The Name of the Star: Shades of London, Book 1

High Energy and Full of SurprisesThis is my first Maureen Johnson novel, and I was thoroughly pleased with it. I've been reading more young adult the last few years, and this one I would consider a literary thriller, and the writing quite sophisticated. It's gratifying that such a large number of young readers are digesting literature of this quality.The protagonist in the story is a young woman, Aurora (Rory) Deverourx, who is from a small town outside New Orleans, Louisiana. Rory is on her way to London, England for her senior year of high school at Wexford in the East End of London, a two-year boarding school for seventeen and eighteen year olds. The story opens with a sort of "prologue," a third-person narration of a nurse scurrying along the streets of pre-dawn London. The woman is late to work and in a terrible hurry. She stumbles over something in the dark and soon discovers that it is a body with the throat slit and the head almost severed.At the beginning of Chapter One, which is told in Rory's first-person narration, we learn that she will attend Wexford, while her parents, both lawyers, are on sabbatical from Tulane to teach law at the University of Bristol, east of London two hours by train. Rory arrives at the airport, where an old man picks her up and drives her to Wexford. On the way, she learns of the murder that same morning, which is characterized in the media as a Jack the Ripper copycat. Back in 1888, Jack had brutally mutilated five women prostitutes, the first on Friday 31 August and the last on Friday 9 November. This then locks the story's central conflict. It doesn't take a very astute reader to realize that this young woman will eventually become embroiled in the hunt for the killer who is repeating all of Jack the Ripper's murders, after all, Wexford is in "Jack the Ripper territory."All this is good stuff, and initially the reader becomes engrossed in Rory's trials and tribulations as she meets new friends and adversaries and struggles with her classes at Wexford, what is for her, an exotic and demanding educational environment. At this point, it is sort of a fish-out-of-water story. New murders occur on Jack the Ripper schedule, and it becomes certain that the girls at Wexford are particularly at risk. The tension is palpable, and teenagers do crazy things, are inherently risk-takers, and fuel is really on the fire. But right in the middle of the novel, the story changes. I won't give away the plotline, but what happens, for me, really lets the air out of the tension balloon.In the beginning of the second half of the novel, we experience a twist in the storyline that produces new secondary characters, and the old ones at Wexford sink in the background and are not, although peripherally present, developed further. The story quickly falls back to earth where it languishes for a couple of chapters. With a lessor author, this turn of events could be catastrophic, but Maureen Johnson is an amazing storyteller with writing talent to burn, and this twist soon recaptures the reader's interest, and we're off on an even more exciting ride.The ending of the novel is thrilling, exceeds all of our expectations, and the reader comes away satisfied with having read a well-told story. And just when you think it's all over, the last scene in the novel will set you to thinking again, and make you quickly turn to twitter to urge Maureen Johnson to write faster, faster, faster, because obviously this story has a sequel. I checked it out, and I believe that this is Volume One of a new series titled Shades of London. Can't wait.Review of the eBook format:I actually hate to go into this, but it seems that publishers should get credit where credit is due, and when not, well... If this eBook is any indication, G. P. Putnam's Sons/Penguin Group Inc. has a ways to go before they can put out a good one. This one looks more like something a self-published author without much technical savvy would put together. First of all, I read this by jumping back and forth between my second-generation Kindle and apps on my iMac, MacBook Air, and iPhone, all nicely synced by Amazon. The cover used in the eBook is actually the black-and-white frontispiece of the hardcover edition. Granted on my second-generation Kindle (no color) that didn't matter much, but on the other devices, it did. All the devices I used besides the Kindle have color, so why not have that beautiful cover image? Once you've bought the book, all you get is a tiny color thumbnail in your list of eBooks, in which the title isn't even discernible. Once inside the book, you never see the real cover. Even if you click on the contents link titled "Cover," you don't get it. The cover is the symbol of a book, even sells the book in many cases, so why not have it available? Even self-published authors do this.Secondly, the eBook's navigation has its own problems. The novel doesn't start with Chapter One. As I mentioned above, it has a "prologue" of sorts (titled DURWARD STREET, EAST LONDON AUGUST 31 4:17 A.M.) that actually kicks it off, which is fine. But that "prologue" isn't listed in the Table of Contents, so if you ever return there, you can't get to the beginning of the story without backtracking several pages. Also, it's becoming standard for each chapter heading to be a link back to the Table of Contents, but not in The Name of the Star. The eBook also has a few formatting errors (e.g. at the beginnings of Chapters 22, 24, and 31), but these are small annoyances. One bizarre error concerns a reference within the text to a website called "RipperFiles.com," which is highlighted and an active link provided to... nowhere. All in all, a rather amateurish eBook for a major publishing house, especially when you consider that it sells on Amazon for only a few pennies less than the hardcover, the price set by the publisher. I downloaded the free sample on Apple's iBooks and found the navigation situation with the "prologue" even worse.The title, The Name of the Star, is still confusing to me. The words come up in the text, but the connection never quite makes sense, in my opinion. Publisher marketing generally reserves the right to specify the title.Still, an excellent novel by Maureen Johnson. She is truly a marvelous writer. Too bad her publisher, one of the best in the business, can't keep up with the times.

~4/5I got this book when it was first released, and then also pre-ordered the second book, and yet still hadn't read this one. I'm not sure why, exactly; I'm a rather big fan of Johnson, but for some reason this book didn't catch my interest very well. It's a little out of my normal genres, I guess, so it took me a while, even though I was sure that I would like it.And I did like it, quite a lot; even more than I thought I would. I really should have read it sooner.When I started this, I didn't really read much of the synopsis, mainly because I wanted it to be a surprise. And while I'd heard the gist of what the book was about (Jack the Ripper, London, Mystery, Boarding School), I forgot about the supernatural element. So it was a little weird to think it was contemporary (although at first I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be historical, given Jack the Ripper, and was rather happy when I found out that it was, in fact, contemporary) and then for ghosts to start showing up. I guess, in a way, I got to feel some of that new surprise with Rory, though.Rory, the main character, moves from Louisiana to London, because her parents are working in Bristol, so Rory decides that she wants to go to boarding school in London. She meets some new friends there, but at the same time, Jack the Ripper-esque murders have started happening, and then a new girl transfers to the school, and then Rory starts seeing these people that aren't there...I liked Rory. I generally always like Johnson's heroines; they have the quirky humor that she has, which is always a highlight. Rory is struggling some with the new school, with all this tougher homework than she's used to, and now with being able to see ghosts. But she didn't seem weak to me, nor did she seem particularly strong. I generally just liked her, and am looking forward to getting to know her better in the future.Then there's the other characters, all of whom seemed to have very different personalities and characteristics, and who I'm looking forward to getting to know more later. There's Jazza, Rory's roommate, who's a bit orderly and likes following the rules, and sweet and honest, and just nice. There's Jerome, who wants to be a journalist, and who has a bit of a making-out thing with Rory, although they haven't discussed anything with each other; he's also nice and sweet, and honest, and curious. Boo, Rory and Jazza's other roommate (temporarily, I believe), who is sporty and fun and kind. We meet a lot of other characters, too, and one thing that I especially like about Johnson's writing, is that she knows how to make characters different from each other, and make them rounded. I'm not going to go into too much detail about the others, though, and hopefully I'll see more of them all, get to know them even better, in the next book.The mystery/suspense aspect of the book was done rather well. It was pretty obvious from the beginning, when you first met the killer, who it was, but there was still a lot of tension and suspense while Rory found out who it was, and while everyone was waiting for the specific dates for him to strike. The supernatural elements were also done well, and I look forward to seeing how they expand and are explored in the next book, as Rory gets used to it, and uses it.I was expecting the Jack the Ripper mystery to continue on to the next book, but I'm okay with it ending the way it did. I was also expecting Rory's friends to find out about the ghosts, and was really surprised that they didn't. I realize that they make a nice contrast, her ordinary friends from school to her new friends who can also see ghosts, but I'm kind of hoping that they find out in the next book. I want them to know, and for Rory to be able to talk to them about it. I also hadn't expected Rory to meet friends in the police who can see ghosts, but am rather pleased with how that worked out.The boarding school was nice; I liked how it was set up, but boarding school is also just a neat thing and a fun setting in books (particularly because I've never been to one--maybe I'd feel differently if I had).This was a really good opening to the series, introduced a lot of things and characters, and I'm really looking forward to seeing where the story is taken from here, where all of these characters and elements go in the next book. I already have the second book, as I said, so I plan to start it immediately; part of me also wants to wait, because I know it's going to be next year that the third book comes out, but I've already decided not to wait.[This review is also available on my blog.]

See my review of this book, and many more, at TalesfromtheGreatEastRoad.wordpress.comThe mystery of Jack the Ripper is one that has fascinated the world since the anonymous murders occurred in 1888. Who was this serial killer? How did he evade capture? And what drove him to such brutal actions in the first place? Part of the terror (or some might say allure) comes from this lack of knowledge, which has stood the test of time among scholars and creatives alike. This is why when teenager Rory moves from Louisiana to Wexford, a London boarding school, only to find the work of a copycat killing has happened right on her new doorstep, she is in far more danger that she could realise. Especially since she's the only one to see the suspect - but that's not all she can see - after nearly choking to death Rory can see ghosts. Now a secret organisation of ghost hunters known as The Shades need her help to stop the killings, as the new Ripper may be more that he appears.Ultimately, The Name of the Star is an enjoyable book. Rory is an interesting and funny character, whose inner musings, (--), as she compares and copes with life between America and England make her not only likeable, but relatable. As a British person living in London, reading Rory's thoughts were quite amusing and just show that what one person considers normal can be new and strange for another. I was also grateful that neither nationality was stereotyped or overly mocked - whilst there was a gentle poking at both English and American culture, it all seemed in good nature.As for the plot, the idea of ghost-busting police is engaging and original, not to mention fun (they are sometimes known as "Scotland Graveyard"). The reveal of Rory's new ability marks a distinct change in the tone of the book, from contemporary to paranormal. Seeing ghosts changes her life quite dramatically, which is reflected in the narrative, bring the Ripper into the spotlight. As for the Ripper himself, he is convincingly creepy and dangerous, which builds up tension between the murder dates and increases the pressure on the Shades to stop him.For a book about ghosts, I would have liked to have seen a few more. I was also intrigued by the use of an abandoned Underground station, which was a clever metaphor for the ghosts themselves - hidden in plain sight, known only by those who know where to look - but again, I wish there had been more development around this topic. I was also slightly annoyed about the almost cliffhanger ending; it was abrupt and jarred with the narrative pace of the rest of the novel.Luckily, the next volume was available to me as soon as I finished, so I just set this one down and moved on to the next one.4 stars

I enjoyed this book at the beginning. It was very well written and quite amusing. I agree with another reviewer who said that more research on the author's part was needed as there were a few things that were questionable, the rules on drinking for example. As a boarding school where parent's are paying to send their children, I doubt that the Head Teacher would think it a good idea to serve alcohol at a school function if the majority of students are under-age.While some people have said it was a little uninteresting at the start, I found it lost its way for me when the big supernatural stuff started happening. I loved the idea that Jack the Ripper had returned, it was the reason I bought the book in the first place. But, and this will sound really stupid seeing as it's a fictional work, I found it to be unbelievable and a little predictable.It was a shame, because I did start to lose interest in the book whereas I couldn't put it down before. I did finish it and although the ending pointed quite clearly at a sequel, I doubt I'll be buying it. People will undoubtedly disagree with me, and while I can understand the appeal it will have for other people it doesn't hold any for me.

This is one of my all time favourite books yet I can't seem to review it. Why is it always harder to put your thoughts into words when it's something you love?I pretty much love everything about this book - the characters, the setting, the story. It's one I can re-read time and again.

Really loved this story and the characters created. However, I would warn readers that the book series seems to be abandoned after the 3rd book, The Shadow Cabinet as it leaves its readers on a cliffhanger and no other books in the series have been released. After 6 years I doubt now if it will ever be finished so enjoy this book as a one off.

The characters are interesting and fully fleshed out, and speak in Maureen Johnson's signature believable, natural dialogue. The supernatural elements were treated cleverly, the villain was chilling, the action was quick, the title was a hint all along, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.