When They Burned the Butterfly

In an alternate 1972 Singapore, magic survives in the secret societies being pushed aside by modernization. Adeline Siow has kept her own affinity for fire mostly to herself, until her mother's death reveals a connection to a gang of young women devoted to a fire goddess. Finding Ang Tian, a charismatic member of the Red Butterflies, draws Adeline into that hidden world and into an attraction she did not anticipate. Her search for the killer becomes entangled with questions of succession, survival and what her bloodline makes possible. As rival groups close in, Adeline must navigate a new sense of belonging without overlooking the violence that sustains it.