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campbelltaral's review against another edition
I couldn't finish this one. Got about halfway through and still didn't have a clear sense of the mystery; up to that point, the story was made up of the protagonist navel gazing. Such a bummer because I really liked the first book and had high hopes for this one.
being_b's review against another edition
3.0
I adore the character of Janet Watson, but this whole book felt like a weird epilogue to Book 1 rather than a story in its own right.
rikerandom's review against another edition
4.0
I'm torn, really torn. I liked this a lot more than the first one. But it's so much about race and especially blackness, black history, black culture and I only just realised that it's written by a white woman and that's kind of a problem simply because race is such an important aspect of the story.
lezreadalot's review against another edition
2.0
All those people like to say romance is nothing special. We all need something to take us through the bad times. We all need books where there’s a happy ending.
I don't usually do the quote thing when I didn't enjoy a book very much, but this one stood out to me. As well as every time Holmes called Watson "my love" because I can't get enough of that.
Otherwise... this was honestly such a disappointment. It had none of the magic and charm and excitement that I felt reading that first book, and all the little flaws I noticed and nitpicks I had in the first book came back with a vengeance. I guess part of me wants this book to be something it's not. ACD Holmes is about solving mysteries and I loved that about it. There's none of that here and I kept expecting it and when it kept not happening... it was a let down. And I mean that's not the book's problem, but the actual plot was not gripping at all. I skimmed a LOT. On paper, it remains as intriguing as it was in the first book, (near future but scifi! civil war! race and ethics!) and I like that it deals with real life issues that mean so much to me but also. There's just lots and LOTS of telling, very little showing or exploring. No subtlety whatsoever. The writing seemed clumsy and bare-bones. Watson's diary entries read like prose instead of her innermost thoughts. There really was not enough H/W interaction. And I'm pissed all over again that Holmes is a fucking fed, and that [spoiler character] is evil. Also at Micha being a mistress of great disguise when that was Holmes' thing.
This list of dislikes seems petulant and I guess it is. And I mean there are definitely a couple good points about this book. But I honestly have to ask myself if I read the first one with rose-coloured glasses because... oof. This missed the mark in very many places.
2.5 stars.
I don't usually do the quote thing when I didn't enjoy a book very much, but this one stood out to me. As well as every time Holmes called Watson "my love" because I can't get enough of that.
Otherwise... this was honestly such a disappointment. It had none of the magic and charm and excitement that I felt reading that first book, and all the little flaws I noticed and nitpicks I had in the first book came back with a vengeance. I guess part of me wants this book to be something it's not. ACD Holmes is about solving mysteries and I loved that about it. There's none of that here and I kept expecting it and when it kept not happening... it was a let down. And I mean that's not the book's problem, but the actual plot was not gripping at all. I skimmed a LOT. On paper, it remains as intriguing as it was in the first book, (near future but scifi! civil war! race and ethics!) and I like that it deals with real life issues that mean so much to me but also. There's just lots and LOTS of telling, very little showing or exploring. No subtlety whatsoever. The writing seemed clumsy and bare-bones. Watson's diary entries read like prose instead of her innermost thoughts. There really was not enough H/W interaction. And I'm pissed all over again that Holmes is a fucking fed, and that [spoiler character] is evil. Also at Micha being a mistress of great disguise when that was Holmes' thing.
This list of dislikes seems petulant and I guess it is. And I mean there are definitely a couple good points about this book. But I honestly have to ask myself if I read the first one with rose-coloured glasses because... oof. This missed the mark in very many places.
2.5 stars.
soundsgay_imin's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
olegx's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Сложно рекомендовать как "просто" холмсианский пастиш. Но как "отталкиваясь от тех персонажей, чтобы рассказать свою историю" книга очень сильная.
apurpleyuan's review against another edition
1.0
Boy, one of the worst books I've ever read. The writing is unbelievably stilted; so much of it reads like a newsletter describing the action, and it isn't immersive at all. The inserted politics, the references to Trump or nationalized healthcare or police brutality strike incredibly fake, like someone turned a bland political mailer into a book. It really feels like the author has a very general sense of social justice without any actual experience with it, and then she tried to hamfist it all in a book because "all books are political."
The way I described this book to my husband was: it gave me the same feeling as this libertarian satire short story, except for liberals, and unironic. It was that bad.
The way I described this book to my husband was: it gave me the same feeling as this libertarian satire short story, except for liberals, and unironic. It was that bad.
hrjones's review against another edition
5.0
The second book in O’Dell’s near-future Sherlockian thriller series takes the reader on a game of cat-and-mouse where our protagonist, Dr. Janet Watson, struggles in the midst of chaos and danger to continue trusting her colleague/housemate/friend--I would say “partner” except that word carries some erroneous implications when you’re talking about two queer women--Sara Holmes.
Janet’s progress to reclaim her career as a surgeon in the face of reliance on a high-tech prosthetic arm is derailed when disappears abruptly, and then leads Janet on a terrifying treasure-hunt of clues, contacts, and disguises deep into the heart of enemy territory on a rescue mission that requires her still-uncertain surgical skills.
I’ve grown very attached both to Watson and to the maddeningly unpredictable Holmes, whose background we learn more about in hints and the rare quiet moments of the story. There’s plenty of action and all-too-realistic violence, as well as a sketch of a fractured America that is terrifyingly believable these days.
If you like twisty, fast-paced thrillers that center queer women of color, then you may love this series as much as I do. (Probably best to start with the first book, A Study in Honor, though if you’re a quick study and comfortable with filling in backstory in your head, you could read this one first.)
Janet’s progress to reclaim her career as a surgeon in the face of reliance on a high-tech prosthetic arm is derailed when disappears abruptly, and then leads Janet on a terrifying treasure-hunt of clues, contacts, and disguises deep into the heart of enemy territory on a rescue mission that requires her still-uncertain surgical skills.
I’ve grown very attached both to Watson and to the maddeningly unpredictable Holmes, whose background we learn more about in hints and the rare quiet moments of the story. There’s plenty of action and all-too-realistic violence, as well as a sketch of a fractured America that is terrifyingly believable these days.
If you like twisty, fast-paced thrillers that center queer women of color, then you may love this series as much as I do. (Probably best to start with the first book, A Study in Honor, though if you’re a quick study and comfortable with filling in backstory in your head, you could read this one first.)
jillyfae's review against another edition
I found all the individual elements of the book: style & setting & characters & plot, to be interesting, but I realized I wanted to have read it more than I was enjoying actually reading so I will try again when my brain and mood seem to fit it better.
I would absolutely recommend it to anyone else though.
I would absolutely recommend it to anyone else though.
annaswan's review against another edition
The illustration has the wrong arm as a prosthetic... again