​Enola Holmes is the much younger sister of her more famous brothers, Sherlock and Mycroft. But she has all the wits, skills, and sleuthing inclinations of them both. At fifteen, she's an independent young woman--after all, her name spelled backwards reads 'alone'--and living on her own in London. When a young professional woman, Miss Letitia Glover, shows up on Sherlock's doorstep, desperate to learn more about the fate of her twin sister, it is Enola who steps up. It seems her sister, the former Felicity Glover, married the Earl of Dunhench and per a curt note from the Earl, has died. But Letitia Glover is convinced this isn't the truth, that she'd know--she'd feel--if her twin had died.

The Earl's note is suspiciously vague and the death certificate is even more dubious, signed it seems by a John H. Watson, M.D. (who denies any knowledge of such). The only way forward is for Enola to go undercover--or so Enola decides at the vehement objection of her brother. And she soon finds out that this is not the first of the Earl's wives to die suddenly and vaguely--and that the secret to the fate of the missing Felicity is tied to a mysterious black barouche that arrived at the Earl's home in the middle of the night. To uncover the secrets held tightly within the Earl's hall, Enola is going to require help--from Sherlock, from the twin sister of the missing woman, and from an old friend, the young Viscount Tewkesbury, Marquess of Basilwether!

My thoughts:

Enola Holmes is the seventh story in Nancy Springer's  series of Middle Grade mysteries featuring Sherlock's younger sister. If you haven't read the previous titles in the series, don't worry: a) it can be easily read as a standalone b) we get an introductory chapter from Sherlock himself with a hilarious recap of  Enola's previous adventures. We also learn that fifteen-year-old Enola is a very independent and resourceful young lady who lodges at Professional Women'sClub in London.

When Dr Watson writes to her and asks her to help with one of Sherlock's famous bouts of melancholia , she immediately hurries to Baker Street. While she is there, trying to get any kind of reaction from her depressed brother, a potential client arrives. Letitia Glover, a young professional woman (a typist) desperately needs Sherlock's detective expertise, but alas! it isn't easy to draw  his interest. Enola, on the other hand, is immediately moved by Tish's pleas. Her sister Felicity's rich husband, the Earl of Dunhench, sent Tish a note informing her that her sister unexpectedly fell ill and passed away, but Tish is convinced that Felicity is still alive.

Enola is a delightful character. She is smart, determined, witty and doesn't take herself too seriously. She's also extremely enterprising and brave. This is a historical mystery, so all of her adventures are set against the background of the Victorian society with its particular customes. The book is rich in detail - from changing fashions, food, a typical layout of a lady's boudoir and different kinds of carriages to typical attitudes.
It was great to see how Enola and Sherlock worked on the case approaching it in similar ways-they both collected information, looked at the evidence, analysed documents and even set up a trap for the culprit.
The writing was very engaging, easy to follow and fun to read. I would definitely recommend it not just to MG/YA audience, but anyone who likes strong, independent female leads witha delightful sense of humour.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin'sPress/Wednesday Booksforthe ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Today I'm delighted to participate the blog tour for Maxand the Spice Thieves, a  new middle grade fantasy story from John Peragine.

Book details:

Max and the Spice Thieves
by John Peragine
(Secrets of the Twilight Djinn #1)
Publication date: April 20th 2021
Genres: Fantasy

Synopsis:

When his mother goes missing, Max Daybreaker’s world is turned upside down. Luckily, a crew of Spice Pirates, led by the mysterious Captain Cinn, help Max on his dangerous mission across the three seas.

Along the way, an unlikely alliance aids in his search—a teenage warrior queen, a three-eyed seer, and an assassin spy.

Their journey takes them through treacherous lands while facing shapeshifting bears, an ancient witch, harpies, and the nightmarish Djinn, who will stop at nothing to enslave the world.

With every new challenge, Max unlocks the secrets of his unsettling past. Powers awaken within, forcing him to question everything he knows.

Is Max who he thinks he is? Only time and destiny will tell…

Goodreads

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Max and the Spice Thieves is an extremely imaginative book, full of unexpected twists and turns. Naturally, I wanted to know who inspired John to become a writer of YA/Middle grade fantasy books and which writers influenced him the most. Let's find out!

1 Neil Gaiman

2 Jim Butcher

3 JRR Tolkien

4 Mercedes Lackey

5 Stephen King

6 Dean Koontz

7 Dan Brown

8 Anne Rice

9 Karl Edward Wagner

10 Robert Louis Stevenson

Thank you to John for this wonderful list!

If you would like to find out what other bloggers thought of John Peragine's book, you can find  the full blog tour schedule here.