The Name of the Star starts off with Aurora (aka Rory) leaving her small, swampy hometown in Louisiana to spend her senior year at Wexford, a boarding school in London’s East End. Upon arrival, she finds the city abuzz with the information that a murder has taken place that is similar in fashion to the Jack the Ripper murders. As Johnson paints a vivid picture of life at Wexford, we are quickly drawn into a fast-paced story of murder and mystery where Rory feels as if “the entire world is colluding to make [her] feel insane” and does a very good job of it.
When I first picked up The Name of the Star, I was drawn to it solely because it had a Jack the Ripper storyline; I have always been fascinated with this unsolved case so anything about the Ripper that is put before me I’ll devour. What I was surprised to find, however, was how much I loved reading about Rory’s day-to-day life at Wexford. Johnson did an amazing job at making the mundane seem interesting and, with Jack the Ripper in the background, every minute detail had me thinking, “Is this a clue?” This novel is one that really keeps the heart pounding and the pages turning as you want to know who the murderer is and why are certain things are happening only to Rory.
I would definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction with a touch of reality, meaning using a real life historical situation as the base for the book. I would also recommend this to young adult female readers because Rory is a strong female lead character that I think many young girls would enjoy reading about. This would also be a good read for readers who enjoy ghost stories.
No comments:
Post a Comment