Black Butterfly by Katie L. Carroll

Is she the hero or the villain? Black Butterfly wakes to a country devastated by terrorist attacks, supposedly at the hands of the Chinese government. She remembers nothing of her personal life—not even her name. All she knows is that she was in New York City on the day of the attacks. Though, she soon discovers she has an unsettling repertoire of violent talents. Elijah and his found family of off-gridders from upstate New York take in Black Butterfly and mend her wounds. With nowhere else to go, she joins them as they head to a rally in Washington D.C. The eclectic group begins to feel like the family she can’t remember—or never had. An encounter with Luca, a spy for a shadowy government agency, confirms Black Butterfly’s worst suspicions about who she was in the life she can’t remember. As more memories surface, Black Butterfly heads to the agency’s headquarters to find out who’s behind the terrorist attacks. It’s unclear whether she intends to reveal the truth or go back to her villainous way. And it’s more than her life she’s putting at risk.

Young Adult • Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense • Diversity Representation/LGBTQ+/Own Voices • Science Fiction/Dystopian • Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense/Spies and Politics

Content Warning: References to SA Scenes that depict violence, death, terrorist attacks, and psychological and physical torture Main character experiences memory loss due to a head injury and has thoughts of self-harm and suicidal ideation