Monday 5 September 2011

The Name of The Star review

The Name of The Star
Maureen Johnson
29th September 2011
HarperCollin's Childrens Books


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.



The Name of The Star is the perfect blend of fun and creepy, with a main character I really liked and a ghost that was genuinely scary (seriously, the man was a psycho. Chilling.) Plus the setting was awesome and a great and really accurate description of east London (and trust me, I am NOT talking about Albert Square. Sorry for anyone who didn't get that.) I love books set in places that I know really well, and I go down to that are quite a bit, and I must say, MJ really nailed it. I know she comes to England a lot anyway, but still, it was awesome.


I really loved the mystery too. I love Jack the Ripper (like, not the murders or anything, but the whole concept of this guy who we still don't know the identity of. It's really interesting.) So I was really fascinated by how MJ was going to do it, and I thought it was really interesting how she did. Plus, the bad guy was just scary. He was just... Mad. But I did enjoy finding out his reasons for what he did. Though there weren't any massive twists, it was still really engaging and fast paced.


Rory was a really great character, and I loved her out-of-placeness (and not to mention her accent...), and I really liked the whole idea behind her seeing ghosts, like, that she wasn't born to do it and she isn't the most powerful, she's just a normal girl who can now see ghosts. And another thing I loved was her relationship with Jeremy. I really liked that he was just a completely normal, nice guy, who Rory liked and liked her back, and that he wasn't really involved in the main mystery. He was important, and he helped her find out things, but their relationship had nothing to do with that, and I liked that because I'm kind of fed up with people who want to be together but can't because he's a vampire or she's a werewolf or whatever. I like that simplicity.


I really liked Jazza, she was adorable, and Jeremy was lovely. I think my favourite character was Alistair though. I mean, he;s only in it for like 10 pages but I just love him ;) I really didn't like Boo at first though. I just thought she was annoying and that she was being a really clingy person and she was always there and I was just like 'Kay, Book, you can so go away now'. But then things happened and things were revealed and I ended up liking her a lot more. 


The Name of The Star is a really great, creepy, fun book that I simply loved and I really hope everyone else does too :)

8 comments:

  1. I find Jack the Ripper really interesting too! I had no idea what this book was about. I'm definitely going to pick it up now that I do know!

    Great review :)
    Books of Amber

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  2. I can't wait till this one comes out later this month in the US!! The idea of Jack the Ripper, ghosts, and a simple romance makes me want to read this even more!

    Thanks for the awesome review, I'll definitely be picking this one up!!!!

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  3. Great review, and the book sounds great. I'm a fan of Johnson anyway, so I'll be picking up this one.
    Thanks!

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  4. I'm really intrigued by the Jack the Ripper aspect of this one - so curious to see how MJ does it! Glad you enjoyed it, and I like that the romance between Rory and Jeremy is sweet and simple. Fab review! :)

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  5. Awesome review, Alastair was my fave character too ;)

    The Cait Files

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  6. The Name of the Star definitely sounds creepy and like a mysterious read. I have to get my hands on a copy soon.

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  7. I cant wait to get round to reading this one! :D

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  8. Thanks for the review. I love knowing that the setting is really accurate. I've never been to London so books are the closest I will get for now.

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