The Name of the Star

After finishing this book I feel like I need to go to a tea party!

I'm just playing. Maureen Johnson does a fabulous job on this one. Told from the main character's, Rory, POV and switching to witnesses of the Jack The Ripper crimes and goer involved people this is more of a murder mystery than just a YA novel. Combined with lots of action, humor, mystery, and even some facts about England this makes a quick and easy read.

All Americans will be relieved when the section of England vs. Great Britain vs. United Kingdom comes up. I know I was. And I was even surprised with some slang terms I didn't recognize.

Fault #1:
Fact overload! At some point the third person POVs were kind of wordy and unnecessary. At other times there was too much England history happening.

Fault #2:
There's a MILD cliff-hanger. I wouldn't even consider this a fault except now I'm in a rush to find the next!

I have always been intrigued by history (I mean my dad was a Social Studies teacher so I kind of HAD to be interested). The fact that this story was full of fascinating tidbits about the real Jack the Ripper was an unequivocal plus for me! This tie to the past took the creep factor up a notch. I don’t think there are enough mysteries in young adult, and this had that mystery thriller feel to it.

I was taken by surprise that there was a paranormal element to the story. For some reason, I had not been expecting it, however, it really added to the story. With the supernatural you know anything can happen, so it set me more on edge, and rightfully so.

I really loved Rory. She was a no nonsense type of girl. She was hilarious, and instead of being embarrassed by where she was from, she embraced it (as well as embellished it in a funny, but not so flattering, way). She didn’t let the so called “cool kids” bother her at all.

The setting, of course, was essential. Since the first Jack the Ripper happened in London, the story wouldn’t have come so alive if the setting were anywhere else. Rory was in a boarding type school, but it didn’t bother me so much. Boarding school settings are, in my opinion, used too often, but it worked in this case. I think one of the main reasons it worked so well was that we got to get out and see a bit of London through the telling of the story. Also, I loved Rory’s roommate Jazza.

If you like a lot of romance in your books, this one might not meet your needs. There was a little bit of romance, but it definitely was not the focus of the story. The romance really wasn’t developed too much, but this is the first in a series, so we will have to see how that plays out.

Overall this was a thrilling read that kept me guessing, and surprised me in a few places. Just like with Maureen Johnson’s Little Blue Envelope books, she takes you on one crazy adventure

This was my first Maureen Johnson book, and I wasn't sure what to expect.

I loved it.

The plot was great. Rory and her roommates were darling. While I never really connected to the romance, I wasn't sure Rory was into it much, either, aside from being into kissing a cute boy. The descriptions of London, the mystery of the Ripper, and the twists in the plot all had me turning pages as quickly as I could.

I had serial killer nightmares.