The Name of the Star

Locations
Call Number: Teen Fiction
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Fiction	4-week checkout	On Shelf

Rory, of Boueuxlieu, 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.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Great! submitted by alumeng.ajl on August 19, 2012, 11:55am The Name of the Star is terrifying. I was kept up at nights because I was afraid that I would find a murderous ghost standing over my bed. But it was still a wonderful book! Despite everything, I loved Charlotte, almost as much as I loved Rory! Some of my favorite parts of the book were when she would bring up her life in Louisiana and her eccentric family, which was always hilarious. One of the few things that I disliked about this book was the predictability. Normally, when I read adventure books, I have an inkling of what's coming, but then there's something else that completely surprises me. But in this book, I pretty much guessed what was coming. I guessed that something would happen to Charlotte, what would happen to Rory, who Boo was, and even who the Ripper was when he was alive.
I also didn't really like Jerome. Most of the characters (Rory, Charlotte, Stephen, and Callum especially) were fleshed out and, although they were all "good" characters, they had evil and bad sides. None of them were perfect. Jerome was the exception. I've always disliked when the main character's romantic interest is absolutely perfect. No flaws, nothing. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen did a great job of making Owen dark but loveable, as did How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford with Jonah. But Jerome just seemed too.....perfect. I wanted their romance to be more fleshed out, with Jerome being much deeper than he seemed. But I still liked the book.
Pros: The fast pacing, I was always on the edge of my seat, great fleshed out characters.
Cons: The predictability, it kept me up at night, Jerome.

My favorite! submitted by msj91 on June 30, 2013, 6:00pm This fast-paced thrilling book constantly kept me on my toes! I was scared, laughing, and worrying with the characters. An interesting, great plot with tons of twists. One of my favorites!

Mystery and horror and comedy all rolled into one submitted by yugure on July 10, 2013, 12:49pm I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end; only once or twice near the middle did if feel like it was lagging a bit. Rory is a funny, entertaining narrator and Johnson is a skilled writer. Lots of intrigue and mystery here, and quite terrifying in parts. Read some of it late at night and got that creepy feeling that comes with good horror. And for a book about multiple murders, it didn't seem to be gory or overly graphic. Highly recommended, especially if you're into the supernatural and want something other than stories about vampires or werewolves. Ends on a sort of cliffhanger for the next book in the series; definitely makes me want to read more! Slight markdown, though, for the unclear motivation and logic behind the Ripper storyline (don't quite get the Ripper's goals and motivations).

Maureen Does it Again submitted by jmb.mlis on August 24, 2013, 5:46pm Not my favorite Maureen Johnson book, but a great suspense/mystery. I wasn't sure about a "Jack the Ripper book" but this was engaging and fun, just like the author's other books. I'll definitely read the next in the series.