The Name of The Star

 I recently finished The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson, and, let me say, it was fantastic.

If you know me at all, you know  that three of my favorite things in the world are: Reading, History, and Great Britain. TNotS combines all three! It tells the story of an American girl who goes to a London boarding school. Sounds typical, clichéd, and boring, right? Well, it's not. The day Rory (the main character's name) arrives in London, a woman is found murdered in the style of Jack The Ripper's first victim.

All of London is worried- what will happen next?

And Rory just may have the answer. One night when she was sneaking back into her dorm with her roommate, she saw and conversed with a man who her friend (Jazza) did not see, despite being right next to Rory. Throughout the story, Rory discovers what powers she really has.

When I came to the end of the story I was saddened, for I wanted to know more. I then went to Maureen Johnson's website [link here] to find out that there will be a sequel, which pleased me greatly. This is not to say that TNotS could not stand on its own, because it could. But I was so enraptured by the story and so the prospect of at least one follow up book made me smile.

So, what else did I like about this novel? The characters are relatable, which is not something that always happens in teen novels. The book deals with the supernatural, but does not involve a girl falling in love with someone of paranormal origin. Which is a relief given what the majority of teen love stories seem to be nowadays. I also liked the quotes before each new section of the book-- they were well chosen and applicable to what was going to occur.

I liked the small reference to Doctor Who, and I liked the names of some of the characters.

I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but the cover of TNotS is so pretty! (I normally have a strong dislike for covers with photographs on them, but for some reason, this one worked well for me.) I plan on reading the sequel right when it comes out, and I may well do some research on Jack The Ripper because of this book.