The Name of the Star (Shades of London #1)Author: Maureen Johnson
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile, 372 pages
Publication Date: September 29, 2011
From Goodreads:
The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.
Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target?
Review:
Boarding school in London, a serial killer that only Rory can see...this book is filled with tension, action, and humor. I really enjoyed Rory's voice and her dry sense of humor. I liked the secondary characters as well, especially Jazza and Boo. I want to know more about Stephen, I think there's a lot of potential with his character. The beginning of the book is more about Rory figuring out how things work at her new school, but the suspense slowly builds as Rippermania hits London and people become both excited and scared about the murders throughout the city. The second half really picks up with the action and I found myself both fascinated and horrified by what was happening. My only complaint is the motive of the killer, which makes no sense to me. I can't say more without spoiling it, though, so I'll leave it at that. The book wraps up things quite well, and then there's a final twist that's not a cliffhanger, but makes me excited about reading the next book. Suspense with a supernatural twist, I really liked it.
Posted by: Pam
I read this one years ago so I don't remember much about it besides the fact that I liked it. I'll have to reread it before I pick up the next one in this series. Great review, Pam!
ReplyDeleteI'm picking up the second one from the library this week so I'll be able to read it when it's still fresh. Too many series!!! ~Pam
DeleteI love a good twist and this book sounds pretty entertaining with good characters. I've seen the series everywhere so maybe it's time I pick it up.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the story and the characters and I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next one. ~Pam
DeleteI agree! The motive of the killer was sort of lacking (as in, there really was no motive whatsoever...), and Stephen definitely has an amazing character (: I need to get my hands on the second book so I can see if the book series continues to be amazing.
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
T @ YA Book Queens (:
Yeah, I thought that was strange what the killer did because no one would have cared about him if he wasn't killing people. Oh well! And I hope Stephen plays an even bigger part in the next book, I would love to see him and Rory together, but I'm not sure if that's going to happen. I should be reading the next one this week...can't wait! ~Pam
DeleteI've never heard of this one before but it sounds interesting! I love when thrillers can surprise me. So many just don't. So an good twist at the end would definitely be a favorite for me. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThe twist at the end definitely raises all sorts of possibilities for the next book so I'm excited about reading it. ~Pam
DeleteSounds like a solid ending. I love when books in series can standalone. Thank goodness I am out of high school because after all the books I've read I am scared of boarding schools hah but I love them as a setting for the creepy vibe they usually have. I'll have to consider this one when I am in the mood for a thriller. Shame the reason behind the killings was lame though...
ReplyDeleteI love books set in boarding schools. Carol Goodman writes great boarding school books, although all of them are technically adult, except for Blythewood. Yeah, the reason behind the killings just doesn't make sense, but oh well. ~Pam
DeleteI haven't read this series yet, but I have seen it quite a bit. I would probably be bothered by the villain's reason too since I really like things to make sense in these kinds of books. I'm intrigued though. I'll have to read it. :)
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed it and I just got the second book, which I hope to read soon. ~Pam
DeleteI haven't read this yet, but have seen this book so many times that I keep considering it. It does sound like a good read, but I do hate when serial killers motives make no sense to me. My interest is peaked but it won't be too high on my endless TBR list. :)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely way too many books to read, but I recommend this one. ~Pam
DeleteI've been holding off on reading this book for so long but I cant wait to read it. It sounds really good.
ReplyDelete