Tips for Tuesday - Books: The Locked Ward & The Wrong Daughter; Movie: The Secret of Butterflies

We may have been given complimentary copies and/or access for review purposes to any books, products, and/or any other visual or audio media mentioned below. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

Books: The Locked Ward & The Wrong Daughter        

Today, we recommend The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkaanen. Amanda discovers that she has a twin sister she never knew about. Not only that. Her sister, Georgia, has been accused of brutally murdering the biological child of the family she grew up in.  However, she insists she didn't do it, and if that's true, Amanda may be the only one who can help her.

This is an intriguing thriller with some shocking plot twists. Almost nothing is what it seems in this exciting book. Family secrets, powerful families trying to control the narrative, and the bonds of sisterhood are just a few of the juicier aspects of the plot. Although one of the major plot twists is strongly hinted at and can probably be at least partially guessed before it is actually revealed towards the end of the book, it does not directly relate to the main mystery, and therefore doesn't spoil the book. 

Today, we are talking about The Wrong Sister by Claire Douglas. Tasha and Alice are lookalike sisters who are completely different. When Alice and her husband offer to stay with Tasha's children while Tasha and her husband visit Alice's home in another country, Alice and her husband are attacked, and her husband is killed. Then, a mysterious note arrives, and it seems that Tasha may have been the intended victim.

The description of this book is very misleading. While everything that is described is accurate and does occur in the book, not everything is related in the way that is implied in the description. In fact, that is one of the major problems with this book: too many things are happening that seem like they relate to the main story, but not all of them do. This makes the plot confusing, at times hard to follow, and even frustrating.

That being said, the characters are intriguing. Some aspects of the plot are quite interesting and unique. Plus, some surprising revelations along the way keep things exciting. However, all the red herrings that turn out to have nothing to do with the main plot are annoying and prevent the book from being as enjoyable as it could be if all of the parts of the story were more directly connected.

Movie: The Secret of Butterflies 

Today, we are talking about The Secret of Butterflies. This is the story of a young orphaned insect who needs to find his own inner strentgh and learn how to fly to prevent an evil spider from taking over the insect world. This is a visually beautiful film full of extremely vibrant colors. It is a little too intense for very small children, but elementary school-age children should enjoy it. 

And that's our view. The Locked Ward and The Wrong Sister were published today. The Secret of Butterflies is available for purchase or rental on Amazon, but not in all locations. 

Tune in tomorrow for Where-To-Go Wednesday. 

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