Great classic, right there with the Lonesome Dove. No classic is irrelevant, to be able to grab a classic is to read a moment in the past, a time traveling to what was life before. to look back and see how much some social injustice, the works in the hand of men and the quiet and silent strength of women in the background are still or... not... a today's problem, like young women left alone to deal with young pregnancies, sexual abuse... is it a thing just of the past? No. so please read more, notice more, change the future more, the past teaches us, books are tools of knowledge. The more we read classics the more we understand that not much has changed. The wife, rotting in the coffin teaches the family one last lesson, with this bridal horrifying journey they show exactly their true nature, the good and the bad. Love this author's writing style. Exploring different Povs, the dialogue is a workshop on fleshing out characters with distinct personality in a short number of pages, the word choices for the prose is effective. A great portal into the past. more reviews at my blog: Www.thevioletwest.com/blog

A Sister to Butterflies Review A Sister to Butterflies by Aaron Christopher Drown is a slow burn fantasy, steeped in rich imagery and decadent prose. Reading it is like taking a long, slow walk through an English garden. There is a good deal of world building, and readers who enjoy vivid descriptions of settings and immersive storytelling will enjoy this novel. The story is told in the first person, as the main character recounts her life to a young child. I appreciate the nod to oral tradition, but because of this approach, the pacing sometimes suffers and the prose leans heavily into “telling” and not “showing.” Because we’re seeing the story through the eyes of an (arguably unreliable) narrator, some of the characters feel one-note and I found it difficult to emotionally invest in them. There were also points within the story that were glossed over (the first encounter with the villain, for example) that I wish had been lingered on longer, and descriptions of gardens or thought processes that, to my taste, could have been cut shorter. I listened to the audio version of this book, and have nothing but high praise for Laura Horowitz. She did a wonderful job of bringing a diverse cast of characters of all ages, genders, and species to life. No easy feat! Overall, there were some really fantastic moments in A Sister to Butterflies. There was always something to hook me back in, and because of that, I would recommend others give it a try. While the slow pace wasn’t always my cup of tea, I can objectively see how readers of a different disposition would really love that aspect. The ending stuck with me, and I’m not sure I’ll ever look at the fairytale that inspired it the same way. Ultimately, that’s the marker of an impactful story.

A Sister to Butterflies is a completely spellbinding read. The prose is silken, lyrical, and reads like a beautiful, dark fairytale. I loved the unique fantasy elements and the deeply emotional story of a creature torn between two different worlds. It is a hauntingly gorgeous novel that stays with you long after the final page. Highly recommended!