The Name of the Star

Author: Maureen Johnson
Goodreads Rating: 3.90
Pages: 372
Format: Finished Copy from NYCC12

 The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London 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.

Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

 What a wonderful, interesting story with plenty of twists and turns and surprises along the way. I got this book when I went to BEA12 and I got a paperback copy signed when I went to NYCC12. I wound up giving my hardcover copy to my sisters library while I get to keep my signed copy. Fun stuff. Regardless, I loved being able to dig into this book because wow. As a historian I can appreciate the Jack the Ripper story line, and besides, who doesn’t love a good gruesome murder? Of all the things I wish my college had a class on, I would wish it was Jack the Ripper because there is so much un known about the person that committed these crimes.

I could tell you so much about Jack the Ripper because a girlfriend of my wanted to study all about him/her and their crimes against women. Whats most fascinating is that there is speculation that Jack the Ripper was actually Jackie the Ripper, and while it’s horrible that these murders could have been committed by a female, it’s really, really interesting. But I digress.

I really felt that these characters in this book were special and fabulous, and the plot as well was really great. As we learned more about Rory, I found that I loved her and her southern roots, especially when she decided to draw out a conversation the way that only southern people can. I also liked that it was a nickname Rory being short for Aurora because there was nothing about her that screamed Disney princess. While she wasn’t a tough guy, she also wasn’t soft. (I would say soft as a southern bell, but you get on the bad side of a southern beauty queen or any southern gal, and man, you will have a vicious Hellcat on your hands.)

I liked that there was some romance in this book and that it didn’t really distract from the Ripper plotline. I do feel like there is the potential for a pesky triangle, but we’ll see where the second book goes with that one. I felt that each of the characters were unique and fun with their clever nicknames like Jazza and Boo, and that they weren’t just the same cookie cutter witty character, some were competitive and blunt others were really sweet and funny, all of them were different which was great.

I found that the whole Shades plot was really clever and interesting. The way that a near death experience could allow you to go all Macaulay Culkin. I liked learning about the near death experiences of the squad, and I’m interested to see how their various experiences will bring them together. At first when I got this book, I wasn’t sure how we were going to be getting a whole second book, but now, having read it, I totally understand and I can’t wait for book 2.

 The Courts Decision: