Book Review: Death Cloud (Young Sherlock Holmes #1) by Andrew Lane

Title: Death Cloud (Young Sherlock Holmes #1)
Author: Andrew Lane
Pages: 311
Publication: February 1, 2011
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
Summary taken from goodreads: 

It is the summer of 1868, and Sherlock Holmes is fourteen. On break from boarding school, he is staying with eccentric strangers—his uncle and aunt—in their vast house in Hampshire. When two local people die from symptoms that resemble the plague, Holmes begins to investigate what really killed them, helped by his new tutor, an American named Amyus Crowe. So begins Sherlock’s true education in detection, as he discovers the dastardly crimes of a brilliantly sinister villain of exquisitely malign intent. 

2.5 STARS - I LIKED IT ENOUGH 

MY REVIEW: 

I've been interested in Sherlock Holmes ever since I started watching ELEMENTARY, an American modern adaption of the detective, and since I've had DEATH CLOUD for a while now, I thought why not give young Sherlock Holmes a try. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't that interesting.

Young Sherlock Holmes wasn't anything different from any other boy except for his observational and deductive skills, so I was kind of bored of his bland personality throughout the whole book. The rest of the characters weren't that interesting either, although I would like to learn more about Amyus Crowe.

The villain was an intriguing character though. What happened to him and how he moved about was not something I had ever expected, especially in that time period. His motivation was sound, but his execution was a bit far-fetched for an evil mastermind though.

Also, for a mystery, it wasn't that very interesting either. I had to force myself to read the first 100 pages thinking that it would get better eventually, and by the time I read half of the book, the pace finally picked up enough that I wasn't just skimming the paragraphs. 

Maybe it's because I've never been a huge fan of the historical genre or because I've been in the mood for action and explosions lately, but I just did not like this book that much. Either way, I doubt that I'm going to continue this series.