Book Review: "The Princess Saves Herself in This One" by Amanda Lovelace

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Cover of "The Princess Saves Herself in This One" by Amanda Lovelace

*Spoilers ahead!*

4/5 stars

I have been meaning to get back into poetry for a while now. The Princess Saves Herself in This One is the first entry of poet Amanda Lovelace’s “Women Are Some Kind of Magic” series. This volume was the perfect segue back into poetry for me, and like Amanda Gorman (another awesome poet who happens to share the first name of the author of this book I’m discussing), it will definitely stick around in my brain, hopefully planting seeds of inspiration for my own writing, poetry or otherwise.

GIF: "Poems don't always have to rhyme, you know"

Why do I have the feeling that this book left a mark on me?

Well, for starters, Lovelace tackles her own inner experience, whereas Amanda Gorman’s poetry tackles the collective trauma of a whole nation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying economic downturn. Both explorations of the internal and external are equally valid and powerful. Both explore complex topics and make the reader think. Really think.

GIF: Homer Simpson reading a book and saying "Hmmm"

The Princess Saves Herself in This One is an incredibly brave and vulnerable look into Lovelace’s life, where she experiences sexual assault and the neglect inherent in her upbringing. Things no child should have to go through. When her mother dies of cancer and another sister perishes by her own hand—all of this happened to her before the age of 19. So heartbreaking.

GIF: "I'm sorry"

But this book is also about hope. This volume’s very existence is a testament to the author’s healing.

GIF: Visual representation of trauma; person crying with metaphorical hole in their chest

“There came/A time/When/Poetry/Showed me/How to/Bleed/Without/The demand/Of blood”

By the end, the princess has escaped her tower and slain (most of) her dragons.

GIF: "Welcome to Operation Dragon Slay"

While no one should ever have to suffer to grow, that’s what happened to Lovelace, and she’s moving forward. She can’t change her past, but she uses what she’s learned—particularly self-love—to turn the tables on her trauma, which wants her to believe life isn’t worth living, that she deserves a good life.

“Make words/Your finest weapons/A gold-hilted sword/To cut your/Enemies down”

This volume really resonated with me, and I can’t wait to read the next two books in this series!

Happy reading!

--BookOwl

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