Showing posts with label ripper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ripper. Show all posts

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Review: The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson



Earlier this year, I read half of The Name of the Star, and didn't really enjoy it so I put it down. Months now later, I picked it up at the height of the novel, and really want to kick myself in the shin for not continuing to read at least the next few pages. The Name of the Star is an unexpected modern "Ripper" novel with a paranormal twist, which I absolutely love and adore. 
I remember kind of trashing MJ the first round I read the novel, and I want to take that down right now, but I'm not because it shows how opinions can change and drastically at that. I started following MJ on twitter a few months ago on a whim, because I knew she was one of the most tweeting author there is. Also she makes me laugh at really long twitter stories. Through her writing the novel I found that twitter writing in her very different and the same, and I guess that is because she is constantly changing as an author, and this novel did come out last year. I loved how she incorporated small stories at the end of a section of the novel, to open a whole new world, and people to the next. I appreciate how much British things she added to the novel, and how much I learned from this novel alone. From a levels, to the layout of East London it was all very well informed and carefully written to not overwhelm the mind, and screaming at it " This is SO MUCH BRITISH!!!!". Fyi not trying to say being British or their culture is bad or anything like that, it's only because it's new stuff to Americans and anyone else.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson Review


Reading level: Ages 12 and up
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile; First Edition (September 29, 2011)
Language: English


Author: Website Twitter Goodreads
Book: Amazon Website Goodreads B&N

I think it's time to write a review on this book. On my goodreads account it says that I've started reading this book at least a month ago, but personally I don't see anything special about it. I'm on page 176 and there 's not much that keeps me going. The characters are mundane and the setting is the main focus of the novel. Even though that's awesome, I love character driven novels. NOT ohh let's put this person in this situation and see how they react. That to me is some what equal to animal testing if you understand where I'm coming form. 

The main character Rori or Aurora is only interesting from where she comes from and why she moves to London and there's a new ripper in the city. She's very mundane to other characters I've read. Although mundane is good for supernatural and fantasy stories telling the world, as for historical fiction you want the leading protagonist to be strong and independent or lost and finding themselves. I felt that Rori was in the middle. She was just riding along on this roller coaster her parents put her on. Only positive thing I can say about her is that I love her name. It's the name of one of the Gilmore Girls and that was my favorite show growing up.