BOOK REVIEW : A Study In Charlotte by
Brittany Cavallaro
BY SULPHIA IQBAL
(3 out of 5 books)
MY RATING:
SYNOPSIS
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.
MY
THOUGHTS:
When I
first saw this book on Epic Reads , I
immediately knew that I’d have to get my hands on it. I love pretty much all
things Sherlock. The stories. The BBC show ( though I only watched a few
episodes ). The Funko Pops. Everything. When I see A Study In Charlotte, a book
about two descendents of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson ( respectively ), I’m
basically jumping up and down with glee. Any Sherlockian would love this book
at first glance.
In this
book, we are told that the stories in Adventures of Sherlock Holmes are, in
fact, not stories at all, but rather a true, though not fully accurate, account
of Sherlock’s cases by John Watson. Arthur Conan Doyle just happens to be their
literary agent.
When James Watson meets Charlotte Holmes, the epitome of her
ancestor Sherlock, there is an awkward and intense energy between them which
had me really excited because I really wanted to know how these two could
possibly work together.
CHARACTERS
One thing
I loved about this book was the fact that Jamie narrates the book, just like
his ancestor John Watson narrated Sherlock’s adventures. You can tell that
clearly , at times, Charlotte can be a very confusing person to work with, and
yet he puts up with it all, knowing that she was a Holmes. It’s in her blood.
For
some reason, I didn’t really like Charlotte as a character. Maybe I had higher
expectations. In the beginning, she seemed like the “ I’m so great and everyone
around me are a bunch of buffoons” type . Nevertheless, later in the book you
can see that she clearly carries more emotion than any of her family members.
And yes, that’s a huge deal. Unfortunately, she also carries the horrible
habits that Sherlock had as well, much to Jamie’s annoyance. She , of course,
is naturally a great detective and shares a love for chemistry and the violin ,
like her great-great-great grandfather. In the end, she was ready to go to jail
for something she didn’t do to save Jamie. I guess that says something.
PlOT
The
idea was great. The way it was played out? Eh.
The
mystery was a great one. It was pretty hard trying to figure out the
perpetrator. But it didn't seem perfect. The whole idea of a guy in their
school, who Jamie had just happened to get into a fight with and the guy
Charlotte despises, being murdered and then the two teenagers being framed for
it was pretty exciting. But aside from that, it’s all pretty blant. I’d maybe
go as far as to say that the story seemed to focus more on Jamie and Charlotte than
the actual crime itself.
On the
positive side, I really did like how each of Sherlock’s adventures were
implemented in this crime. It was as if the author was letting only Sherlock
fans in on a secret only they would understand. For example, when a student
almost died at the school dance, they discovered a plastic gem stuffed down her
throat, just like goose in The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle.
IN THE
END
In the
end, I guess it was a good quick read. It wasn’t the best book ,but it
certainly wasn't the worst. I would totally give it a try.
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