Johnson, Maureen: The Name of the Star (Shades of London #1)

September 29, 2011
Penguin Young Readers Group
YA Mystery/Supernatural, 372 pages
Acquired and read: Courtesy of my most beloved public library (I was first on the waiting list - oh yeah!); read within approximately six hours

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.

The Name of the Star is what you fear.

Except for the whole arriving in London just for the killing spree of the century, Rory's pretty much living the life any Anglophile would die for - living it up in a posh boarding school, a cool roommate, and the possibility of having her head chopped off by the Ripper himself.


Ahem. Yes, I'd take it all except for the last part.


Though I follow her religiously on Twitter, this was the first of Maureen Johnson's books I actually finished (started Suite Scarlett back in senior year, but you know how well that went) and I was absolutely hooked from start to finish. There was a bit of a lag during the whole information dumps about boarding school, but then again I know absolutely nothing about the British education system, so let's take that as a learning experience, shall we?


In any case, there's loads of cool accented words and slang (personal favorite: "I survived November 9th and All I Got was This Bloody T-Shirt"...I'm a future English major, I've got to love irony), rides on the Tube and, of course, Ripper-mania to keep the action going right up to the last page. And even after that, I went through the acknowledgments, admired the nice author photo on the flap, and drummed my fingers against the cover a few times waiting for a sequel to magically appear in my hands.


It didn't. Ah, well, you can't blame a girl for trying.

What I found particularly awesome about the book was how it followed along with the real Ripper's crimes...and believe me, I would know. (To make a long story short, some psychology classes seem to enjoy freaking their students out for life about venturing out at night...oh, and being a female in any major city? Watch out for your neck, my pretty.)


To sum it up for whoever didn't bother to read everything up there: 


Anglophile + interested about serial killers (just as long as you're not one) = have a go with The Name of the Star. You won't regret it.


Warnings (because I can't close off this review without 'em): Death. Gory, historically accurate, heartbreaking deaths. Please consult a physician if you have any conditions that might leave you with your hands over your heart and a book conspicuously falling to the floor. The Name of the Star is a book about a murderer, not a murderer itself. 


Also, there's quite a bit of macking, a little bit of profanity, and some other innuendo. This is a YA book, you know.


Final verdict: Yes. (I'm sparing you any more of my terrible British imitations. Just...yes.)

Wells, Robison: Variant

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Expected publication: October 4, 2011
HarperTeen
YA Suspense, 356 pages
Acquired and read: NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review; read in about twenty-four hours due to the unending hassle that is sleep, eating and tutoring duties.

Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.
He was wrong.

Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive.
Where breaking the rules equals death.

But when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape—his only real hope for survival—may be impossible.

Now this is the type of book I've been looking for since I devoured the Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix back in middle school. It's not a dystopian America. Benson is the type of kid you'd hear about every day, shuttled back and forth through the foster care system, getting nowhere. But unlike most down-on-their-luck little orphans, Benson doesn't look for a pair of parents for his very own, or tap-dance his way into the spotlight of some very impressed agent slash manager slash future father-in-law. He sends in for a scholarship to Maxfield Academy, a mysterious boarding school for kids like him who are down on their luck, hoping that maybe it can get his life going.

He's right, but not in the way he thinks.

Okay, now I must confess: for the first half of the book, I DETESTED BENSON. He sort of reminded me of Katniss (I'm sure I don't have to give a link for you to know who that is) - running against brick walls, constantly causing trouble without getting anywhere for his pains...oh yeah, and he is completely gullible when it comes to a cute girl. One thing is for sure, though, the plot wouldn't be carried off without him...and it probably wouldn't have been as fun with an infallible, all-wise and dashing hero.

Other than the initial setback of a rather irritating protagonist, this book was completely awesome in that it never delivered exactly what you'd expect. Even the end was a cliffhanger and, although I'm not approving of series recently, I will definitely set aside my misgivings for a sequel.

Bravo, Mr. Wells. I'm looking forward to more.

Warnings: A brief mention of exactly what teenagers are apt to think of when privacy + no adults are combined. Perhaps some language too, though I can't exactly remember at the moment. Just...proceed with caution.

Final verdict: Yes, and eagerly awaiting more.

Carter, Ally: Uncommon Criminals (Heist Society, #2)

June 21, 2011
298 pages, Disney-Hyperion

"You're a smart girl, Katarina - too smart to take stupid chances. Better thieves than you have gone after that blasted stone, and they have paid."

Uncle Eddie stopped, and Kat could have sworn she saw his hand shake. His lips were a thin hard line when he whispered, "Great thieves have paid dearly."

Kat's voice was different when she said, "I know."

"We do not steal the Cleopatra, Katarina. It is..." Eddie trailed off, struggling for words.

"Cursed," Kat offered.

Eddie turned to her. He shook his head. "Forbidden."

Yes. I know I usually start out with the cut and dried blurb that the publishers so kindly provide on the inside flap of a book cover. But this day, my friends, calls for something different. This day, even as I dragged myself into the library after a grueling morning and plunked my card down and drummed my fingers against the wooden counter, was a red-letter day.

I promise that I didn't squeal when I held it in my hands. Well, maybe a little. Inwardly. It just feels like so many of my reads this year were...just not the type of book I needed to hit the spot.

And this is an author who always hits the right spot when it comes to girl power, sheer awesome action and the perfect quip in the face of a near-scrape with disaster. I was pretty sure that I would be savoring this for the rest of the week, but it's 10:03 now and I'm just nearing the last three chapters (I started around two-ish, I think, and had to stop and start around the usual errands). Ah well.

(My sister's heard this all day. Sorry, guys. It's your turn to endure my fangirling. Be happy I'm not pulling out the RPatz GIF again.)

Even though I was pretty sure that Heist Society was meant to stay a stand-alone, this sequel proved me wrong. For one thing, there is just as much Hale as the first one (thank you very much), and though I could've lived without a reappearance from Nick, yeah, he's in there too. I was a bit disappointed that we don't see the Bradshaw twins again until about 200 pages in, but believe me, you'll be too wrapped up in the drama to notice.

I don't want to spoil anything for you - do unto others as you would wish to be treated *halo flickers over head* - but let me just say: Kat. Meets. Her. Match.

Yes. It's the battle of the females, and (though I'm pretty sure who wins) I'm eagerly watching the back and forth action that's going on right now.

So, yeah, I think that pretty much sums it up.

1. Ally Carter is awesome.

2. Uncommon Criminals is one of the best releases of 2011.

3. More than enough Hale to go around.

Good night, America! I'm back to my book. *sinks nose back between pages*