Review of "The Butterfly Clues"

“The Butterfly Clues”

by  Kate Ellison

My Rating:

Pub. Date: February 14, 2012

Pages: 336

Publisher: Egmont USA

Source: Library and Bought

Edition: Hardcover and Audio

Short and Sweet Synopsis: Lo, an obsessive-compulsive teenage girl, is fixated on solving a murder mystery.  She feels oddly linked to the victim and will do anything to discover their connection.

While I am not a mystery reader, I thoroughly enjoyed "The Butterfly Clues".  Lo is a great character with lots of depth.  She was constantly surprising me with her actions.  Sometimes she seemed so weak, but then she would do something I would never have the guts to even attempt.  I also really enjoyed reading about Neverland or the bad part of town.  I can't help noticing how it sounds a lot like Wonderland near Boston and how everyone tells me NEVER to go there.  Neverland had a cast of characters that I fell in love with even if they didn't follow societal expectations.  They may have chosen careers I don't agree with, but Kate Ellison created relatable people in all of her characters.  

You need more reasons to read the book?  The murder mystery is intense, or at least for someone who isn't really into the genre.  I felt very concerned for Lo and knew she was putting herself in danger.  I was never sure who to trust and was happy that my earliest guesses did not turn out to be correct.  My concern for Lo was more than just for her life, but for her mental well-being.  Lo's mental state added a lot to the book.  I honestly would not have enjoyed "The Butterfly Clues" nearly as much if Lo had just been your run of the mills, teenage outcast.

I do have one negative.  I feel like the end went too long.  I felt like the story wrapped up at one point, but then it kept going.  It didn't go on for so long it was annoying, I just didn't find it necessary.  

Final Wrap up: Great characters, interesting setting, drama, murder, and addictive.  Only a smidge of the unnecessary.  I enjoyed the narrator in the audio.