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After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Devereaux has been living in Bristol under the close watch of her parents. So when her therapist suddenly suggests she return to Wexford, Rory jumps at the chance to get back to her friends. But Rory’s brush with the Ripper touched her more than she thought possible: she’s become a human terminus, with the power to eliminate ghosts on contact. She soon finds out that the Shades—the city’s secret ghost-fighting police—are responsible for her return. The Ripper may be gone, but now there is a string of new inexplicable deaths threatening London. Rory has evidence that the deaths are no coincidence. Something much more sinister is going on, and now she must convince the squad to listen to her before it’s too late.
In this follow-up to the Edgar Award-nominated THE NAME OF THE STAR, Maureen Johnson adds another layer of spectacularly gruesome details to the streets of London that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
Anonymous
Posted February 26, 2013
I am a fan of the author's work to begin with and really loved the first book. I think this book is a great sequel in that it takes the story on a turn that I did not see coming. I've read the editorial reviews where they think the beginning is slow because of the detail about Rory's therapy, but I think that, admittedly not having gone through the experience of a ghost nearly killing me, a person would be horribly traumatized and would not emerge from said experience being 'cool' with the world. I will say that the ending first goes in the direction I have been wanting, then turns abruptly into the ending I most feared after finishing Name of the Star. Overall, well worth reading and I can't wait for the next book!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 1, 2013
Disappointed!!! Loved the first book but I feel cheated with this one. This book contained no real "story" just a bunch of plot points for the future books. Slow start, no dialog with supporting characters a terrible ending sealed it's fate.Even the cover was a let down. I won't be looking for future books in this series. If i could get my money back i would
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Sarah-UK
Posted May 8, 2013
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins Publishers and Netgalley.)
This is book 2 in the ‘Shades of London’ series, and picks up a couple of months after the end of book 1.
**Warning – some unavoidable spoilers for book 1 ‘The Name of The Star’**
Following Rory’s encounter with the ‘Jack the Ripper’ copycat in book 1, she’s been recovering at her parents rented home in Bristol, and seeing a therapist 3 times a week, even though she can’t tell her therapist what really happened in London.
Rory’s discovery that she seems to now be a human Terminus means that she knows she has to go back to London though, and she has to try and find Stephen, Boo and Callum and explain to them what has happened.
Finding herself sent back to ‘Wexford’ Boarding School in London, Rory finds herself concentrating less on her studies, and more on finding the spook squad, and busting some more murderous ghosts. How long can Rory continue neglecting her studies though? Can Charlotte’s strange therapist help her too? How long can the ghost busters continue without a working Terminus? And how does Rory feel about her possible future as part of their squad?
This was a great sequel to ‘The Name of The Star’, I loved Rory, I loved the atmospheric nature of the story, and the ending was so sad it made me cry!
Rory is quite damaged by her previous experiences in London, and it’s taking her a while to work through things, especially seeing as she now has no one that she can confide in. She knows that she needs to go back to London, but it’s more because she needs people she can talk to, rather than wanting to go back to school. It’s really easy to relate to Rory in this respect, because she really is doing her best to recover from her trauma, and she seems to know better than anyone what she needs, even if it’s not what everyone else thinks that she needs.
It was good to go back to Wexford and catch up with all of Rory’s old friends though, especially when she managed to get back in contact with Stephen, Boo, and Callum. It was obvious how much they all needed each other, and even though Rory wasn’t ready to jump straight back into the job, she was able to focus on important things, and help when she was really needed. She even put extra effort into trying to solve a murder which wasn’t necessarily unsolved, and kept an eye out for things resembling what happened during her own attack.
There was a small hint of romance in this book, but it was very, very slight. The main storyline was concerned with Rory’s recovery, and the new ghostly murders happening in London, and it flowed really well. I liked how it wasn’t the same storyline rehashed, and I liked how all the characters had been changed by what had happened in book 1.
The ending to this book was a big shock though! Something totally unexpected and sad and shocking happened which I really wasn’t expecting, and it even made me cry! It’s obvious that there will be another book after this one, but how Rory will recover from this newest tragedy remains to be seem, I can only assume that she will be even more damaged in the next book than she was in this one which is really sad. I really want to read the next book now though!
Overall; a great ghostly/paranormal YA murder mystery.
8 out of 10.
Anonymous
Posted April 8, 2013
The main difference between this book and the first one is that there is no main plot to the story. While we follow Rory and the shades track down a mudering ghost in the name of the star, this book just feels like a filler to make headway for the third novel.
Don't get me wrong, there were exciting highlights in the book, but that's all they were; highlights
Anonymous
Posted April 5, 2013
If you read The Name of the Star, you have to read this sequel. It continues from the end of the last book, but it goes in a new direction since obviously the last antagonist was taken care of in the first book. However, it does build off of the first book, so it isn't completely unconnected. The ending will shatter you, have some tissues.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Sorrel
Posted March 27, 2013
Thrilling story and good characterizations. I really like how Rory's reactions ring true; she does make some bad decisions, but not deliberately stupid. Also, no instalove YAY!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 11, 2013
Loved The Name of The Star and this one did not disappoint but its understandable why this one is at times slow she almost died and she's trying to learn how to deal with what comes next. It's still a great read if you enjoyed the first one.
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Posted March 10, 2013
Awesome sequel
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Posted March 1, 2013
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Posted April 21, 2013
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Posted March 15, 2013
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Posted March 16, 2013
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Overview
After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Devereaux has been living in Bristol under the close watch of her parents. So when her therapist suddenly suggests she return to Wexford, Rory jumps at the chance to get back to her friends. But Rory’s brush with the Ripper touched her more than she thought possible: she’s become a human terminus, with the power to eliminate ghosts on contact. She soon finds out that the Shades—the city’s secret ghost-fighting police—are responsible for her ...