Enola Holmes: The Graphic Novels

by Serena Blasco

[Rach Wood]

Step aside, Sherlock! Enola Holmes, the famous detective’s brilliant and strong-willed younger sister, takes centre stage in this vibrant and delightfully drawn graphic novel adaptation of the first three volumes of Nancy Springer’s bestselling mystery series.

When fourteen-year-old Enola wakes on her birthday, she discovers that her mother has disappeared from the family’s country manor, leaving only a collection of flowers and a coded message book. With Mycroft (awful) and Sherlock (who also have some backward ideas) determined to ship her off to a boarding school, Enola escapes and investigates their mother’s disappearance on her own. But nothing prepares her for what lies ahead.

Before going any further, I have to summarize my feelings. I absolutely love the artwork and plan on buying the book just for the pleasure of looking at and feeling the pages (to all the beautiful pinks and purples!). The top-notch watercolour illustrations and the palette chosen are whimsical, and I enjoyed seeing the excerpts from Enola’s secret notebook at the end of each volume, particularly because of all the extra drawings. But as I got to the end of the book, I felt like the story lacked some depth.

The premise is great, and I got excited, especially because of how the different clues Enola finds are displayed, how she uses botany and secret codes to find them and also sending messages to her mother. But the episodes are rather short and sometimes the mysteries were solved too quickly, with some pretty far-fetched conclusions to tie it up. It probably kept the essence of the books well, though. For me, it was too fast-paced to be immersive.

About the main character, I only have one word to say: outstanding. Well, that’s a lie. She’s exceptional indeed, but I should probably explain why. Enola is just not the average girl. She loves mysteries, knowledge and freedom, reads about Max and is a badass feminist. Commentary on living as a woman in Victorian times abounds. Corsets? That’s a deathtrap! But she finds a positive use for wearing the torture device… And there’s more, so much more. I’m already expecting a sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.