Postcard For Reader

The Name of the Star

The Name of the Star
Author: Maureen Johnson
Series: Shades of London (#1)
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
How Received: borrowed

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London, it's the start of a new life at a 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.
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After derping around with a friend's copy of this for a few months, I finally got around to reading it on a sick day - and I'm glad I finally picked it up!

The Name of the Star is a quick paranormal romp through the streets of London, filled with unexpected twists and turns and entertaining character (of both this world and the Otherworld). The story itself is fairly fast-paced and pretty easy to zoom through in one sitting.

I liked the charismatic cast of characters - Rory herself was strong and witty; "Jack" was mildly terrifying and somehow mildly hilarious; the wide range of side-characters were beautifully fleshed out and well crafted. Not gonna lie, though: Jazza wins as my favorite character. She reminds me of me.

Thankfully, characters are where Maureen seems to shine - I haven't met a character of hers I haven't liked or thought was poorly executed. This may be because Maureen herself is a bit of a character. But hey, gotta love it.

Overall Rating & Final Comments: 9/10. Solid paranormal romp, fast-moving plot, and great characters.
For a bonus tidbit: Read the acknowledgements, because Maureen is always funniest when she's just being herself.