The Butterfly Clues: Review

Title: The Butterfly Clues

Author: Kate Ellison

Release Date: February 2012

Published By: EgmontUSA

Pages: 336

Goodreads Rating: 3.69 stars

Review: Ever since her brother Oren's death, Lo's hoarding of beautiful objects has turned into a full-out obsession. She finds a butterfly pendant that she recognizes as belonging to a recently killed girl not much older than herself, Sapphire, and becomes increasingly drawn into the murder. Near the scene, she meets Flynt, who brings her into the seedy underworld, where, as she discovers, might just hold the secrets to what really happened to her brother.

THE BUTTERFLY CLUES is exactly what I want to see more of in YA: a heavy, completely engrossing read complete with both emotion and suspense. I was blown away by this book, and one of the factors responsible for this was the realism and rawness of the characters. Every single person in this book was entirely unique and far from just a bare archetype, and there was incredible complexity in their personalities, mindsets, and yes, mental disorders.

Lo was a very complicated protagonist; she stole and lied, yet remained someone you could absolutely sympathize with. She boils down to a lonely and very confused girl, suffering from OCD as well as the loss of her brother, but instead of feeling just pity or just neutrality towards her, I became wrapped up in her character. It was as if I was her, and everything occurring to her was happening to me as well. It became almost disorienting, but in an amazing way - in the way every book should be.

The romance was also quite refreshing. Flynt wasn't the stereotypical YA hunk but rather a laid-back, funny guy with mysterious origins (but not in a forced manner). Their love for each other happened organically with an ending that, while somewhat painful, was very realistic and free of angst.

As for the plot, I couldn't have asked for much better. The spellbinding narration combined with an engrossing and intriguing plot that was packed with twists and turns. There were a few spots where my attention wasn't completely held, but I was for the most part eager to find out what happens next. It's not a particularly long book but when you emerge from reading this book (especially if it's all in one sitting), you feel as if you've been reading forever - in a good way!

All in all, THE BUTTERFLY CLUES is a suspenseful and emotion-laden novel perfect for either those who love contemporary or those who could never quite get into it. The incredibly dimensional characters are brimming with complexity and flaws, and reading this book is almost like a disorienting experience. It's almost guaranteed that you'll be completely sucked into the story and be unable to put it down. I don't know why there isn't more hype surrounding this book, but I strongly urge you all to pick it up and make the hype happen.

I received a free copy of this book for review. This in no way affected my review.