To Make Monsters Out of Girls by Amanda Lovelace | Rating: ★★★★★

Amanda Lovelace does it again with her latest collection. To Make Monsters Out of Girls is her most revealing offering yet and that's saying something, given Lovelace's knack for diving straight into the more intimate parts of her thoughts. This, of course, is what makes her work so beloved in spite of her newcomer status. Amanda Lovelace continues to make a name for herself and I have a feeling she's solidified her position as one of the most well-liked poets of our time.

Armed with the same sort of raw, urgent honesty that her prior two collections showcased--Lovelace's voice has truly come into her own and once more she hits the nail on the head when it comes to the more sensitive topics of life. In To Make Monsters Out of Girls, she focuses on a dark spot in her life--during her time in the shadows, she slowly but surely finds her strength and is brought back into the life. She puts great emphasize on her past but an even greater one on her future. 

While all three of her collections focus deeply on the good and bad, there's something especially painful but striking about the honesty behind every line in To Make Monsters Out of Girls. I purchased the special edition from Target and I'm glad I did, because there was an added bonus to it. Anything extra in poetry is honestly a blessing and I so rarely use that term in a serious way.





Like I do with most poetry collections, I began reading and highlighting my favourite passages--those moments where you just connect with a simple expression and thought, hey, I'm not alone. Lovelace's voice reaches out to her readers and it's admirable because she uses her platform to empower us all. I found myself highlighting most of the collection and finally gave up because, I knew that more of the collection would be highlighted than not.

In short, this was an incredibly moving collection of prose and reminded me why I love poetry so much to begin with. I can't wait to see what Amanda Lovelace has up her sleeve for the future.

One thing's for certain: readers cannot sleep on such a talent.