A while back I found a reader copy request form. After asking and receiving it, I realized it was book two. I did find book one, but never got around to reading it. After receiving the second book, there was still no reading of it. I only realized why I had the delay the night I read them. They are books that must be read “at the right time,” otherwise you will not be ready for them. The books were A Blanket of Butterflies (The Spirit of Denendeh Volume One) and As I Enfold You in Petals (The Spirit of Denendeh, Volume 2). They are by Richard Van Camp and illustrations by Scott B. Henderson, and Donovan Yaciuk and Nickolej Villiger.
Perhaps the most important thing is to read volumes one and two together and in order (plus, if you find volumes three on, please let me know). The world of the people on the pages comes to life. The hopes, dreams, past and even future. As we follow the characters to a conclusion both satisfying and frustrating, things can be a smidgen disjointed. It feels as if we have started in the middle of things, yet, you keep moving along. There is an outsider who has come to the town to retrieve a piece of his family’s past, but finds himself intertwined with the present of the village. The mixture of First Nation and Japanese cultures seem to not be relevant, but are more alike than different. It is not a quick read though it is easy to read on the surface. The art is what drew me in. A Blanket of Butterflies is both a darkness and lightness combined. It can feel coarse and smooth. And is emotional but matter of fact. Strong triggers with violence and some racism occur..
I am posting the same review for volume two as I did for one, as both books are mirrors of each and are radically different. As I Enfold You in Petals takes on new people, repeating one major one and a few supporting characters. We see the community itself instead of an outsider coming in. I am curious to how things will work out, as I was intrigued by how book one is not completely separate from two yet, they are each their own stories. You can see a major player from volume one in a group setting in volume two, yet, there are new ideas and themes coming into play.
There are a few things that were bumps for me. The first is that the character of Crow is awkward at times but still interesting (looking forward to finding out more about them). They are the past (they have/believe in the old magic and are reclaiming their heritage with facial tattoos), but obviously a person of now (due to their outfit). The second is there was a teasing to what the tattoos mean (Crow’s facial tattoos were created especially for the story), but I did not feel the explanation was complete. It was a generalization of what things could mean and not the specifics. Therefore, this means a second read is needed. The biggest difference between volumes one and two is that magic is real and obvious in book two whereas, though there is a ghostly spirit, it is a bit less “in your face” for me. Also, the triggers this time are alcoholism and mental abuse.
The introductions can be read before if you want a direction to where the story goes, or you can read both introductions and the afterwards after the reading of the text. Both have strong insights and have the explanation of the tattoos in volume two.
