Book review: The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

So mass murderers are obviously a fad in YA these days(or at least it was back in good ol' 2012). There is something so gruesomely fascinating about Jack the Ripper(who whas he and why was he never caught?) and he plays a big role in author Maureen Johnson's novel The Name of the Star.

Putnam Juvenile's book cover for  The Name of the Star.

Southern girl Rory moves away to England with her family. Here Rory attends a school that is located almost smack dab in the middle of the area where Jack the Ripper operated some 100 years ago. Soon after Rory is settled in at school a body is found close by and it soon becomes apparent that there is a Jack the Ripper copycat out and about in London.

A little something for everyone
Maureen Johnson has managed to write at story that will have an appeal to a wide specter of readers. Here we have supernatural elements and history in a perfect blend all set nicely together in a contemporary setting. The Name of the Star was a fun and thrilling read, at times so much so that the creaking in my house was disturbing to listen to ;) Still The Name of the Star didn't quite make it on my list of top reads; it was a nice read but nothing more. What I enjoyed most of all with the story was the times when Rory thought about her own quite eccentric family living back home in the South.

It was evident that Johnsen had done a lot of research on the Ripper, that was good because I like the history to be correct when I read a novel that contains a historical character.

I do believe that this is the first novel in a trilogy and I might just read the second book some day. In the end this book kind of reminded me of The Gallows Curse by Andrew Hammond.

The other Ripper novel I've read?
Ripper by Amy Carol Reeves - so far this is my favorite Ripper novel. It is set in London in 1888 and the city is painted in such a vivid way that you can just imagine walking the streets right along with the main character.

Author Cathy Yardley Guest Blog and $25.00 Amazon Gift Card Contest LIVE at BittenByBooks!

Author Cathy Yardley Guest Blog and $25.00 Amazon Gift Card Contest LIVE at BittenByBooks

Winners are grinners - Memorable Monday

Provoked by a quote, delighted by a quote or
perhaps you fell in love with a beautiful quote?
Share the quote(s) with us in your own Memorable Monday post.

So the past week I have been slowly devouring Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor. I have been down(for three weeks actually - ugh) with a painful sinusitis so it was wonderful to escape from it all and into the magnificent world author Laini Taylor has made up for us.

I loved the first book in this series, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and I expected the sequel to be nothing short of awesome and to have a high quotability factor. I was not disappointed.

The language is like a beautiful dream:

I am one of billions. I am stardust gathered fleetingly into form. I will be ungathered. The stardust will go on to be other things someday and I will be free.

A conversation between some of my very favorite secondary characters:

So," he called to her back, "Just out of curiosity, you know, purely conversation and all, at what age will you be entertaining offers of marriage?"

"You think it'll be so easy?" she called back over her shoulder. "No way. There will be tasks. Like in a fairy tale."
"Sounds dangerous."
"Very, so think twice."

"No need," he said. "You're worth it.

A bit of wisdom:

You have only to begin, Lir. Mercy breeds mercy as slaughter breeds slaughter. We can’t expect the world to be better than we make it.

What did you think of my quotes this week? Do you like Laini Taylor's writing style?

Join me!
How to participate in Memorable Monday?
1. Share a quote that has captured your interest lately in a Memorable Monday post on your blog. Feel free to grab my logo (download it to your computer first).
2. Come back here and leave the link to your post in our inlinkz widget.
3. It would be nice if you visited one or two of the other participants.
4. If you tweet your posts then feel free to use the hastag #MemorableMonday

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Rafflecopter has spoken and the winners of last weeks giveaway is:
Kelly
Tanya
Brandy

Congratulations girls! *Throws confetti all over the place* Check your email for a note from me.



I can't wait to read your Memorable quotes this week.

Sparkles and Lightning: Follower Appreciation Giveaway!

Sparkles and Lightning: Follower Appreciation Giveaway!: Hi darlings! So the other day I was thinking it's probably about time for the first follower appreciation giveaway of 2013. So, I took s...

Author Linell Jeppsen Interview and Kindle + $100.00 Amazon Gift Card Contest LIVE at Bitten By Books!

Author Linell Jeppsen Interview and Kindle + $100.00 Amazon 

Gift Card Contest LIVE at Bitten By Books!

In this modern world of science and high technology, in secret places deep under the ground and in the forest primeval, legends still walk the earth and what we think of as myth and fairy tale are all too real. 

Driving home late one night, Melody Carver, bereft and grieving after the death of her mother, sees a strange creature standing on the lonely road. This being will change her world-view forever, and open her eyes to a reality beyond her imagination. 

Melody’s chance encounter on that dark and snowy road will mark the beginning of a journey of discovery and wonder that will bring two worlds together in hope and despair. 

Can one person bridge the gap between the ancient and the modern, the mundane and the magical? 

An urban fantasy filled with adventure, romance, war, heartbreak and triumph! 

Author Jen Minkman Interview and $40.00 Amazon Gift Card Contest LIVE at Bitten By Books!

Author Jen Minkman Interview and $40.00 Amazon Gift Card Contest LIVE at Bitten By Books!

All Hannah needs is a nice and quiet vacation after her first year of teaching French at a high school. She joins her brother Ben for the summer in their mom’s log cabin in Arizona. There, she meets Josh again, Ben’s childhood friend from the Navajo reservation. The little boy from the rez has grown up fast, and Hannah can’t help but feeling more for him than just friendship.

But fate apparently has something else in store for her. And it’s not peace and quiet. Night after night, Hannah is plagued by strange nightmares about the past of Navajo Nation and terrifying shadows chasing her. They seem to come closer – and why is Josh always present in her dreams?


Sometimes, the past has a way of catching up with you.

Author Isis Rushdan – Name a Character In a Book and $20.00 Gift Card Contest LIVE at Bitten By Books!

Author Isis Rushdan – Name a Character In a Book and

 $20.00 Gift Card Contest LIVE at Bitten By Books!

A perfect firestorm of desire could save their people…or cost them their lives.

Kindred Chronicles, Book 1

Serenity’s soul-reading ability lets her easily create custom tattoos. Everything else in her life is a struggle, from trying to make it work with her best friend, Evan, to nightmares and visions that make her question her sanity.

Then she meets a man who sharpens her craving for something more, but her commitment to Evan means nothing beyond sparks can exist between them.

Cyrus has been watching Serenity, preparing to claim her as his Blessed mate—the other half of a split soul that, once reunited, is his only chance to break the curse that plagues his people.

One moment, Serenity is confronted by armed militants firing questions she cannot answer. The next, she is safe in Cyrus’s arms, reveling in his burning kiss…and learning she isn’t even human. She is Kindred, blessed with preternatural powers, cursed to suffer the twin horrors of the blood rage and the dark veil.

Their union is the greatest hope for redemption in a thousand years, but not all Kindred want to be saved. A dark secret could snuff out their lives before love has a chance to unite them…and redeem the Kindred for all time.

Warning: Contains a headstrong, soul-reading tattoo artist, a sexy alpha hero who knows how to get what he wants, adrenaline-packed action, and explosive sex that literally shatters bulletproof glass.