The Name of The Star by Maureen Johnson

Series: Shades of London (bk. 1)
Genera: Paranormal, Thriller, Mystery
Subjects: London, ghosts, murder, Jack the Ripper, serial killers, police, boarding schools, romance
Length: 372 pgs.
HC/PB: Hardcover
Summary/ product description: "A modern-day thriller about Rory, an American high-school student who enrolls at a London boarding school for her junior year. Soon after her arrival, a series of murders begins to take place across the city—on the exact dates and in the exact style of Jack the Ripper. Rory’s ties to the killer bring her in contact with a secret paranormal branch of the British police, as they attempt to stop the mysterious killer."

My Rating:ê ê ê ê

My Review: This book was also so much better than I thought it would be! I happy to know it was set in the present, and at a boarding school. I love boarding school books! I’m not a fan of British stuff, but this book made it awesome. And Jack the Ripper? I remember a whole live episode of Most Haunted dedicated to the ghost of Jack the Ripper, it was interesting to learn about Jack the Ripper, and the mystery of his murders.

The characters were well written. They each had a different personality. Rory was very southern: she kept mentioning how southerners can slowly talk you to death. Jazza was more shy. Jerome was interested in the Ripper. Charlotte was competitive. Boo was athletic and said “yeah” at the end of sentences. Callum was “hormonal.” Stephen was Stephen, and a police officer. I like the whole ghosts police idea.

Maureen really had a sense a humor in the dialog and plot, and pretty much everything. There were some very ridiculous parts. Read it, and you’ll understand what I mean. The humor was in the characters too, as I mentioned.

I highly recommend this series. It’s a fresh ghost story. It’s a great read for this fall. Best around Halloween.

Cover Art Review: I really like this cover. The girl on it is not Rory, but the layered images look cool and creepy. Very English and Victorian ghosts… I love the swirls of gold. The fonts used seem unique. I may have seen them before, but the look like the were altered specifically for this series. I love the texture of the book jacket. It’s the sparkly plastic coated kind that’s also used on the Hush, Hush and Nightshade series covers.

~Haley G