Maureen Johnson

Rory, of Bâenouville, Louisiana, is spending a year at a London boarding school when she witnesses a murder by a Jack the Ripper copycat and becomes involved with the very unusual investigation.

The Name of the Star

Rory, of Bénouville, Louisiana, is spending a year at a London boarding school when she witnesses a murder by a Jack the Ripper copycat and becomes involved with the very unusual investigation.

The name of the star

chloe rae

SUCH a cool story! Tons of twists and unexpected turns and all-around AMAZING-NESS! So good. Perfect for a Halloween read!

Annika Arguemore

A nice read, I must say. What drew me in to this story was that it was Jack The Ripper-inspired. I've always been fascinated with the conceptualization of Jack The Ripper. I'm a huge nut for documentaries that feature his macabre murders and the perpetual, dangling mystery over his real identity. Now, what should I make of this story?

Of gradual cadence, the beginning was as conventional as it could be. The right kind of beginning. Then, it developed and blossomed into the exciting, interesting, consuming and intriguing tale it was set out to be. I honestly thought there would be more of romance but I'm glad to say that the main idea of this book still stood out and that the author managed to keep the romantic aspect of the novel tied down to a leash. Ergo, a big round of applause for this novel.

Melissa Palmer

Creepy good book. A Jack the Ripper ghost begins to kill again. One teenager can see him. . . but can she stop him? I have #2 in my TBR pile.

Elisa Bieg

Fun, fairly smooth read.

I bought this because I LOVE the Truly Devious trilogy and was craving more of Maureen Johnson’s particular blend of mystery, dry wit, school settings, and bits of history. This one even had a touch of paranormal so... no-brainer! GIMME.

It ended up being... good, but ever so slightly disappointing. I didn’t like the characters nearly as much as Stevie or any of the supporting characters from TD — they were just not as compelling; though they were definitely not boring, either.

The storyline is logical, well structured, and fairly well-paced, and it also manages not to be too trite, which was a nice surprise. But as a whole, this was a much less intriguing and compelling read than what I expected, and I don’t find myself in a hurry to continue the series. 

Still, it is worth recommending if you enjoy YA mystery with a hint of paranormal, and/or want a new twist on Jack the Ripper. 3 1/2 STARS

Nicole Dykeman

Totally loved this one! I've only read one other Maureen Johnson book, Devilish, so I wasn't sure if I'd like this very much, but I loved it! I couldn't put it down!

Sonja H

Die junge Amerikanerin Rory soll ihr letztes Schuljahr in einem Londoner Internat verbringen, doch noch bevor sie sich richtig einleben kann, bricht der "Ripperwahn" über die Stadt herein. Ein Mörder treibt sein Unwesen. Er imitiert die Taten des legendären Londoner Verbrechers Jack, the Ripper und versetzt die Stadt in Angst und Schrecken. Er hinterlässt keine verfolgbaren Spuren und selbst die allgegenwärtigen Überwachungskameras haben kein Bild von ihm aufgezeichnet. Lediglich Rory hat ihn gesehen - und gerät in sein Visier. 

Maureen Johnson greift im ersten Band ihrer Trilogie zu einer Geschichte, die ein Garant für Spannung ist, und verwebt sie recht geschickt mit einem fantastischen Element. Wer glaubt nicht, dass eine Stadt wie London voller Geheimnisse und unerklärlicher Ereignisse steckt? Diese gilt es gemeinsam mit den Protagonisten zu ergründen - einer Gruppe unerschrockener Teenager aus "besserem Haus", klug, mutig...und ein Spielball des Rippers. Leider habe ich ein wenig den Eigeneinsatz der Truppe vermisst, die Entwicklung ihrer Persönlichkeiten, das Wachsen an den Herausforderungen. Letzten Endes werden sie zu all ihren Handlungen mehr oder weniger gezwungen.
Am Ende hatte ich fast mehr Verständnis für das Handeln des Mörders als für das der Jugendlichen.

Eine leichte, dennoch spannende Lektüre mit typischen Elementen des Jugendbuchgenre.

Elizabeth Neill

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. "A gorgeously written, chilling, atmospheric thriller. The streets of London have never been so sinister or so romantic." Cassandra Clare, author of THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS

The Name of the Star (Shades of London, Book 1)

maya <3

this first book was really interesting and the best so far! rory isn’t as boring in this book and stephen is just <3 her and jerome have 0 chemistry tho so reading their interactions was like watching paint dry lol- if you’re hoping for romance in this book, there’s practically none but the second book does have cute scenes between my otp. the only thing that really bugs me is that rory could’ve easily been aged up to 18 instead of being a minor :/ the plot itself is interesting and i really really love callum & boo i mean those two CARRIED this book and continue to carry this series on their shoulders 

Elizabeth

Excellent read! I didn't know what to expect, all I knew is John Green had recommended it on his youtube channel. But it was awesome. It starts slow, introducing you to characters that are going to be around a while since it's only book one. Then the excitement starts when Ripper attacks. Characters are written well, I feel like I could connect with Rory. I couldn't put it down, I was in love by chapter 12, and sad to finish it. Can't wait for the other books

Nadine 

I'm not usually one for ghost stories but this was a pretty fun one - Jack the Ripper striking again, an American in a London boarding school, kept the attention to the end. I see it's a series - definitely something that would work from MS upwards

Chelsea Hunter

** spoiler alert **
           I thought it was a really good story, I liked the plot idea, but one thing I really didn't like was Jerome and Rory. I loved them both as characters, but not as a couple. I kinda thought that Stephen and Rory would have made a cuter couple - but that's purely my opinion. I also found myself being easily distracted, and I would rather read a book that keeps me drawn to it, to the point where I hate putting it down - even for a second.

Jessica Williamson

3.75 Stars

While this book definitely shows it's age in some places (the MC looking into a mirror to describe herself in the first chapter) I think it is a good entry overall. 

The characters were just okay. I liked the MC but I felt like everyone else was just kind of THERE. They didn't really have a whole lot of background or even a large presence in the plot of the book. They just felt a little disjointed.

What I did love was the reasoning behind the shades and how they come to be and what they're like after death. That aspect of the plot, I was SOLD on. Also the mystery of not necessarily WHO the ripper is (because we're shown that VERY early on) but the WHY he was doing it and learning more about him, that I enjoyed.

Overall I think this was a really good book. I enjoyed it and I've already started the sequel.

Cover 4; Characters 3; Plot 4; Pace 4; Writing 4; Enjoyment 4

laura

Such a good book! I loved the world building and that characters. Another book series that was so addicted to read. i NEED THE SEQUEL NOW :)

Анастасия Розова

So, um. I'm glad I didn't read the synopsis, cause the paranormal aspect surprised me. I expected it to be just a thriller novel, but it wasn't and I'm kinda glad. Cause for some time I actually though it was some man mimicking Jack the Ripper and it wasn't and I was like 'whaaaat?'.
(view spoiler)[When Boo and Stephen noticed Rory looking at them and relieved the secret, I was a bit surprised. I still expected the video of the murder to be fake. I was wrong. (hide spoiler)]

I liked the main character quite instantly. She felt real and alive to me. I also got hooked by this story very fast, so I'm grateful for that. I didn't connect to Rory's friends, though, but I did like the Shades. We didn't get much of Callum and I hope it'll change, but I still enjoyed them quite a bit.

The 'Ripper' himself was rather interesting as well. His story and motives and all. I think he made a great villain, so to say.

Don't really have much more to say... I liked the setting, liked the idea and the execution of it. Just overall happy I've read this book and definitely will be continuing with the series.

Neva Davies

A fun read

The Name of the Star is a fun paranormal mystery, and uses a very familiar name in order to pull you in. The characters are interesting, giving you a desire to know more,including the paranormal elements.

I give The Name of the Star a 3.75 star rating.

Marissa Scudlo

I honestly love this book, one begin that it takes place in England and have to deal with Good old Jack. Rory is a strong female character that is willing to let the villain get her to save her friends

Laura Springall

I've been following Maureen Johnson on twitter for quite some time even though I hadn't read one of her books yet, because she's absolutely hilarious! It was great to see her humour in a book; I laughed out loud a lot. I was super excited when I found this at the public library! (I was the first person to take it out, too =p)

The plot moved at a good pace, and I was satisfied with the relationship development between Rory and Jerome; it wasn't too fast and it didn't take over the plot (to be honest, I shipped Rory and Stephen more, but I guess with the age difference it wouldn't quite worked out). 

The characters were great. Claudia was always making me laugh, and Charlotte was fun to dislike lol. I had gotten very much attached to Jo! My favourite character was probably Stephen though, no particular reason. 

Loved the plot twist at the end! Can't wait to read book 2!

Samantha Seney

This book has been sitting on my shelf for over a year and finally over the weekend I had the urge to pick it up and start going.The book never left my side and I read until the middle of the night. I would recommend to anyone who is interested in young adult supernatural and/or mystery.

Erin 

** spoiler alert **
           I have so many feelings about this book. Let me tell you about all of them. I got this book in the free bin at a yard sale. If it had even been a dollar I would probably not have picked it up, because it wasn't on my list of priorities at the time. And then when I finished my other book a day later, I needed something new. And even though I wouldn't have paid a dollar for it only the day before, somehow I felt I had to read it. What began as a somewhat average story turned into something that I was raging to get home (or have my daily commute extended) simply to find out what happened next. I found the concept of HOW they became Shades a bit odd, as it would seem that a lot of young people probably have near-death experiences. I suppose there is probably more out there than we found out about, but still. I love Jazza - so much that I was incredibly disappointed when she started to disappear as soon as Boo entered the picture. It makes sense, since she has no involvement in the main plot, but still. I missed her. Jerome seemed too average, too plain for Rory, so I wasn't quite as sad when he also was pushed to the side. Boo is quite the person, and she seemed to morph into more of a friend for Rory, especially since they have this one big thing in common. So I was a bit confused when Rory kept insisting that they were not getting closer (at least that's the vibe I got??) Stephen I did not like at the beginning, but I swear to god as soon as he was a page away from danger, I got a sick feeling in my stomach, and I was preparing to write a very strongly worded letter to the author if he died. Thankfully, that did not happen. I've already mentioned in my updates that I thought the execution of the explanation what was happening to Rory was extremely poor, but I got over that once other things started happening. The twist with the Ripper being a former Shade was something I was not expecting, and welcomed with open arms - it made it that much better. I am definitely intrigued and excited see what will happen in the sequel!

Jessica 

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Tik Tok | You can find my review here.

 
  “It was almost funny. Life seemed downright accidental in its brevity, and death a punch line to a lousy joke.” 


While embarking on my next binge read for the stay at home order, I thought that revisiting an older read I enjoyed may be a good path to take. With the nostalgia already brewing for Maureen Johnson's Truly Devious conclusion, and my overall lack of memory of the entire Shades of London series, I had the urge to give The Name of the Star a reread.

And, holy cheese wiz, I'm glad I did. I definitely slept on this one. So underrated. It's very likely that this has officially made it to my list of all time favourites. The Name of the Star was beyond hypnotic and chilled with mysteries and ghost stories. We're just all going to have to pretend that this was my very first experience with the series.

Consider this review my complete reset on all memories about the series. How I forgot so much, and didn't instantly love the entire series, is beyond me. The Name of the Star is an absolutely engrossing story of intrigue, mystery, snark and murderous ghosts--aka, the perfect and dazzling introduction to the Shades of London. To put it bluntly? I AM IN LOVE. I'm already itching for another read of The Name of the Star.

Maureen Johnson, I bow down to you. The Name of the Star bends its genres in a way that makes the twists and turns all the more delicious. One minute it's a standard coming of age story, then a murder mystery, with sprinkles of historical realities, and the next it's a supernatural jump of murderous ghosts. Johnson weaves together the story in a way that is so satisfying and impossible to put down.

With all its mysterious air and fantasy elements, you can't go wrong. But, there's so many other great things to note: we've got genuinely lovable characters, such as our main gal Rory, budding friendship and romance, witty dialogue, chilling villains, foggy London, and so much more. Maureen Johnson truly outdid herself with The Name of the Star and so much about it feels ahead of its time.

Most of the time reading The Name of the Star, I felt breathless and enthralled in the best ways. My focus rarely left this story. Not even for coffee. It reminded me why I love reading so much. The ending left me both satisfied and entirely eager, and on edge, for the second installment. Needless to say, The Name of the Star was fantastic and an absolutely delightful addition to my binge-reading this spring.

New York Times bestseller Maureen Johnson takes on Jack the Ripper in this captivating paranormal thriller! The day that Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London to start a new life at boarding school is also the day a series of brutal murders breaks out over the city, killings mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper spree 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--the only one who can see him. And now Rory has 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.

Giulia 

Recensione su Giulia's World

Sono partita alla lettura di questo libro con delle aspettative medio alte. Tutti parlavano di questo libro come un romanzo sulla figura di Jack lo squartatore, quindi mi aspetto qualcosa di tenebroso e inquietante. In verità mi sono ritrovata con un romanzo che si voleva partire dalla figura del serial killer più famoso di Londra, ma che poi in definitiva si è perso un pò.

The Name of the Star

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