Book Review: Butterfly Palace

~Review by Elinor~

Title: Butterfly Palace

Author: Colleen Coble

Rating: 3/5

Plot: Elegance and wealth. Privilege and politics. The extravagance of the Butterfly Palace overwhelmed Lily’s senses and nearly smothered her painful memories. She pushed away her misgivings . . . She was perfectly safe in this huge house.

Austin, Texas—1904: Abandoned by the love of her life and still mourning the loss of her mother, Lily Donaldson has turned her back on the pain and come to Austin for a fresh start, working for the Marshall family as a kitchen maid in their luxurious mansion, the Butterfly Palace. The tasks before her are legion, and her mistress less than pleasant, but at least Lily’s new life will be, if nothing else, distracting. 

But one night, while serving at a dinner party, Lily recognizes the man who abandoned her, Andy, her liaison from the livery stable, the blacksmith’s son . . . sitting among the distinguished guests. Though he recognizes her, Andy does not acknowledge her aloud, and Lily is left reeling, flabbergasted, and irate. 

But before she can get an explanation, the path of the Servant Girl Killer swerves very close to the Butterfly Palace, sowing terror among the maids. Having come to Austin to start anew, Lily suddenly feels trapped in a spider web. How can she know who to trust in a house where lies come dressed in fine suits and deceit in silk gowns the colors of butterfly wings? (taken from back cover)

Characters: The characters in this book were very easy to get to know and connect to, and I loved learning about each of them. However, I felt that the romance aspect of this book left a bit to be desired (read more in the "My Thoughts" section).

Emotion: This book could be categorized as either Suspense or Romance, but I felt that the suspense aspect was definitely the better part. If I were rating this book solely as a Mystery/Suspense novel, I would rate it 5/5, because the mystery surrounding the plot was absolutely amazing! It really kept me on the edge of my seat and not wanting to put the book down! However, the romance was most likely the greatest let down, at least in my opinion.

My Thoughts: As I said previously, the mystery/suspense aspect of this novel was absolutely perfect! The author really kept the reader guessing about the entire situation, and kept it exciting until the very end. However, when it came to the romance of the story, I felt it was rather hasty, and almost cliche. To put it rather bluntly, my opinion is that the one thing missing in the character's love story was God. While both of the characters spoke of God throughout the story, I just felt that they made no place for Him in their relationship, and it made it seem like every other romance story that started during teen years. I'm sorry if that's harsh, but those were my immediate thoughts when reading this book. 

That being said, if someone was looking for a good suspense novel, and was willing to read through the romance scenes, I would recommend this book. For a specific age audience, probably 12+. There were a couple of scenes where bodies were found, and the over-all suspense part of the story was a bit dark. There were also two romance scenes that I wasn't particularly comfortable with, though nothing was PG-13 material, it was still something I wasn't comfortable with.

Thanks for stopping by!

What We're Up To

   Hey, everyone! So sorry about the shortage of posts lately, we have had sickness in the house on and off all winter, but we hope we're finally coming out of it.

    Anyway, today we thought we would each share with you our top five books, movies, music etc. that we've been enjoying most these past few months, as well as any books, movies, music, etc. that we are looking forward to reading/watching/hearing.  We're hoping to make this a regular thing, so let us know what you think!

Marianne

   

1. Plant Life - Owl City

Seriously, guys this may be my new favorite Owl City song. I love his unique voice and creative lyrics... I've yet to hear one of his songs that I disliked. 

2. Roundtable Rival - Lindsey Stirling

I never knew instrumental music (with no lyrics) could be so cool! This girl is really talented too. She makes me want to learn violin... I should probably tackle guitar first, though, huh?

3. Unbroken

I saw Unbroken in December when it first came out and have been awaiting it's redbox arrival ever since. :) It's an amazing film that depicts a Japanese POW camp during WW2, and although it's a really rough one to watch, it's so worth it!

4. I See Fire - Ed Sheeran (The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug)

Ok, I know this song is from the second Hobbit and my fascination should have shifted from it to the new song in the end of number three (by Billy Boyd), but I just love how perfectly "I See Fire" captures the feelings that you get when watching The Hobbit. A mixture of sadness and victory that by the end, leaves this strange nostalgic feeling in your chest. The end of a great adventure.

5.  Notes From A Spinning Planet: Ireland by Melody Carlson

I haven't begun reading this one yet, but it's the next on my to read list. I know you can't judge a book by it's cover, or by it's back cover description, but it looks like it'll be a cute, light-hearted, fun read and I'm exited to start!

Elinor

1. Butterfly Palace by Colleen Coble

I haven't had much time to read in the past month, but this book has been the perfect thing to read in short spurts. I'm about a quarter of the way through it, and the great things that I had heard about it are proving true. I'm looking forward to a good review!

2. Hoppipolla - Sigur Ros

I haven't listened to any other songs by this band, but Hoppipolla (which is Icelandic for "Jumping into puddles") is just beautiful. Something about it is so child-like, innocent, and hopeful, but at the same time inspiring and empowering, it really doesn't matter that it's in another language.

3. Cinderella (2015)

It was simply breathtaking. It was far better than I had expected, and will be a favorite in our house for a long time! 

4. The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest by Melanie Dickerson

Melanie Dickerson's fairy-tale re-tellings are absolutely phenomenal. Marianne and I have read every single one and stalk her blog for any upcoming books. Her next one, The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest, is a re-telling of both Swan Lake and Robin Hood, and I cannot wait! I wouldn't be surprised if this book turns out to be my favorite of all of her stories!

5. Nancy Drew: Sea of Darkness

I don't really play many video games, but the Nancy Drew games have been something that I've played, and loved, for years. If you've known me since my tween years you'll also know that I have a big thing for pirates or any ocean adventure story. That being said, you can imagine how excited I am for the next Nancy Drew game, which brings both of my younger obsessions together!

Thanks everybody for reading, we'll (hopefully) be back in full swing very soon!