Book

the mermaid's voice returns in this one

📖 Overview

The mermaid's voice returns in this one is the third book in Amanda Lovelace's "women are some kind of magic" poetry series. The collection continues the mythological and fairy tale themes established in the previous volumes. Through free verse poetry and spare language, the book tracks a journey from trauma toward healing and reclamation of voice. The work incorporates contributions from multiple guest poets who add their perspectives to the central narrative. This collection examines themes of survival, trauma recovery, and finding strength through creative expression. The poems engage with imagery from folklore and fairy tales while addressing contemporary experiences and modern relationships. The mermaid metaphor serves as a framework for exploring how silence can transform into speech, and how pain can become power. This work speaks to the process of reclaiming narrative control through poetry.

👀 Reviews

Readers view this poetry collection as the weakest in Lovelace's "Women Are Some Kind Of Magic" trilogy. Readers appreciated: - Themes of healing and recovery from trauma - Short, accessible poems - Inclusion of guest poets' works - Messages of female empowerment Common criticisms: - Repetitive content and style compared to previous books - Simple writing that reads like social media posts - Heavy use of ocean/mermaid metaphors feels forced - Too similar to other Instagram-style poets Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (16,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (500+ ratings) Several readers noted the collection feels "unfinished" or "rushed." One Goodreads reviewer wrote: "The metaphors became predictable and lost impact." Amazon reviewers frequently mentioned the book works better for younger readers or those new to poetry. Multiple reviews pointed out that those who enjoyed Lovelace's previous works may find this one redundant.

📚 Similar books

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Fierce Fairytales by Nikita Gill Poetry collection reimagining classic fairytales through perspectives of trauma recovery and female empowerment.

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🤔 Interesting facts

🌊 "the mermaid's voice returns in this one" is the final installment in Amanda Lovelace's "women are some kind of magic" poetry trilogy 🖋️ Lovelace incorporates trigger warnings at the beginning of her books, making her one of the first mainstream poets to consistently implement this practice 📖 The collection features guest poems from other contemporary poets including Nikita Gill and Trista Mateer 🗣️ The title references The Little Mermaid's narrative of having her voice stolen, and reclaiming it—a metaphor for survivors finding their strength 🏆 The book debuted at #1 on BookScan's poetry bestseller list in March 2019, marking Lovelace's third consecutive poetry collection to achieve this feat