Review - The Name of the Star (Shades of London 01) by Maureen Johnson

Title and Author: The Name of the Star (Shades of London 01) by Maureen Johnson

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Publication Date: September 29th , 2011

Paperback/Hardcover: 372

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Find it at: Goodreads / Bookdepository

Summary:

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? 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

  

Review:

I’ll go ahead and confess Jack the Ripper has always fascinated me (I even did a paper about him once for my criminology class) so I definitely had to read this book. I’m glad I did read it because The Name of the Star is a fun, mysterious and interesting book.

Rory Deveaux is an American girl who moves to a boarding school in London just when a series of murders similar to the ones committed by Jack the Ripper start to happen.

As Rippermania takes over London, Rory thinks she might have seen the man who is committing the murders. The problem is, she seems to be the only one who did see him. Why is that? And why does it seem like she became the murder’s next target?

I really liked all the characters in this book and though they were very well-developed and easy to like.

Rory is the main character and she’s very determined, brave and willing to do whatever needs to be done to keep her friends safe.

Jazza is Rory’s roommate and she’s very loyal and calm. There’s also Boo who’s completely different from the other two girls and shakes their lives up a little, Jerome who’s Rory’s love interest for now, Callum and Stephen who I’m very curious about. I want to learn more about him

There’s not much romance in this book but there are some kisses shared between Rory and Jerome.

I really enjoyed this story and all its revelations, twists and turns. I kept turning pages wanting to find out what would happen next. Maureen Johnson did a great job giving us information about the murders and the legends surrounding the Ripper. She also created the perfect mysterious and a little creepy atmosphere for the murders which fits the story perfectly.

Another thing I think the author excelled on was on setting this book in London and describing it as a city full of stories, beautiful places and an interesting history.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It kept me curious, entertained and intrigued right from the start. The book is very well-written, the characters are great and the mystery very entertaining.

There’s a cliffhanger at the end that makes me happy there’s another book in this series coming out soon. I can’t wait to read it and find out what will happen to these characters I enjoyed reading about so much.

If you like a good Young Adult, Paranormal book centered on an intriguing mystery, you should definitely give this book a try.

Rating: Somewhere Between Worth Your Time and Must Read (4 ½ Stars)