at night, just as her poems switch between describing ‘the goddess of spring’ and ‘the queen of the underworld’ – contrastingly sweet and fiery.

While I found some of the poems stronger than others, and a few which felt decidedly similar to other ones I’ve already read by her, overall I enjoyed this poetry collection and flew through it. It did feel somewhat disjointed (and a little jarring) at times when switching between the ‘soft’ and ‘fierce’ sections, however, given that that may have been the intention, I can’t fault it too much there. Overall, I liked the execution and the concept that as women we can be and feel these conflicting things, and still be whole.

If you’re a fan of Amanda Lovelace’s previous works, or other poets with similar styles like Lang Leav and Rupi Kaur, you’ll no doubt enjoy this one just as much.

Have you read anything by Amanda Lovelace?

If so, what did you think of it?

Let me know!