The Iron Butterfly

Written by Chanda Hahn

Narrated by Jesse Vilinsky

Thalia knows three things;

Her first name.

That she barely escaped the clutches of the Septori with the help of a mysterious stranger.

And that her run-in with the Septori's iron butterfly machine did something to her. It changed her into something neither fully human nor Denai.

Fearing her inner darkness and seeking answers to her past, Thalia finds refuge as a servant at the Citadel in Calandry, a school for the gifted Denai.

When strange powers awaken within her she is forced to pretend to be one of them and goes from being a servant to a student overnight. Her life becomes even more complicated when the handsome stranger who saved her from the Septori becomes her new fighting instructor.

Thalia knows that the Septori are still looking for her and they will stop at nothing to get her back-dead or alive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Sep 18, 2019
• ISBN: 9781630153670

Chanda Hahn

Chanda Hahn is a New York Times and USA TODAY Bestselling author. She uses her experience as a children's pastor, children's librarian and bookseller to write compelling and popular fiction for teens. She was born in Seattle, WA, grew up in Nebraska and currently resides in Portland, Oregon with her husband and their twins.

Reviews for The Iron Butterfly

[Shaila Mahabier · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really liked the story and how intense it is. The story wasn't slow or too fast and kept going on a good pace.
However there was hardly any world building and no real explanation of what the Denai are? To me they felt like characters from avatar the last airbender.

[Amy Gibson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a great plot I couldn't put it down. I really appreciated that the romance was clean no foul language. Interesting storyline. This book goes on my wishlist of books i want to buy a hard copy of. ?

[constant2m · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I made the mistake of reading reviews before reading the book. I agree that the beginning was a little disorienting, but it makes sense why it had to be that way after you've read a little way in. Thalia also overshares, and we are constantly told what she is thinking and why she is thinking those things. But I had the same critique of the Hunger Games, and people loved that, so maybe it doesn't matter. And also, this is one of Chanda's early books. So, that out of the way, I really did like this story.The book begins with Thalia fighting to escape, well, we don't know who or where. She has no memories of anything. Fortunately, she has help, although she doesn't know if she can trust any of her rescuers, and there are a few. When she is brought to the Citadel so she can recover in a safe place, she learns about the Denai, magic users who work alongside humans, and the Septori, the group that had been holding her captive and experimenting on her.Thalia was an interesting character. She gets mad when people assume she needs to be rescued and she gets mad when they don't come to her assistance. Maybe she is a typical teenager, but I was amused. There is also a protector that is constantly getting under her skin, so I'm expecting this will turn into an enemies-to-lovers trope at some point, but at this point, it's fun to wait and see when he will turn up and what he will do. There is also a particular horse that speaks to Thalia and only Thalia (and is, as she points out, quite vain). I do love a talking horse, especially since so many YA fantasy novels default to dragons (which I do also love). It will also be fun to learn more about that backstory, why no one else hears animals and what Thalia's other gifts might turn out to be.This book focused primarily on Thalia figuring out her past and trying to stay one step ahead of being killed by the Septori, but there were numerous fascinating side characters. And while Thalia was suspicious of everyone, readers will be left guessing who is her side and who is pretending. And with the twist at the end, it may take a bit more time for us to find out. I will definitely be continuing this story.

[edensteffey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book!

[caittilynn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I snapped this book up while it was free on Amazon and I was surprised at how much I liked it. After finishing the book yesterday, I was glad to see that the second book is already available. I can't wait to read what happens next.

Thalia has been abducted from her home to be tortured and experimented on. When she escapes, she has no memory of her former life, but is given refuge in the training area of the Citadel. The results of the experimentation have left Thalia with strange new powers that she must learn to control while trying to figure out who she is.

[sandrabuxton · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love finding treasures among the Freebie Nook Books and this one. After a somewhat slow beginning, I was sucked in and devoured it in a day. The story is simple, but well constructed. The characters are full. Thalia as a protagonist is wonderful, if only a little too trusting considering her past. I generally don’t care for first person perspective, but the author weaves the story well. For a young adult fantasy, it didn’t have any of the usual hang-ups one finds in this genre. It wasn’t sappy, swoony or watered down. This isn’t another “magic school” book, as I had read in another review. It was, however, a fun story that left me wanting the second in the series. I would be remiss if I didn’t add that Hahn would benefit from hiring an editor, but still a pleasant read.

[carmenmaranda · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved the book. Am expecting a continuation of the story in the next book. Very exciting an innovative story. Was a page turner. With excitment on every page Even the Horror of the first few pages builds the story up to a pitch. Great!Carmenmaranda