Review and Giveaway : A Study In Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

 Author: Brittany Cavallaro
Goodreads Rating: 4.10
Pages: 336 Pages
Format: ARC from HarperCollins
Summary: The last thing sixteen-year-old Jamie Watson–writer and great-great-grandson of the John Watson–wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s enigmatic, fiercely independent great-great-granddaughter, who’s inherited not just his genius but also his vices, volatile temperament, and expertly hidden vulnerability. Charlotte has been the object of his fascination for as long as he can remember–but from the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else.

Then a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Holmes stories, and Jamie and Charlotte become the prime suspects. Convinced they’re being framed, they must race against the police to conduct their own investigation. As danger mounts, it becomes clear that nowhere is safe and the only people they can trust are each other. 

Confession time, here's what I got:

I've probably read more fanfiction than I've read books.

Also, I've begun to start every book with a feeling of dread and indifference. I kind of expect the worst, nowdays, you know? Easier to recover from being disappointed that way.

However, and this is a big however, I've also been happily surprised by a few books recently.

Namely, A STUDY IN CHARLOTTE by Brittany Cavallaro. A STUDY IN CHARLOTTE was one of my most anticipated release of 2016. And as you can imagine, that worried me. My little Sherlockian heart couldn't take it if this book turned out to be anything less than amazing.

Especially since I've read so many Sherlock fanfictions that were incredible that any pastiche or adaptation might pale in comparison. And I think it's safe to say that a STUDY IN CHARLOTTE is a type of adaptation, one where the characters exist in a world where Sherlock Holmes and John Watson are real. Where their great great great grandchildren go to boarding school together and are framed for murder.

AND WHAT FOLLOWS? Nothing but pure amazing peanut butter and jelly goodness.

Just sweet and nutty and soft. And this book was sweet, a little nutty and perfect.

Did I take the metaphor too far? Nope? Aw, thanks!

Anyway, Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson are a bit like peanut butter and jelly. The greatest combination. One smooth like a con artist and the other sweet. And they go together like well, peanut butter and jelly, of course!

Now, I'll let the metaphor go now to tell you all the many and varied things that I loved about this book. 

The first:

This book doesn't mess around. Charlotte Holmes is unrepentant and sassy, with a resting bitch face that may actually rival her great-great-whatever Grandfather's.

She's been exiled to America to a boarding school that she's probably too good for and definitely is not a hero in anyone's story--especially Jamie Watson.

James Watson grew up hearing the stories of his Holmesian age-mate. He dreamed of sleuthing with her, jumping from rail car to rail car as they track down a suspect on the train, chasing a lead down the back alleys of London--all the things their descendants did together.

But Holmes is determined to not live in the legacy of Sherlock and doesn't want or need to make friends with Jamie--even if he is a Watson.

It isn't until that they're framed for murder that the two realize that whether they like it (in Jamie's case) or not (Holmes' case), they may need to rely on each other and do some sleuthing after all.

Holmes is also a drug addict, though perhaps she wouldn't see herself as such. The book does not shy away from this or play around with it. Just like Holmes, it's unforgiving in that way. Holmes struggles. She's not a mini Sherlock and she's not a Mary Sue. Her flaws are real and deep.

Jamie too has his own set of flaws, although, honestly, I don't remember enough to comment. That probably makes me a bad reviewer and all that but I remember enough to admit that he was no Gary Stu either. Each characters felt as real as if I met them in high school--not boarding school because I didn't go to one-- but you get the point, I think?


If not, the point is that there was nothing cut out or taken away from this story to make it more palatable or easier to market as a YA. Holmes was as abrasive as she should be, as we could imagine her to be. It made the book all the better, knowing that it felt genuine.


The second:

I found the book positively cinematic. (I also listened to it alongside Hans Zimmer's SHERLOCK HOLMES score, so, that probably had a lot to do with it).

I'm not really one for mystery--even if I love most of the Sherlockian adaptations out right now--but I am one for character development and a lot of drama,

From the first scene, I realized how easily I could see this all play out. I was hooked from the beginning. They better adapt this for the screen. And fast.


                                     


The third:

Holmes and Watson

Duuude. Dude. These characters are so well written. They are Holmes and Watson without being Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. The character development too just rocked. The progression of the characters didn't feel fictional. Holmes was a robot and then she was a cyborg and then she was human. Jamie was a sidekick and then a friend and then a hero.

I would give examples but that would just give it away. I really just love how they chipped away at each other and became the best versions of themselves. And that should be one of the many things that convince you to read it.



                             



The fourth:

SO MANY SHERLOCKIAN EASTER EGGS.

I'm pretty sure quotes were lifted from the old stories. I was giddy when I came across the references stretched across the narrative. Brittany Cavallaro has my loyalty. She's a true Sherlockian fan and is as capable as playing the game as any of the Baker Street Irregulars.




                                          


The fifth:


There's a fairly thin line between the melodramatic and high intense drama in books. Sometimes, books just take it a bit too far and I roll my eyes so many times that I should probably fear they'll get stuck. But this one has just the right amount of stuff going on to make you sit on the edge of your seat or bite all your nails off.

Brittany Cavallaro tempers this high intensity with a characterization that shines and made me care and made me swoon and all in all I didn't feel like anything was fake or false or didn't ring true. It was paced perfectly.

Verdict? Get to your nearest bookseller's site and pre-order this baby right now.


                                       

And now, giveaway time!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Frozen Heart

Author: Elizabeth Rudnick
Goodreads rating: 4.33
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
Release Date: 10/6/15

Told in alternating chapters from both Anna's and Hans' perspectives, A Frozen Heart takes a sophisticated look at events of Frozen, exploring the couple's backstories, motivations, and doomed relationship.

Inhuman (Fetch #1)

Author: Kat Falls
Goodreads Rating: 4.07
Pages: 384
Format: ARC

In a world ravaged by mutation, a teenage girl must travel into the forbidden Savage Zone to recover lost artifacts or her father’s life is forfeit.

America has been ravaged by a war that has left the eastern half of the country riddled with mutation. Many of the people there exhibit varying degrees of animal traits. Even the plantlife has gone feral.

Crossing from west to east is supposed to be forbidden, but sometimes it’s necessary. Some enter the Savage Zone to provide humanitarian relief. Sixteen-year-old Lane’s father goes there to retrieve lost artifacts—he is a Fetch. It’s a dangerous life, but rewarding—until he’s caught.

Desperate to save her father, Lane agrees to complete his latest job. That means leaving behind her life of comfort and risking life and limb—and her very DNA—in the Savage Zone. But she’s not alone. In order to complete her objective, Lane strikes a deal with handsome, roguish Rafe. In exchange for his help as a guide, Lane is supposed to sneak him back west. But though Rafe doesn’t exhibit any signs of “manimal” mutation, he’s hardly civilized . . . and he may not be trustworthy.

Loch Ness (The Cryptid Files #1)

Author: Jean Flitcroft
Goodreads rating: 3.68
Pages: 182
Format: ARC

Vanessa’s dreams are haunted by cryptids and she longs to complete her mother’s search for Nessie, the most famous one of them all. Can she finally solve the mystery of Loch Ness? She gets her chance on a surprise trip to Scotland, but no one could have foreseen the consequences. Set against the eerie stillness of the loch, The Cryptid Files: Loch Ness is a magical story filled with suspense and adventure.

The Hypnotists (The Hypnotists #1)

Author: Gordon Korman
Goodreads Rating: 3.8
Page: 232
Format: ARC

Jackson Opus has always been persuasive, but he doesn't know that he's descended from the two most powerful hypnotist bloodlines on the planet. He's excited to be accepted into a special program at the Sentia Institute -- but when he realizes he's in over his head, Jackson will have to find a way to use his powers to save his friends, his parents, and his government.

3:59

Author:Gretchen McNeil
Goodreads rating: 3.77
Pages: 368
Format: ARC BEA13

Josie Byrne's life is spiraling out of control. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend Nick has grown distant, and her physics teacher has it in for her. When she's betrayed by the two people she trusts most, Josie thinks things can't get worse.

Until she starts having dreams about a girl named Jo. Every night at the same time—3:59 a.m.

Jo's life is everything Josie wants: she's popular, her parents are happily married, and Nick adores her. It all seems real, but they're just dreams, right? Josie thinks so, until she wakes one night to a shadowy image of herself in the bedroom mirror – Jo.

Josie and Jo realize that they are doppelgängers living in parallel universes that overlap every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo's perfect world, Josie jumps at the chance to jump through the portal and switch places for a day.

But Jo’s world is far from perfect. Not only is Nick not Jo's boyfriend, he hates her. Jo's mom is missing, possibly insane. And at night, shadowy creatures feed on human flesh.

By the end of the day, Josie is desperate to return to her own life. But there’s a problem: Jo has sealed the portal, trapping Josie in this dangerous world. Can she figure out a way home before it’s too late?

From master of suspense Gretchen McNeil comes a riveting and deliciously eerie story about the lives we wish we had – and how they just might kill you.

Expiration Day

 Author: William Campbell Powell
Goodreads rating: 3.72
Pages: 336
Format: ARC from ALA14

What happens when you turn eighteen and there are no more tomorrows?
It is the year 2049, and humanity is on the brink of extinction….

Tania Deeley has always been told that she’s a rarity: a human child in a world where most children are sophisticated androids manufactured by Oxted Corporation. When a decline in global fertility ensued, it was the creation of these near-perfect human copies called teknoids that helped to prevent the utter collapse of society.

Though she has always been aware of the existence of teknoids, it is not until her first day at The Lady Maud High School for Girls that Tania realizes that her best friend, Siân, may be one. Returning home from the summer holiday, she is shocked by how much Siân has changed. Is it possible that these changes were engineered by Oxted? And if Siân could be a teknoid, how many others in Tania’s life are not real?

Driven by the need to understand what sets teknoids apart from their human counterparts, Tania begins to seek answers. But time is running out. For everyone knows that on their eighteenth “birthdays,” teknoids must be returned to Oxted—never to be heard from again.

Defy (Defy #1)

 Author: Sara B. Larson
Goodreads rating: 3.56
Pages: 336
Format: ARC from Publisher

A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle.

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

Frozen (Heart of Dread #1)

Author: Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston
Goodreads rating: 3.68
Pages: 336
Format: ARC from BEA13

From New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston comes this remarkable first book in a spellbinding new series about the dawn of a new kind of magic.

Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice. Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature—freezing. But some things never change. The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows.

At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out. Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called “the Blue.” They say it’s a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise. More importantly, it’s a place where Nat won’t be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light.

But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson to take her there. Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other. But can true love survive the lies? Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the awesome power within us all.

Nil

Author: Lynne Matson
Goodreads Rating: 3.95
Pages: 384
Format: ARC provided by Publisher

On the mysterious island of Nil, the rules are set. You have one year. Exactly 365 days--to escape, or you die.
Seventeen-year-old Charley doesn’t know the rules. She doesn’t even know where she is. The last thing she remembers is blacking out, and when she wakes up, she’s lying naked in an empty rock field.
Lost and alone, Charley finds no sign of other people until she meets Thad, the gorgeous leader of a clan of teenage refugees. Soon Charley learns that leaving the island is harder than she thought . . . and so is falling in love. With Thad’s time running out, Charley realizes that to save their future, Charley must first save him. And on an island rife with dangers, their greatest threat is time.

The Madman's Daughter

Author: Megan Shepherd
Goodreads Rating: 3.72
Pages: 432
Format: ARC borrowed from Friend

In the darkest places, even love is deadly.
Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.
Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.
Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman's Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we'll do anything to know and the truths we'll go to any lengths to protect.

Mila 2.0

Author: Debra Driza
Goodreads Rating: 3.70
Pages: 470
Format: ARC from Swap

Mila 2.0 is the first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.
Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past—that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.
Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.
Mila 2.0 is Debra Driza’s bold debut and the first book in a Bourne Identity-style trilogy that combines heart-pounding action with a riveting exploration of what it really means to be human. Fans of I Am Number Four will love Mila for who she is and what she longs to be—and a cliffhanger ending will leave them breathlessly awaiting the sequel.

Ink

Author: Amanda Sun
Goodreads Rating: 3.64
Pages: 3.26
Format: ARC from BEA13

On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.
Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.
Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

Wait For You

Author: J. Lynn
Goodreads Rating: 4.29
Pages: 332
Format: ARC from BEA13

Some things are worth waiting for…
Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.
Some things are worth experiencing…
Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.
Some things should never be kept quiet…
But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she’s has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?
And some things are worth fighting for…

Parasite (Parasitology #1)

Author: Mira Grant
Goodreads Rating: 4.10
Pages: 512
Format: ARC from BEA

A decade in the future, humanity thrives in the absence of sickness and disease.

We owe our good health to a humble parasite - a genetically engineered tapeworm developed by the pioneering SymboGen Corporation. When implanted, the tapeworm protects us from illness, boosts our immune system - even secretes designer drugs. It's been successful beyond the scientists' wildest dreams. Now, years on, almost every human being has a SymboGen tapeworm living within them.

But these parasites are getting restless. They want their own lives...and will do anything to get them.

Poison Princess

Author: Kresley Cole
Goodreads Rating: 4.31
Pages: 384
Format: ARC from BEA12

She could save the world—or destroy it.
Sixteen year old Evangeline “Evie” Greene leads a charmed life, until she begins experiencing horrifying hallucinations. When an apocalyptic event decimates her Louisiana hometown, Evie realizes her hallucinations were actually visions of the future—and they’re still happening. Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she must turn to her wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate: Jack Deveaux.
But she can’t do either alone.
With his mile-long rap sheet, wicked grin, and bad attitude, Jack is like no boy Evie has ever known. Even though he once scorned her and everything she represented, he agrees to protect Evie on her quest. She knows she can’t totally depend on Jack. If he ever cast that wicked grin her way, could she possibly resist him?
Who can Evie trust?
As Jack and Evie race to find the source of her visions, they meet others who have gotten the same call. An ancient prophesy is being played out, and Evie is not the only one with special powers. A group of twenty-two teens has been chosen to reenact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it’s not always clear who is on which side….

Skinny

Author: Donna Cooner
Goodreads Rating: 3.91
Pages: 260
Format: ARC from BEA12

Find your voice.
Hopeless. Freak. Elephant. Pitiful. These are the words of Skinny, the vicious voice that lives inside fifteen-year-old Ever Davies’s head. Skinny tells Ever all the dark thoughts her classmates have about her. Ever knows she weighs over three hundred pounds, knows she’ll probably never be loved, and Skinny makes sure she never forgets it. 
But there is another voice: Ever’s singing voice, which is beautiful but has been silenced by Skinny. Partly in the hopes of trying out for the school musical—and partly to try and save her own life—Ever decides to undergo a risky surgery that may help her lose weight and start over.
With the support of her best friend, Ever begins the uphill battle toward change. But demons, she finds, are not so easy to shake, not even as she sheds pounds. Because Skinny is still around. And Ever will have to confront that voice before she can truly find her own.

Eve and Adam

Author: Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate
Goodreads Rating: 3.68
Pages: 291
Format: ARC from BEA12

And girl created boy…
In the beginning, there was an apple—
And then there was a car crash, a horrible injury, and a hospital. But before Evening Spiker’s head clears a strange boy named Solo is rushing her to her mother’s research facility. There, under the best care available, Eve is left alone to heal.
Just when Eve thinks she will die—not from her injuries, but from boredom—her mother gives her a special project: Create the perfect boy.
Using an amazingly detailed simulation, Eve starts building a boy from the ground up. Eve is creating Adam. And he will be just perfect... won’t he?

Through to You

Author: Emily Hainsworth
Goodreads Rating: 3.78
Pages: 272
Format: ARC

Camden Pike has been grief-stricken since his girlfriend, Viv, died. He’d give anything to have just one more glimpse of her. But when Cam visits the site of Viv’s deadly car accident, he sees an apparition. Her name is Nina, and she’s a girl from a parallel world. When Cam follows here there and makes an unbelievable discovery, it’s as if all his wildest dreams have come true. But things are very different in this other world. Nina is hiding a secret, and the window between the worlds is shrinking every day. As Cam comes to terms with the truth, he’s forced to make a choice that will change his life forever.

Towering (Kendra Chronicles #3)

Author: Alex Flinn
Goodreads Rating: 3.69
Pages: 304
Format: ARC from YA Book Exchange

At first, I merely saw his face, his hands on the window ledge. Then, his whole body as he swung himself through the window. Only I could not see what he swung on.Until, one day, I told my dream self to look down. And it was then that I saw. He had climbed on a rope. I knew without asking that the rope had been one of my own tying.
Rachel is trapped in a tower, held hostage by a woman she’s always called Mama. Her golden hair is growing rapidly, and to pass the time, she watches the snow fall and sings songs from her childhood, hoping someone, anyone, will hear her. 
Wyatt needs time to reflect or, better yet, forget about what happened to his best friend, Tyler. That’s why he’s been shipped off to the Adirondacks in the dead of winter to live with the oldest lady in town. Either that, or no one he knows ever wants to see him again.
Dani disappeared seventeen years ago without a trace, but she left behind a journal that’s never been read, not even by her overbearing mother…until now. 
A #1 New York Times bestselling author, Alex Flinn knows her fairy tales, and Towering is her most mind-bending interpretation yet. Dark and mysterious, this reimagining of Rapunzel will have readers on the edge of their seats wondering where Alex will take them next!