Author: Brittany Cavallaro
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery/Thriller
Source: Katherine Tegen via Edelweiss
Goodreads
In the second brilliant, action-packed book in the Charlotte Holmes trilogy, Jamie and Charlotte are in a chase across Europe to untangle a web of shocking truths about the Holmes and Moriarty families.Review by Nara
Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes are looking for a winter break reprieve in Sussex after a fall semester that almost got them killed. But nothing about their time off is proving simple, including Holmes and Watson’s growing feelings for each other. When Charlotte’s beloved uncle Leander goes missing from the Holmes estate—after being oddly private about his latest assignment in a German art forgery ring—the game is afoot once again, and Charlotte throws herself into a search for answers.
So begins a dangerous race through the gritty underground scene in Berlin and glittering art houses in Prague, where Holmes and Watson discover that this complicated case might change everything they know about their families, themselves, and each other.
Unfortunately, The Last of August was, for me, not as good as A Study in Charlotte. Those of you who have read my review of the first novel may know that I absolutely loved that book, for all its clever twists on the original novel and the banter and relationship of the main Watson/Holmes duo.
The Last of August was filled with a lot more drama than A Study in Charlotte, and it felt to me that it suffered somewhat from Second Book Syndrome. There wasn't a lot of substance to the story itself, mostly focusing on the relationship between Jamie and Charlotte vs Charlotte and August and how their pasts are influencing their current states.
The mystery line of Charlotte's uncle, Leander, going missing was somewhat interesting, but not overly gripping. By this I mean that that plotline was sort of in the back of my mind as something that I'd like to find out, but I wasn't terribly invested in it. The big reveal at the end of where he'd been was therefore surprising, but not shocking. I must admit, the ending of the novel was pretty confusing for me, most likely because I was finishing the novel off at 3am after being unable to put it down to go to bed (so you can see that the novel was actually still pretty good).
I did still really like The Last of August overall. I think this review is mostly negative only because I'm comparing it so much to the first novel and it was quite disappointing to have it not be as good. Here's hoping that the third novel will be able to bring the series back to its former glory.
Really liked it
RatingsOverall: 8/10
Plot: 3.5/5
Romance: 3.5/5
Writing: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 3/5
