The Name of the Star (Shades of London, #1)

by Maureen Johnson

Thrilling ghost-hunting teen mystery as modern-day London is plagued by a sudden outbreak of brutal murders that mimic the horrific crimes of Jack the Ripper.

"A gorgeously written, chilling, atmospheric thriller. The streets of London have never been so sinister or so romantic." Cassandra Clare, author of THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS

Sixteen-year-old American girl Rory has just arrived at boarding school in London when a Jack the Ripper copycat-killer begins terrorising the city. All the hallmarks of his infamous murders are frighteningly present, but there are few clues to the killer's identity.

"Rippermania" grabs hold of modern-day London, and the police are stumped with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. In an unknown city with few friends to turn to, Rory makes a chilling discovery...

Could the copycat murderer really be Jack the Ripper back from the grave?

• ISBN10: 1101535695
• ISBN13: 9781101535691
• Publish Date: 1 September 2011
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Speak
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[girlinthepages]

There’s so much to love about The Name of the Star, and right from the beginning it sets the stage in one of the most popular settings for a good YA novel- a boarding school (and a British one at that)! For a paranormal thriller type book, I found that the British boarding school setting coupled with protagonist Rory’s Louisiana roots made for the merging of two perfectly gothic backgrounds (the Southern Gothic and the ancient, English eeriness). I found The Name of the Star to be a wonderfully atmospheric read for Halloweentime, suitably unsettling without being keep-you-up-at-night-scary (at least for me).

The premise of the novel finds Rory, our protagonist, attending a year of boarding school in London as her parents are professors on a sabbatical in the UK. While Rory adjusts to her first semester abroad, someone is committing copy cat murders in the vein of Jack the Ripper. Throw in some paranormal shenanigans and a tight knit group of friends and The Name of the Star becomes a compulsively readable YA novel that balances on the knife’s edge of being just too creepy (at least when you’re reading it home alone at night during the fall, as I was).

One of my favorite things about this book was that the events didn’t feel insular, as oftentimes they can in a YA novel. The murders that were happening were being acknowledged on a global scale, and the media played almost its own character in the novel, being used as a tool by Rory and her friends at times and serving as an important catalyst to propel the events of the novel forward, as the characters waited with bated breath for the next anniversary of a Jack the Ripper murder to see what would transpire on the same evening of modern day London. The character writing in and off itself in this novel was so on point, as the characters felt so rounded out as though I had spent several books getting to know them, not just one. I loved them all for different reasons, from Jazza’s quiet loyalty to Boo’s spasticness to Alistair’s sass (more info about him, please)! I also have a ship that I am desperately hoping sets sail (mostly because I think Jerome is a dope and I picture Stephen as Cillian Murphy in my head, lol).

Overall: I was addicted and chilled reading The Name of the Star, and it got me in the perfect mood for fall! This story contains some tried and true successful tropes of the YA genre with pop culture’s fascination with true crime and historical scandal and packed it all up in a thrilling and intelligent narrative that isn’t afraid to capture a darker note than a lot of other YA paranormal books. I immediately ordered the next two books in the series upon finishing this one, and I hope Maureen Johnson finishes the series one day!

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

After reading and talking up Silk by Chris Karlsen, The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson came highly recommended to me. It is different spin on the Jack the Ripper murders set in modern day London where someone is replicating the Ripper murders in detail and can't be seen on CCTV. Creepy!

Within 30 pages, I knew that Rory, the story's heroine, was one of my new book BFFs.

"I decided to deflect her attitude by giving a long Southern answer. I come from people who know how to draw things out. Annoy a Southern, and we will drain away the moments of your life with our slow, detailed replies until you are nothing but a husk of your former self and that much closer to death."

Rory doesn't take any guff from her British classmates. While she does stick out like a sore thumb, she doesn't hide. She shares her differences and love of Cheese Whiz with her classmates openly. It was refreshing to have a main female character embrace her differences and flaunt them. I wanted to be more like Rory in almost every way!

The details of the Ripper murders happen quite quickly as the replicated murders happen in the same timeframe as the original murders. Under the scrutiny of the 24-hour news cycle it was not difficult imagine the world waiting for the next murder to happen. It's crazy what constant access to news and security footage does to society. The history of the Ripper murders were shared via news updates which was helpful and made sense given the context of the story. It also allowed the characters to be out in the thick of it rather than stuck in a dank library.

The narration for the audiobook was well done. Nicola Barber slipped between various English accents and an American Southern accent easily. It seemed a bit odd that the Rory's speaking voice was Southern, but her internal thoughts and description of the events were non-accented. I'm not 100% certain I would have enjoyed the audiobook if everything from Rory's point of view was done with a Southern accent. It just seemed odd when I first started listening.

I did enjoy listening to The Name of the Star. The unsolved Ripper murders of old set against the backdrop of a modern copycat was a tantalizing and the resolution isn't quite what you expect. While this is a series, there is no huge cliffhanger, as a result, The Name of the Star can be read as a stand alone novel unless you wish to continue on Rory's journey.

This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews.

[readingwithwrin]

Rating 4.75

“Fear can't hurt you," she said. "When it washes over you, give it no power. It's a snake with no venom. Remember that. That knowledge can save you.”

When I first picked this book up to read I was unsure about what exactly was going to happen in it, I knew it was about Jack the Ripper and that was it. What I wasn't expecting was to love it as much as I did.

The first couple of chapters of the book are slightly slow and boring, but if you can get past those then it is all pretty fast paced from their.

What I really loved about this book was the amount of history you learn about the Ripper from the 1888, and how England's police used to work, and when the different branches were started. At points it did get quite graphic when it was talking about the murders and what happened to the bodies.

(show spoiler)[ I think the part that I loved the most about this book was that it wasn't saying this is who did the original murders. It was about a new murder recreating the murders (Which is extremely disturbing to think about happening again). ] (hide spoiler)

Another part that made me love this book was the protagonist having no idea with to do the majority of the time when it came to dealing with, and handling the problem.

In short if you love well written historical fiction mixed with modern day and a dash of humor then this book is for you.

I can't wait to read the next two books in the series.

See more reviews like this on my blog

[jnikkir]

{ This review can also be found at my blog, There were books involved... }
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I went into this book knowing absolutely nothing about it, other than:
• People loved it.
• Maureen Johnson has one of the most entertaining Twitters on the planet.
• Book 2 was about to come out.
• And it had something to do with Jack the Ripper.

I still kind of thought it would take place at least partly in the 1800s - no clue where that idea came from, but there you go. I don't think I even read the blurb before I started reading it. Or if I did, I'd completely forgotten everything the blurb spoils - which I'm actually really glad for, because it was a lot of fun going into this book totally unawares. That being said - here, let me make you more awares! ;)

The Name of the Star begins with Rory Deveaux and her parents moving from Louisiana to the UK, and Rory goes to attend a boarding school. The day she arrives, there's been a murder in London - one which bears a striking resemblance to Jack the Ripper's first murder in the 1800s. As subsequent murders occur and the London police become more and more frantic to find the killer - whom no one has seen, because he doesn't show up on CCTV - Rory gets thrown into the middle of things when she sees the suspect on her school campus and becomes involved in the investigation.

I'm not giving away more than that, though, because to do so would be to totally ruin all the fun reveals.

But to be honest, it wasn't really the mystery/reveals/suspense that had me hooked while reading this book. Granted, those were aspects that grabbed my attention for sure, and kept things interesting. But I really enjoyed Rory as the narrator and main character. She's smart, sometimes a little beyond her years but also totally a teenager, which was great. Her sense of humor was hilarious, and I especially enjoyed all the anecdotes about her crazy relatives and life back in Louisiana. Rory has a flare for telling really funny stories and making great observations, which kept an otherwise creepy and suspenseful book light in all the right places.

Rory is also really entertaining in the way she describes her experiences in a new country; her observations about the differences between her own experiences, vs how things are in London, are awesome. One paragraph that I actually highlighted in my eBook (and that a friend of mine also pointed out when she read it) was:

...several psychologists were being called in to talk to anyone who felt like they needed support. And people were freaked out, but they showed it in weird ways. Back at home, people would have been weeping and doing a lot of very public group hugs. At Wexford, some people just aggressively pretended nothing was happening. (eBoook 38%)

For some reason, I LOVE this description. It seems so incredibly British to me - "Keep Calm and Carry On" like nothing's wrong and it won't affect you. Rory makes a lot of similar observations like that, which just struck me as funny and probably pretty accurate. Perfect. <3

Something else that I found really refreshing is that, though The Name of the Star is set mostly in a school, it doesn't follow most of the high-school-cliches. The students all feel very real, there aren't the typical "mean girls" or "popular clique", or any of the seemingly endless list of things that many YA school-oriented books have. This school seems incredibly real, for a college-prep school of sorts. And though Rory is awkward at first (anyone would be, starting a new school in a new country), she meshes with the students pretty normally - there's no excessive "new girl" drama, she and her roommate become really good friends despite their differences, and Rory doesn't have a problem talking to the other students and making new friends - who all, as it turns out, are pretty interesting characters in their own rights. I don't think there was a single character who, even if I didn't like them that much, I found annoying to read about.

Even the extremely minor characters all felt really well-developed. Even those we hear very little about (mostly students that Rory mentions interacting with but whom we don't actually see in the story) seemed to add another layer of depth to her life at Wexford, which I thought was brilliant.

Finally, I want to mention one thing that I've seen many reviewers mention as a letdown: the "romance". Personally, I thought this was really well done. But let me explain: I don't consider this a "paranormal romance", at all. While Rory did find a boyfriend and he was a main character in the book, the "romance" was negligible. He's a nice guy, she's a nice girl; they seem to like each other, and there is much kissing and general adorableness. But the relationship isn't really based on much. Personally, I found this really realistic and it didn't bother me in the slightest. Rory's sixteen, she doesn't know exactly who/what she wants from a boyfriend, but she does like him, and like I said, they are pretty cute together. But here's why I thought the "lighter" relationship worked in the context of this book - it is not a focal point of the story. There are much bigger things going on, with the Ripper-like murders and the investigation that Rory gets herself involved in. It's just one more layer to Rory's school life, but it isn't a main plot point or overarching theme. So, yeah - just don't go into the book expecting a paranormal romance. (The romance comes later in book 2, and is TOTALLY worth the wait. I'm just saying.)

I had a hard time coming up with a star-rating for this book, because looking at it from a post-book-2 perspective, I love it even more than I did when I finished it the first time. I feel like giving it 5 stars, but I think I need to go with my initial reaction and stick with four. I guess I never mentioned any specific things I found lacking - and I can't put my finger on any, really. My initial feeling was that it just didn't have that 5-star sparkle, but I'm still recommending it to anyone and everyone who might enjoy it, because book 2 is just... completely awesome.

[layawaydragon]

I won this in a First Reads Giveaway.

I fucking loved this book so much. I liked the characters. They were normal people with their own personality. They weren't made up to be larger than life or totally out there. I wanted to know what went on in their day to day lives and liked them. I liked the build up and really read for the characters so more time to get to know them works for me. As an American Girl who dreams of visiting London for an extended period of time I found the adjusting and facts Rory was learning were great. I loved how the romance was minor and not played up or the main focus of the book. I actually laughed, smiled and smirked a lot during this book, which isn't a common occurrence for me. I liked how the characters were funny. It is dark, gruesome and detailed for the murders and yes, that's a good thing. Not including the reality, the harshness of the Ripper murders would be a huge drawback. I don't like books that sugar coat, overlook or just ignore the brutality of reality when it comes to things like this. Yes, include it. Not because I like reading it, but because it makes me uncomfortable. Because it's suppose to make the reader squirm. I would have been so annoyed with hiding these facts to "protect the children". I love the premise, and how it turned out. The only part I really saw coming was the ghost part but that's a given with the book's blurb. Everything else was unexpected, especially the twist at the end. Holy shit. I think this is book I've been looking for lately. Not only did I love it, but I'm actually anxiously awaiting the sequel to continue the story. I've never read a book by this author before, but I definitely will be reading all of them now.


Also, you sneaky sneaky publisher sending me a flyer about other books like this one. It worked, several of them are now on my to-read list.

I'm hooked and not going to fight it, I'm enjoying it too much.
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More Specific: (Might be spoilers below. I tried to avoid them but I could have slipped so beware) This is my take on some of the negative things people brought up regarding the book to explain why I loved this book and didn't have the same problems with it.


Absent Parents: A lot of YA have an issue with this. In this book, I don't think it's a problem. The parents are absent for a reason. They do call and check in often, becoming more frequent with the murders going on. Rory's parents talk about having her leave during the weekends and then talk about pulling her out of school. They don't take her out of school, not because they don't care. The school, the police and Rory have been assuring all the parents that the kids will be fine at school. I find it disingenuous to say the parents didn't bat an eye at the murders. They certainly did. They called Rory every two hours to check in with her and freaked out over the whole thing. While other kids were pulled out of school, plenty more students stayed in school along with Rory during the Rippergate. I mean are you saying all those parents don't care enough about their kids because they didn't pull them out of school immediately? Pfffft. That's judgmental and just insulting. I think if my little one was the in same situation as Rory, I probably wouldn't have pulled her out of school unless she wanted to leave.

The Mean Overachieving Girl being the Arch-nemesis: I looked at it differently than negative reviewers. It isn't just because she's an overachiever. Rory is studious and her roommate, Jazza is an overachiever too. Charlotte is the mean girl because she and Jazza have history. Rory is friends with Jazza so because of that Charlotte is out. Plus when the incident with Rory wearing her uniform to dinner made her feel worse when she was already nervous and insecure. That wasn't actually Charlotte's fault but she didn't tell Rory to change or wait for her so Rory wasn't feeling very nice to Charlotte. With the addition of clicking in with Jazza, Charlotte is just a girl they don't like and that Jazza definitely has a problem with. I'm sure more of their history will be revealed to understand this dynamic better. If we don't get more information for it to be clearer in the next book, then it's a major failure and drawback for me.

I mean really she isn't made out to be that bad. The most we get is the competition between her and Jazza. Jazz does something stupid and risky to fuck with Charlotte's head and Charlotte dating a guy Jazza broke up with to mess with Jazza. Charlotte didn't even use her powers as perfect to harass the girls. Charlotte didn't even bother checking their room everyday because they are cleanly. Charlotte didn't spread the information around about Jazza and Rory sneaking out. Charlotte did try to be nice to Rory and the worst thing that happens is Rory describing Charlotte and her hair coming and going. Rory finds her annoying because Charlotte talks about Oxford all the time, which Rory has nothing to say on the subject and Charlotte likes field hockey while Rory hates all sports. It's all very minor and high school-y. I wouldn't call her an Arch-nemesis. Charlotte certainly wasn't being bashed for being an overachiever when both Jazza and Rory are as well. I mean really, I don't see any bashing going on at all. Jazza and Charlotte have history, a competition.

I'm rather curious to where this is going to with Charlotte. With Charlotte's brush with death, she could grow into a true Arch-nemesis or the new recruit. If she becomes the new recruit and befriends Rory, Jazza could be left out and become an Arch-nemesis. Or it could go the boring route and they just all become friends.

The Writing: I do agree I can see the author becoming better. It's wasn't particularly amazing but it wasn't bad either. However, it had personality and in some places it was great. I have several places marked for turns of phrases, sentences and descriptions that I liked or loved. At last count I had 10. It was narrated by a young woman and it really read that way. It the parts that weren't narrated by Rory, I didn't see any problem either. Of course, it's possible that I missed things that other readers noticed. I was entirely wrapped up in the characters and story itself too much to pay attention. So if there's issues, it was so minor or so unnoticeable to really matter to someone who's involved in the book. If this makes me a philistine, then oh well, I'm enjoying it. I also found it funny. I usually don't say that about books unless it's a Pratchett. I laughed out loud at several places, smiled at others and smirked a lot.

The Slow Build up & the Villain:
I do see why people complained about the slow build up and such. I found it rather exciting and intriguing. The difference was that I was into the characters. I wanted to know the day to day life they lead. I really liked it and so I didn't find it slow or boring. I liked the characters, just being average people. I found they had personality and were engaging. I also think the build up is important not just for the characters but for the story in general. The build up is for fear. Fear plays a big part in understanding things, like the villain. For people who didn't get why the villain did what he did when he could have just avoided it, it was The Fear. The all encompassing, life breaking people altering fear. I've known that fear. I've lived that with kind of fear for years. I've changed, my actions and my routine has changed even to this day due to that lingering fear.

Of course, he went out to get the very thing, the very people that could destroy him. He couldn't live with the fear of accidentally running into that in a place, in a way he couldn't control. That fear takes all your control, your very life away. It makes sense, but it's not rational. People aren't entirely rational. Also, Boo is the only one in the ghost squad who doesn't want to explode them all away. Jo is still around because of her, not the two guys. The two guys don't care and just explode every ghost they run into. So yeah even if villain didn't cause trouble he might have been eliminated after all, if he ran into those two. Who wants the fear of just walking around minding your own business and then running into the very people who fear and could end you? I totally get it. It's kind of like having a stalker. Besides, it's clear the villain was enjoying his whole plan, murders included. He enjoyed having the power and wants to be unstoppable. He's a serial killer with clear motives.

[celinenyx]

Ever wanted to read a book about boarding schools? Fancy a bit of murder in your boarding school fiction? The Name of the Star has got you covered.

Rory moves from Louisiana to the heart of London to attend a year of boarding school. As she's there, a woman is murdered, in a way that calls to mind that age-old name: Jack the Ripper. One, two, three women are killed, and the danger creeps up on Rory and her friends when they get caught up in finding out who this murderer is.

Sometimes I feel like books aren't properly mixed. You know how a dish can be in need of more stirring? The way there's too much water on this side and too many oats on the other? If only one could take a spoon and give it a good stir, the result would be fantastic. As it is, one side is too runny and the other unpalatable.

The Name of the Star is very much like that. The first half of the book reads like boarding school fiction, while the thriller elements are a mere backdrop. Time is spent on Rory attending classes, Rory making friends, Rory failing at hockey, Rory having lunch. It takes up to page eighty for anything remotely thrilling to happen. The last hundred pages, by contrast, completely abandon this setting and most of the school characters to focus on the mystery in full. In a way, the time spent building up the first setting seems like a waste if it isn't even fully incorporated in the denouement.

The paranormal/mystery aspect of the book is nice. It's decently set up (if only hints had been sprinkled throughout the book more) and I quite like the idea. The book sets up a good world for further books in the series.

The main character, Rory, on the other hand. It is a huge flaw in the story that she is someone that events happen to, rather than her actions driving the story forward. To be honest I am tired of characters simply reacting to events, never taking any initiative. Rory is painted in a sympathetic light, and I didn't necessarily dislike her, but I do dislike how the book treats her. One could imagine her staying in Louisiana and the outcome of the book being pretty much the same. The Name of the Star tries hard to convince us that Rory is essential to the story, but truly, she isn't.

Ultimately, The Name of the Star was a bit of a let-down. By tapping into that public fascination of the Jack the Ripper figure it barely keeps its story afloat, but it doesn't provide the chills and thrills it was promising.

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

I was excited to start this book, I won a copy and I was always interested to see how Maureen Johnston writes. This book was obvious the best choice for me to dive into this authors writing styles. The synopsis looked great; I’m interested in a good mystery, and a Jack the Ripper one...and it could have been a great book if they removed everything paranormal about it. I was really enjoying the mystery and the story of this Jack the Ripper copy cat.

The story opens with Rory Deveaux; just ordinary, very boring character, starting a new chapter in her life. Her final two years of high school in a London boarding school training to be a wizard. When she gets London she finds herself in the midst of Rippermania; a copy cat is killing women in the Whitechapel district the exact same way as Jack the Ripper did in 1888. Rory and some newly found friends are interested in uncovering the mystery but that is pretty much where the excitement ends.

I love books about serial killers, I love to read dark macabre mysteries and even a novel about Jack the Ripper sounds like a good read; turns out, I don’t like Paranormal YA. I don’t see the appeal at all, the second half of this book was just boring and unoriginal, and I had to push myself to finish it. Sure some one of the ghosts was slightly frightening but there was nothing thrilling about them at all. What ever happen to the supernatural sending chills down your spine and getting your heart racing with excitement?

There was some romance, some mystery in the book but that was all overshadowed by this hugely unenjoyable plot about ghosts and ghost police. I couldn’t find anything interesting about this part of the book at all; I just found it bland and very boring. I would hate to read some paranormal romance because this genre seems hugely popular but I find it hugely bland. I wanted to enjoy this book but I really could not recommend this book to anyone, except fans of paranormal romance.

Please note; Reading Habit did not recommend this book but I have marked them as the person who recommended it simply because I won this book in one of their giveaways and wanted to tag them in this review

[clementine]

I wanted to love this book, because I love Maureen Johnson as a human. She's funny, intelligent, kind of a weirdo, and I just think she's great. HOWEVER, I did not love The Name of the Star.

I liked the idea, even though I generally don't do anything supernatural. The basic plot was good, and it was paced well. I liked the Jack the Ripper 2.0 premise, and I felt like, while the plot wasn't brilliantly complex, it was laid out well.

The characters were generally likeable. I thought they were all fairly distinct and Johnson did a good job with them. There wasn't much character development, however, which I felt could have added to the depth of the story. The characters weren't super complex (some more than others), but it didn't really take away from the story since it's not really character driven. It would have been nice, but it's not a huge deal.

Some things were odd to me. First, all mentions of Alistair just stopped abruptly. I'm hoping he'll be a more important character later on in the series, because I liked him and I was hoping he'd play a bigger role and not just be there to be expository. Second, the whole romance with Jerome confused me. Jerome was one of the most poorly developed characters, and Rory never really explains her attraction to him, and the whole thing just seems to be thrown in because every YA book needs a romance, obviously. Third, the random POV changes with the seemingly unnecessary characters in the third person were just weird and threw me off.

What really bothered me was the writing style. There was so much telling and not enough showing. I appreciated Rory's somewhat sarcastic voice but I felt that the tone was a little too informal. This could have been a way better book if Johnson had concentrated on writing real descriptions (to make it more atmospheric) and SHOWING the action/feelings/surroundings.

I don't know, maybe I'm just outgrowing YA and becoming picky here. It's certainly possible. This is a solid piece of work and I'll probably continue with the series. It's not magnificent, but it also wasn't painful, and it was an enjoyable enough 4 hours of reading.

[Amber]

Review here: http://www.booksofamber.com/2012/05/name-of-star-by-maureen-johnson.html

The Name of the Star isn't what I was expecting at all, but I really liked it. I love mysteries, stories about ghosts and Jack the Ripper, and this book was all of those elements rolled into one story.

There wasn't much romance in this novel, which I loved. It's good to see a YA novel that is a romance in paranormal clothing. There also wasn't much focus on the boarding school in this, which I admit I was a little disappointed with.

The plot was fast paced and kept my attention throughout. I love the paranormal twist that the author put on things, and the antagonist was also pretty awesome! I think to make a book amazing, you have to have a badass, creepy protagonist, and this is what worked well in this book.

I have discovered that I really enjoy Maureen Johnson's writing style and I'll definitely be reading the sequel which is coming out in January next year.

[Amanda]

Original review: http://onabookbender.com/2012/02/06/review-the-name-of-the-star-by-maureen-johnson/

I think I first saw The Name of the Star on Ruby’s Reads. I had no idea who Maureen Johnson was. It sounded like an intriguing premise, so I added it to my TBR list AND started following Maureen Johnson on Twitter. Following her on Twitter only made me more anxious to read The Name of the Star (mostly because Maureen Johnson is hilarious and entertaining). I picked up The Name of the Star for my first Bout of Books 3.0 read, and I was definitely not disappointed.

It took me only a few pages to fall in love with Rory and her dry sarcasm and general quirkiness. Rory’s move and adjustment to living in London was both amusing and believable. I’m always a little concerned about whether culture shock is believable in stories (both because I’ve gone through it myself and because I’ve researched it for my thesis) but it was handled well here. Reading The Name of the Star made me want to go to boarding school in London. And that is something that I didn’t think I would ever say. I did also very much enjoy the side characters. Maureen Johnson has a way of giving the side characters just enough quirks to make them memorable and interesting.

The Name of the Star is both paranormal and a mystery. I didn’t find the story to be particularly scary, though I’m not easily scared with books. I thought the mystery was a slow burner, but one that was eerie and freaky, and addicting, once I really got into the story. I love a good paranormal, but I think what I loved even more about The Name of the Star is that it seemed to straddle the line between paranormal and mystery. I have not read many paranormals where the main (or only) paranormal creature were ghosts, and due to the nature of how the world and the “secret ghost police of London” are set up, Rory’s world is actually quite believable. Though The Name of the Star is the first in a series, there is no cliffhanger (NONE!) and it can easily be read as a stand alone.