Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

L'allieva di Sherlock Holmes by Laurie R. King

8 reviews

bookwyrmknits's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

I enjoyed this book, though not as much as I had hoped to. I’m not sure I will be continuing with the series; while I did enjoy the book, it also wasn’t quite what I had expected (or wanted) from the tone, and up until the last third or so of the book I didn’t really get to a “must pick this book back up” state. I may revisit more of the series at some point, but I’m not sure yet.

The plot was interesting, and it was a reminder to myself that I should trust my mystery book instincts more... I had a hunch about the whodunnit, but since the characters weren't considering that angle at all, I let myself forget about it.

I guess I just never got hooked on the characters as presented in this book. I didn't connect with Mary Russell in a way that compelled me to keep reading, and Holmes and Watson both felt close enough to their original versions that there was nothing "new" there for me to discover. (Perhaps in later books I would connect more with the characters, but that hasn't happened yet.)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Car accident, Death of parent, and Cultural appropriation

cj13's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, and Car accident

Moderate: Child death, Misogyny, and Death of parent

lisaarnsdorf's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Way too long! The first part of the novel, culminating in the kidnapping, was the perfect ending place, in my opinion. But the story kept going and the cat and mouse portion of the book was seemingly endless. I almost threw in the towel when Mary Russel and Sherlock Holmes took an unrelated trip to Israel. Mary starts the section by telling us she isn’t going to bore us with all the details, and then she bores us with all the details. There were no clues leading us to the culprit, so it seemed completely uninspired and random, and frankly, lazy. I do not plan to read any more of this series.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Kidnapping

Minor: Gun violence

brandilovesbooks's review against another edition

adventurous informative mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Mary Russel spends much of her time with her nose in a book.  She often reads while walking.  This is how she literally stumbles upon Sherlock Holmes.  He is taken in by her keen observation skills and her witty comebacks.  They soon become friends.  He mentors her and teaches her all the tricks of his trade.  Before he knows it, she is solving mysteries at his side.  Has he taught her enough to track down his most worthy opponent yet?

I am a HUGE fan of Sherlock and books based on his character and problem solving abilities.  I LOVE that Laurie R. King continues Sherlock's stories but changes the narrator.  Mary Russel is a fabulous new character.  

The book is slow paced.  There is a great deal of relationship building and getting to know the characters.  The mysteries are complex .  It was an excellent audio book.  The narrator had distinct voices for each of the characters.

I would recommend The Beekeeper's Apprentice to anyone who loves Sherlock Holmes, loves mysteries, or loves strong female MCs.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Kidnapping, Car accident, Murder, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

eamily's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Terminal illness, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Dementia, Medical trauma, and War

caramellattekiss's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

This attempts to tell a feminist Sherlock Holmes story, but I found Mary Russell the worst kind of "not like other girls" Mary-Sue. She is beautiful, has a mind to match Holmes, is wealthy, is excellent at physical pursuits, can create perfect disguises...the list goes on and on, and all at the age of 15. I found Mary deeply irritating. 

Sherlock Holmes is pretty out of character for most of the book and spends a lot of time talking about how wonderful Russell is compared to the bumbling idiot Watson. I really disliked the constant putting down of Watson. I'm not sure King has actually read much Sherlock Holmes, or she'd know that these two men have a lot of love and respect for each other. Watson might not be a teenage genius, but he's not a fool. 

The mystery itself is a fun read, with satisfying twists and turns. The clues for the final reveal are all laid, without giving everything away. The fun story saved this book from being a DNF, even though the characters were largely unlikeable. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

hafable's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence and Cultural appropriation

inameitlater's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Kidnapping

Moderate: Addiction, Suicide, and Murder