the princess saves herself in this one

I won’t beat around the bush; I knew I loved this book almost as soon as I began it.

Amanda Lovelace takes on a lot of topics in this collection of poems; abuse, heartbreak, eating disorders, and so much more. But with a simple yet impactful writing style, occasionally playing with format and creating concrete poems, she somehow invites the reader into her deeply personal and hard-hitting narrative, extending a hand and welcoming us to find a connection to her story.

“i am

a lioness

who is no longer

afraid to let the world

hear her

roar”

The princess saves herself in this one has a style which may remind readers of the well-known work of Rupi Kaur in Milk and Honey, but gets into more topics, many somewhat deeper and darker than what Kaur addresses.

What I loved most about princess was the many references to books. Lovelace makes it clear, not only from her poetry but by her social media handle, that she is a lover of literature. This passion comes through in her work, and was something that I related to, and think many readers will similarly enjoy. The poems in princess often show how books can become an escape during difficult times (and good ones too). Not only that but, as seen in the title itself, Lovelace uses well-known tropes and topics from fairytales and famous stories, turning the often male-centric concepts and male-savior narratives into more feminist ideas. By doing this, she points out the flaws of those stories while also turning them on their heads.

“fiction:

the ocean

i dive

headfirst

into

when i

can

no longer

breathe 

in 

reality.”

The one weak point of the collection, for me, was the end. I still loved the poems in the final section, but the order and overall connection of the pieces were more sporadic than the rest of the book, making it seem out of place. On one page a poem would address body shaming, on another Hurricane Sandy, and still another trans rights. I appreciated the sentiments that each of these made, and they were beautiful still, but it was a little jarring to go from one to the next. Each of the sections before then had seemed to evolve and move in a much more expected manner, which made it stand out all the more.

I rated this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. It was nearly perfect. I already plan on re-reading it and have ordered the second in the women are some kind of magic series: the witch doesn’t burn in this one and is anxiously awaiting its arrival. I would recommend this book to fans of Rupi Kaur’s writing style and Ellen Hopkin’s subject matter.