Book: The Name of the Star
Author: Maureen Johnson
Pages: 372
How Long it took me to read: A day or two. But I read the first 165 odd pages in one sitting in 3 hours or so.
Plot Summary: Rory Deveaux moves to London for her senior year of high school from Louisiana, For Rory it's a new beginning and hopefully an exciting time in her life. But the day she moves to London, all of London is abuzz with the gruesome crime that has just occurred. A maniac is mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper murders from more than a century ago. And Rory's new boarding school is smack in the middle of Ripper's playground.
But for Rory, the Rippermania is nothing more than background noise, she is busy adjusting to her new life and schedule and trying to keep up with the demands of a British curriculum. The police are trying to find the new serial killer but have no leads. Till one night, Rory spots the man whom the police believe to be their main suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Her roommate, Jazza, who was with her at the time didn't notice the mysterious man. So why did Rory? And does this mean she is next on the killer's hitlist??
Characters: There is Rory of course, our main lead, I really liked Rory. Her reactions to situations and her feelings about boarding school came across as normal. I liked her, she seemed like the girl next door. I also really liked reading about her family in Louisiana and their little quirks and stories. They sound like such a fun bunch.
Then there is Jazza, Rory's roommate and best friend, if you move to a new boarding school, you'd appreciate a friend like Jazza. She is sweet and kind and drinks tea and reads Jane Austen before bed. What's not to love?
There is also Jerome, the school journalist and the resident Ripper enthusiast. He is also Rory's love interest. He is nice enough character.
Once Rory get involved deeply in the Rippermania, a host of other characters join the story. Stephen, Callum and Boo are Rory's new friends and I really liked them a lot. Boo, Bhuvana Chodhari- is an Indian girl and it gave me a slight kick to find an Indian character in the book.
What I Liked: Pretty much everything- from the whole Ripper-ness to the life in a boarding school. I am a sucker for life at British boarding schools, this book, the first half pretty much exclusively dealt with Rory adjusting to her new school and her new life, I loved reading about it.
I also enjoyed pretty much all the characters. The writing in the book was great too, simple and concise. The pacing was great and I wasn't bored at any point in the book.
What I didn't Like: Hmmm..nothing really. Well, the book really kept a steady pace throughout but the last 30 or so pages went a little too fast and whole lot of action was cramped into it. Most of the book was a little slow, or action less compared to the final pages, which isn't the worst thing but I think instead of stuffing all that material in the last 30 pages the author could have had a 50 page climax.
General Thoughts: This book was on my wish list for ages and ages, I finally got it this month from Infibeam at a pretty decent rate, it took forever to get to me but it's OK. It made for a perfect rainy day read- it was dark and mysterious and perfect. The second book in the series is already out and I just might order it soon. Also my sister is currently reading it and is gripped. :)
Will you like it? If you like serial killers, Jack the Ripper, London, Boarding Schools, Ghosts and mystery you probably will love this book.
Rating: 4.5/5
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