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Liked It “This is the second book of the Shades of London series. This book continues the story of Rory after she confronted the Ripper in the first book. There are some twists that make this interesting reading.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“This is the second book of the Shades of London series. This book continues the story of Rory after she confronted the Ripper in the first book. There are some twists that make this interesting reading.”
Glenda H wrote this review 2 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A fun little read that is a good follow up to "The Name of the Star". Looking forward to the third book in the series.”
Paul T G wrote this review 12 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Thanks a lot for the cliffhanger ending of this one Maureen Johnson...”
Mrs. Doyle wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“WHY MAUREEN WHY?!?!
Suad M. Shamma wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I was dying when I read the last few chapters of this book...DYING! How could you leave us with such a cliffhanger?! Why are we supposed to wait so long to know what happens next?!?!
I cannot get over that ending. I cannot believe she went there. I was so caught up in the moment that I went up to my sisters after I was done reading the book and had to share with them what happened as if I were talking about real people. They attempted to comfort me, but they were also looking at me very strangely.
Anyway, back to the book. Another great read by Maureen Johnson. Absolutely fantastic style of writing. I am a huge fan of her wit and charm and sarcasm and humor. Her descriptions of London are so vivid, they make me very reminiscent of my time living in England, and makes me want to go back very badly. I definitely see why Rory wouldn't want to go back to America.
The reason I give this book 4 stars rather than 5, as opposed to The Name of the Star, is because there really wasn't much going on - so to speak. As reviewers have already said, this book acts almost like a filler or a set-up, rather than a full, complete, stand-alone novel. Many questions and issues remain unresolved and unanswered, leaving us confused and worried and curious.
The main focus of this novel is Rory, and her integration back into the world of Wexford and the Shades and how she copes with all of it in the aftermath of the attack. I do admit it was a little strange to have to delve back into this world and pretend it all happened 3 weeks prior, when I've been waiting more than a year to know what happened, so that took a little adjusting at my end. That being said, Rory is a fantastic character, and she did not bore me at all. However, I did hope we would see a lot more of her school friends, Jerome, Jazza et al, as well as the Shades, Stephen, Callum and Boo. To be fair, we saw a good amount of Stephen, in a more personal sense rather than an official sense, which I definitely liked.
There was very little action. We are given two murders, both dealt with very quickly. The second one, a little stranger than the first one, and seems completely unconnected, which is also strange...we are introduced to a new antagonist, this one alive and kicking as opposed to being a ghost. There's this whole cult feel to it at the end, which again, was a bit out of place I felt.
It basically focuses on Rory and her adjustment back at school after the horrific event of 3 weeks past. How she is very behind in her schoolwork - I do believe that aspect was given a lot more attention than necessary - and how she is dealing with the idea of being a terminus, and whether she wants to become part of this underground police force or not and how to separate her secret life from her social daily life and so on.
It makes sense to have an intermediary book that really sets up the whole scene for what happens next, but it also sucks big time when you have to wait so long for the next installment in the series.
And again, the ending...oh, the ending. It felt like you were holding your breath the whole time you were reading this book, and when you finally relax and let go and exhale loudly, she suddenly stabs you in the gut and twists that knife like no tomorrow, then leaves you there to bleed!! Thank you for that Maureen. Thanks a lot.
I love you, but I kinda hate you.
Absolutely love this series.
”
“This was a bit of a disappointment. I really loved the book that preceded it (and introduced the series). That first book was called "The Name of the Star," and it brought Aurora "Rory" Deveaux from Louisiana to London and a private boarding school. Her parents had taken positions in England as college professors, and she was basically joining them, even though she was not going to be living directly with them.
Aaron Coutu wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The really interesting thing is that as she arrives, a series of murders mirroring the original Jack the Ripper slayings starts happening in the vicinity of the school, which is right in the middle of Ripper territory. The whole city (as well as her school) is thrown into turmoil as everyone tries to find and stop the copycat.
The only problem is that the case is not really tied to a copycat, and Rory starts to learn about it as she gets to know more about a secret power she has. Due to a near-death experience, she can see shades, or ghosts, and this introduces her to another whole world that is imprinted on the real living world. Some of the ghosts, such as the teen boy in the school library are nice and friendly while others are crazy and need some help moving on to the afterlife.
And that is the role taken on by a secret unit of the Metropolitan Police that take Rory under their wing. This becomes even more important as she is dealing with the terrible consequences of actions at the conclusion of the previous novel. She has been both physically and emotionally wounded, and it is not easy getting back to normal. Even as she heads back to London and school, she finds herself struggling with the horrors of what she saw ... and what she can do. She has learned she is actually a tool that can be used to to send ghosts along just by mere touch, either intentional or not.
The story does get bogged down quite a bit. I guess that makes the story more realistic in the fact that Rory does need a recovery, but it is not enjoyable storytelling. It reminded me so much of the wasted 70 pages of pining that Bella does for Edward at the start of the second "Twilight" novel. It could totally have just been described in a sentence or two and jumped the book ahead a bit more in time and had the same informational effect.
Rory does find herself getting more involved in the paranormal "Torchwood" group, which is interesting, as it allows the reader to get to know her teammates on a much higher level. Sadly though, this aspect is lost as Rory is dealing with going to classes and trying to play catchup while not being able to do work and trying to handle counseling that seems inadequate to her needs.
I am probably not going to bother with continuing this series since it seems to have lost its focus. The characters are interesting, but there was not enough plot to really support an almost-300 page book.”
“I liked this book a little more then the first one! I would never have thought there could ever be a second one.
~♥~Alex Renner(Daughter of Jeremy Renner)~Going to mississippi with my boyfriend Jeremy sumpter~♥~ wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
When I first looked at this book on amazon it had so many bad reviews, i wasn't sure i was going to read it but this book is worth reading! Its totally different from the first one!”
“At the begining I personally thought it was going to be boring and said "screw it , I'm not reading this". But then I started to get into it and then I really liked it, evenn better LOVED IT!!!
Fabiola~I Cant Wait For The Vampire Diaries wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Rory was really stuborn at times that made me love her and hate her, but that is Rory. I was happy when she went back to London. I love how the romance between Rory and Stephen, started from the bottom and reached to the top.
Can't wait for the next book :D”
“Not as good as the first, I'm sorry to admit, but that happens a lot with series, doesn't it?
Renee wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I have to say that I am surprised at how little was covered throughout this entire book. I finished reading it and was kind of like 'What? That's it?'. I think this book was more of setting the scene for the next book which I hope is just as good as the first.
However this time, I seemed to like the characters more. I loved Rory and the comments she made were hilarious. I have to say that this book (in my opinion) was more about developing characters than plot, unlike the first book, but it was nevertheless, enjoyable. ”
“The sequel to The Name of the Star...The Ripper was only the beginning...”
heatherholton wrote this review Monday, April 15, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Book 2 in the Shades of London series. "Madness" opens with Rory very much at loose ends. Her parents have pulled her out of Wexford (there was that little stabbing incident)and she is in therapy and trying to deal with the aftermath. But suddenly, her therapist suggests a return to the scene of the crime and Rory finds herself back and school and in over her head. She is way behind academically with no hope of catching up and she has gained a new ability that she isn't sure she is comfortable wielding. And, there seems to be a crack that is unleashing some very unstable and violent ghosts on an unsuspecting London. So...business as usual. Plenty of action, and fun, but I would have liked some more ghosts. The story is moving along nicely. There is a ripper of a cliffhanger here that ensures everyone will be anxiously awaiting book 3.”
Dolores S wrote this review Thursday, March 28, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
