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.
GENRE:
Young Adult, Mystery
PAGES:
341 pages
PART OF A SERIES?:
First in the Series
RELEASE DATE:
March 1st, 2016
YOU CAN FIND THE BOOK AT:
GOODREADS SUMMARY:
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.
REVIEW:
I recently met Brittany Cavallero at an Epic Reads event at the Last Bookstore in LA. I had gone to see my dear friend, Alexandra Monir, and was excited to meet the two other authors that were headlining, including Brittany. (The other was Rebecca Ross…I can’t wait to read her book). I had seen this book but hadn’t really looked; it came out right after The Awakened came out and I was on deadline for both The Survivor and The Sanctuary so I was so OUT of it. However, as soon as Brittany explained her love for Sherlock Holmes and her desire to tell her own story…I was 100% sold and I ended up getting the book within a few days of that event.
I’m very glad I did. This book is an addiction from page one to the last page. Both characters are great. I love that we get a female version of Sherlock in Charlotte Holmes. Its funny that Sherlock tends to be a very well liked character, even though he has SO many faults and tends to be a jerk at sometimes and I’m curious how forgiving readers would be of Charlotte. There are definitely moments where I want to punch her in the face and then I remind myself how much I love Sherlock in the BBC show and how he’s much the same and it made me a lot more forgiving of Charlotte. It made me think of how we expect way more out of female characters than male characters at time. That being said, I adored her as a character, both her great qualities and flaws. I think it was great that we got to see her through Jamie’s eyes, because Jamie tends to think the best of her, even when he is infuriated with her.
Which brings me to Jamie. I made some friends at that Epic Reads event and everyone had such great things to say about Jamie and now I know exactly how they feel. Jamie is such a fantastic character, intelligent, funny, caring and determined and I adore him for all of that. I adore him for always trying to keep up with Charlotte, and not always doing such a great job, but you don’t care for a moment and Charlotte doesn’t either. The only person that is super hard on Jamie is Jamie. I like being in his head; he’s such a real character who is flawed and determined and ambitious and he makes mistakes but he also thinks so highly of Charlotte, his best friend…its really hard not to love Jamie.
What I think Brittany really accomplishes with this novel is more than just writing a good mystery with characters linked to Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. She writes a Sherlock mystery and it FEELS like it. Its so good and she’s so good at keeping you guessing until the very end of the novel. I’ve delved into enough Sherlock Holmes stories (though not nearly as many as Brittany) and this one definitely feels like it. This mystery is great, the villains are even better and the duo of Holmes and Watson are fresh and new but still feel very familiar. I was SO highly impressed by this book and I can’t wait to continue the series because all I’ve heard is that it gets even better!
RATING:
4.5 out of 5 Stars
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