About the Book:Title: The Last of August (Charlotte Holmes #2)
Author: Brittany Cavallaro
Pub. Date: February 14, 2017
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Pages: 336
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Synopsis:
Watson and Holmes: A match made in disaster.
Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes are looking for a winter-break reprieve after a fall semester that almost got them killed. But Charlotte isn’t the only Holmes with secrets, and the mood at her family’s Sussex estate is palpably tense. On top of everything else, Holmes and Watson could be becoming morethan friends—but still, the darkness in Charlotte’s past is a wall between them.
A distraction arises soon enough, because Charlotte’s beloved uncle Leander goes missing from the estate—after being oddly private about his latest assignment in a German art forgery ring. The game is afoot once again, and Charlotte is single-minded in her pursuit.
Their first stop? Berlin. Their first contact? August Moriarty (formerly Charlotte’s obsession, currently believed by most to be dead), whose powerful family has been ripping off famous paintings for the last hundred years. But as they follow the gritty underground scene in Berlin to glittering art houses in Prague, Holmes and Watson begin to realize that this is a much more complicated case than a disappearance. Much more dangerous, too.
What they learn might change everything they know about their families, themselves, and each other.
Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes are looking for a winter-break reprieve after a fall semester that almost got them killed. But Charlotte isn’t the only Holmes with secrets, and the mood at her family’s Sussex estate is palpably tense. On top of everything else, Holmes and Watson could be becoming morethan friends—but still, the darkness in Charlotte’s past is a wall between them.
A distraction arises soon enough, because Charlotte’s beloved uncle Leander goes missing from the estate—after being oddly private about his latest assignment in a German art forgery ring. The game is afoot once again, and Charlotte is single-minded in her pursuit.
Their first stop? Berlin. Their first contact? August Moriarty (formerly Charlotte’s obsession, currently believed by most to be dead), whose powerful family has been ripping off famous paintings for the last hundred years. But as they follow the gritty underground scene in Berlin to glittering art houses in Prague, Holmes and Watson begin to realize that this is a much more complicated case than a disappearance. Much more dangerous, too.
What they learn might change everything they know about their families, themselves, and each other.
Review:
It's no secret that I'm obsessed with all things Sherlock Holmes, and I loved Ms. Cavallaro's debut, A Study in Charlotte. While this book wasn't everything I was expecting, I still enjoyed it a great deal. I liked where Ms. Cavallaro went with the characters and the story, and I'm definitely still excited to check out the third book in this series.
The plot of this story was good, but not really what I was expecting in the sequel following such a strong start. There wasn't really as much 'solving mysteries,' and doing what Holmes and Watson do best. There was much more focus on more romantic relationships and teenage angst. Now don't get me wrong, it was fine and still enjoyable, but not what I thought I would get from a Sherlock Holmes themed story. There was much more in this book that I could figure out in regards to the mystery of the missing uncle. Again though, I still enjoyed the mystery because it was very well written. It kept me interested until the ending.
I think if I would have known from the get go that this book was going to serve the purpose of developing the characters more, I would have gone into the book differently and perhaps given it a higher rating. But ultimately, that was the reason I gave it 3.5 stars. Regardless of this though, I really like where Ms. Cavallaro is taking Holmes and Watson. I found myself caring much more about them than I did in the first book. I love that Jamie is the main narrator of this book with Charlotte occasionally taking over the story. It's a unique way to tell the story and allows the reader to get into the mind of Charlotte Holmes. We definitely see a more vulnerable side to Charlotte in this story which was a nice change of pace. But don't worry, she's still a Holmes through and through. Since I've been shipping Jamie and Charlotte since basically the very first page of the first book, I was hoping that there would be a little more development in regards to their relationship, but it was still slow as ever. There are definitely some great moments with them together and I'm happy with where I see their relationship going. Those small moments made everything worth it. You see how much they truly care for each other, and although they both can be a bit (okay...a lot) stubborn, neither wants to hurt the other.
Overall, I would say check this out if you were a fan of the first book. Be aware that it's much more character driven than the previous book, and because of that it is a little slow. While it was a bit lacking, it was still an enjoyable story that leaves me ready for the third book! I am excited to see where Ms. Cavallaro takes this series and these characters!
The plot of this story was good, but not really what I was expecting in the sequel following such a strong start. There wasn't really as much 'solving mysteries,' and doing what Holmes and Watson do best. There was much more focus on more romantic relationships and teenage angst. Now don't get me wrong, it was fine and still enjoyable, but not what I thought I would get from a Sherlock Holmes themed story. There was much more in this book that I could figure out in regards to the mystery of the missing uncle. Again though, I still enjoyed the mystery because it was very well written. It kept me interested until the ending.
I think if I would have known from the get go that this book was going to serve the purpose of developing the characters more, I would have gone into the book differently and perhaps given it a higher rating. But ultimately, that was the reason I gave it 3.5 stars. Regardless of this though, I really like where Ms. Cavallaro is taking Holmes and Watson. I found myself caring much more about them than I did in the first book. I love that Jamie is the main narrator of this book with Charlotte occasionally taking over the story. It's a unique way to tell the story and allows the reader to get into the mind of Charlotte Holmes. We definitely see a more vulnerable side to Charlotte in this story which was a nice change of pace. But don't worry, she's still a Holmes through and through. Since I've been shipping Jamie and Charlotte since basically the very first page of the first book, I was hoping that there would be a little more development in regards to their relationship, but it was still slow as ever. There are definitely some great moments with them together and I'm happy with where I see their relationship going. Those small moments made everything worth it. You see how much they truly care for each other, and although they both can be a bit (okay...a lot) stubborn, neither wants to hurt the other.
Overall, I would say check this out if you were a fan of the first book. Be aware that it's much more character driven than the previous book, and because of that it is a little slow. While it was a bit lacking, it was still an enjoyable story that leaves me ready for the third book! I am excited to see where Ms. Cavallaro takes this series and these characters!
Happy reading :)
~Cassie
No comments:
Post a Comment