I really enjoyed this book. It's very atmospheric and kept me gripped right to the end. I loved the way the magic was woven throughout the book. The main characters were well written and helped to draw me into their story.

A sumptuous and tricksy tale of perseverance, performance and patriarchy smashing set in Victorian London. Bound to be a hit with fans of Emma Carroll and Katherine Woodfine

This book is magnificent!

I love the world of Victorian magic and stage shows, and it really captures the feeling that this wonderful time of magic and showmanship is fading away, replaced by music hall shows. A little wonder is going out of the world, but it's not quite gone yet.

The plot is a gripping one. It's reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code, in the way Luciana follows hidden clues and clever devices from one point to the next, slowly unfolding the mystery of her grandfather's greatest trick, the Golden Butterfly. But unlike in that book, Luciana's journey moves on long before it gets tedious, and the story moves forward with pace, drama and peril that keeps it exciting and quite emotional at times.

Like all great magic tricks, this book knows when to hide things and how to manage the big reveals, and I loved how the secrets unfolded throughout it.

It's also strongly feminist, which I really enjoyed. Luciana quickly comes to understand that when people tell her that women can't do something, what they really mean is that they aren't allowed to do it, and throughout the novel she is fighting for her own equal rights, which comes to a pay-off that was simply marvellous, and had me laughing through my tears. There are also important messages throughout about facing and overcoming your fears, being brave and finding the life that is right for you, not the one that society expects you to lead.

The Golden Butterfly is exciting magical mystery, which delivers an important message about what girls are truly capable of achieving.

The clever and determined Luciana is the true star of this middle grade tale of magic, bravery, friendship and adventure. Fast-paced and dazzling, the story captured my attention from the very beginning with the emotional scenes between Luciana and her dying grandfather, the Magnificent Marko. The mystery of her parents, the treasure hunt through London, and the brilliant world of magicians only added to the appeal of the book as it tackled the issues of gender equality, misogyny and equal opportunities.

Wow! The Golden Butterfly was an entrancing, gorgeous, simply stunning work of MG fiction. Everything about it had me mesmerised and caught up in this beautiful world that had been created. I was absorbed into the story almost instantly and because of this I found that I couldn't put the book and devoured it in less than 24 hours.

The plot was so well pieced together, and as I am a sucker for MG mysteries at the moment I knew from the start that I was going to be taken on one hell of an adventure. The mystery itself, for me was quite easy to figure out but for a younger audience I can imagine it would be extremely thrilling to work out the conundrum behind The Golden Butterfly. It is a fast paced plot but you don't feel like anything is rushed or skimmed over. In my opinion it is perfectly paced for the story that is being told. Younger readers won't become bored when reading and will, in fact be rather excited to carry on reading.

The setting was just incredible. I am starting to read more books with historical elements within them and I loved the element of Victorian England that was added to The Golden Butterfly. The detail was so intricate that you could almost feel like you were being transported to 1897. What also stood out to me in The Golden Butterfly was the topic surrounding women's roles in society in that time era. We read about women only being allowed to be magician's assistants and ultimately being seen as second class citizens. Throughout the book we see women and girls try to change this stigma and it is really refreshing to see some girl power in MG fiction. It isn't seen often enough in this genre and I feel it would appeal to many young women.

Luciana, as a main character, was one that I instantly clicked with. She was not prepared to conform to what society thought she should be. She wanted adventure, she wanted excitement and she wanted to prove what she could truly do and be. Her determination was admirable and she could soon be a role model for young girls everywhere. Luciana's relationships with her grandmother, best friend and other important characters were all relevant to the storyline and none of them felt forced. Fantastic character development was shown throughout The Golden Butterfly.

The only thing that I found a little bit frustrating with The Golden Butterfly was the ending. It ended rather abruptly and although this could leave doors open for a sequel (let's hope so!). I did want to know just a tiny bit more about what happened to some key characters. This was my only gripe, as the rest was just spectacular.

The Golden Butterfly was a beautiful read that had me charmed with its magic, wonder and amazement. It is probably one of the best MG books I have so far this year and I feel that it is going to pretty hard to beat.

Clever, magical writing by Sharon Gosling brings to life an inspiring star character who, through sheer determination, faces down inequality, bullying and misogyny. There are issues in this story for many (not just children and young adults) to ponder. How much has really changed since the background setting of Victorian times?
A hold your breath, dramatic and emotional finale brings to a close a book which is not to be missed !

This is an absorbing, richly-detailed historical adventure set in the late Victorian period which enthralled me from the start.
Luciana is grieving the loss of her beloved Grandfather, the Magnificent Marko, when Thursby, the Master of the Grand Society of Magicians turns up on the day of his funeral demanding to search their home. Luciana realises that he is searching for the key behind her Grandfather’s Golden Butterfly illusion, but she is determined to find it first. So begins her adventure into the theatres of London alongside her childhood friend, Charley.
Luciana is a girl outside her time who is not prepared to conform to the norms of Victorian society. She wants excitement and adventure, and protecting her Grandfather’s legacy provides her with just this.
This story cleverly weaves together a fast-paced intriguing adventure with social issues related to women’s role in society. Luciana, who is resourceful and determined, has no intention of letting society dictate to her as she searches out more and more pieces of the puzzle leading to the Golden Butterfly. However, the more she finds out … the more questions are raised. Where do her nightmares about fires come from? What does her Grandfather really want her to discover? Will Thursby’s all-consuming desire for the Golden Butterfly lead to the destruction of Luciana’s dreams?
This story is a spectacular jigsaw which, when finished, reveals an incredible family history, steeped in sacrifice and love.
I would highly recommend this book to children of 9+.
Thank you to NetGalley and Stripes Publishing for an e-ARC of this book.

I wish I were in a theatre in a standing ovation shouting Bravo! Encore! And stamping my feet for more.

Within the first chapter I was captivated by Luciana and the sad passing of her beloved Grandfather, the Magnificent Marko!
It doesn’t take long to delve in and find a mystery to be solved. Why did her grandfather stop performing? What is the mystery surrounding The Golden Butterfly and what happened to Adeline, his talented assistant?

Thirteen year old Luciana is talented, in magic tricks, solving puzzles and finding trouble! She becomes embroiled in the plot used to discredit her grandfather and learns some hard truths surrounding her family and her nightmarish fear of fire. Is it a memory or simply a recurring nightmare?

Luciana and her best friend Charley travel to London in search of answers. They find more than they bargained for and have to learn who can be trusted and who is a spy for the dastardly Thursby, the Master of the Grand Society of Magicians. Rumours abound that he doesn’t always play by the rules and accidents happen to great magicians who threaten his own abilities!

The plot continues to thicken with great theatrical applomb and I loved seeing just how far Luciana would go to save the reputation of her Grandfather and his greatest illusion, The Golden Butterfly!

A wonderful story full of colourful characters, magic and women proving men wrong about how clever, talented and wondrous they truly are!