I think the award for most disappointing read of 2015 goes to this book. I know, sad right? I had just finished binging Sherlock the television show when I realized it would probably be a great idea to read this book since, as you can tell by the cover, it's based on everyone's favorite detective. I was super ecstatic to read this and saved it for the plane ride to Florida. Unfortunately, as soon as I started reading through this, there was a frown on my face. It was a bit of a struggle to get through this one.
I hate to say this, but the entire novel felt like nothing but a fan fiction of Sherlock Holmes. I'm not really one of those people who read fan fiction, so Lock & Mori was anything but a pleasant surprise. The main characters in the story are a younger version of Sherlock and a younger, female version of Moriarty. There were younger versions of other notorious characters included in the plot as well, and while it was a nice surprise, the characters - most of them, anyways - didn't seem to represent their older selves. If I hadn't known the names of the leads, I never would have known who they were supposed to be. It was hard to buy into the story when neither Sherlock nor Moriarty seemed anything like their "normal" selves.
The most important part of this book, more than the characters, is the mystery. The good news about the mystery is that it wasn't predictable; the bad new is that I failed to find the mystery interesting. Half the time the mystery seemed like an aside to the romance in the novel, which I didn't appreciate. You guys know how much I love a good romance, but I hate when it takes too much attention away from the plot. In this case, neither the romance nor the mystery kept my attention, and it felt to me like the mystery was simply a way to make the story more than about a relationship between Sherlock and Moriarty. It's too bad it didn't work - if the mystery had been more detailed and developed, I would have enjoyed the novel more, even if the romance took precedence every now and then.
Speaking of the romance, I wasn't fond of that aspect either. Again, this was a huge letdown. I had looking forward to shipping Moriarty and Sherlock before I even picked up the book, and having the romance between them but not caring about it was quite a blow. Maybe it was because Sherlock was nothing like his older self, but it was freaking weird reading about Sherlock kissing Moriarty. I just wasn't buying it. In fact, I felt like the romance between the two was completely unnecessary. The plot would have been better without it, and again, watching Sherlock being romantic made me feel...not okay.
The one plus to the novel was that I got to see brief glimpses of other characters from the original story. We get a brief glimpses of Watson and Mycroft in the book as well. Watson's character served absolutely no perfect, but it was kind of funny seeing him as a kid. Now him, I can totally see him growing up to become the adult version. Same with Moriarty. (I find it fascinating that the side characters were written more accurately than the main ones). If I had to pick a favorite character from Lock & Mori, I'd choose Mycroft without a doubt. He was perfect.
I wouldn't recommend this to avid fans/readers of anything Sherlock, because it's nothing like the original stories or BBC show and you'll just be judging and comparing the entire time. However, if you're simply delving into the book because you want to read a decent story, then this may be for you.
Side Note: The female lead, Moriarty...her first name is James. James Moriarty. I REFUSE TO BELIEVE ANY PARENT WOULD NAME HIS/HER FEMALE CHILD, JAMES.
I hate to say this, but the entire novel felt like nothing but a fan fiction of Sherlock Holmes. I'm not really one of those people who read fan fiction, so Lock & Mori was anything but a pleasant surprise. The main characters in the story are a younger version of Sherlock and a younger, female version of Moriarty. There were younger versions of other notorious characters included in the plot as well, and while it was a nice surprise, the characters - most of them, anyways - didn't seem to represent their older selves. If I hadn't known the names of the leads, I never would have known who they were supposed to be. It was hard to buy into the story when neither Sherlock nor Moriarty seemed anything like their "normal" selves.
The most important part of this book, more than the characters, is the mystery. The good news about the mystery is that it wasn't predictable; the bad new is that I failed to find the mystery interesting. Half the time the mystery seemed like an aside to the romance in the novel, which I didn't appreciate. You guys know how much I love a good romance, but I hate when it takes too much attention away from the plot. In this case, neither the romance nor the mystery kept my attention, and it felt to me like the mystery was simply a way to make the story more than about a relationship between Sherlock and Moriarty. It's too bad it didn't work - if the mystery had been more detailed and developed, I would have enjoyed the novel more, even if the romance took precedence every now and then.
Speaking of the romance, I wasn't fond of that aspect either. Again, this was a huge letdown. I had looking forward to shipping Moriarty and Sherlock before I even picked up the book, and having the romance between them but not caring about it was quite a blow. Maybe it was because Sherlock was nothing like his older self, but it was freaking weird reading about Sherlock kissing Moriarty. I just wasn't buying it. In fact, I felt like the romance between the two was completely unnecessary. The plot would have been better without it, and again, watching Sherlock being romantic made me feel...not okay.
The one plus to the novel was that I got to see brief glimpses of other characters from the original story. We get a brief glimpses of Watson and Mycroft in the book as well. Watson's character served absolutely no perfect, but it was kind of funny seeing him as a kid. Now him, I can totally see him growing up to become the adult version. Same with Moriarty. (I find it fascinating that the side characters were written more accurately than the main ones). If I had to pick a favorite character from Lock & Mori, I'd choose Mycroft without a doubt. He was perfect.
I wouldn't recommend this to avid fans/readers of anything Sherlock, because it's nothing like the original stories or BBC show and you'll just be judging and comparing the entire time. However, if you're simply delving into the book because you want to read a decent story, then this may be for you.
Side Note: The female lead, Moriarty...her first name is James. James Moriarty. I REFUSE TO BELIEVE ANY PARENT WOULD NAME HIS/HER FEMALE CHILD, JAMES.
Book Synopsis: In modern-day London, two brilliant high school students, one Sherlock Holmes and a Miss James "Mori" Moriarty, meet. A murder will bring them together. The truth very well might drive them apart.
Before they were mortal enemies, they were much more.
FACT: Someone has been murdered in London's Regent's Park. The police have no leads.
FACT: Miss James "Mori"Moriarty and Sherlock "Lock" Holmes should be hitting the books on a school night. Instead, they are out crashing a crime scene.
FACT: Lock has challenged Mori to solve the case before he does. Challenge accepted.
FACT: Despite agreeing to Lock's one rule--they must share every clue with each other--Mori is keeping secrets.
OBSERVATION: Sometimes you can't trust the people closest to you with matters of the heart. And after this case, Mori may never trust Lock again.
Source: A copy was received from the publisher for review.
Title: Lock & Mori
Author: Heather W. Petty
Publication Date: September 15, 2015
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA, Retellings, Mystery
Pages: 256 pages
