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A review by kairosdreaming
Butterfly Island by Corina Bomann
2.0
It was hard not to be drawn by the cover of this book, with its pretty plumeria and butterfly and general splash of colors. The inside was to be intrigue, a historical fiction where you try to uncover the past with the main character.
Diana heads to her aunt when she learns that she is ill. When she arrives, her aunt is in worse shape than she though, and sets her on a mystery that means exploring the old manor house and helpful hints prompted by the butler. The goal is to discover what happened with a past ancestor of hers, and it leads her on a far away adventure where she hopes to discover the truth.
All of the characters were fine. While I didn't understand their motivations at some times, at least they seemed nice enough and helped move the story along. Since the story bounced back and forth between past and present we didn't really get to get attached to any one person before switching again.
The plot is what bothered me about this book. It was pretty predictable, and a lot of the times contrived. And then there was just extra detail or events that didn't add anything to the book (like Diana's relationship with her husband); she could have just as easily been single for the impact that detail made. Or the butler and his input into the journey or mystery she was trying to solve; I couldn't find the reason for it to be so secretive. I realize these were all to make the plot more exciting or interesting, but it just fell flat for me.
Not a book for me; while it had a nice setting and I got to learn a few tiny facts about tea, it just wasn't something that held my interest.
Review by M. Reynard 2021
Diana heads to her aunt when she learns that she is ill. When she arrives, her aunt is in worse shape than she though, and sets her on a mystery that means exploring the old manor house and helpful hints prompted by the butler. The goal is to discover what happened with a past ancestor of hers, and it leads her on a far away adventure where she hopes to discover the truth.
All of the characters were fine. While I didn't understand their motivations at some times, at least they seemed nice enough and helped move the story along. Since the story bounced back and forth between past and present we didn't really get to get attached to any one person before switching again.
The plot is what bothered me about this book. It was pretty predictable, and a lot of the times contrived. And then there was just extra detail or events that didn't add anything to the book (like Diana's relationship with her husband); she could have just as easily been single for the impact that detail made. Or the butler and his input into the journey or mystery she was trying to solve; I couldn't find the reason for it to be so secretive. I realize these were all to make the plot more exciting or interesting, but it just fell flat for me.
Not a book for me; while it had a nice setting and I got to learn a few tiny facts about tea, it just wasn't something that held my interest.
Review by M. Reynard 2021