Sunday, March 6, 2016

Review: A Study in Charlotte


Title: A Study in Charlotte
Author: Brittany Cavallaro
Publication Date:  March 1st, 2016
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: Bought it
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository
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.
"The prompt didn't help me much, since all poems were difficult for me to write. They were like mirrors you held up to a black hole, or surrealist paintings. I liked things that made sense. Stories. Cause and effect."

This was a great retelling of some of my favorite characters, Sherlock and Watson. I really enjoyed Brittany Cavallaro's take on these characters using their descendants as the main characters. This was a really well done debut novel that I basically read in one sitting. I've lately really gotten into Sherlock retellings reading Jackaby and Lock & Mori.

This book definitely kept me enthralled and invested in these characters and their quest. The writing in this book was really well done and there were a lot of great witty phrases. For me the best part of the writing was the dialogue. It was so well done and made the story.

The only real issue I had with this book was the pop culture references. I only mind them because it dates the book and makes it relevant now, but potentially not in the future. However, I cannot wait to read more from these characters and see what Jamie and Charlotte get up to next, I believe this is a trilogy and I'm already eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Completely, unrelated but the epilogue to this book is spot on. It really tied the entire story together and made it that much better.