Dance of the Butterfly is set in an unnamed city in central Europe. It is a place where organised crime, represented by the cruel and calculating Gnegon, meets old magick. A powerful sense of place and time is created through the characters, settings and dialogue. The author manages both characters and suspense elegantly, bringing the world to life.
There are clever red herrings and mysteries that keep us guessing throughout the book. And the developing love story between the two main players, Skot and Lilja, is very sweet. So sweet that it leads to a strained contradiction in the way the romance plays out, including the very vanilla portrayal of BDSM that seems to exist only to illustrate the differences between our hero, Skot, and the vicious torture and sexual slavery prevalent in the crime boss’s world. I would have been tempted not to call it BDSM at all, but that is how the main characters describe their foreplay and romance. Just don’t pick up this book expecting a sub/dom theme.
Both the male and female characters are well drawn, although the way the author attempts to obscure the identity of the vigilante leads to some strange descriptions and awkward pronouns at times. This coupled with the use of present tense can make some sections clunky. Thankfully, even if you, like I, guess the identity much earlier than the reveal it spoils little.
It’s the first book in a series, and while I get the feeling that more adventures for Skot and Lilja will follow, the story is wrapped up in this volume in a very satisfying way.
I really enjoyed the plot and the character development. Especially as this is a debut novel from a little known indie author, I have to admit I was very impressed. I love stories full of magick, old books, secret identities and plot twists, and Dance of the Butterfly does not disappoint.
5/5 stars
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