Book four in the Boy Sherlock Holmes series. Click here for book three.
Plot: Sherlock has resolved to put aside his detective skills until he is older, but this time he has choice; London is in Chaos and he is the only person who can discover the identity of a terrifying creature straight out of a popular novel.
Comments: Phew, this book was so much better than Vanishing Girl, book number three! If you read the post for Vanishing Girl, you'll see that I really didn't like it, and I wasn't very enthusiastic about reading the next book in the series. However, I definitely recommend that you read this series, and book four is worth reading book three.
Sherlock was very different in this novel. He was no longer obsessed with solving cases before the London police, and though he still hated Malevolent (more about that later), he wasn't trying to pry Irene away from the, well, malevolent young thief. It's been a while since I read the first two books, but I think Sherlock has become more like the boy in those books, rather than the one I disliked in the third. (Am I being confusing? Sorry.) I love the way Sherlock talks, so old-fashioned and proper. Yes, this is set in the late 1800's, so it's expected that the speech is different, but the way he speaks is unlike any of the other characters'. He has a definite way with words, an amazing capacity to notice, remember, and fit together minute details, and a huge sense of curiosity. This young Sherlock very closely resembles the older detective he is supposed to grow into, the adult Sherlock Holmes created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (which, I believe, is the intent).
I felt as if there was a lot of character change between the third book and the fourth book. For example, Malevolent, the young thief lord/gang boss, and the enemy of Sherlock. I don't want to give anything away, but in the fourth book, he seems to hate Sherlock more than ever before. Another example is Irene, the daughter of a wealthy man and once the friend of Sherlock. In the third book (or was it the second?), Irene and Sherlock's friendship pretty much evaporates, but they kind of make up in the fourth book. I'm not exactly pleased with this, because though at first she was a favorite character, I quickly began to dislike her (see Vanishing Girl post), mostly because she chose Malevolent over Sherlock. Also, in this book I learn more about Sherlock's master, the eccentric apothecary Sigerson Bell. I love this character! He is so strange and knows so many things, and he is a good friend of Sherlock. Since Sherlock hardly ever sees his father anymore, Bell has kind of filled in, and he obviously cares for the boy. He's such a lovable old man.
Rating: I rate this book an eight out of ten. Definitely recommended, but watch out for the surprise ending!
Plot: Sherlock has resolved to put aside his detective skills until he is older, but this time he has choice; London is in Chaos and he is the only person who can discover the identity of a terrifying creature straight out of a popular novel.
Comments: Phew, this book was so much better than Vanishing Girl, book number three! If you read the post for Vanishing Girl, you'll see that I really didn't like it, and I wasn't very enthusiastic about reading the next book in the series. However, I definitely recommend that you read this series, and book four is worth reading book three.
Sherlock was very different in this novel. He was no longer obsessed with solving cases before the London police, and though he still hated Malevolent (more about that later), he wasn't trying to pry Irene away from the, well, malevolent young thief. It's been a while since I read the first two books, but I think Sherlock has become more like the boy in those books, rather than the one I disliked in the third. (Am I being confusing? Sorry.) I love the way Sherlock talks, so old-fashioned and proper. Yes, this is set in the late 1800's, so it's expected that the speech is different, but the way he speaks is unlike any of the other characters'. He has a definite way with words, an amazing capacity to notice, remember, and fit together minute details, and a huge sense of curiosity. This young Sherlock very closely resembles the older detective he is supposed to grow into, the adult Sherlock Holmes created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (which, I believe, is the intent).
I felt as if there was a lot of character change between the third book and the fourth book. For example, Malevolent, the young thief lord/gang boss, and the enemy of Sherlock. I don't want to give anything away, but in the fourth book, he seems to hate Sherlock more than ever before. Another example is Irene, the daughter of a wealthy man and once the friend of Sherlock. In the third book (or was it the second?), Irene and Sherlock's friendship pretty much evaporates, but they kind of make up in the fourth book. I'm not exactly pleased with this, because though at first she was a favorite character, I quickly began to dislike her (see Vanishing Girl post), mostly because she chose Malevolent over Sherlock. Also, in this book I learn more about Sherlock's master, the eccentric apothecary Sigerson Bell. I love this character! He is so strange and knows so many things, and he is a good friend of Sherlock. Since Sherlock hardly ever sees his father anymore, Bell has kind of filled in, and he obviously cares for the boy. He's such a lovable old man.
Rating: I rate this book an eight out of ten. Definitely recommended, but watch out for the surprise ending!
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