After a marijuana-addled brawl with a rival gang, 16-year-old Azael wakes up to find himself surrounded by a familiar set of concrete walls and a l...
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Jan 03, 2012
Angela
rated it: 
This review will also be available at Mostly ReadingYA.
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This is not a book I would have picked up to read on my own. It’s nothing personal: it just doesn’t fall into my preferred genres (paranormal/sci fi/fantasy). But, when I received this ARC, I found myself interested for a short list of reasons. First, the title is a juxtaposition that is kind of lovely in my brain. THE KNIFE AND THE BUTTERFLY. Danger and delicacy. Violence and peace. It evoked curiosity, to be sur More...
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This is not a book I would have picked up to read on my own. It’s nothing personal: it just doesn’t fall into my preferred genres (paranormal/sci fi/fantasy). But, when I received this ARC, I found myself interested for a short list of reasons. First, the title is a juxtaposition that is kind of lovely in my brain. THE KNIFE AND THE BUTTERFLY. Danger and delicacy. Violence and peace. It evoked curiosity, to be sur More...
Feb 08, 2012
TheBookSmugglers
rated it:
Warning: this review contains very minor spoilers.
15-year-old Azael wakes up to find himself locked up after a fight against a rival gang. He assumes he is in Juvie again but the conditions of his incarceration are somewhat different this time around. He doesn’t get the phone call he is entitled to, there is no lawyer talking to him, no one will tell him what’s happening and he spends his days observing this white girl called Lexi, in another cell. He knows she is connected to what hap More...
15-year-old Azael wakes up to find himself locked up after a fight against a rival gang. He assumes he is in Juvie again but the conditions of his incarceration are somewhat different this time around. He doesn’t get the phone call he is entitled to, there is no lawyer talking to him, no one will tell him what’s happening and he spends his days observing this white girl called Lexi, in another cell. He knows she is connected to what hap More...
Jan 12, 2012
Kathleen
rated it:
Thank you, Ashley Hope Perez, for writing books that need to be written. I can't wait to share this book with my kids in Juvie!
The Knife and the Butterfly is about a 15 year old kid named Martin "Azael" Arevalo, or Azz for short. He's a member of the MS-13, the Mara Salvatrucha gang, known for its pervasiveness and brutality. The story opens with Azz in a cell. This is nothing new for him, but this time, he can't remember exactly what happened to land him there.
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The Knife and the Butterfly is about a 15 year old kid named Martin "Azael" Arevalo, or Azz for short. He's a member of the MS-13, the Mara Salvatrucha gang, known for its pervasiveness and brutality. The story opens with Azz in a cell. This is nothing new for him, but this time, he can't remember exactly what happened to land him there.
More...
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Feb 05, 2012
Doret
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16 yr old Azael lives in Houston and is a member of the MS-13 gang. The day after a fight with another gang, Azael wakes up in lock up and he can't remember how he got there. The chapters alternate between now and then. In the now Azael is in jail trying to remember the fight. He finds himself thinking about his girlfriend Becca and worry about his brother Eddie and the other MS 13 members. In the now Azael is also introduced to Lexi, a White girl he swears he doesn't know. Though Azael quickly
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Feb 08, 2012
Katelyn
rated it: 
This book grabbed a hold of me from the very first page and if I am being completely honest, it still has a hold over me even days after reading it. I first fell in love with Ashley’s writing after reading What Can’t Wait. I learned that she has this impeccable ability to tie in beautiful, hopeful stories while also keeping it entertaining and realistic. The Knife and the Butterfly will anger you, make you happy, break your heart, and then put it together again. It is one emotional roller coaste
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Feb 02, 2012
Joli
rated it:
The Knife and the Butterfly is one of those stories that leaves you in awe long after finishing it. Like Azael, I'm left not quite sure how it all happened but, also, with that deep sense that I knew all along. Before reading the book, I didn't know too much of the background of the story which was inspired by true events, and I am glad for that. I think that it would have affected how I read it and how I absorbed what Azael was experiencing.
Azael comes off as a hard person, not jus More...
Azael comes off as a hard person, not jus More...
Feb 17, 2012
Kelly
rated it: 
2.5.
Not my kind of book at all, but once I got into it, I liked it more than I thought I would. The end was a twist I didn't see coming (maybe I would have, though, had I been invested earlier on).
That said, I have to give Perez so much credit for writing these kinds of stories -- about the hardened kids, the city kids, the kids who are dealing not only with life at home but all of the baggage that comes with being Latino -- because these are stories we need more of. The More...
Not my kind of book at all, but once I got into it, I liked it more than I thought I would. The end was a twist I didn't see coming (maybe I would have, though, had I been invested earlier on).
That said, I have to give Perez so much credit for writing these kinds of stories -- about the hardened kids, the city kids, the kids who are dealing not only with life at home but all of the baggage that comes with being Latino -- because these are stories we need more of. The More...
Feb 10, 2012
Jessica
rated it:
This is not your typical young adult thriller! Ashley was kind enough to chat with Chick Lit Cafe about how she learned the inner workings of street gangs, the connection between teens and the paranormal, and how she surprised herself with a twist ending!
http://loonachicklit.wordpress.com/2012/...
http://loonachicklit.wordpress.com/2012/...
Feb 12, 2012
P.J.
rated it:
What can I say about THE KNIFE AND THE BUTTERFLY? Here are five quick things:
1) It is realistic fiction which is not my most common genre to read, yet...
2) ...once I picked it up, I could not put it down, because...
3) ...the characters are so raw and real, they assert themselves in your mind and don't leave, and...
4) ...even though it is raw, it offers hope for those who grow up in difficult situations, so...
5) ...you should totally read this though-provoking novel. More...
1) It is realistic fiction which is not my most common genre to read, yet...
2) ...once I picked it up, I could not put it down, because...
3) ...the characters are so raw and real, they assert themselves in your mind and don't leave, and...
4) ...even though it is raw, it offers hope for those who grow up in difficult situations, so...
5) ...you should totally read this though-provoking novel. More...
Jan 23, 2012
Aleeza
rated it:
Sooo as it happens I did end up finishing this book and um, W. T. F. was up with that ending? Not sure I understand it even now but regardless, I thought I would like this one so much more! It's gritty sure but I really did not connect with the characters and just didn't feel like a part of their world, you know? I did however like the setting--I'm a former Houstonite too, as it happens, so that was pretty coolio. :)
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Feb 06, 2012
This isn't a bad book. I would even say it's a very well written book. It's also a genre bender, which I love. But I just couldn't get past all the horrible language and graphic sexual content.
I flipped to the end of the book and was really shocked by the ending. This is a really interesting story and I would have rated it fairly high if the language and sex hadn't been quite so in-your-face.
I flipped to the end of the book and was really shocked by the ending. This is a really interesting story and I would have rated it fairly high if the language and sex hadn't been quite so in-your-face.
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