Review: Scent of Butterflies by Dora Levy Mossanen

Title: Scent of Butterflies
Author: Dora Levy Mossanen
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publish Date: January 7, 2014
Source: I received a copy from the publisher; however, this did not affect my review.

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "A novel singed by the flavors of Tehran, imbued with the Iranian roots of Persepolis and the culture clash of Rooftops of Tehran, this is a striking, nuanced story of a woman caught between two worlds, from the bestselling author of Harem, Courtesan, and The Last Romanov.

A Love So Deep Can Forever Scar the Soul

Such audacity she has, Soraya, a woman who dares to break free of the diamond-studded leash of her culture. A woman who refuses to accept the devastating betrayal her husband has perpetrated. A woman who refuses to forgive her best friend.

Soraya turns her back on Iran, fleeing to America to plot her intricate revenge. The Shah has fallen, her country is in turmoil, her marriage has crumbled, and she is unraveling. The cruel and intimate blow her husband has dealt her awakens an obsessive streak that explodes in the heated world of Los Angeles.

Yet the secret Soraya discovers proves far more devastating than anything she had imagined, unleashing a whirlwind of unexpected events that will leave the reader breathless."

My Two Cents:

"Scent of Butterflies" is the story of Soraya, an Iranian woman, whose heart has been absolutely broken and betrayed by her husband, that she loves beyond everything else, and her best friend, Butterfly. When Soraya finds out that she has been betrayed, she flees to Los Angeles, a place that is so utterly different from Iran. It is there that she plots the ultimate revenge. This book is unlike any other that I have read and I really enjoyed it!

This book is the story of love and revenge. It is a relatively short book but it really packs a punch. I love books where I am surprised by the outcome and this book is definitely one of those. I really could not begin to know where the book was taking me until we got there and it took my breath away! This book has love, mystery, and even a little bit of magical realism with Soraya's super sense of smell (I loved that element of the book).

This book is a really fascinating look at a woman who may have gone over the edge when she finds out that her fairytale love story is not really a fairy tale after all. I am not sure how realistic some of Soraya's reactions are but they fit very well within the realm of this book. This book is definitely a thrill!