Review - Name Of The Star: Shades of London By Maureen Johnson

"Thrilling ghost-hunting teen mystery as modern-day London is plagued by a sudden outbreak of brutal murders that mimic the horrific crimes of Jack the Ripper.
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?"

UK Cover

This has been on my To Be Read pile for a while now, thanks to the lovely Jenny at Wondrous Reads giving me an ARC copy.  I've been dying to get round to and finally did - I was not disappointed!!!

I ADORE the UK cover.  The girls face is half hidden behind her hair and she has a very antique style face.  You can feel the sadness in her eyes.  And then with the old style London scene beneath it just sets you up for the story ahead.
The US cover is also very fitting and unique.  But to me it just doesn't have the same wow factor!!

US Cover

The story starts off with a gruesome discovery and the setting of a rather disturbing London.  The story then quickly shifts to the story of Rory, an American girl who is moving to the UK with her parents.  She's being sent to a boarding school in the London, whilst her parents will be living in Bristol.  I practically forgot about the discovery at the beginning of the book & found it an enthralling story about this girls life.  I felt all the isolation she was feeling and the anxieties of making new friends.  I could easily have read a book about this girls day to day normal life.  But then things started getting more paranormal and sinister, I do love that style so this was rather thrilling.  More gruesome things happen and you really end up in a spin wondering what is going on.

Reading this you really can feel how much affection Maureen feels for England.  She must have absorbed every aspect of our culture and put it in this book.  The humour in the book is quite black too, its so English!!!

I enjoyed this so much, its actually the quickest I have read a book in quite some time.  I really hope there is plenty more of this series to come!!

Rating 4 Out Of 5

Published In The UK By HarperCollins Childrens

This Can Be Purchased HERE and at good book retailers