Review--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 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.


Another book finished! Tearing down the TBR mountain one by one...and adding more as I go! This time around I chose a book I've had for over a year now...Maureen Johnson's The Name of the Star! The totally awesome story about a girl named Rory who's living in London abroad and who seems to find herself in the middle of a new Ripper case!

We all know about Jack the Ripper and it is definitely one of the most interesting stories to know about! Partly because it's so unbelievable and yet, real! But when Rory starts to see people who her friends can't see, she's starting to wonder about her own sanity and about what is really going on in London.

It's safe to say that this is a Ghost book! I love ghost stories because they can be so creepy! Mostly because they are based on facts. I am a true believer in ghosts, despite never seeing one, I do believe they exist. So reading ghost stories is fun for me and yet decidedly creepy! The Name of the Star is no exception. Especially when one of the murders is caught on camera and there is no murderer in sight! Creepy!!

The pacing to this book was a bit slow in the beginning. Mostly because Rory is adjusting to life in London, having lived in Louisiana her whole life. Her parents' jobs brought her to London and she is to spend her senior year at a boarding school near Whitechapel. It takes a few chapters for Rory to adjust to London life and it's really not til the first murder that things begin to pick up.

Even then, it's still a little slow here and there, but it becomes interesting because things start to happen to Rory. Things she doesn't know how to explain. She learns about ghosts and this super secret ghost police squad who goes around trying to get rid of the ghosts to protect people. Not all the ghost are bad, but a good portion are and they need a push to go to the "light".

The characters here were quite fun though! Jazza is Rory's roommate and they too bond pretty fast. Jerome is the hot prefect that Rory ends up crushing on. There's some sparks between them but it's hard to say where things might go with them. The ghost police squad includes Stephen, Callum and Boo. Boo was pretty cool. She's very eccentric where Callum is more brooding. Stephen is their boss and he has an air of professionalism about him. They were all very likable...except for Charlotte, who was just plain annoying! But Maureen did an excellent job of making her so!

The ending was fantastic! I didn't really know how things were going to go! Everyone was following the Ripper case and they knew the when's of when he would strike next, but they could never be totally prepared to stop or catch this madman! The night of the final murder is when the big action went down! And as I said, the ending was fabulous! Filled with surprises here and there that leave you gasping! So cannot wait til next month to read the sequel!


Overall rating 4/5 stars