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pswords72's review
5.0
Intriguing, witty, engaging story. If you like Sherlock Holmes, this is a must read.
artemischief's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
4.75
heatherems's review against another edition
4.0
Happily surprised by how fresh and fun this series is! The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King has been on my TBR list for a LONG time. This series is conceptualized to have occurred after the original stories of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, has ended. So, this occurs later in Holmes's life, after he has "retired". He meets a teen named Mary Russell on the hills and dales of England, they form a friendship and then he takes her under his wing and recognizing a mind as brilliant as his own, begins to teach her in the fine arts of detection and logic. The characters are warm, believable and well-developed. There is character development AND mystery! Intelligent writing, a staunch feminist bent and humor too! I'm so pleased that there are many more books in this series. Recommended for mystery fans who like more character development and are intrigued with the idea of what happens to Sherlock Holmes in his later life.
missposabule's review
3.0
I enjoyed the majority of this book (despite it at times feeling like a fanfic), but was frustrated at the end when the main villain whom Russell and Holmes were up against turned out to be Moriarty's daughter the whole time, AND she was also insane, which was why she was targeting them. It felt a bit cliched, and it was too bad that the story had to end on that note.
Also, I did happen to know beforehand that Russell and Holmes get married later in the series, which given the age difference of several decades between the two of them, made it difficult to enjoy their interactions. If their relationship had been kept strictly plutonic then I would have enjoyed this book a lot more.
Also, I did happen to know beforehand that Russell and Holmes get married later in the series, which given the age difference of several decades between the two of them, made it difficult to enjoy their interactions. If their relationship had been kept strictly plutonic then I would have enjoyed this book a lot more.
maryannmc's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed this much more than I anticipated. Really do think I will read book 2.
papayastar's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.25
kristin_roemer's review against another edition
2.0
Man, I feel like I slogged through this book. Stylistically, it seemed pretty similar to the original Holmes books I love, but I could not. Get. In. To. This. At. All. Also the story was ruined for me when I picked up and read the back of one of the later books in the series and saw "Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes...". I'm sorry, she is 19 in this book and he is 56. I don't think so. From there on out, I was skeeved out any time I saw that Holmes "murmured" something to her (although they don't get together in this book).
gnobles's review against another edition
4.0
It may be cheating to give this book 4 stars on the basis of something I haven’t even read yet, but let me just say that every single “romantic” moment (of which there were, thankfully, few) in this book gave me the ick on a MASSIVE level. This is a child and that is an alcoholic. I loved loved loved everything about this book when I viewed it through the lens of a type of father/daughter relationship - it’s unfortunate that in later books it turns so incestuous. I adored this book and I think that to preserve my adoration I won’t read more of the books in this series. 10/10 for feminist dad Sherlock Holmes…0/10 for pedophile Sherlock Holmes.
debrabrinckley's review
4.0
I must admit I am not generally a fan of mysteries but this one caught my attention. Intriguing concept and interesting character development. The mystery element kept me guessing which was nice, however a few of the plot turns were hard to swallow. Overall an enjoyable leisure read.