Picture drawn by Maggie Stiefvater, 2009. Header made by S.F. Robertson, 2010.

Friday, September 30, 2011

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson


The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
"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 in the autumn of 1888.

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 now believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was 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? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities."- summary from Amazon

I loved this book. Reading it made me realize how much I had missed Maureen's writing- I don't think I've read anything new of hers since Let It Snow (despite having both Scarlett books and I did also re-read 13 Little Blue Envelopes a few months back). Despite the creepy cover and premise, the book is pretty funny, especially in the beginning before the Ripper action gets involved, though the book does still have some humor throughout the rest of the book. It's still Maureen's style, but a bit darker than her previous books and it works really well.

I really enjoyed Rory as a main character- she's relatable as she tries to make her way in a new place and the voice is just done really well. Her sarcasm was my favorite part, as it usually is since that's my main form of humor. The interactions between all the characters was great and Maureen has a great touch for dialogue because it was always fun and interesting to read and kept the story going. Rory and Jerome were a great little couple too and I liked seeing their romance blossom throughout the book. They're a great match.

I really liked the concept of the ghost police and reading about the history was really cool. The book ended really interestingly and with a twist (actually, two) I hadn't seen coming. Maureen also knows how to work this trilogy by ending the main storyline here but keeping some loose threads open to make the reader want to come back when the next book releases. Although I'll read anything by Maureen because she's an awesome author so I don't necessarily need the loose threads!

Overall, a fantastic start to a ghost thriller trilogy and I can't wait to see where it all goes next!

FTC: Received ARC from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

5 comments:

  1. Great review! I ordered a signed copy of this and should be getting it today. I'm very excited to get into it.

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  2. I'm hoping to read this soon! I just read 13 Little Blue Envelopes but didn't love it as much as I hoped I would. I still want to keep reading MJ books because I did like Let It Snow!

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  3. Sounds great. I'll definitely be checking this out. Thanks for the review.

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  4. I'm excited to read this one. Waiting for Books of Wonder to ship my copy :) There's been so many positive reviews. Glad to hear at least the main plot is wrapped up--I hate when books leading a series just sort of stop.

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  5. this looks really good. I have heard some things. I think it would be cool to read something new and not a lot like her other books.

    great review!

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