Oh my God, this was brilliant and moving. Amanda Lovelace does it AGAIN. And this may be her best, most intimate, most poignant release yet. I have chills. I'm positively smitten with how minimal the prose is in Lovelace's work because in spite of how short it appears, it really packs a serious and emotional punch that will leave readers breathless.

It's no secret that I adore poetry and that Amanda Lovelace is one of my favourite modern poets. It's even less of a surprise that The Mermaid's Voice Returns in this One was one of my most anticipated releases of 2019. Thankfully for us, the conclusion to Lovelace's beloved and bestselling Women Are Some Kind of Magic series lives up to everything the prior installments set up. I loved literally every thing about this collection because, once more, it accomplished exactly what good poetry should: all the complex emotions that come with being women and reclaiming your own voice.

What's most outstanding about The Mermaid's Voice Returns in this One is how far that Lovelace has come. I don't mean only growth as a writer, I mean... how she's been able to take the past, capture its volatile and cruel elements, and channel that intensity it into something beautiful. Herself. One of the biggest parts in writing is being able to open yourself up, express all sides to your own story, and to showcase how much you've grown in the days and weeks and months and years that follow.

As readers, we've been able to watch Lovelace not only reclaim her voice and her power but become the woman she was always meant to be. And always has been. And it's something that cannot be described in a simple review.

Whether you've been following her writing process from the time she'd self-published her first poems or are only just getting to know her now, it's a treat to be able to see such strength blossom and grow and continue to do so.

The Mermaid's Voice Returns in this One sets the stage for the year in poetry. This is the collection you need to be reading; this is the voice that needs to be heard. Armed with some contributions from other talented voices in poetry, Amanda Lovelace has already taken on 2019 in a way that will be quick to send shivers down the spine and demands to be annotated.

I can't wait to see what comes next for her. I'm so ready.