rhiannonxgrace's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I loved this! I'll definitely be picking up Scott's other Holmes pastiches at some point. Scott captured Watson's voice so well, and the story really did feel as if it could slot nicely into the canon stories. I really enjoyed the relationship between Holmes and Watson in this, there was some really great banter between the two of them. The characters created for this were great, I especially liked Tovey. The case was a fascinating one, and whilst there were some bits I guessed correctly, there were plenty of aspects that surprised me. My one gripe would be that the story could have done with a few more pages at the end. The conclusion felt quite abrupt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Death, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Medical content, Cultural appropriation, Gore, and Murder
Minor: Suicide, Child abuse, Child death, Suicide attempt, Gun violence, and Slavery
References to Bristol's links with slavery as the book is set in the nineteenth century. Appropriation of Japanese culture bySpoiler
main antagonistlucyp21's review
4.0
I do love this Sherlock Holmes books and I think I liked this one more because it didn't have any monsters suitably to the Frankenstein book or spirits. I really don't mind paranormal aspects but I feel like it doesn't fit in with the Sherlock Holmes books as such considering it would be far harder for Sherlock to solve a mystery without having knowledge of this unknown area of the world. This was a complicated mystery with a surrounding conspiracy and several corrupted officials.
I like this books by this publisher because the books normally do a great job of demonstrating how Watson and Holmes are incredibly close friends but they do get on each other's nerves a lot of the time. I felt so sorry for Watson when he made a deduction and Holmes shot it down. You could literally see him deflate, though that was quite funny all on its own. I feel like Watson should be prepared for these instances as well. I wish Holmes had been in more of the book but it's always good to see Watson get a chance to shine as well.
I couldn't put this book down and I didn't know how it was going to work out in the end, especially when there seemed to be several different plot points to wrap up. Scott did wonderfully in tying everything together and having a satisfactory conclusion. Great fun as always, 4.5 stars!
I like this books by this publisher because the books normally do a great job of demonstrating how Watson and Holmes are incredibly close friends but they do get on each other's nerves a lot of the time. I felt so sorry for Watson when he made a deduction and Holmes shot it down. You could literally see him deflate, though that was quite funny all on its own. I feel like Watson should be prepared for these instances as well. I wish Holmes had been in more of the book but it's always good to see Watson get a chance to shine as well.
I couldn't put this book down and I didn't know how it was going to work out in the end, especially when there seemed to be several different plot points to wrap up. Scott did wonderfully in tying everything together and having a satisfactory conclusion. Great fun as always, 4.5 stars!
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