Scan barcode
A review by literaryweaponry
A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
4.0
This review and others can be found at Literary Weaponry
The other night I was watching the newest episode of Sherlock. You know, the one that was released in 2017. Yup, I’m behind. I kept waiting to watch it knowing that it would be along time until the next one but I finally gave in. While it was an excellent episode, it left me hungering for more Sherlockian fun. So, I thought, why not see if I could find a Sherlock/Holmes retelling? Lo and behold, Meltotheany had recommended A Study in Charlotte so I decided to give it a try.
I admit, I don’t usually read books set in a modern setting. I’m much more of a SFF or historical fiction kind of reader. But, I figured I would pick it up from the library and see how it was.
I’m glad I did.
There were certainly no characters in this story I’d say I would truly root for, but that is part of the fun. Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson are at a prep school in Connecticut which was a little odd to wrap my head around. The New England coastline is certainly not where I expected to find an iconic dynamic duo.
The story, as expected, is told from Watson’s perspective which was a nice hold over from the originals. Watson is the more relatable character, the one more mirroring the common person unlike Holmes who, no matter their iteration, is extraordinary. Watson wasn’t particular fascinating but his character served the traditional purpose. Without Watson, Holmes would diminished.
You know what? I’m not really sure what to say. I enjoyed this book, it was a fun little romp that filled my need for a Holmes/Watson retelling. There were great details, a good story buildup, and even though I guessed the big baddy I could easily have seen it being four or five other people. It tackled themes like drug addiction and rape which, for a YA novel, seems to be very rare so it was nice that those things were addressed in a more appropriate manner.
Overall, this was a good book and a fast, simple read. In fact, I enjoyed it enough I may see if the library has the next book of the series. /endofbadlywrittenreview
The other night I was watching the newest episode of Sherlock. You know, the one that was released in 2017. Yup, I’m behind. I kept waiting to watch it knowing that it would be along time until the next one but I finally gave in. While it was an excellent episode, it left me hungering for more Sherlockian fun. So, I thought, why not see if I could find a Sherlock/Holmes retelling? Lo and behold, Meltotheany had recommended A Study in Charlotte so I decided to give it a try.
I admit, I don’t usually read books set in a modern setting. I’m much more of a SFF or historical fiction kind of reader. But, I figured I would pick it up from the library and see how it was.
I’m glad I did.
There were certainly no characters in this story I’d say I would truly root for, but that is part of the fun. Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson are at a prep school in Connecticut which was a little odd to wrap my head around. The New England coastline is certainly not where I expected to find an iconic dynamic duo.
The story, as expected, is told from Watson’s perspective which was a nice hold over from the originals. Watson is the more relatable character, the one more mirroring the common person unlike Holmes who, no matter their iteration, is extraordinary. Watson wasn’t particular fascinating but his character served the traditional purpose. Without Watson, Holmes would diminished.
You know what? I’m not really sure what to say. I enjoyed this book, it was a fun little romp that filled my need for a Holmes/Watson retelling. There were great details, a good story buildup, and even though I guessed the big baddy I could easily have seen it being four or five other people. It tackled themes like drug addiction and rape which, for a YA novel, seems to be very rare so it was nice that those things were addressed in a more appropriate manner.
Overall, this was a good book and a fast, simple read. In fact, I enjoyed it enough I may see if the library has the next book of the series. /endofbadlywrittenreview