A review by inkdrinkers
The Witch Doesn't Burn in this One by Amanda Lovelace

dark emotional medium-paced

3.0

"gods, i hope i terrify you"

The second in Amanda Lovelace's "Women are some kind of magic" series tackles the idea of feminism and witch burnings, connecting it to the very real issues that women face daily. It's intercut with poems that portray the Salem witch trials.

Another reread/revist of Lovelace's second poetry collection. I remember really enjoying this on my first read, but the revisit, again, leaves a lot to be desired. I enjoy the anger and the imagery of a lot of these poems, but at the end of the day it doesn't spark the same kind of energy it did on my first read. My favorite poems are the ones that discussed assault/played with the imagery of women looking over their shoulders constantly.

I have the Target exclusive edition, which actually contains my favorite poem from the collection:

don't you see?

the men
won't
have to
burn us
if we
burn
each other
first.
- girl-on-girl hate

Again, there's nothing wrong with the formatting of Lovelace's poems, but I do find myself more drawn to prose-esque pieces that provide a lot more imagery and intensity, rather than the broken up style of others. I do wish there were more poems in this collection that tackle the ideas of womanhood/pitting women against each other (there are a few, which I enjoyed), but overall it's a very man-focused collection. This is another collection I'll be letting go from my physical shelf.

Content warnings: Domestic abuse, Rape, Misogyny, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Transphobia
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