The Madness Underneath (Shades of London #2) by Maureen Johnson

Publication: February 26, 2013
Publisher: Speak / Penguin Group
Source: Bought/Own

After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Deveaux has been living in Bristol under the close watch of her parents. So when her therapist suddenly suggests she return to Wexford, Rory jumps at the chance to get back to her friends. But Rory's brush with the Ripper touched her more than she thought possible: she's become a human terminus, with the power to eliminate ghosts on contact. She soon finds out that the Shades--the city's secret ghost-fighting police--are responsible for her return. The Ripper may be gone, but now there is a string of new inexplicable deaths threatening London. Rory has evidence that the deaths are no coincidence. Something much more sinister is going on, and now she must convince the squad to listen to her before it's too late. In this follow-up to the Edgar Award-nominated THE NAME OF THE STAR, Maureen Johnson adds another layer of spectacularly gruesome details to the streets of London that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

So Rory is back at home with her parents, trying to come to terms with what happened to her with the whole Ripper thing. But that’s not going so well for her at the moment. Because of the contract she signed, she can’t discuss what happened to her. Though it’s likely they wouldn’t believe her if she did tell them anyways, but still.  One day when she is out around town, she spots a ghost and tries to talk to him, but ends up making him disappear when she touches him...sending him into oblivion...She has become a terminus.

Stephen ends up discovering what she can do, and he pulls strings to get her to come back to boarding school. Once there, Rory begins investigating a string of murders that she believes to be connected, which leads her to some unusual situations and suspicious characters.

Because I liked The Name of the Star so much, I was really hoping to love The Madness Underneath. Unfortunately I did not like it as much as the first book, but I did enjoy reading it. It felt like it took a really long time for the story to pick up and for things to happen. I did like the surprises that popped up throughout the story. The one thing I wasn’t so keen on? That ending. I don’t want to say what happened and spoil it for those who have not read it yet, but I really wish things would have turned out a little differently. That being said, I am curious to see how everything plays out in The Shadow Cabinet; the third book in the series.

RATING: 3 out of 5.

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

Publication: October 2, 2012

Publisher: Speak / Penguin

Source: Bought

Jack the Ripper is back, and he's coming for Rory next.... Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London to start a new life at boarding school just as a series of brutal murders mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper killing spree of more than a century ago has broken out across the city. The police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man believed to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him - the only one who can see him. And now Rory has become his next target...unless she can tap her previously unknown abilities to turn the tables.

Rory is for the first time in her life own her own at a private boarding school in London. A long way from her home in Louisiana. She wants to experience something different, but I’m pretty sure nearly choking to death and developing the ability to see ghosts was not included in her plans. After she accidentally places herself in the path of a sick and twisted killer, she must learn how to stay one step ahead of him.

I loved the interactions Rory had with her roommates Jazza and Boo. There was a nice a mount of humor peppered throughout the story. Rory was smart and funny. There wasn’t any of that mean girls, high school drama happening in this story which I really appreciated.  

I love a good murder mystery and this book had been on my TBR list for a while. That has always been a fascinating case to me. Jack the Ripper. How he was able to commit several murders and was never caught. I think the Jack the Ripper case is something that even 50 years from now people will still find interesting. The premise of this book sounded really intriguing to me when I first heard it and I thought the author was creating a unique spin on the whole Jack the Ripper phenomenon.

There are ghosts, fun roommates, cute boys, kissing, weird secret police, and of course a killer. I wasn’t always on the edge of my seat while reading this book, but it did keep my interest. Once I got past the half-way mark things started picking up a little, and all I wanted to do was keep reading page after page until I finished the whole book and it was well past midnight. And that’s exactly what I did. The ending left me curious about what was to come in book two, The Madness Underneath, which is already out.

RATING: 3½ out of 5.

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Waiting on Wednesday # 11

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine. The goal is to spotlight upcoming books that I am super excited for.

I am waiting for In Dreams by Erica Orloff.

 

Expected Publication: January 9, 2014

Publisher: Speak

 

 

Inception meets Unearthly in this hot romance for fans of Meg Cabot’s Abandon Series! In the land of nightmares, she finds the man of her dreams... He haunts her in her dreams. She is always searching, looking for the man who calls her from afar, a disembodied voice who knows everything about her. But when she discovers the unimaginable secret her family has hidden for so long, her dreams—and her nightmares—invade her reality. Her true love beckons, but the terrors await her. . . . Can she find him in time, or will their love—and her life—be destroyed? Sixteen-year-old Iris has a recurring dream a long corridor of many doors, and behind each door a hidden world—some magical, some terrifying. But always she is searching for the man who calls to her—the man of her dreams—who knows everything about her, who stirs feelings in her she’s never felt before. When she discovers her father is actually the god of dreams, her nightmares and dreams follow her into reality, with both frightening and romantic results. Hunted by the god of nightmares, stalked by the horrifying creatures of the underworld, Iris must try to navigate both her worlds, as she tries to finally be with Sebastian, the man of her dreams. Can she triumph over the dangers that have haunted her forever, and be with Sebastian, or will terrors ultimately destroy them both?

 

 

This book sounds really cool! Not to mention the cover is pretty too. I like the idea of a dream/nightmare world. I cannot wait to check this one out.

What book are you waiting for this week??