A Mosaic of Wings

I don't think I've ever read anything by Kimberly Duffy, but I am happy that I am introduced to her writing through this particular book. Nora is finishing her entomology degree at Cornell University at a time when education for women was frowned upon.  Owen Epps is her competition for valedictorian of the class, and her competition for a scholarship to be given for those going on to get their Master's degree.

There are a few historical people included in the book, especially the professors who have taken Nora under their wings.  He offered Nora a chance of a lifetime to go to India and help an expedition there to identify and illustrate the native insects there--especially the butterflies.  There is one fabled butterfly that has eluded the team, and they dearly want to find it. 

A local girl befriended Nora and she takes her to see where the butterfly is and Nora finds another butterfly, which seems to be the Jezebel butterfly, but there are a few key differences.  The orange spots on the lower wings come to a point, like arrows.  The butterfly Nora found has blunt spots instead of pointed spots.

Kimberly has taken some hard social and cultural practices that are misunderstood and fleshed them out for the understanding of her reader.  The plot flows in a way that keeps the reader involved from the very beginning to the very end.  The characters range from the good guys to the really bad guys, and some in-between.  There are shifty characters and ones the reader can never trust.  She writes smoothly so that the plot moves at a steady pace and keeps the reader intrigued and wanting what happens next.

This is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a newly found, unclassified butterfly.

Bethany House and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are my own.