Amanda Lovelace
Published January 26th 2021
I received this book for free from Netgalley but that doesn't change my opinions
This is Amanda Lovelace's second book in her 'you are your own fairytale' series. I personally do not enjoy this series as much as her first because I think this is a much lighter series than her 'Women are some kind of magic' series. There is still a helpful list of triggers at the beginning of the book but this series is definitely appropriate for a younger audience than her first. It could even be a great introduction to poetry if you are 12ish.
Feminism and valuing yourself is the key theme of this book, and it is done beautifully, Yet it doesn't do anything new with the topic unlike her book 'The Witch doesn't burn in this one'. This brings me back to this being better for younger audiences or people just beginning their journey with feminism. Something I adored about this book is the use of the big sister. The format of this book is a poem about a struggle and then big sister advice. This could be read as an actual big sister of the voice we follow or I read it as older women's advice to those younger, using the word sister as in sisterhood rather than familial.
Personally, I was a bit disappointed by this as I have enjoyed each of her books more than the previous and this is definitely the one I enjoyed the second least (I was not a fan of 'The princess saves herself in this one). I still think this has many positives and that this will be a great read for those new to poetry but Lovelace can write incredibly emotive pieces and I didn't especially find any of those in this book. I will absolutely be continuing with the series and buying this book as I am still a big supporter of this author and this book was a 4 star read for me so I obviously did still enjoy it despite my critiques.
