A Second Dose of Sherlock
Ahh summer! So much time for reading. This week I picked up the sequel to one of my favorite reads of the last year, A Study in Charlotte. The second book in Brittany Cavallaro's trilogy, The Last of August was a decent read, though I don't think that it lived up to the excitement and mysterious delight of the first novel.
We reunite with Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes only a few weeks after the events of the first book, over Christmas break. The two young sleuths spend a few days in London with Jamie's family and then trek to the Holmes' family home, Sussex. We meet Charlotte's parents, Emma and Alistair, as well as her beloved uncle Leander. Several uncomfortable dinners later, chaos strikes, throwing Jamie and Charlotte into the thick of an art-forgery ring in Berlin, on the track of Moriartys and in the mix of Milo Holmes' guardsmen and eyes in the skies. As Watson and Holmes struggle with their personal relationship, with August Moriarty thrown in to stir things up, they trawl the streets of Berlin and Prague, attempting to find a missing Leander and uncover a string of Moriarty forgeries. Can they make it out alive and intact, or will the pressure cause their world to explode?
I absolutely loved A Study in Charlotte. It was the best of a Sherlock retelling - witty, chock-full of mystery, but with its own charm and originality. Jamie and Charlotte were carefully constructed contemporary mirrors of their Conan Doyle inspirations. While their relationship is anything but average, it makes some sort of sense for a Watson and a Holmes. In The Last of August, however, I think the relationship between the two is too much in the forefront. So much time is spent trying to parse out the details of their emotions that I as the reader got lost when it came to the actual crime and mystery. I wanted the book to be about the two sleuthing together, not worrying about their feelings. Maybe that's the Holmes in me. On the whole, the mystery in this book was very confusing. I'm not entirely sure that I "got" everything in the end, which leaves me a bit disgruntled as a reader. The best parts of the book were the two chapters narrated by Charlotte. Her unique voice was fresh and new compared to Jamie's dreary worries about Charlotte's emotional well-being. I almost wish that the book was told in alternating chapters of Watson and Holmes' voices. It would have helped me to understand the story, characters and plot, on a new level.
Overall, The Last of August was a bit of a let down after how much I loved A Study in Charlotte. I'm still looking forward to the final book in the trilogy, but I do hope that Cavallaro brings back the delights of the first novel.
Plot: B
Characters: B-
Overall: B
P.S. - Check out my Instagram, nerdybirdbooknook! I post cool pictures, like the one below!
We reunite with Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes only a few weeks after the events of the first book, over Christmas break. The two young sleuths spend a few days in London with Jamie's family and then trek to the Holmes' family home, Sussex. We meet Charlotte's parents, Emma and Alistair, as well as her beloved uncle Leander. Several uncomfortable dinners later, chaos strikes, throwing Jamie and Charlotte into the thick of an art-forgery ring in Berlin, on the track of Moriartys and in the mix of Milo Holmes' guardsmen and eyes in the skies. As Watson and Holmes struggle with their personal relationship, with August Moriarty thrown in to stir things up, they trawl the streets of Berlin and Prague, attempting to find a missing Leander and uncover a string of Moriarty forgeries. Can they make it out alive and intact, or will the pressure cause their world to explode?
I absolutely loved A Study in Charlotte. It was the best of a Sherlock retelling - witty, chock-full of mystery, but with its own charm and originality. Jamie and Charlotte were carefully constructed contemporary mirrors of their Conan Doyle inspirations. While their relationship is anything but average, it makes some sort of sense for a Watson and a Holmes. In The Last of August, however, I think the relationship between the two is too much in the forefront. So much time is spent trying to parse out the details of their emotions that I as the reader got lost when it came to the actual crime and mystery. I wanted the book to be about the two sleuthing together, not worrying about their feelings. Maybe that's the Holmes in me. On the whole, the mystery in this book was very confusing. I'm not entirely sure that I "got" everything in the end, which leaves me a bit disgruntled as a reader. The best parts of the book were the two chapters narrated by Charlotte. Her unique voice was fresh and new compared to Jamie's dreary worries about Charlotte's emotional well-being. I almost wish that the book was told in alternating chapters of Watson and Holmes' voices. It would have helped me to understand the story, characters and plot, on a new level.
Overall, The Last of August was a bit of a let down after how much I loved A Study in Charlotte. I'm still looking forward to the final book in the trilogy, but I do hope that Cavallaro brings back the delights of the first novel.
Plot: B
Characters: B-
Overall: B
P.S. - Check out my Instagram, nerdybirdbooknook! I post cool pictures, like the one below!
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