The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison

The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison


Release Date: February 14, 2012
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Rated: YA 14+
Format: eGalley
Source: NetGalley
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Penelope (Lo) Marin has always loved to collect beautiful things. Her dad's consulting job means she's grown up moving from one rundown city to the next, and she's learned to cope by collecting (sometimes even stealing) quirky trinkets and souvenirs in each new place—possessions that allow her to feel at least some semblance of home.

But in the year since her brother Oren's death, Lo's hoarding has blossomed into a full-blown, potentially dangerous obsession. She discovers a beautiful, antique butterfly pendant during a routine scour at a weekend flea market, and recognizes it as having been stolen from the home of a recently murdered girl known only as "Sapphire"—a girl just a few years older than Lo. As usual when Lo begins to obsess over something, she can't get the murder out of her mind.

As she attempts to piece together the mysterious "butterfly clues," with the unlikely help of a street artist named Flynt, Lo quickly finds herself caught up in a seedy, violent underworld much closer to home than she ever imagined—a world, she'll ultimately discover, that could hold the key to her brother's tragic death.

I love Agatha Christies' and other mystery novels, because I can never guess what happens, always end up shocked with the conclusion. The Butterfly Clues was one of those novels. I had NO IDEA it would turn out like that in the end, and the smallest details mean everything in the end. What I really liked about this book was that so unpredictable. I mean, some things were a little obvious, but the main mystery is a total jaw-dropper folks. Well, at least that's how I felt by the end of this novel.

When we come to YA contemporary heroines, there are a couple of stereotypical groups which they fall into. There's the popular girls, there's the arty ones, and several others, but by far, the most common group would be the loners. The social outcasts. The friendless, the lonely ones– call them whatever you will, but these are the most used gals in the YA fictitious contemporary world. And so it was not so surprising when our heroine Lo is one of them.
I liked Lo, but I found that she lacked self-confidence, which I pretty much HATE in literature. Other than this though, she was a great main character. She actually went out and did stuff, instead of waiting around, waiting for the clues to come to her. Her collection is cool though, and even though she steals, I think that's one trait which hasn't been used much for the female side of novels.

FLYNT! FLYNT! FLYNT! Loved him– although I thought he was a little strange at first. He wasn't too developed though as a character. Wish we learned more about him! Sapphire, the girl who was murdered, on the other hand felt like she was truly a character part of the novel, rather than dead and absent for a majority of it. All characters were well-done though, and there were no issues with any of them.

The cover is absolutely gorgeous. That's what made me press the "Request" button. Never mind what the book was about, with a cover like that it could have been about...a flying potato's adventures for all I care (actually...maybe not :P) but I was thrilled to find out it was a mystery.

The Butterfly Clues was a mysterious and thrilling novel which had me flipping pages, eager to find out what happens next. Kate Ellison has written a contemporary mystery which many young adult fans will devour word by word. Can't wait for her second novel, Notes from Ghost Town. If it's anything like this one, I'm sure to love it.


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8 comments:

  1. This sounds really great and I love mysteries also. I will definitely have to check this one out. Great review :)

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  2. Excellent! We love this cover, in the concept, so we are super glad to hear that it lives up. Thanks for writing your thoughts!

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  3. I love the cover too. You are so right about the loner character being overdone. Sometimes I wish they could write about a normal well adjusted teen from a normal family--I guess that wouldn't be much of a story though. :) Thanks for the review, you definitely have me intrigued!

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  4. Great review! I'm liking the sound of this - jaw-dropping mystery? I want to read this so bad! :)

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  5. I loved it too.. was fortunate enough to get an egalley from netgalley.

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  6. I just got this from the library...and your review has me looking forward to it! I don't often read many mysteries anymore (though as a young kid I adored Nancy Drew!) but this one sounds really intriguing. Thanks for the review!

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  7. I've had my eye on this book for a while. The synopsis drew me in immediately, and the cover looks beautiful. Your review is great, and now I want it even more!

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  8. THE BUTTERFLY CLUES by Kate Ellison sat on my bookshelf forever. At first, I couldn't remember why I'd been drawn to it in the first place. But a few pages in I was caught up in the characters and in the mystery. I love Lo and Flynt. And I love that Sapphire ended up actually connected to Lo and her family in some way. This book is definitely rereadable.
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