YA is best told in a fast pace and murderous and the Butterfly Assassin is just that. Touching on trauma and set in a dystopian time. a brilliant dark and compelling read.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

To be honest, I enjoyed this book way more than I thought I would. I'm not a huge thriller fan. I don't usually seek the genre out but for some reason, I was drawn to this book and decided to give it a go. I'm so glad I did because this book was just the dark and gritty YA book I was looking for.

The book follows Isabel Ryans, a minor who wants nothing more than to escape the secret assassin program she was born into and live a normal life. Traumatised by her parents, one a high-ranking chemical weapons specialist and the other a renowned assassin, Isabel flees and adopts a new name. However, Comma is far from letting her go and we see Isabel's struggle with accepting and letting go of her dark past. She questions if she can exist outside of her previous life and be normal or if assassin was all that she could be.

This book is very much underrated. I really enjoyed myself even though it took me a while to get used to the writing style. Isabel was quite reserved and introverted however you could tell that she dreamed of living the typical teenage existence of making friends, going to school and planning out a future. I felt like the author portrayed this yearning for more really well and also showcased trauma and mental health in a way that felt realistic and authentic. I enjoyed Isabel's character a lot and think she deserves all the hugs in the world.

It wasn't just Isabel's character I loved, it was all the side characters too. Emma was absolutely gorgeous and I wanted her and Isabel to explore their connection a little more. Is it bad for me to say I was absolutely shipping the two together? When that ending came it honestly shattered me. No spoilers but Emma 100% deserved better. I also felt like Nick deserved better. He just wanted to be there for Isabel and then... well... I won't spoil that one.

I am so excited to read the second book. While I was reading the first, I actually requested book two from the library. I hope Isabel can escape her parents and live the life she always dreamed of. This is a book and a series I would strongly recommend for those looking for asexual rep and a really solid YA thriller.

ACTUAL RATING: 4.1 STARS

Isabel Ryans is trying to start over. She has escaped the guilds, left behind the secret program training children to be assassins, and just wants to try having a normal life. When a mistake puts the guilds back on her trail, she will have to find out how far she will go for the life she wants.

This YA action thriller has a lot to recommend it. There is an interesting alternate history aspect, some detailed world building, and a deadly protagonist. I found myself drawn into the city of Espera, and the politics that drive it. I wanted to find out how Isabel would handle herself, and where she might choose to take herself.

Where the story fell down a bit for me though was around pacing - at times too quick, glossing over details, at other points, it felt slow. It was inconsistent in the urgency of deadlines. Overall though, a solid dark YA fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuester for a copy of this ARC.

What do you do when you just want to leave a normal life? Isabel Ryans just wants to live a normal life, one away from the terrifying and brutal life of a child assassin. But how can she do this when she just can't escape her past and her violent family?A fast paced thriller, you'll love the twists and turns that unfold as Isabel fights her way to what she hopes will be a normal life.