The Name Of The Star by Maureen Johnson (Book Review)

Summary: 
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.

                                                                     My rating - 4.5

My review
I really, really enjoyed this book! Ever since I went on a Jack The Ripper tour when I last went to London, I've been obsessed with Jack The Ripper. I've watched a lot of documentaries and visited so many websites about him, that you can imagine how excited I was for this book to be released. 

The protagonist is an American girl called Rory who is about to attend a boarding school in London, and she arrives just as a Jack The Ripper copycat strikes. After Rory nearly chokes to death, she starts seeing people that other people can't see - ghosts. The first ghost she sees is no other than Jack The Ripper himself! Or rather, a ghost who's copying the murders. But it's not as simple as that, and that's when the ghost-police come in. 

I won't spoil anything, but the ghost police are people like Rory who nearly died but survived, and were forced to train as police officers. So they're a ghost-hunting-police-squad, if you will. Anyway, I really like Rory's character. She wasn't whiny and constantly thinking about the love interest which is what a lot of YA book characters do, and she's a character that a lot of people can relate to. We are also introduced to other interesting characters. Her room-mate Jazza, who she befriend's straight away; Jerome, who becomes the love interest; three ghost hunting police officers, and a hockey-obsessed teacher. 

There are many reasons why you should read this book! There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested, if you're American you learn a lot about what it's like to be English and live in England, and it's very creepy and suspenseful. And what I loved most, was that the plot wasn't predictable. 

I've heard that this is a planned trilogy, so if that's the case, I'm really looking forward to picking the next book up.