Brad About Books: The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Read from February 9 to 11, 2013

THE NAME OF THE STAR
Published: September 29, 2011
Publisher: Putnam (Penguin)
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 372 pages
Source: Amazon.com
Series: Shades of London, #1

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.

I want to first start off by saying that this won't be a positive review. You may have noticed that the majority of books I review generally have high ratings. That's because I'm okay with stopping books (I believe life is too short to read bad books), so books I don't like, I don't read or review. But I had to make an exception for The Name of the Star - it was the YT Book Club pick, so I had to power through it. So that's why you usually see positive instead of negative reviews on BookYAReview. But today, I bring you my review of a disappointing read.

Before I begin, you can watch the LIVE discussion I participated in for YT Book Club!

The Name of the Star was a disappointing read. I had such high expectations - Jack the Ripper re-telling? Yes please - but none of them were met. 

The biggest problem I had with this book was the slow pacing. I hate to say it, but almost nothing happened. I just couldn't handle the slow parts of this book, and The Name of the Star is filled with them. Scenes of field hockey, loads of description, and unnecessary chapters of drama and nothing more were crammed into the book, and it seriously let me down.

The only part of this book I enjoyed were the chapters not told in our main character's point of view. They were suspenseful and scary. I really enjoyed them! However, I didn't really care for Rory, thinking back on it now. She was too whiny and too naïve for my likings. Plus, she just felt bland and two-dimensional for me.

I was expecting so much more with this ghost murderer. I expected scenes that would terrify me late at night or shock me to the point where my mouth would fall open. Unfortunately, none of those dreams were met. I just... I have no idea how to put it into the words. I guess The Name of the Star wasn't for me.

Overall, I am sad I didn't enjoy this book. I was really looking forward to it, but in the end, it wasn't the book for me.

M Y    R A T I N G