brianareads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Murder
Minor: Rape and Drug abuse
sapphic_swiftie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.5
this book was certainly not as good as the first book in the series, a study in charlotte, but i still really enjoyed it!! one of my favorite things about it was the different settings!! they were all so cool and set such a perfect vibe! i was also really fond of the whole art forgery aspect being a person who likes art history. just like the first book, it was super engaging and addicting especially with all of the usual cleverness and wittiness :)
one thing that i didn't like though was how confusing the plot was at times. thinking back now having read this book a little while ago, i'm struggling to remember a whole lot of the major plot events. i think this is partially due to the fact that i didn't fully understand everything the first time. the ending especially confused me, but i'm really hoping that the next book with clear some things up. there also felt like there were just so so many characters to keep track of too which also make it difficult at times. despite, these few qualms, i am still eager to read the next book in the series, the case for jamie, (hopefully) sometime soon!!
one thing that i didn't like though was how confusing the plot was at times. thinking back now having read this book a little while ago, i'm struggling to remember a whole lot of the major plot events. i think this is partially due to the fact that i didn't fully understand everything the first time. the ending especially confused me, but i'm really hoping that the next book with clear some things up. there also felt like there were just so so many characters to keep track of too which also make it difficult at times. despite, these few qualms, i am still eager to read the next book in the series, the case for jamie, (hopefully) sometime soon!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Kidnapping, and Stalking
Minor: Confinement and Rape
teagan105's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this book was fun but also a little confusing and i’m kind of lost on the ending but also i get it? and charlotte is such a self destructive disaster but i love her so much
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
lyla_wicks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
although i was very invested in charlotte and jamie’s relationship developing, i found that it got too toxic for me at a lot of points throughout this book, which made it quite a lot harder for me to enjoy. as for the actual mystery, i did find it a bit hard to follow at some points, especially towards the end when everything was ‘revealed’, and feel that this was a bit rushed. despite this, i did have a good time reading this book and am excited to see where the series goes in the next books.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, and Sexual assault
Minor: Drug use, Vomit, and Rape
elizasavannah's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I really liked the first book in the series, so I was excited to read the next book. I didn’t really love this one. The mystery was confusing, and the resolution of it was even more confusing. It was pretty slow and took me a while to finish, even though I finished the first one quickly. Despite it not being the most enjoyable book, there were still some aspects that I liked, and I am going to read the next book in the series. Overall, it wasn’t my favorite, but it was still a decent read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Rape
lilifane's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I'm purely reading this for the slow-burn-will-they-won't-they-best-friends-to-lovers trope, the angst and Jamie's humour. That's why I enjoyed the beginning way more than the actual case. I liked the setting in Berlin and the art context, but the rest of the case was just boring.
Hated the ending with a passion.
I'm also a little conflicted about how the rape topic/aftermath is handled. These are teens, of course they don't know how to handle the situation in a healthy way and make lots of mistakes. And I understand why they want to try to resolve the issue on their own, although they are torn between what they want and the trauma. But please, at least consider the possibility of professional help at some point?!
Hated the ending with a passion.
I'm also a little conflicted about how the rape topic/aftermath is handled. These are teens, of course they don't know how to handle the situation in a healthy way and make lots of mistakes. And I understand why they want to try to resolve the issue on their own, although they are torn between what they want and the trauma. But please, at least consider the possibility of professional help at some point?!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, and Rape
erin_curry's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Drug use
Minor: Rape
petrarose's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
was good until the very confusing end. i liked the mystery aspect of it but characters seemed not like themselves. the mystery aspect was overly complex and the narrative jumped around in timing and perspective which is a combination that just left me a little lost and feeling like this one was lacking in comparison to the first book. also i know why the author put the family trees at the beginning bc there were too many people to keep track of but appreciate that they all had very different names.
i’m looking forward to reading the next two and hopefully finding out what actually happened in this one.
i’m looking forward to reading the next two and hopefully finding out what actually happened in this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Minor: Rape
ashlightgrayson's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I am sad to say that this installment fell short of the first one. There were a lot of ongoing subplots and mysteries that weren't developed as fully as I would have wanted. Besides that, it seemed like all of the concurrent mysteries were meant to overlap and connect at some point, but when they finally do it is very confusing. I actually had to reread the last few sections a second time to make sure I followed. The Holmes and Moriarty's have a long bitter relationship and that is the main point of contention that drives the plot forward. However, by the end it's difficult to tell who needs more therapy because both families are messed up. It felt sloppy and rushed and I would have preferred to spend more time wrapping up the plot, but still enjoyable once I was able to tie all the threads together.
Despite shortcomings in the plot, I appreciated the character development for both Charlotte and Jamie. Charlotte has to grapple with her past trauma and how that affects her ability to enter into a romantic relationship with Jamie. Jamie has to deal with his feelings of inadequacy and jealousy around Holmes that are due to him often selling himself short. He is respectful of her boundaries and abstains from being affectionate with her more than he would want to; however, t is clear that his romantic feelings for Charlotte are strong. I think some people may argue that he idolizes her, but I beg to differ. Jamie and Charlotte argue a lot and he sees her flaws and likes her anyway. I really like their relationship dynamic overall. Other characters observing them see them argue a lot and even comment on it, but in a way it is how they communicate. Their arguments can be very angsty when they are serious, but we get both of their perspectives and it is clear that their inner insecurities are what are causing the miscommunication. I know this will probably annoy some readers, but I would kindly remind them that this is often the cause of conflicts in real life relationships. In addition, they are teenagers who are both still trying to figure things out, so that also helped make me a lot more empathetic towards them. Charlotte in particular is bad at expressing her emotions and it is greatly out of fear of ruining what she has with Jamie. I feel that this made her more human this time around and helped me understand her as a character better.
I'm looking forward to see the continued progression of the relationship between Charlotte and Jamie. Not this author's best work, but I'm hoping it gets better as the series goes on.
Despite shortcomings in the plot, I appreciated the character development for both Charlotte and Jamie. Charlotte has to grapple with her past trauma and how that affects her ability to enter into a romantic relationship with Jamie. Jamie has to deal with his feelings of inadequacy and jealousy around Holmes that are due to him often selling himself short. He is respectful of her boundaries and abstains from being affectionate with her more than he would want to; however, t is clear that his romantic feelings for Charlotte are strong. I think some people may argue that he idolizes her, but I beg to differ. Jamie and Charlotte argue a lot and he sees her flaws and likes her anyway. I really like their relationship dynamic overall. Other characters observing them see them argue a lot and even comment on it, but in a way it is how they communicate. Their arguments can be very angsty when they are serious, but we get both of their perspectives and it is clear that their inner insecurities are what are causing the miscommunication. I know this will probably annoy some readers, but I would kindly remind them that this is often the cause of conflicts in real life relationships. In addition, they are teenagers who are both still trying to figure things out, so that also helped make me a lot more empathetic towards them. Charlotte in particular is bad at expressing her emotions and it is greatly out of fear of ruining what she has with Jamie. I feel that this made her more human this time around and helped me understand her as a character better.
Spoiler
I should mention that despite Charlotte's character growth, the amount of lying she was willing to do to cover up for her family shows that she definitely still has a lot of growth to do. I'm hoping that we get more insight into what has made her so severely loyal to her family in this unhealthy way. It sees like she did not have the most loving childhood and does not truly understand what true love looks like (platonic or not). I am looking forward to that being explored more in the next book.I'm looking forward to see the continued progression of the relationship between Charlotte and Jamie. Not this author's best work, but I'm hoping it gets better as the series goes on.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual content, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, and Vomit
gracefulbooks's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This story takes place after the events of the first one where a murder has happened at a boarding school where both Sherlock Holmes great great great granddaughter Charlotte and the great great great grandson of Jon Watson, Jamie Watson. The two team up as they are both suspects in the kid's murder and work together to clear their names.
In this installation in the series, we follow Holmes and Watson as they stay with Holmes's family for the Christmas Holiday, and while there her uncle Leander suddenly disappears and they are once again tasked with figuring out what he was investigating leading up to his disappearance and saving him as well. All while Holmes's mother is also suddenly ill.
I will say I had such a hard time with the first book in this series. I liked it enough but I still struggled a bit and especially disliked it when it became a thing where Watson and she would become lovers. I just genuinely wanted a legit male & female friendship that was nothing more than that. That opinion kind of made the start of this book dreadful for me. I really did not like them as a pairing in that sense and it was as if Charlotte was ALL Jamie thought about for the first quarter of this book and it made it SO hard to get into-I genuinely just don't get it. I don't want the romance there, though I will give Cavallaro some credit because it became more tolerable as this book went on for me. Especially when we saw it from Holmes's perspective because it felt more genuine than Jamie's did for me.
He reads as though he is a massive fan of Charlotte and thinks for some reason he has a chance with her despite her giving very few hints if any at all that she is into him. It just is weird to me and I don't like it. It didn't feel like it was healthy though at some point in the book it felt more....okay? To me??
Moving past that whole shebang I want to say the mystery here felt a bit more put together than the one from the first book. I was able to follow it a bit more and didn't feel like the conclusion was completely far-fetched as I felt the first one was personal and after reading this I kind of understand the first book a bit more. We get more insight into the messed-up relations between the Moriarty's & the Holmes's and what exactly caused a lot of what happened in the first book and what happened in this one.
The motives felt more put together here and that made me appreciate the mystery a bit more. The story also kind of shows how messed up things can get when you think so linear as the Holmeses seem to and I appreciated that aspect here.
I personally left this book wanting to continue the series which I wasn't expecting because I was planning to DNF this series but the way it ended I don't think I can willingly do that now. I would also like to acknowledge that I think Cavallaro tried to rectify some of the problems readers had with the previous book and she actually allowed us to partake more in the mystery-solving process. I appreciate that effort a bunch.
In this installation in the series, we follow Holmes and Watson as they stay with Holmes's family for the Christmas Holiday, and while there her uncle Leander suddenly disappears and they are once again tasked with figuring out what he was investigating leading up to his disappearance and saving him as well. All while Holmes's mother is also suddenly ill.
I will say I had such a hard time with the first book in this series. I liked it enough but I still struggled a bit and especially disliked it when it became a thing where Watson and she would become lovers. I just genuinely wanted a legit male & female friendship that was nothing more than that. That opinion kind of made the start of this book dreadful for me. I really did not like them as a pairing in that sense and it was as if Charlotte was ALL Jamie thought about for the first quarter of this book and it made it SO hard to get into-I genuinely just don't get it. I don't want the romance there, though I will give Cavallaro some credit because it became more tolerable as this book went on for me. Especially when we saw it from Holmes's perspective because it felt more genuine than Jamie's did for me.
He reads as though he is a massive fan of Charlotte and thinks for some reason he has a chance with her despite her giving very few hints if any at all that she is into him. It just is weird to me and I don't like it. It didn't feel like it was healthy though at some point in the book it felt more....okay? To me??
Moving past that whole shebang I want to say the mystery here felt a bit more put together than the one from the first book. I was able to follow it a bit more and didn't feel like the conclusion was completely far-fetched as I felt the first one was personal and after reading this I kind of understand the first book a bit more. We get more insight into the messed-up relations between the Moriarty's & the Holmes's and what exactly caused a lot of what happened in the first book and what happened in this one.
The motives felt more put together here and that made me appreciate the mystery a bit more.
Spoiler
Though to be frank I still don't understand the whole forgery plot line but I guess the Moriarty's just wanted more money and that's why?I personally left this book wanting to continue the series which I wasn't expecting because I was planning to DNF this series but the way it ended I don't think I can willingly do that now. I would also like to acknowledge that I think Cavallaro tried to rectify some of the problems readers had with the previous book and she actually allowed us to partake more in the mystery-solving process. I appreciate that effort a bunch.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Drug abuse