the mermaid’s voice returns in this one brings brings Amanda Lovelace’s “women are some kind of magic,” series to a beautiful and heartbreaking close.

The Mermaid’s Voice Returns in This One

(Women Are Some Kind of Magic #3)

 

Genre: Poetry

Length: 210 Pages

Format: Digital

Publisher: Andrews McMeel

 

 Synopsis from Goodreads:

Goodreads Choice Award-winning poet and USA TODAY bestselling author Amanda Lovelace presents the mermaid’s voice returns in this one — the third and final installment in her “women are some kind of magic” series, featuring a foreword from Lang Leav and 13 guest poems from leading voices in poetry such as Nikita Gill, KY Robinson, and Orion Carloto.

The mermaid is known for her siren song, luring bedroom-eyed sailors to their demise. However, beneath these misguided myths are tales of escapism and healing, which Lovelace weaves throughout this empowering collection of poetry, taking you on a journey from the sea to the stars. They tried to silence her once and for all, but the mermaid’s voice returns in this one.

 

My Review

 

Lovelace Helps Lead a Poetry Revolution

Friends- a revolution is happening in the poetry community and writers like Amanda Lovelace and Lang Leav are helping to lead the way. For years, poetry has been the dominated by white men (the Western cannon is decidedly and resoundingly male), but Amanda Lovelace is helping to break down those barriers. Her “women are some kind of magic,” series has helped to inspire an entirely new generation to read and write poetry. Any writer who inspires young people to read and write is a star in my book.

Lovelace continues to help to lead the poetry revolution with her final installment in the series,  “the mermaid’s voice returns in this one. This book is a heartbreaking and beautiful conclusion to groundbreaking series.

 

Amanda Lovelace Inspired Me to Write My Own Chapbook

I absolutely love Amanda Lovelace. I can honestly say that her first book, the princess saves herself in this one, had a significant impact on my own life and my own writing. Lovelace’s straightforward and direct style inspired me to pick up my pen once more and to allow myself to explore my love of poetry again.

As a young person in college, I had an encounter with ableism and racism that silenced my pen for years. I knew that I could never write like Shakespeare, Chaucer or Milton. “Why,” I thought to myself, “should I bother writing poetry if I can’t write good poetry? What point is there in writing at all if I can’t write like one of the greats?”

Then, I stumbled across Amanda Lovelace’s the princess saves herself in this one. In the poetry section at Barnes & Noble. I was amazed by Lovelace’s style and deeply moved by her words. In that book, and each book in this series, Lovelace writes in a way that is unabashedly and unashamedly herself. She takes the reader on a journey from brokenness to hope. Then, she invites her reader to pick up their own pen and start their own story. “This is the sign that you’re looking for,” writes Lovelace.

I”m so glad that I listened to her.

 

Lovelace Does Not Disappoint

I eagerly awaited the mermaid saves herself in this one the way some people wait for the next Star Wars movie. In fact, this little purple book is a big part of the reason I signed up for a Net Galley membership a few months ago. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book, and Net Galley offers readers the opportunity to preview advanced copies of books in exchange for an honest review.

I thought that I would breeze through this book in a day. I devoured both of the previous book in this series in one sitting. But in her final installment, Lovelace hits hard and she hits fast. She pulls no punches. Her writing left me in tears within only the first few minutes of reading this book.

 

A Chorus of New Voices

I was so moved by Lovelace’s story and her words that it took me four days to read this book. It’s not long- but it’s full of feeling. It was a stroke of brilliance for Lovelace to invite other poets to join with her in writing this closing book to her series.

Throughout the first two books, Lovelace encourages her readers to the hero of their own stories. Now, she shares the stage in this final act and invites a chorus of other sirens to sing with her. Their song will continue to haunt me.  I can’t wait to read more of their work.

 

I Would Eagerly Read Amanda Lovelace’s Grocery List

Thank you, Amanda Lovelace, for your beautiful poetry and for your writing. I don’t care that people call you a hack (a cruel accusation that she addresses in this book). I love you, and I would eagerly read even your grocery list.

If it wasn’t for Amanda Lovelace, I wouldn’t have had the courage to write my own chapbook. I’m so glad that I found the courage to share my own story and I hope that many others find the courage to reclaim their own narratives. May we all be warrior mermaid star queens together. 

I hope that Amanda Lovelace goes on to write many more books filled with many more references to Disney, Pixar, fairy-tales, Shakespeare, and mythology. I will happily read them all.

Don’t let the haters get you down, Amanda. You really are some kind of magic.

I strongly recommend this book to EVERYONE!

 

Note: I received a free digital copy of this book from Net GalleTy in exchange for an honest review. 

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