Review – The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Thursday, April 26th, 2012 at 10:37 am

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
From Publishers – Harper Collins Aust.
Release Date – 1st October 2011
Check it out at Goodreads | The Book Depository | Kobo

Sixteen-year-old American girl Rory has just arrived at boarding school in London when a Jack the Ripper copycat-killer begins terrorising the city. All the hallmarks of his infamous murders are frighteningly present, but there are few clues to the killer?s identity.

“Rippermania” grabs hold of modern-day London, and the police are stumped with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. In an unknown city with few friends to turn to, Rory makes a chilling discovery…

Could the copycat murderer really be Jack the Ripper back from the grave?

Review by Esther Fong: For a girl who has a crazy family consisting an uncle who looks like a bickie but loves birds, another who has a boat lashed to his roof and 8 freezers in the reinforced second story of his house just for a natural disaster. An aunt who believes she can see angels and a grandmother who dresses in silk night gowns and heeled slippers, Aurora (Rory) Deveraux from Louisiana is surprisingly normal.

Rory is so excited to be moving to London and attending a boarding school. She expects good times, lots of laughs and the sneaky pint of beer at the pub. Life can’t be any more amazing. That is until Jack the Ripper comes calling. This story follows the copy-cat murders of Jack the Ripper and how Rory is thrown into a world of horror and intrigue.

All I can say is wow. I am so glad that I didn’t read any reviews of this book (didn’t even read the blurb as I had a e-book) as the story had already captured me before it was reveled that Rory could see ghosts.

Maureen Johnson is such a vivid story teller, I had just thought this book was a plain old horror story yet it was so much more then that. This world is filled with ghosts and people with the sight who protect humans from ghosts. Like a new age teen ghost busters. Any one who is looking for an interesting original story with no teen angst then this is the book for you. I’m about to now go and read all Maureen Johnsons other books and I can’t wait for the next one to come out.

About the Author: Maureen knew from an early age she wanted to be a writer. She went to high school at an all-girls’ Catholic school and graduated from University of Delaware with a degree in writing. She now lives and writes in New York City.

Many of the adventures Maureen’s characters face in her books are based on real-life stories. Maureen has traveled all over Europe, and is a Secret Sister to vlog brothers Hank and John Green.

Have you read this book yet?

What did you think?

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