Butterflies That Never Die (Legend of the Heirs, #1).
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-16 00:16:02
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Aldara Thomas
- ISBN：1736800507
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
In Leirianor， a land of shapeshifters， the Great Ladies of Death and Night once fought to the end for the throne。 For thousands of years people have venerated them like goddesses， knowing that one day their Heirs would arrive to finish what they started。
In present times， seventeen-year-old Hannah Khoren uses her newfound powers to open a portal into Leirianor。 Her plan is simple: find her missing best friend and return to her ordinary human life on Earth。 But when Queen Arabella， assailed by fanatical rebels， discovers Hannah’s identity， she marks her as a threat that must be eliminated to protect her life… and her throne。
Hannah will have to untangle the web of intrigues woven around her and make allies out of enemies if she doesn’t want to end up dead。 All while trying to control a blooming power that threatens to turn her into a monster。 But if she wants to survive， she might have to turn into a monster anyways。
In present times， seventeen-year-old Hannah Khoren uses her newfound powers to open a portal into Leirianor。 Her plan is simple: find her missing best friend and return to her ordinary human life on Earth。 But when Queen Arabella， assailed by fanatical rebels， discovers Hannah’s identity， she marks her as a threat that must be eliminated to protect her life… and her throne。
Hannah will have to untangle the web of intrigues woven around her and make allies out of enemies if she doesn’t want to end up dead。 All while trying to control a blooming power that threatens to turn her into a monster。 But if she wants to survive， she might have to turn into a monster anyways。
Reviews
Jennifer
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Like a cake: it takes time to bake but in the end you get a delicious treat。The book is a little slow to start， taking time to establish multiple pics， the history， and the world。 There are several time jumps， some of which I wanted to know what happened in between， and I thought one specific relationship could have used more development， but when the climax began I couldn't put the book down。 Piece fell into place and a bigger picture was revealed。 The set up is kind of like baking a cake: ingr Like a cake: it takes time to bake but in the end you get a delicious treat。The book is a little slow to start， taking time to establish multiple pics， the history， and the world。 There are several time jumps， some of which I wanted to know what happened in between， and I thought one specific relationship could have used more development， but when the climax began I couldn't put the book down。 Piece fell into place and a bigger picture was revealed。 The set up is kind of like baking a cake: ingredients （characters） are collected， put together， stirred up （beginning signs of intrigue）， and and then carefully baked and the cake is decorated。 It takes a bit of time and patience， but its all needed for the cake to look and taste great。 。。。more
Elvy。 Lee
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How can I even start to tell you， tell anyone， about this book？？ I first started reading this book about two years ago as a beta honor， and I was immediately enthralled。 It was an honor reading it as a beta， and even a bigger honor being accepted as an ARC Reader。 I love all characters and I really really enjoyed the multiple pots throughout the story。 BTND is a very unique and captivating story and being able to see this story through the eyes of four very different characters was such a treat。 How can I even start to tell you， tell anyone， about this book？？ I first started reading this book about two years ago as a beta honor， and I was immediately enthralled。 It was an honor reading it as a beta， and even a bigger honor being accepted as an ARC Reader。 I love all characters and I really really enjoyed the multiple pots throughout the story。 BTND is a very unique and captivating story and being able to see this story through the eyes of four very different characters was such a treat。 The author managed to create such a special world and oh god， I love Leirianor。 I love how the characters are all shapeshifters but not one is the same。 I can easily say that BTND is the best book I've read so far this year， and probably will be my favorite book of 2021， as it was my favorite book when I first beta read it in 2019。 I think I loved it even more this year， and it was such a beautiful escape from reality。 You simply can't put this book down while you're reading it， and when you finish it， you'll miss Leirianor with all your heart and will want to go back to reading it all over again。 。。。more
Deekay
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Rtc
Aliya Bree Hall
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I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 This is a strong debut from Aldara Thomas。 With it being the first in the series， there's definitely a lot of set up that has to happen with the world building and preparation for book two and I would say that overall Thomas delivered。 Thomas' action scenes were beautifully constructed and her prose is compelling。 I found myself completely engrossed in the book。 I had a strong grasp on the world of Leirianor and I felt the delivery of the infor I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 This is a strong debut from Aldara Thomas。 With it being the first in the series， there's definitely a lot of set up that has to happen with the world building and preparation for book two and I would say that overall Thomas delivered。 Thomas' action scenes were beautifully constructed and her prose is compelling。 I found myself completely engrossed in the book。 I had a strong grasp on the world of Leirianor and I felt the delivery of the information was really well done。 The plot was well executed and I was really engaged throughout the book。 I would say that this book felt more plot driven than character driven， which I mention only because I know my preference falls more towards character driven stories。 Some of the characters felt a little flat to me and I struggled with some of the dialogue， but the standouts for me for sure were Arabella and Derek。 I'm intrigued with where this story is going and thought Thomas did a phenomenal job showcasing the messy politics of the world without portraying anyone as truly good or evil。 Everyone has a lot of gray area， and that was my favorite part of the book。 （I'm on team Arabella tbh。） But I am excited to see what happens going forward。 Book one did wrap up a lot of loose ties in a way that felt really satisfying， while still making me want to read the rest of the series to see how the story is going to unfold。 The only things I struggled with was that I did sometimes get confused whose perspective we were in near the beginning of the book。 POVs aren't labelled （which is fine） but because there are so many perspectives showcased， it did surprise me when we switched from Hannah to Margaret at first。 That flow definitely improved as the book went on though。 Another thing that caught my attention， and was mentioned in another review， is the only out LGBTQ+ character is （view spoiler）[ killed off fairly quickly。 （hide spoiler）] which I found disappointing even though it did help propel the plot forward。 I do recommend this book， though， especially for fans of shapeshifters， palace politics， and lovers of fantasy。 There were a lot of really great twists and it was hard to put down。 。。。more
Virginia Bird
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Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review。 This review will be spoiler free。 When I started reading "Butterflies That Never Die" I didn't know what to expect。 The stunning cover instantly caught my attention and the synopsis promised me an interesting plot， set in a magical world parallel to Earth （Leirianor） with shapeshifter magic。 But I got so much more: a fantastically well crafted worldbuilding， weaved with political intrigues， lies， prophecies and Gods。 I h Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review。 This review will be spoiler free。 When I started reading "Butterflies That Never Die" I didn't know what to expect。 The stunning cover instantly caught my attention and the synopsis promised me an interesting plot， set in a magical world parallel to Earth （Leirianor） with shapeshifter magic。 But I got so much more: a fantastically well crafted worldbuilding， weaved with political intrigues， lies， prophecies and Gods。 I have always loved books that feature a world beyond our own so it's not a surprise that I couldn't put the book down。 The strongest asset of this book is， in my opinion， the meticulous worldbuilding Aldara has created and how it is weaved into the plot in a way that doesn't feel overwhelming。 It is difficult to introduce a new world without infodumping all the information at first but she has managed this perfectly。 Some people might find it confusing at first but just keep reading because everything will make sense at the end。 We are also presented with a big cast of characters。 The main MC， Hannah， strong headed but full of insecurities and longing for a family， and her two best friends， Jessica and Margaret。 But my favourite was Henry （sweet and lovely Henry）。 Derek and Arabella also won my heart because of their complexity and all the weight they carried on their shoulders。 On this note， it is true I would have liked to see a little bit more of how they were coping with the trauma of surviving and winning a war and losing so many loved ones。 About the plot， it was very dynamic with the right dosis of action scenes （Aldara is really good writing these） and slower， more emotional moments。 The last 40 pages were non stop and the plot twists at the end promise a really interesting sequel！ Butterflies That Never Die is a beautiful well written story about lost and found family， and friendship。 Whereas I would have liked a little bit more character development， it is definitely a good strong start for the trilogy and I can't wait to read the sequel。 Highly recommended！！ 。。。more
Emma Couette
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Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。This book was very different than anything I've read before and not exactly what I expected， but it didn't disappoint。 I always love books that feature a world beyond our own that our MC gets sucked into against there will or something similar。 I won't lie， the book was hard to get into at first。 There is a lot of worldbuilding and it's hard to explain things without infodumping， so I was confused for a little while abou Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。This book was very different than anything I've read before and not exactly what I expected， but it didn't disappoint。 I always love books that feature a world beyond our own that our MC gets sucked into against there will or something similar。 I won't lie， the book was hard to get into at first。 There is a lot of worldbuilding and it's hard to explain things without infodumping， so I was confused for a little while about certain things， but by the end， a lot of that had been cleared up， which I'm super grateful for。 And， while the book started slow， the plot twists at the end were well worth the wait。 I definitely didn't see that part of the book coming （when you know， you'll know）。As for the characters， I'm still not sure who my favourite is。 It might be a cross between Derek and Henry， who are so different， that my choice probably seems super weird lol。 I liked that we got to see from a bunch of different perspectives， especially Arabella， though the chapter POVs aren't labelled， so sometimes I wasn't sure who's head we were in。 Arabella is the villain （I think） though there are plenty of times where you can kind of see her side。I also really liked the concept of the magic in this world， where everyone can shapeshift into a specific animal and some people have powers alongside that， like ice and fire。 And I think that's all I can really say without getting into spoilers， but yeah。 I really enjoyed the book and I'm excited to see where Aldara takes the characters in book 2， which I will definitely be picking up : ） 。。。more
Artemis Kai
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I was very kindly sent an ARC of this book to review honestly by the author。 I know Aldara to be a very meticulous world-builder， and her debut displayed this perfectly。 The magic system， the politics， the web of lies connecting everything together。。。 glorious。 The way everything slowly starts connecting together only to unravel after fumbling about in the dark is delightful and satisfying， and combined with twists and turns I never could've anticipated， makes for a wonderful， breathtaking， impr I was very kindly sent an ARC of this book to review honestly by the author。 I know Aldara to be a very meticulous world-builder， and her debut displayed this perfectly。 The magic system， the politics， the web of lies connecting everything together。。。 glorious。 The way everything slowly starts connecting together only to unravel after fumbling about in the dark is delightful and satisfying， and combined with twists and turns I never could've anticipated， makes for a wonderful， breathtaking， impressive read。 Filled with blood， of course。 Found that out the hard way。This is definitely more of a plot-driven book in my opinion， as character development felt to be more of a secondary priority， with plot and worldbuilding being first and foremost in the picture。 That doesn't stop characters such as Arabella， Hannah， and Katherine from being quite realistic in their behavioral changes， but it does make characters such as Margaret， Henry， and Jessica seem rather flat。 The pacing was awkward in the beginning of the book。 There was a bit of head-hopping going on that made it rather hard to follow， and for the most part， none of the characters grew on me until I reached around a third of the way in。 Some of the dialogue felt unnatural， and the voice， while distinct， could have been stronger。 There were also quite a few characters introduced in the beginning whose existence became very hard to keep track of （especially appearances and names） when they came back later and sent me for a loop as I tried to remember who they were and their significance。 Overall， though， this was a very satisfying read， especially the latter part of the book。 It felt active and in motion， leaving me questioning what would happen next with every line I read。 While the beginning could've been stronger， the middle and ending was so satisfying to read as it kept me on my toes。 Would 100% read the second installment of the series。 。。。more
Maddie Jensen
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 3。5 out of 5 starsI was sent an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。I enjoyed this book！ There were some delightful plot twists throughout that really did surprise me， and definitely leaves me wondering where things will be going next。 I also enjoyed the characters， especially the main character Hannah and even the more complex Arabella。 I also think Henry is great and I can't wait to see where things go between him and Hannah。However there were things that I wasn't so fond off。 Th 3。5 out of 5 starsI was sent an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。I enjoyed this book！ There were some delightful plot twists throughout that really did surprise me， and definitely leaves me wondering where things will be going next。 I also enjoyed the characters， especially the main character Hannah and even the more complex Arabella。 I also think Henry is great and I can't wait to see where things go between him and Hannah。However there were things that I wasn't so fond off。 There were characters like Elizabeth who sort of disappeared from the book and weren't mentioned again， which I found to be a bit of a continuity error。 Another issue I found， for me at least， was that there was a lot of telling in the sense that when there was vital information that needed to be included， it was often one character telling another character facts about this。Things also tended to happen quite quickly for me （eg。 Mario's feelings for Hannah） and I guess it did rub me the wrong way a little bit that the LGBT character （there could be more that I'm unaware of， but at least the one confirmed queer character） was killed off quite suddenly。Nonetheless， this was an enjoyable read and I'll definitely be sticking around for the sequel。 。。。more
dani
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“The Other World might have raised her， but she didn’t belong to it。 How could she be from somewhere she didn’t belong to？”Jessica’s stories were supposed to be fantasy。 At least， that’s what our main character， Hannah， believed。 During her seventeen years as an orphan， she grew up hearing her best friend’s stories about a magical world of shapeshifters called Leirianor。 It was all a fantasy， an escape from the harsh realities of being an orphan living in the crude Stone House。 However， Jessica’ “The Other World might have raised her， but she didn’t belong to it。 How could she be from somewhere she didn’t belong to？”Jessica’s stories were supposed to be fantasy。 At least， that’s what our main character， Hannah， believed。 During her seventeen years as an orphan， she grew up hearing her best friend’s stories about a magical world of shapeshifters called Leirianor。 It was all a fantasy， an escape from the harsh realities of being an orphan living in the crude Stone House。 However， Jessica’s disappearance might just lead Hannah into a very tangible Leirianor， and into a very tangible conspiracy to overthrow the ruling Queen， Arabella。Aldara Thomas takes the concept of the Other World story and plays it expertly with nuance and depth。 I was initially drawn to “Butterflies That Never Die” for the childlike wonder it invoked。 A magical world of animal shapeshifters that exists only in a girl’s stories。 It’s comfortable and beautiful in its’ own way。 Yet this book is different， it shakes up the floorboards beneath you， and shocks you at every turn。Aldara blows such creativity into this trope， making you feel you are reading one of these stories for the first time。 The childlike awe I mentioned is expertly weaved in between crude and cunning themes。 Aldara crafts an incredible political intrigue， full of darkness， ambition and power。Every chapter grips you more intensely， and there’s always a twist thrown your way。 Aldara knows how to draw you in further。 She takes you on a rollercoaster of reveals， conspiracies and gorgeous dynamics。 It is a book that keeps you guessing and wondering。 Thomas’ ability to craft such a wonderful mystery is masterful。 You may believe you understand where the story is heading， but she flips tables at every turn。 You’re never safe！Leirianor beams with life and light！ The characters were memorable！ Hannah as a protagonist carried such strong messages of agency and autonomy。 She’s more than your known YA protagonist， and more than the vessel for the story。 Arabella is stunning as an antagonistic force。 Their clashing is masterfully done。 Also， might I just say， that Aldara Thomas is an excellent writer！ Her prose is poignant， thought-out and on-key throughout the whole story。 Never disappoints。“The world is plagued by monsters， my dear。 Don’t let fear of them take hold of you， for they can do you no harm。 You are the moon， and all the beasts prowl at night。”“Butterflies That Never Die” is so well-crafted and well-written。 It’s a beautiful story about lost and found family， guilt and the true agency we have as people。 It’s mysterious， you don’t know who is a friend and who is a foe。 You don’t know what the underlying implication of everything that happens is， only that they exist。 Overall， it is a bittersweet story， knowing what we know of humankind’s power over destiny and prophecy。I am looking forward to Aldara Thomas’ success。 As well as the next instalment in the series！ Bravo！ 。。。more
Gee
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