The Name of The Star by Maureen Johnson [Book Review]
The Name of the Star is a cool paranormal-esque book that will bring two worlds together to solve this murder mystery.
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.
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Novel: The Name of the Star Shades of London, Book One - By Maureen Johnson.
Published: September 29, 2011
Stand Alone or Series: Series - This is the first book in the 'Shades of London' series.
How I Got it: I bought it.
What made me want to read it: I've been wanting to read Maureen Johnson for the longest time. When I read Cassandra Clare's praise, “A gorgeously written, chilling, atmospheric thriller. The streets of London have never been so sinister or so romantic.” - I decided I'd start here, instead of with an earlier work.
What I thought...
The Name of the Star has a great MC (main character) in the form of Rory Deveaux. I liked her immediately. She's an American teenager from Louisiana who moves to London to go to boarding school for her senior year of high school. Everything would have been hunky-dory except her arrival happens to coincide with some gruesome murders that have quite a bit of similarities to the famous (and never apprehended) Jack the Ripper! "Rippermania" ensues as it only could in modern times complete with t-shirts, round the clock news, and the web. Unfortunately for Rory she finds herself right in the middle of it all and no, she's not going crazy (but the stories about her family and home town sure are!) Lucky for her she befriends some cool London police officers who aren't exactly your typical "bobbies"!
The Name of the Star is a cool paranormal-esque book that will bring two worlds together to solve this murder mystery. There is a bit of romance but it's not the main focus which is very refreshing in a YA novel.
This is the first Maureen Johnson novel I've read and I can't wait to perch my nose in the middle of her other works. It was very well written and her characters are so believable and the pace is just perfect. I'll definitely read the sequel.
You can read a bit of The Name of The Star on Maureen Johnson's website.If you'd like to see some other photos I took of this gorgeous book -Check out my flickr set Books and Writers and thingslove & books,nicōle
ilovehimhelovesme imisshimhemissesme
We're smack dab in the middle of a two year remote tour. It's a small world, until the one you love is on the other side of it.It's been 1 year, 2 months, 11 days since his first flight took him towards his duty. 10 months, 4 days later he flew home for three short weeks of R & R.It's been 3 months, 3 days since I waved good-bye (again).It's been 94 days since I've seen his face (in person). (Thank God for Skype!)13 weeks since I kissed him.2256 hours since I've fallen asleep to his lullaby snores.135,360 minutes since I whispered I love you's in his ear.8,121,600 seconds I've taken it one moment at a time. At least 295 days remain in this tour (probably more.)Who's counting? xxoo
Fearless -The Story of Adam Brown - Son, Husband, Father, Friend, Hero
This book was brought to my attention -it's now on my "must read" list. Had to share.Fearless is the story of Adam Brown, a man of extremes, whose courage and determination was fueled by faith, family, and the love of a woman. It’s about a man who waged a war against his own worst impulses and persevered to reach the top tier of the US military. Always the first to volunteer for the most dangerous assignments, Adam’s final act of bravery led to the ultimate sacrifice.
Nerd Girl Problems...
The library has short weekend hours...Sigh.
Sigh. photo: weheartit.com
Until Next Time -Amy Lignor The Angel Chronicles Book I Review
I have no issue with angel possession, but this idea didn’t entirely sit well with me. If the soul is gone then wouldn’t the memories be too?
How does a girl choose between the one who steals her heart and the one who owns her soul?Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the 'life' they've been assigned. What they don't realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache.When the reason for their training is finally revealed, the angel/warrior team find themselves thrust into a world they know nothing about. Matt takes over the life of Daniel, a young man with a great deal of baggage. Emily becomes Liz, a girl living in a remote village who relies on nothing more than her own strength to survive. A violent storm erupts one night, and framed in the window of Liz's establishment is a frightening face. Let in by the soul of a Good Samaritan, the two visitors bring with them a past full of secrets that could literally change an angel's path and a warrior's plans.From murder to redemption, this angel/warrior team must find a way to keep the faith they have in each other in a world that's ripping them apart.
Novel: Until Next Time: The Angel Chronicles, Book 1 by Amy LignorPublished: September 29, 2011Stand Alone or Series: Series – This is the first book in the ‘Angel Chronicles’ series.How I Got it: I received a copy in e-book format from the publisher.What made me want to read it: The premis -totally intrigued me.What I thought…Until Next Time: The Angel Chronicles, Book 1
Matt & Emily “are the ultimate angel/warrior team” who get sent down on a mission to Earth in order to inhabit the bodies of Daniel & Liz who live in a remote village in Ireland; Liz is alone in the world till she meets her best friend and together they run a quaint little pub once owned by Liz’s deceased family.
My first thought was why did they have to possess two bodies? Why not just come on down Highway to Heaven style? The way I understood it was, the souls inhabiting the bodies have given up hope but because these people have stuff they need to do the original souls get taken up to heaven and Matt & Emily take over, but they don’t remember their Matt & Emily because they’re living the life of the people they took. They have their memories and experience their complex human emotions, which they don’t fully understand at first.
I have no issue with angel possession, but this idea didn’t entirely sit well with me. If the soul is gone then wouldn’t the memories be too?
Once I figured out who’s who I did grow to care for these characters, which, honestly I wasn’t sure I would. I began to care because buried underneath a bit of fluff there lies a story that left me contemplating love, friendship, humanity, and the loss there of. Amy Lignor has a good thing going here, and I hope in the future she doesn’t shy away from exploring these rich ideas.
What I would like to see less of in future Angel Chronicle stories are characters using a cliché like “take time to smell the roses” and remarking that they’d hope this saying would “catch on one day”.
What I would like to see more of is a deeper exploration of the relationships and themes with less telling and more showing. I really want to find out what happens to Emily & Matt, and where their angelic souls will take them next time.
I received a free e-version of this novel to facilitate this review.
Horizon Dream(s) [Typography]
You may get off track, loose focus and end up in a place you don't want to be. Have faith. Take a step back, evaluate your life, reconnect with the world, and the people who matter most. Find yourself again, look out to the horizon, your dreams may be far off, but they're there waiting for you to move toward them.
Photo: Taken Using a Nikon D3100 18-55 mm lens. One Sunday morning at Crandon Park, Key Biscayne, FLquote: That was me too.