Published by: Katherine Tegen Books, March 1st 2016
Genre: YA, Mystery, Retellings
Pages: 336
Format: Ebook
Source: Katherine Tegen
The last thing Jamie Watson wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s great-great-great-granddaughter, who has inherited not only Sherlock’s genius but also his volatile temperament. From everything Jamie has heard about Charlotte, it seems safer to admire her from afar.
From the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else. But when a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Jamie and Charlotte are being framed for murder, and only Charlotte can clear their names. But danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.
A Study in Charlotte is the first in a trilogy.
From the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else. But when a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Jamie and Charlotte are being framed for murder, and only Charlotte can clear their names. But danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.
A Study in Charlotte is the first in a trilogy.
I've decided to rate this 5 star, and go with my heart-rating, not my brain-rating. Because I loved this book. It immersed me fully in the nostalgic experience of reading the original stories for the first time.
Charlotte and James are great characters, without being carbon copies of Sherlock and John. Charlotte is the most like her ancestor, but that similarity is very well explained - stoicism, her knowledge, and her skill set have been bred into her since birth. She's trained to be that way. But over the course of the book we do see her break away from what she's supposed to be in order to be friends with James, and we also see her buckle under pressure, which was nicely realistic and made me really feel for her. I loved the relationship between the two, and while a big part of my is dying for romance, I also really hope they'll be best friends forever. Other great relationships in this book include friendships (and betrayal!) and father-son stuff which was an unexpected surprise.
What this book does fairly well is realistically portray a victim dealing with rape, particularly sex she was too high to consent to. It isn't presented as Charlotte's fault AT ANY POINT, which I really appreciated.
As for the story, it's a great multi-faceted mystery. There's a villain that stands out a mile, but this book tricks you into thinking it's too obvious. Also, she's just a puppet so it's kinda-her-kinda-not-her at the same time. I will say the archetypes (of Holmes, Watson, and Moriarty) feel a bit forced at points. I'm tired of the every-Moriarty-is-a-bad-guy thing, but I'm hoping we'll meet another Moriarty in the second book and that'll all be resolved.
Well written, well researched, and full of love for the originals. It was pretty emotional to see my own passion for the Sherlock Holmes stories mirrored in this book, and I loved it.
Charlotte and James are great characters, without being carbon copies of Sherlock and John. Charlotte is the most like her ancestor, but that similarity is very well explained - stoicism, her knowledge, and her skill set have been bred into her since birth. She's trained to be that way. But over the course of the book we do see her break away from what she's supposed to be in order to be friends with James, and we also see her buckle under pressure, which was nicely realistic and made me really feel for her. I loved the relationship between the two, and while a big part of my is dying for romance, I also really hope they'll be best friends forever. Other great relationships in this book include friendships (and betrayal!) and father-son stuff which was an unexpected surprise.
What this book does fairly well is realistically portray a victim dealing with rape, particularly sex she was too high to consent to. It isn't presented as Charlotte's fault AT ANY POINT, which I really appreciated.
As for the story, it's a great multi-faceted mystery. There's a villain that stands out a mile, but this book tricks you into thinking it's too obvious. Also, she's just a puppet so it's kinda-her-kinda-not-her at the same time. I will say the archetypes (of Holmes, Watson, and Moriarty) feel a bit forced at points. I'm tired of the every-Moriarty-is-a-bad-guy thing, but I'm hoping we'll meet another Moriarty in the second book and that'll all be resolved.
Well written, well researched, and full of love for the originals. It was pretty emotional to see my own passion for the Sherlock Holmes stories mirrored in this book, and I loved it.
Characters ★★★★☆
Setting/world ★★★★☆
Writing ★★★★☆
Setting/world ★★★★☆
Writing ★★★★☆
Ahh I really liked the sound of this one but I wasn't sure about it so I'm so glad to see you liked it!! I'll be adding it to my list for sure!
ReplyDeleteIt's so cute and good and I LOVED IT!!
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