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A review by danny_fox
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Alright, this is gonna be a long one, because I have a lot to say.
I have been debating between giving this book 4 or 5 stars, and although, at the end I decided to give it 4, I would still say that it's more of a 4,5 for me.
I'm gonna make this more organized by doing things I liked and things I didn't like.
What I liked:
-The characters were, surprise, surprise, amazingly written! Sherlock Holmes has to be one of the best characters I have ever seen. His personality is really fun and unique, and I was not disappointed by his character.
And John was written in such a way, that it's very easy to find his reactions and comments relatable. And since the book is written in his point of view, it almost feels like you are there, in the story, and observing these events yourself.
-The plot was also quite interesting. There were some issues with it, which I'll talk about in a second, but I enjoyed it for the most part. It didn't feel predictable (to me at least) and I liked how it was all detailed.
I also expected this book to be 100% serious, but there were some quotes and dialogues that made me laugh out loud (whether that was written intentionally or unintentionally to be funny.)
-The ending was worth it. I was worried that we wouldn't get things fully explained by the end, since I know some stories like to leave things unanswered, but I feel like we got an explanation for pretty much everything. And it did leave me wanting to read the next book.
What I didn't like:
-There were some iffy parts, to put it mildly. Certain comments made by some characters had made me feel uncomfortable, and although I'm aware that this is an old book and this is no surprise, I still felt like I needed to mention it. And there was also the poor portrayal of Mormonism which is what everyone else has already mentioned about this book. So, before you read it, just know there are some comments or things in the book that are rather offensive.
-Second part of the book. This part might be a bit spoilery, so feel free to skip it!!!
But basically, for a good chunk of the second part of the story, we follow a different set of characters. Of course, this is all important and is basically a build up, but I found that part to be rather boring for the most part. It gets more interesting at the end, but I really didn't care as much about the characters that we followed then, and for a novel called Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock isn't in it for a good chunk of the story.
-Sooooo much description. This is more of a personal preference, but at times, there would be so much description of locations (especially in the second part of the story) and that mixed up with the old English that was not really easy to understand at times, lead to me having a really hard time going through the book. Some people like descriptions, but for me, personally, this was a bit too much.
Final thoughts:
In the end, I did enjoy the book. I'll still be reading the next novel in the series and I'll post my review on it when (and if) I finish it. The first one did have a bit of a slow start, but I hope the others will be better. :)
And if you read through this whole review, then thanks, but wow, that's impressive.
I have been debating between giving this book 4 or 5 stars, and although, at the end I decided to give it 4, I would still say that it's more of a 4,5 for me.
I'm gonna make this more organized by doing things I liked and things I didn't like.
What I liked:
-The characters were, surprise, surprise, amazingly written! Sherlock Holmes has to be one of the best characters I have ever seen. His personality is really fun and unique, and I was not disappointed by his character.
And John was written in such a way, that it's very easy to find his reactions and comments relatable. And since the book is written in his point of view, it almost feels like you are there, in the story, and observing these events yourself.
-The plot was also quite interesting. There were some issues with it, which I'll talk about in a second, but I enjoyed it for the most part. It didn't feel predictable (to me at least) and I liked how it was all detailed.
I also expected this book to be 100% serious, but there were some quotes and dialogues that made me laugh out loud (whether that was written intentionally or unintentionally to be funny.)
-The ending was worth it. I was worried that we wouldn't get things fully explained by the end, since I know some stories like to leave things unanswered, but I feel like we got an explanation for pretty much everything. And it did leave me wanting to read the next book.
What I didn't like:
-There were some iffy parts, to put it mildly. Certain comments made by some characters had made me feel uncomfortable, and although I'm aware that this is an old book and this is no surprise, I still felt like I needed to mention it. And there was also the poor portrayal of Mormonism which is what everyone else has already mentioned about this book. So, before you read it, just know there are some comments or things in the book that are rather offensive.
-Second part of the book. This part might be a bit spoilery, so feel free to skip it!!!
-Sooooo much description. This is more of a personal preference, but at times, there would be so much description of locations (especially in the second part of the story) and that mixed up with the old English that was not really easy to understand at times, lead to me having a really hard time going through the book. Some people like descriptions, but for me, personally, this was a bit too much.
Final thoughts:
In the end, I did enjoy the book. I'll still be reading the next novel in the series and I'll post my review on it when (and if) I finish it. The first one did have a bit of a slow start, but I hope the others will be better. :)
And if you read through this whole review, then thanks, but wow, that's impressive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Grief, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Misogyny and Murder