The Butterfly Clues

I was: blown away by the power behind Lo's story.

My thoughts:
The Butterfly Clues is a book that I will always remember for one important reason as Lo is unlike any heroine I have ever read. Although it's never identified with any definite terms, it's pretty obvious that she suffers from an extreme case of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). She is almost crippled by it. She taps her legs, her shoulder, her shoes, the floor in groupings of numbers that make sense to her. 4s are bad, 3s are good, 9s are even better. Even raw fear can't stop her from her compulsions. These things that she needs to do, including hoarding and arranging groupings of objects, consume her life.

An entire book could easily be written about Lo alone. Her show more compulsions, her needs, her struggles. However, The Butterfly Clues is much more then a book about a girl in need of help. Maybe because of her OCD, maybe it would have happened anyway but Lo finds herself in a world where the rules don't apply. A world where she makes a connection to a murdered girl and finds a friend she never thought she could have. Her family is draw into the drama and her life can never be the same afterwards.

The Butterfly Clues was a powerful read for me. I so very much wanted Lo to find herself. To find her answers and to finally realize that she wasn't a freak. She's a character that I dare you not to fall for - not to root for.

Final verdict:
The overpowering mystery of this book still haunts me a little. The things Lo does to seek the truth. The lengths that people will go to hide the things they have done. It's all so raw and real and a little disturbing and I loved every word of it. show less

How on earth do I explain to you how much I loved The Butterfly Clues? It seems like anything I say just won't be enough. There is a mystery at it's core, and one that is beautifully done. I had no idea the entire time where the story line was ultimately taking me. However it's so much more than that. Layered on top of it all is the story of a girl who is looking for redemption, the inability to let go of the past, and the deep want to face the future head on. This book is amazing.

Before I dive into the meat of why this story blew me away, I feel it only fair to tell you about our main character. Lo isn't your normal teenage protagonist. Her heart was broken by her brother's death and she's been struggling to pick up the pieces ever show more since. Even though Lo's heart is in the right place, her guilt has caused her to pick up OCD tendencies. These show a lot in the story line. I'm warning you because they can be very disconcerting and distracting. Following a character who is constantly muttering tap tap tap banana and counting random items can be difficult. However I will promise you that if you can overlook the little things, and focus on the person that Lo is under all of this, you'll fall in love.

Now for the good part. The mystery. Lo finds herself inexplicably drawn to certain items, and locations. It is this habit that lands her in the middle of a murder investigation. I won't go into too much detail because, despite how difficult this plot is to figure out early on, I dislike spoilers. What I will say is that Kate Ellison weaves a story that will pull you in deeply. The setting of Neverland is amazing. Kids go here to hide, to disappear, and for Lo that is the attraction. There she can be whatever she wants. It is the anonymity of it all that allows her dive deeper and deeper into the mystery, and ultimately into danger. As I said, this part is so well done! Once the story takes off there isn't a moment to breathe, and I loved every minute of it.

I'll quit rambling and get straight to the point. Lo's story is fascinating. I know that some readers might be put off by her OCD tendencies but I'll tell you honestly, it wouldn't be the same story without them. Imagine being unable to run away from danger because you had to your count steps. Or being so filled with the need to take something, or go somewhere, that you put your well being at stake for it. Lo is special, and it is her overall character that really makes this book. Even if it doesn't sound like something you'd normally read, give The Butterfly Clues a chance. I loved it! I hope you will too. show less

The Butterfly Clues was a surprisingly entertaining read. With a uniquely tortured yet vibrant main character and an atmospheric setting, the words sucked me into Lo's world. This mystery is a refreshing read for any book lover.

The book starts out with Lo, a obsessive/compulsive girl who is dealing with the loss of her brother, nearly being killed in a dangerous area. She then learns a girl named Sapphire was murdered that very night. After finding Sapphires's butterfly pendant, Lo is determined to find the murderer.

My favorite part of The Butterfly clues is how the author dealt with Lo's obsessive/compulsive disorder. The audience feels Lo's impulse to steal and gets used to rhythms of threes, sixes, and nines. Yet, the author also show more makes it clear that Lo is something other than her disorder.

The mystery in this book caused my heart to pound. It wasn't too predictable (something I cherished. Who else it tired of the same, reused plots?) and had me guessing at times. I loved how, throughout the book, you get to know Sapphire well, despite her being dead twenty pages in. Now that's good writing folks! Kate Ellison reveals secrets masterfully.

There are definitely family issues in this novel, ever since Lo's brother died (Ellison doesn't reveal why until later in the book. And I won't tell you either, mwahaha) Lo's family has been torn apart. Her dad is distant, and her mother is blank and hazy, a result of pills.

Lo is practically alone. This broke my heart. Then she meets Flynt, the first person to seem to actually care what's happening to her. I liked Flynt, another unique character. I imagine him as our next great painter. Mysterious and fun.

The ending of this book is terrific. I remember one line particularly."Almost seventeen years old, scarred but whole". (This may not be the exact quote, so feel free to correct me.) The dose of hope and realism made the conclusion amazing, and you could see how the terrors the characters faced made them stronger. Everyone was changed.

All in all, I recommend this book to fans of anything written darkly with touches of light. I loved it, and I hope you guys will too.

4/5 bookcases show less

ORIGINALLY POSTED http://hobbitsies.net/wordpress/2012/02/the-butterfly-clues-by-kate-ellisen/

I have no idea why I put off reading The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellisen for so long. Because once I started it, I thought The Butterfly Clues was truly and wonderfully beautiful.

It’s so rare to find a protagonist who isn’t just weird-yet-still-endearing, but actually, truly, probably..I don’t want to say crazy, but maybe just that their world doesn’t make sense to us. We rarely read a book from the point of view of someone who thinks so differently. And The Butterfly Clues was just that – I couldn’t necessarily understand Lo’s sense of purpose in the collection of objects, but I was able to emphasize with her overall.

And the loss show more of her brother and her family’s way of dealing with the grief – it broke me. Lo’s treatment of her brother’s room and her dad’s reactions…I just thought The Butterfly Clues was such an interesting look at the grieving process and so heartbreaking.

Other than Lo, one of the main reasons The Butterfly Clues appealed to me is because I am such a huge fan of the mystery-solving-sleuthing teens. I love a good teen mystery – I must have read a billion and twelve Nancy Drew as a teenager book. And The Butterfly Clues? Has a damn good mystery, if I do say so myself. I did not solve it AT ALL (except for one teeny tiny thing I guessed at) and rather than feeling stupid, I was sucked in – I had to know who killed Sapphire, I had to know how Lo figured it out, etc.

The writing, also, was beautiful. Kate Ellisen’s writing really allowed us to get inside Lo’s head and even though I don’t have the same urges as her, the way she was written made her so real.

Overall, I loved The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellisen. I thought it was a beautifully written story with an intriguing mystery and I loved trying to solve it with Lo. show less

The Butterfly Clues may start off somewhat slow and confusing, but eventually the story will take you to unexpected heights with the same frantic energy as its insect namesake. Kate Ellison builds this careful story about a girl with heart-breaking fragility and gives it a quiet, mesmerizing strength and hope that justice will prevail.

THE GOOD BITS
{A riveting main character.} Lo may not seem all that together at first, but I got used to her OCD quirks and found them rather adorable as say those of MONK. What I find remarkable is that she embraces the OCD with open arms and radiates this sense of courage where nothing seems impossible. While she may lead her life by certain numbers, Lo somehow manages to look danger in the eye and ask show more for the truth behind the murder. She was full of surprises, and I enjoyed every second of discovering what she chose to do next!

{A solid whodunit with suspects in spades.} I thought The Butterfly Clues offered a whole lot of plausible outcomes where no one could be trusted 100%. Add the anxious world of Lo to the mix, then hold onto the pages as the story flits from one suspicion to the next as Lo gets closer to the truth. What I love even more is how this murder may have started as a passing obsession for Lo, but turns into something much more personal than she anticipated.

THE BAD BITS
{Was high school necessary?} Of course, I expect Lo to be going through the motions of high school – but throwing in some mean girls and a boy making eyes at Lo seemed extraneous. I suppose it shows that Lo had a normal HS experience and her peers were not peachy-keen, but in the grand scheme of things I don’t think they moved the plot anywhere.

{Everyone seems to have hair issues.} You know, normally I don’t notice these things as much or feel the desire to mention them – but this one stuck out almost like Alfalfa’s cowlick. I don’t know if this was intentional, but everyone seemed to have some sort of dirty, non-glamorous hair. From limp to grungy to stringy to dreadlocks (okay, maybe those doesn’t count…), it was just hard to miss the repeat descriptions in the first few chapters. Then again, I am reading an ARC so it may be addressed in the finalized version.

THE OVERALL
The Butterfly Clues will wrap readers within in pages like a cocoon as Lo unravels the mystery behind Sapphire’s death. Kate Ellison has written a remarkable debut with a main character who captures both compassion and admiration as she shines through adversity with her can-do attitude. show less

I really enjoyed this although it has some flaws; it's a solid mystery with complex characters which I always like, but the ending did not hold up. The resolution of the mystery was ok, although a little convenient in terms of the rescue. But everything after that. Lo’s father who has clearly never accepted Lo's rituals suddenly has a complete turn around? Jeremy and Keri end up together because Lo suggested it to Jeremy? In fact, I really think the book would have been stronger if the entire school subplot had been excised. I never felt invested in that because Lo wasn’t invested – the only reason it seemed to be in there was to provide the one red herring attack and to show how alienated Lo feels from her peers. Heck, except for show more Keri, I couldn’t even remember which of the other girls was which.

While I wish Flynt was real, he’s a completely preposterous character. And I couldn’t believe the strippers would all just talk to Lo about Sapphire and let Lo take her stuff! Seriously? I don’t know any strippers and haven’t been to a strip club ever so I cannot speak from personal experience, but I have friends who have, and from what I understand this is a pretty idealized version of that life – or maybe not idealized so much as glossed over. So maybe I could see the strippers talking to Lo, but I can’t imagine none of them would have protested the removal of Sapphire’s things by a stranger they know nothing about.

The amount of coincidences is pretty far-fetched as well – I can see Lo believing that the universe meant for her and Sapphire to connect, but are we supposed to as well? Because I as a reader did not feel enough setup for that little bit of magical realism/destiny/etc. at all and from the way I read it, we are intended to believe that's part of how everything came together.

The real accomplishment here is the character of Lo. She feels like a living, breathing person I might meet. Ellison brings to life this complex girl trying to deal with her overwhelming grief at losing her entire family (and this is a very real portrayal of grief in my opinion – you don’t just lose the one person, your entire family has to rebuild itself around the hole and sometimes they can’t and even if they can your relationships never look or feel the same) and caught up in something scary that, because of who she is, she can’t let go. I particularly love how Ellison made us feel how clearly Lo felt the loss of her mother, the parent who understood her and helped Lo cope with her compulsive urges, but without hitting us over the head with it. Instead Ellison shows us concrete differences in Lo’s life – how she and her respective parents deal with food and meals for example before and after Oren's death.

Lots to like here, but room for improvement as well. I'll be interested to see what Ellison does next. show less

I liked this book quite a bit. The author created a very unique, interesting main character (Penelope). I also liked the character Flynt, although I would like to have learned more about him. The plot manages to create a lot of suspense and some fairly frightening scenarios. The main reason I didn't give this a higher rating is because I was able to predict the outcome of two main plot points. I don't know if that says more about the predictability of the story itself as written by the author, or more about how much suspense/horror I've read throughout my life, lol. Overall I would recommend this book if you enjoy a good mystery.