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When They Burned the Butterfly
A fierce, glamorous sapphic fantasy reimagining the secret societies of postcolonial Singapore, for fans of Jade City, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and the feverish intensity of RF Kuang’s Poppy War trilogy.
Singapore, 1972: Newly independent, a city of immigrants grappling for power in a fast-modernizing world. Here, gangsters are the last conduits of the gods their ancestors brought with them, and the back alleys where they fight are the last place where magic has not been assimilated and legislated away.
Loner schoolgirl Adeline Siow has never needed more company than the flame she can summon at her fingertips. But when her mother dies in a house fire with a butterfly seared onto her skin and Adeline hunts down a girl she saw in a back-alley barfight—a girl with a butterfly tattoo–she discovers she’s far from alone.
Ang Tian is a Red Butterfly: one of a gang of girls who came from nothing, sworn to a fire goddess and empowered to wreak vengeance on the men that abuse and underestimate them. Adeline’s mother led a double life as their elusive patron, Madam Butterfly. Now that she’s dead, Adeline’s bloodline is the sole thing sustaining the goddess. Between her search for her mother’s killer and the gang’s succession crisis, Adeline becomes quickly entangled with the girls’ dangerous world, and even more so with the charismatic Tian.
But no home lasts long around here. Ambitious and paranoid neighbor gangs hunt at the edges of Butterfly territory, and bodies are turning up in the red light district suffused with a strange new magic. Adeline may have found her place for once, but with the streets changing by the day, it may take everything she is to keep it.
Singapore, 1972: Newly independent, a city of immigrants grappling for power in a fast-modernizing world. Here, gangsters are the last conduits of the gods their ancestors brought with them, and the back alleys where they fight are the last place where magic has not been assimilated and legislated away.
Loner schoolgirl Adeline Siow has never needed more company than the flame she can summon at her fingertips. But when her mother dies in a house fire with a butterfly seared onto her skin and Adeline hunts down a girl she saw in a back-alley barfight—a girl with a butterfly tattoo–she discovers she’s far from alone.
Ang Tian is a Red Butterfly: one of a gang of girls who came from nothing, sworn to a fire goddess and empowered to wreak vengeance on the men that abuse and underestimate them. Adeline’s mother led a double life as their elusive patron, Madam Butterfly. Now that she’s dead, Adeline’s bloodline is the sole thing sustaining the goddess. Between her search for her mother’s killer and the gang’s succession crisis, Adeline becomes quickly entangled with the girls’ dangerous world, and even more so with the charismatic Tian.
But no home lasts long around here. Ambitious and paranoid neighbor gangs hunt at the edges of Butterfly territory, and bodies are turning up in the red light district suffused with a strange new magic. Adeline may have found her place for once, but with the streets changing by the day, it may take everything she is to keep it.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published October 21, 2025
76 people are currently reading
19232 people want to read
About the author
Wen-yi Lee
15 books280 followersWen-yi Lee is the author of YA horror The Dark We Know and forthcoming adult historical fantasy When They Burned the Butterfly. Her writing has appeared in venues like Lightspeed, Uncanny, Reactor, and Strange Horizons, as well as various anthologies. She is based in Singapore and is a graduate of University College London, and likes writing about girls with bite, feral nature, and ghosts. Find her on socials @wenyilee_ and otherwise at wenyileewrites.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
April 9, 2025
i am writing about home and i am so proud of this book :)
content warnings can be found here: https://www.wenyileewrites.com/conten...
content warnings can be found here: https://www.wenyileewrites.com/conten...
October 20, 2025
3.25 stars
As a love letter to Singapore, this was absolutely gorgeous. As an emigrant, I loved all of the descriptive passages that paid homage to Singapore's people and its growth as a nation, growing pains and all.
As a coming-of-age drama interwoven with gang warfare and magic, this wasn't my favorite.
My buddy reader, Mai, dropped out early on. I don't blame her. This novel ended up being a lot more of a soap opera than we thought it'd be. The pacing is horrendously slow and for a novel about found family in a girl gang, the FMC and her love interest were the only two characters that were fully developed.
I was excited for an urban fantasy story, but the magic here felt more like a subplot or a side character. There was a lot of emphasis on the gang's god and the fire magic/power, but not enough scenes where that magic was really used. No magic street battles. Very bare minimum magical training/mastery scenes. This ended up being more historical fiction than fantasy.
More than half the time, it felt like this novel didn't know if it wanted to be a murder mystery or an urban fantasy. So it ended up being a sort of incoherent mishmash of both (plus historical fiction and coming-of-age). It didn't really work for me. It felt like the novel was being pulled in too many different directions.
There were also numerous side characters that were varying levels of important. This is one of those novels where you're not sure if someone who shows up in a scene or two will be important later on, or if they're a throwaway character. This ended up feeling extraneous and tedious.
Adding to this, it felt like a lot of the novel was full of filler scenes with a lot of dialogue that took too long for the reveal to happen. A lot of times I either stopped caring or almost fell asleep before I finished a chapter. Or both.
The climax was brutal and action-packed. Too bad it only lasted for a few chapters. The reveal wasn't half bad either. (If you're a longtime fan of fantasy, it was a bit of a cliche though.)
I liked the idea of this novel, but I feel like it really could've been tightened up by chopping off unnecessary characters, dialogue, and scenes.
Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for this arc.
As a love letter to Singapore, this was absolutely gorgeous. As an emigrant, I loved all of the descriptive passages that paid homage to Singapore's people and its growth as a nation, growing pains and all.
As a coming-of-age drama interwoven with gang warfare and magic, this wasn't my favorite.
My buddy reader, Mai, dropped out early on. I don't blame her. This novel ended up being a lot more of a soap opera than we thought it'd be. The pacing is horrendously slow and for a novel about found family in a girl gang, the FMC and her love interest were the only two characters that were fully developed.
I was excited for an urban fantasy story, but the magic here felt more like a subplot or a side character. There was a lot of emphasis on the gang's god and the fire magic/power, but not enough scenes where that magic was really used. No magic street battles. Very bare minimum magical training/mastery scenes. This ended up being more historical fiction than fantasy.
More than half the time, it felt like this novel didn't know if it wanted to be a murder mystery or an urban fantasy. So it ended up being a sort of incoherent mishmash of both (plus historical fiction and coming-of-age). It didn't really work for me. It felt like the novel was being pulled in too many different directions.
There were also numerous side characters that were varying levels of important. This is one of those novels where you're not sure if someone who shows up in a scene or two will be important later on, or if they're a throwaway character. This ended up feeling extraneous and tedious.
Adding to this, it felt like a lot of the novel was full of filler scenes with a lot of dialogue that took too long for the reveal to happen. A lot of times I either stopped caring or almost fell asleep before I finished a chapter. Or both.
The climax was brutal and action-packed. Too bad it only lasted for a few chapters. The reveal wasn't half bad either. (If you're a longtime fan of fantasy, it was a bit of a cliche though.)
I liked the idea of this novel, but I feel like it really could've been tightened up by chopping off unnecessary characters, dialogue, and scenes.
Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for this arc.
December 1, 2025
prepare to be sick of me
October 11, 2025
need to gather my thoughts …. all i can say for now is that im disappointed 🥲
July 30, 2025
*I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*
I was so freaking hyped for this, but I can’t stand the prose.
Don’t get me wrong: I love the main character. She is, as other reviewers have said, a bitch, and you know what? It’s great. Give me more unlikable heroines, characters who DGAF about being Nice, who have sharp edges and sharper tongues and will burn the fucking world down for spite. Adeline is *chef’s kiss*
The premise, though, seemed to be very simplistic as the book went on – various criminal gangs draw power from different gods and spirits, granting them different kinds of magical abilities. I was hoping for a lot more on the nature of this connection, what makes a god, where these beings come from – and I especially thought we’d get it because Adeline’s connection to the Butterfly goddess is unique. Possibly it showed up later in the book than I got, but the way it was all framed very much made it feel like we weren’t going to get any explorations into that. Which was disappointing.
But the main problem is the prose. Bear in mind, I seem to ‘hear’ prose in a way the vast majority of readers don’t, so when I have an issue with prose rhythm, it’s almost always something that doesn’t affect others. The fact that Lee’s writing seemed unbearably jerky to me – stopping-and-starting, establishing a rhythm only to immediately break it, using word order that doesn’t sound CorrectTM (to me, I emphasise!) – does not mean it will to you! If you’ve never been bothered by prose rhythm before, you very likely do not need to worry about it bothering you in When They Burned the Butterfly. (I am envious.)
For me, it made When They Burned the Butterfly a chore; every time I set it down, I had zero desire to pick it up again. The dialogue in particular rang very false to me, and while there were occasionally really beautiful lines of prose, such as Adeline’s first moments of Sapphic Awakening–
–there were a lot more that jarred, where the writing felt ‘out of tune’ and the phrasing was confusingly clunky.
The author’s meaning comes through perfectly! But that either ought to be ‘sweetly’ (and possibly it is meant to be and this is just a typo that will be corrected before release day – I read an advanced reader copy, and they do have errors sometimes) or it needs rephrasing.
‘There had been cholera outbreaks recently, but you wouldn’t guess it from the atmosphere of the street.’ Or something. ‘it didn’t seem to have gripped the actual place in any sense of urgency’ is just such an awkward way of saying what is meant here.
‘Calling it a shop was being generous.’
I know what you mean, but! This is not the best phrasing!
…so they knew where he’d be every day, then? You could just say that???
If you’re raising an eyebrow at me right now, with no idea why these quotes bother me, then congrats, you will probably enjoy the prose just fine and can completely ignore my critique there! Again, I am jealous of you.
I should also note that I skipped ahead to read the ending, hoping it would be interesting enough that I’d want to finish the book to find out how we got to it. Instead, I found a wishy-washy, not-an-actual-ending ending, the kind that annoys me immensely. Especially when it’s trying to be gritty, which this definitely was. (The author gets points for doing a thing very few authors are brave enough to do, but it’s a tragic thing that I don’t actually enjoy and which is definitely going to upset a lot of readers.) The epilogue is one long info-dump type summary of events that should have been an entire second book.
(That being said, Tor has had a habit recently of marketing books as standalones – Kerstin Hall’s Asunder, Sandymancer by David Edison, etc – that the authors did not intend as standalones, and I do wonder if that’s part of the issue here? Does Lee intend for there to be a sequel? One set after the events of the epilogue??? Or maybe wanted there to be one but Tor only bought one book, so she wrote the epilogue to…? Try and resolve things? But even if so, the epilogue did not leave me feeling like Adeline’s story was finished. Gah, I don’t know. Whatever the authorial intent, the reading experience was not satisfying, and whether that was Lee’s fault or Tor’s doesn’t make a practical difference, in the end.)
So…yeah. Sigh. DNF. Lots of other early reviewers have loved this, and I would like When They Burned the Butterfly to do well because I want to see more characters like Adeline! But I won’t be finishing this one.
I was so freaking hyped for this, but I can’t stand the prose.
Don’t get me wrong: I love the main character. She is, as other reviewers have said, a bitch, and you know what? It’s great. Give me more unlikable heroines, characters who DGAF about being Nice, who have sharp edges and sharper tongues and will burn the fucking world down for spite. Adeline is *chef’s kiss*
The premise, though, seemed to be very simplistic as the book went on – various criminal gangs draw power from different gods and spirits, granting them different kinds of magical abilities. I was hoping for a lot more on the nature of this connection, what makes a god, where these beings come from – and I especially thought we’d get it because Adeline’s connection to the Butterfly goddess is unique. Possibly it showed up later in the book than I got, but the way it was all framed very much made it feel like we weren’t going to get any explorations into that. Which was disappointing.
But the main problem is the prose. Bear in mind, I seem to ‘hear’ prose in a way the vast majority of readers don’t, so when I have an issue with prose rhythm, it’s almost always something that doesn’t affect others. The fact that Lee’s writing seemed unbearably jerky to me – stopping-and-starting, establishing a rhythm only to immediately break it, using word order that doesn’t sound CorrectTM (to me, I emphasise!) – does not mean it will to you! If you’ve never been bothered by prose rhythm before, you very likely do not need to worry about it bothering you in When They Burned the Butterfly. (I am envious.)
For me, it made When They Burned the Butterfly a chore; every time I set it down, I had zero desire to pick it up again. The dialogue in particular rang very false to me, and while there were occasionally really beautiful lines of prose, such as Adeline’s first moments of Sapphic Awakening–
And she had another something whose articulation was formless on Adeline’s teeth, tart and vivid enough to strike the nerves in her gums, something essential she was gnawing at that wasn’t yet solid enough to spit out. But it turned Adeline’s throat dry and scraped her insides with a terrifying hunger.
–there were a lot more that jarred, where the writing felt ‘out of tune’ and the phrasing was confusingly clunky.
The street constantly smelled sweet of burning chrysanthemums.
The author’s meaning comes through perfectly! But that either ought to be ‘sweetly’ (and possibly it is meant to be and this is just a typo that will be corrected before release day – I read an advanced reader copy, and they do have errors sometimes) or it needs rephrasing.
There had been cholera outbreaks recently, but it didn’t seem to have gripped the actual place in any sense of urgency.
‘There had been cholera outbreaks recently, but you wouldn’t guess it from the atmosphere of the street.’ Or something. ‘it didn’t seem to have gripped the actual place in any sense of urgency’ is just such an awkward way of saying what is meant here.
At least, a shop was a generous name.
‘Calling it a shop was being generous.’
Tragedy could fuel revenge with the right conditions to move it along.
I know what you mean, but! This is not the best phrasing!
which also meant they knew exactly where he would be on days of the week.
…so they knew where he’d be every day, then? You could just say that???
If you’re raising an eyebrow at me right now, with no idea why these quotes bother me, then congrats, you will probably enjoy the prose just fine and can completely ignore my critique there! Again, I am jealous of you.
I should also note that I skipped ahead to read the ending, hoping it would be interesting enough that I’d want to finish the book to find out how we got to it. Instead, I found a wishy-washy, not-an-actual-ending ending, the kind that annoys me immensely. Especially when it’s trying to be gritty, which this definitely was. (The author gets points for doing a thing very few authors are brave enough to do, but it’s a tragic thing that I don’t actually enjoy and which is definitely going to upset a lot of readers.) The epilogue is one long info-dump type summary of events that should have been an entire second book.
(That being said, Tor has had a habit recently of marketing books as standalones – Kerstin Hall’s Asunder, Sandymancer by David Edison, etc – that the authors did not intend as standalones, and I do wonder if that’s part of the issue here? Does Lee intend for there to be a sequel? One set after the events of the epilogue??? Or maybe wanted there to be one but Tor only bought one book, so she wrote the epilogue to…? Try and resolve things? But even if so, the epilogue did not leave me feeling like Adeline’s story was finished. Gah, I don’t know. Whatever the authorial intent, the reading experience was not satisfying, and whether that was Lee’s fault or Tor’s doesn’t make a practical difference, in the end.)
So…yeah. Sigh. DNF. Lots of other early reviewers have loved this, and I would like When They Burned the Butterfly to do well because I want to see more characters like Adeline! But I won’t be finishing this one.
May 23, 2025
The premise sounded so promising, and the cover is absolutely gorgeous. But the writing style was so tedious, and basically, all I wanted was to get to the ending.
October 3, 2025
3.5 (rounded up)
When They Burned the Butterfly is a sapphic historical fantasy set in a newly independent Singapore in the 1970s. Adeline Siow, a girl who has always had the power of fire in the palm of her head, finds herself thrown into a world of gods and gangs all fighting for power in a rapidly industrializing city after the mysterious death of her mom.
I absolutely adored Wen-yi Lee’s debut, The Dark We Know, and there was so many elements of this one I really enjoyed (that premise sounded so amazing) that I thought would be an immediate 5 star read for me. Unfortunately, and it really pains me say this because I really loved the writing in TDWK, some of the prose, particularly in the first third of the book, was a bit clunky and repetitive which made it quite hard to fully get into the world and the narrative. There where insertions of world-building and snippets of conversations that, rather than making me feel immersed into the narrative, actually took me out of it a bit. However, I will say after the halfway mark, this picks up immensely and I found myself really loving the characters and especially Adeline’s relationship with Tian. I was absolutely spellbound by the story until the very end from that point onwards, it was just unfortunate that the beginning took perhaps bit too much time getting there.
All in all, Wen-yi Lee does craft a really beautiful commentary on power, corruption and the oftentimes hidden impacts of colonialism rooted in South East Asian history and folklore, and I would be very excited to pick up her next book!
Thank you to Tor Books for this e-arc. All opinions in this review are my own.
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oh I can’t wait to devour this because I loved the author’s debut
8/3/25: omg we have a cover and it is absolutely stunning!!
When They Burned the Butterfly is a sapphic historical fantasy set in a newly independent Singapore in the 1970s. Adeline Siow, a girl who has always had the power of fire in the palm of her head, finds herself thrown into a world of gods and gangs all fighting for power in a rapidly industrializing city after the mysterious death of her mom.
I absolutely adored Wen-yi Lee’s debut, The Dark We Know, and there was so many elements of this one I really enjoyed (that premise sounded so amazing) that I thought would be an immediate 5 star read for me. Unfortunately, and it really pains me say this because I really loved the writing in TDWK, some of the prose, particularly in the first third of the book, was a bit clunky and repetitive which made it quite hard to fully get into the world and the narrative. There where insertions of world-building and snippets of conversations that, rather than making me feel immersed into the narrative, actually took me out of it a bit. However, I will say after the halfway mark, this picks up immensely and I found myself really loving the characters and especially Adeline’s relationship with Tian. I was absolutely spellbound by the story until the very end from that point onwards, it was just unfortunate that the beginning took perhaps bit too much time getting there.
All in all, Wen-yi Lee does craft a really beautiful commentary on power, corruption and the oftentimes hidden impacts of colonialism rooted in South East Asian history and folklore, and I would be very excited to pick up her next book!
Thank you to Tor Books for this e-arc. All opinions in this review are my own.
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oh I can’t wait to devour this because I loved the author’s debut
8/3/25: omg we have a cover and it is absolutely stunning!!
May 20, 2025
just an absolute banger from start to finish
November 22, 2025
4 Stars
I am in love with the concept and details of this story. It’s more than just a girl with supernatural abilities. I am in awe of the author’s massive undertaking mashing up gods, gangs, lifestyle and culture of Singapore in the 70’s and ultimately presenting this convoluted web of feud and revenge led by young women.
Sapphic mafia? Try Asian gangs who are god-touched. I mean, can you get any more hardcore than that? The story is not for the weak. Not just in terms of violence but also keeping track of the massive web of connections and puzzle pieces the reader have to fit together to end up with an unsettling cohesive tapestry of history, crime thriller, horror and fantasy. The author did not shy away or censor readers from the truths when one deals with the underbelly of society. However, it also wasn’t exploited just for shock value but rather weaved in pretty much in a deadpan way that feelings have to catch up with brain process while reading.
This year’s sapphic book releases are proving to be better than ever. New and old authors are pushing the boundaries and creating something fresh and exciting out of the ordinary genres. When They Burned The Butterfly is on of those stand out books for me this year.
I am in love with the concept and details of this story. It’s more than just a girl with supernatural abilities. I am in awe of the author’s massive undertaking mashing up gods, gangs, lifestyle and culture of Singapore in the 70’s and ultimately presenting this convoluted web of feud and revenge led by young women.
Sapphic mafia? Try Asian gangs who are god-touched. I mean, can you get any more hardcore than that? The story is not for the weak. Not just in terms of violence but also keeping track of the massive web of connections and puzzle pieces the reader have to fit together to end up with an unsettling cohesive tapestry of history, crime thriller, horror and fantasy. The author did not shy away or censor readers from the truths when one deals with the underbelly of society. However, it also wasn’t exploited just for shock value but rather weaved in pretty much in a deadpan way that feelings have to catch up with brain process while reading.
This year’s sapphic book releases are proving to be better than ever. New and old authors are pushing the boundaries and creating something fresh and exciting out of the ordinary genres. When They Burned The Butterfly is on of those stand out books for me this year.
Want to read
April 18, 2025gangs and magic in the turn of a city’s industrialization? precarious power balances and a volatile criminal underbelly? women taking vengeance on the men that abused them?
this is sounding like the perfect book for a six of crows fan like myself—i mean that in the best way. this doesn’t sound like a cheap copy but like something unique with a world that’s wholly refreshing and an intriguing murder mystery premise.
and it’s sapphic. 😫
this is sounding like the perfect book for a six of crows fan like myself—i mean that in the best way. this doesn’t sound like a cheap copy but like something unique with a world that’s wholly refreshing and an intriguing murder mystery premise.
and it’s sapphic. 😫
June 1, 2025
initial thoughts finishing this at midnight: this was stunning, gloriously beautiful world-building, and just as heart-wrenching as it was steeped in feminine rage—but the cycle never truly fucking ends, does it? okay. i’m too numb rn to give an actual review i’ll come back in the morning.
review: GO PRE-ORDER THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW. thank you Net Galley and Tor Books for the eARC, i am now a numb & obsessed puddle. who’s killing the Butterflies & what’s going on in the underbelly of 1972 Singapore? i had such a fun time reading this, love an intense fantasy that will leave you reeling at the end & wanting more! the world-building was so intricate and intriguing—but how could i not love it when there’s: gangsters, different gods & fire magic, sapphics (i have no words them, my SEXY & beautiful babies😫), feminine rage, and a tattooing magic system (lol at me getting jealous every time someone got one). FMC, Adeline Siow is a FORCE & her character arc is just *chefs kiss* (reminded me of my loves: jude duarte & alex stern 🫶🏾). from the opening line alone, you’re gonna love her and be compelled to follow her journey into a shaky world, that oddly feels like home (found family trope anyone 😉). also i have to mention this: Adeline, Tian, and Pek Mun are SO Vi, Caitlyn, and Jinx coded that i could not stop thinking about it.
short & sweet to avoid spoilers but this was so fiery (no pun intended), sexy and thrilling. Wen-Yi Lee, you have made a fan out of me & i cannot wait to reread again with the physical release (like i NEED it)!! 🔥💉🦋(deeply wanting to go dive into Jade City and The Poppy War now omg)
review: GO PRE-ORDER THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW. thank you Net Galley and Tor Books for the eARC, i am now a numb & obsessed puddle. who’s killing the Butterflies & what’s going on in the underbelly of 1972 Singapore? i had such a fun time reading this, love an intense fantasy that will leave you reeling at the end & wanting more! the world-building was so intricate and intriguing—but how could i not love it when there’s: gangsters, different gods & fire magic, sapphics (i have no words them, my SEXY & beautiful babies😫), feminine rage, and a tattooing magic system (lol at me getting jealous every time someone got one). FMC, Adeline Siow is a FORCE & her character arc is just *chefs kiss* (reminded me of my loves: jude duarte & alex stern 🫶🏾). from the opening line alone, you’re gonna love her and be compelled to follow her journey into a shaky world, that oddly feels like home (found family trope anyone 😉). also i have to mention this: Adeline, Tian, and Pek Mun are SO Vi, Caitlyn, and Jinx coded that i could not stop thinking about it.
short & sweet to avoid spoilers but this was so fiery (no pun intended), sexy and thrilling. Wen-Yi Lee, you have made a fan out of me & i cannot wait to reread again with the physical release (like i NEED it)!! 🔥💉🦋(deeply wanting to go dive into Jade City and The Poppy War now omg)
Read
November 17, 20253.0 Stars
I have loved so many Asian inspired fantasy books so I wanted to request this one when it was being compared to some many of my personal favourites.
Overall, this was generally well executed but it failed to hit the emotional points that makes a story become a favourite. In my opinion, stories like this live and die with memorable characters like those found in the Green Bone Saga and the Poppy War trilogy and this one paled in comparison.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book for review.
I have loved so many Asian inspired fantasy books so I wanted to request this one when it was being compared to some many of my personal favourites.
Overall, this was generally well executed but it failed to hit the emotional points that makes a story become a favourite. In my opinion, stories like this live and die with memorable characters like those found in the Green Bone Saga and the Poppy War trilogy and this one paled in comparison.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book for review.
August 31, 2025
Dark and dramatic, this book will pull you into a world of fire and mystery.
Thank you to Tor Publishing and Goodreads for the advanced copy!
Thank you to Tor Publishing and Goodreads for the advanced copy!
June 15, 2025
i am seated. the bookstore employees are scared and asking me to leave because its not 2025 yet but im simply too seated
November 27, 2025
Screaming. Crying. Throwing up 😭
January 24, 2025
wen-yi lee fan club
Want to read
November 19, 2025SORRRYYYYYY DID I JUST READ 'for fans of jade city + poppy war' AND 'sapphic' ????? HAND IT OVER NOW.
November 25, 2025
beautiful writing, intricate historical fantasy worldbuilding. the pacing and plot was a little slow and directionless at times but the characters were very compelling !
dnf
November 20, 2025Done at 30% A YA novel that pretends to be adult because they swear and lots of people die. You don't really care if they die because no connection have been made but die they do.
Read
December 1, 2025Rtc
September 28, 2025
I loved the flip-book / shuttering / stop-motion depictions of Singapore, watching buildings and lives and subcultures rise, fall, be reinforced, shatter. And having that as a backdrop to Adeline’s personal revolution as she goes from sheltered girl to gangster to more, walking streets that should be familiar but finding new buildings where old landmarks should be, was a really nice metaphor.
Unfortunately, I found the writing rather stiff. So while the plot and characters themselves were engaging, the flow of the sentences just worked against what could have been a really compelling novel. 480 pages isn’t a small book, but it isn’t a behemoth so it should have been much easier to get through. We could have had more descriptions of scenery, focused on making the other Butterflies outside of our core group feel more like individuals, even spent more time on the body horror (which was an unexpected potential delight) and other violence which often (ironically) allows for beautiful prose.
{Thank you Tor Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review}
Unfortunately, I found the writing rather stiff. So while the plot and characters themselves were engaging, the flow of the sentences just worked against what could have been a really compelling novel. 480 pages isn’t a small book, but it isn’t a behemoth so it should have been much easier to get through. We could have had more descriptions of scenery, focused on making the other Butterflies outside of our core group feel more like individuals, even spent more time on the body horror (which was an unexpected potential delight) and other violence which often (ironically) allows for beautiful prose.
{Thank you Tor Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review}
October 6, 2025
First things first: I cried reading this on the train. I avoided any and all spoilers because I wanted to be delighted, and I was, because I did not expect it to be so feminist, but I also found myself devastated and sacrificing sleep to read one more chapter. The concept and marketing seemed cleverly calculated to appeal (girl gangs with fire magic, alternate history Singapore, slow-burn lesbian romance, jibes at bitchy convent school girls) and I was afraid it was just bells and whistles, but I needn't have worried—the story overdelivered on the the substantial world-building and impressive character development.
Length-wise, this book felt like two books in one. I felt it could have worked well as a duology because the motives for the first half and the second half are quite different. The first half felt more like a back alley detective novel as they try to find out how Adeline's mother's died, but after they did, the number of casualties drastically increased and the second half started feeling like a locked room murder mystery. Tonally, the first half had more levity and the characters were still... intact, to put it euphemistically, while the second half was much darker and emotionally wrenching.
What I liked best was the commitment to portraying girls who did sex work without reducing their entire identity to just that. It was shown clearly that many of these girls had very few good options in life and they were just trying to survive. The representation is consistently neutral and respectful while still acknowledging the fact that many girls were being exploited for their vulnerability, viewed as expendable and interchangeable, which made them easy targets for all kinds of violence. The 'reveal' at the end is not hard to guess at if you understand how little people valued marginal women, even in a world where women could wield power, but it didn't make the revelation any less harrowing.
Length-wise, this book felt like two books in one. I felt it could have worked well as a duology because the motives for the first half and the second half are quite different. The first half felt more like a back alley detective novel as they try to find out how Adeline's mother's died, but after they did, the number of casualties drastically increased and the second half started feeling like a locked room murder mystery. Tonally, the first half had more levity and the characters were still... intact, to put it euphemistically, while the second half was much darker and emotionally wrenching.
What I liked best was the commitment to portraying girls who did sex work without reducing their entire identity to just that. It was shown clearly that many of these girls had very few good options in life and they were just trying to survive. The representation is consistently neutral and respectful while still acknowledging the fact that many girls were being exploited for their vulnerability, viewed as expendable and interchangeable, which made them easy targets for all kinds of violence. The 'reveal' at the end is not hard to guess at if you understand how little people valued marginal women, even in a world where women could wield power, but it didn't make the revelation any less harrowing.
Read
August 20, 2025DNF @ 25% after 2 weeks of attempting to get through this absolute SLOG. The plot is slow paced and the writing is clunky, dense and wordy, to the point where I often had to reread passages, which made my already-slow reading even slower.
I didn’t think the book was terrible, and I’m sure some people will enjoy it if they manage to push through it. The setting was unique, the MC was interesting, and the romance seems to have potential, from what I read.
BUT the story was slow paced and kind of uneventful, and sometimes the characters would just do things off-page when I wanted to see SOMETHING!! Like, what do you meeeean nothing interesting’s been happening and when y’all finally start trying to solve this damn murder, you’re just listing off things you’ve already done?? Omggggg……… 🙄🙄🙄 Also, the amount of characters that would just come in and out of the story was a little confusing, especially when combined with the insanely dense writing.
Overall: slog, which is a shame, because the Mafia Lesbians ™ were some of my most anticipated releases of 2025.
Thanks to Tor Publishing Group and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this book!
(review written on 20/08/2025)
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guess who got an arc??!!
(20/05/2025)
I didn’t think the book was terrible, and I’m sure some people will enjoy it if they manage to push through it. The setting was unique, the MC was interesting, and the romance seems to have potential, from what I read.
BUT the story was slow paced and kind of uneventful, and sometimes the characters would just do things off-page when I wanted to see SOMETHING!! Like, what do you meeeean nothing interesting’s been happening and when y’all finally start trying to solve this damn murder, you’re just listing off things you’ve already done?? Omggggg……… 🙄🙄🙄 Also, the amount of characters that would just come in and out of the story was a little confusing, especially when combined with the insanely dense writing.
Overall: slog, which is a shame, because the Mafia Lesbians ™ were some of my most anticipated releases of 2025.
Thanks to Tor Publishing Group and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this book!
(review written on 20/08/2025)
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guess who got an arc??!!
(20/05/2025)
October 20, 2025
Loner Singaporean schoolgirl Adeline Siow, can summon the power of the fire goddess, flames to her fingertips, and only realizes the full scope of this power when her mother is killed in a home blaze.
At the fiery heart of this story is revenge for this killing, discovering that her mother was the head of a girl gang called Red Butterfly. When Adeline loses her mother and immerses herself into the Butterflies, she becomes close with Ang Tian, another Butterfly. Adeline’s life changes completely, moving from a world of school rules and homework at St. Mary’s, and becomes immersed in the dangerous gang world of Singapore’s red-light district.
Set in post-colonial Singapore, When They Burned the Butterfly is filled with ancient magic, seedy brothels, and warring territorial gangs. The book is set in 1972 Singapore, a newly independent country experiencing a period of rapid change; there was a lot of change and modernization throughout Southeast Asia at this time, even with the Vietnam War still going on. It’s a country with many different nationalities, immigrants, and languages, which resulted in a distinct culture. It’s an interesting backdrop that inspired Singaporean author Wen-Yi Lee to write this novel.
To set a book in such a distinct time period should invite rich historical details, especially when a book describes itself as a historical fantasy: everything from the colonial buildings, the funeral parlors, clothes drying on laundry poles in windows, food markets, street vendors, European cars, to the seventies fashions of the time. There was also a lot of poverty in some areas, which incentivized public campaigns to ‘clean up’ Singapore. Lee grew up in Singapore, but in years far later than the one portrayed in the book; Singapore became a sanitized and strictly ruled country, and I couldn’t help but feel that this affected the way Lee wrote (I may be wrong). She could have gone further in describing the red-light district and the violence, especially in an adult novel, and wanted her to really go for it. It was hard not to think of all the sensory elements that Butterfly could have been expanded upon. Asking how I know? I grew up in Hong Kong (moved there in the seventies) so I may have been called gweilo in my lifetime (IYKYK), and visited Singapore for the first time when I was a child, being fortunate to travel to many countries in Asia.
The real strength of the novel lies in the relationship between Adeline and Tian, who develop deep romantic feelings for each other; their bond adds complexity to the story in general, and it encourages Adeline to discover more about herself. Rage drives Adeline throughout the novel; this overarching theme is the anchor and motivation for her actions, driving her to avenge her mother’s death. Despite the length of this novel, it’s still somewhat hard to feel close to the main character; there are so many side characters and different gangs to keep track of. It’s easy to forget Adeline is a teenager, given her behavior and background. The magic and power system could have been more purposefully described; it comes across as relatively vague. Readers who enjoy this element of fantasy may yearn for more when it comes to understanding how this fire magic works.
I found it a little jarring to leave the world of young girls at school, to a world of prostitution and violence (the former being abandoned in an instant). Perhaps there could have been a choice to make Adeline older, instead of another adult fantasy focusing on a teen character; it seemed that Lee shied away from doing so, maybe for fear of losing YA readers.
This is the adult fantasy debut of Wen-Yi Lee, whose first novel was a young adult horror, so the author is taking the leap from YA to adult literature, something that seems to be quite common, particularly in the fantasy and horror marketplace. Lee is lyrically gifted, but I would trade some of the dialogue, places on a map, and characters, for more dynamic world-building and action. All that said, When They Burned the Butterfly has a unique setting and Lee is a fresh new voice, who will only get better as she writes more; I hope she writes more books set in Singapore.
At the fiery heart of this story is revenge for this killing, discovering that her mother was the head of a girl gang called Red Butterfly. When Adeline loses her mother and immerses herself into the Butterflies, she becomes close with Ang Tian, another Butterfly. Adeline’s life changes completely, moving from a world of school rules and homework at St. Mary’s, and becomes immersed in the dangerous gang world of Singapore’s red-light district.
Set in post-colonial Singapore, When They Burned the Butterfly is filled with ancient magic, seedy brothels, and warring territorial gangs. The book is set in 1972 Singapore, a newly independent country experiencing a period of rapid change; there was a lot of change and modernization throughout Southeast Asia at this time, even with the Vietnam War still going on. It’s a country with many different nationalities, immigrants, and languages, which resulted in a distinct culture. It’s an interesting backdrop that inspired Singaporean author Wen-Yi Lee to write this novel.
To set a book in such a distinct time period should invite rich historical details, especially when a book describes itself as a historical fantasy: everything from the colonial buildings, the funeral parlors, clothes drying on laundry poles in windows, food markets, street vendors, European cars, to the seventies fashions of the time. There was also a lot of poverty in some areas, which incentivized public campaigns to ‘clean up’ Singapore. Lee grew up in Singapore, but in years far later than the one portrayed in the book; Singapore became a sanitized and strictly ruled country, and I couldn’t help but feel that this affected the way Lee wrote (I may be wrong). She could have gone further in describing the red-light district and the violence, especially in an adult novel, and wanted her to really go for it. It was hard not to think of all the sensory elements that Butterfly could have been expanded upon. Asking how I know? I grew up in Hong Kong (moved there in the seventies) so I may have been called gweilo in my lifetime (IYKYK), and visited Singapore for the first time when I was a child, being fortunate to travel to many countries in Asia.
The real strength of the novel lies in the relationship between Adeline and Tian, who develop deep romantic feelings for each other; their bond adds complexity to the story in general, and it encourages Adeline to discover more about herself. Rage drives Adeline throughout the novel; this overarching theme is the anchor and motivation for her actions, driving her to avenge her mother’s death. Despite the length of this novel, it’s still somewhat hard to feel close to the main character; there are so many side characters and different gangs to keep track of. It’s easy to forget Adeline is a teenager, given her behavior and background. The magic and power system could have been more purposefully described; it comes across as relatively vague. Readers who enjoy this element of fantasy may yearn for more when it comes to understanding how this fire magic works.
I found it a little jarring to leave the world of young girls at school, to a world of prostitution and violence (the former being abandoned in an instant). Perhaps there could have been a choice to make Adeline older, instead of another adult fantasy focusing on a teen character; it seemed that Lee shied away from doing so, maybe for fear of losing YA readers.
This is the adult fantasy debut of Wen-Yi Lee, whose first novel was a young adult horror, so the author is taking the leap from YA to adult literature, something that seems to be quite common, particularly in the fantasy and horror marketplace. Lee is lyrically gifted, but I would trade some of the dialogue, places on a map, and characters, for more dynamic world-building and action. All that said, When They Burned the Butterfly has a unique setting and Lee is a fresh new voice, who will only get better as she writes more; I hope she writes more books set in Singapore.
June 25, 2025
thanks to NetGalley for the eARC
⭐️=4.25 | 😘=3.5 | 🤬=3 | ⚔️=5 | 17/18+
summary: 1970s Singapore all-women gang feat. mysterious gods and more gangs and fire magic and lesbians and the girls at the heart of it all
thoughts: fantastic beginning, fantastic ending, some rocky bits in the middle re: world building (could have had lore regarding gods hinted at/info dumped earlier) but overall I enjoyed this! lots of sapphic yearning and devotion and near the end it was getting West Side Storyish (even though the MCs are part of the same gang, but like it’s still WSS vibes), which I loved because I love WSS because I have a pulse?? also I’m very glad that anyway combined with the author’s note giving historical context for a period I know very little about, this was really good! girls with fire powers!! sapphic devotion!!! yeehaw!
⭐️=4.25 | 😘=3.5 | 🤬=3 | ⚔️=5 | 17/18+
summary: 1970s Singapore all-women gang feat. mysterious gods and more gangs and fire magic and lesbians and the girls at the heart of it all
thoughts: fantastic beginning, fantastic ending, some rocky bits in the middle re: world building (could have had lore regarding gods hinted at/info dumped earlier) but overall I enjoyed this! lots of sapphic yearning and devotion and near the end it was getting West Side Storyish (even though the MCs are part of the same gang, but like it’s still WSS vibes), which I loved because I love WSS because I have a pulse?? also I’m very glad that anyway combined with the author’s note giving historical context for a period I know very little about, this was really good! girls with fire powers!! sapphic devotion!!! yeehaw!
October 27, 2025
potential wasted on an fmc that tried too hard to be fang runin wannabe and a clunky, boring, and long-winded storytelling lol
November 6, 2025
I liked how the book blends magic and modernity, and how both try to coexist. It really explores whether there’s still a place for magic in our fast-moving world or for traditions in a world that’s constantly changing. The phrase “out with the old, in with the new” kept coming to mind while I read it.
May 18, 2025
dreamy, violent, dizzying, complex, and gayyyyy.
June 13, 2025
A girl gang with fire magic set in 1972 Singapore with sapphic yearning, found family, and a mysterious force targeting the gang? What more could you want? This was such a great read with nuanced characters, a rich setting, and plenty of conflicts to keep you guessing.
The sapphic yearning and discovery was, while not the main focus, hugely important to Adeline’s story.
The setting of Singapore in 1972 is extremely important in the context of this story. The history of Singapore at this time is so rich and I love how Lee wove in magical gangs with ties to old gods. Even the ending is crucial to how Singapore had changed and advanced during this time.
When They Burned the Butterfly is a tragic masterpiece that ties together Singaporean history, found family among the least protected, and the power of unassuming girls.
The sapphic yearning and discovery was, while not the main focus, hugely important to Adeline’s story.
The setting of Singapore in 1972 is extremely important in the context of this story. The history of Singapore at this time is so rich and I love how Lee wove in magical gangs with ties to old gods. Even the ending is crucial to how Singapore had changed and advanced during this time.
When They Burned the Butterfly is a tragic masterpiece that ties together Singaporean history, found family among the least protected, and the power of unassuming girls.
July 23, 2025
Thank you Net Galley and Tor Books for the eARC !!
What a book. What a debut. What a story!
I knew that When They Burned the Butterfly was going to be something special within the first few pages and it absolutely did not let me down. I laughed, I cried. I cried some more.
Adeline is such a complicated and fascinating main character; sharp, quick-witted, and a bit of a brat (positive). I loved her, and I loved her relationship with not only Tian, but the other girls as well.
Her and Tian? Chef's kiss. It was so unapologetically lesbian and the portrayal of butchfemme dynamics was a breath of fresh air.
I will be thinking of this book for years to come, and will be telling at everyone I know to read it once it comes out.
What a book. What a debut. What a story!
I knew that When They Burned the Butterfly was going to be something special within the first few pages and it absolutely did not let me down. I laughed, I cried. I cried some more.
Adeline is such a complicated and fascinating main character; sharp, quick-witted, and a bit of a brat (positive). I loved her, and I loved her relationship with not only Tian, but the other girls as well.
Her and Tian? Chef's kiss. It was so unapologetically lesbian and the portrayal of butchfemme dynamics was a breath of fresh air.
I will be thinking of this book for years to come, and will be telling at everyone I know to read it once it comes out.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews