Reviewed by chymerra on
**All opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone. I received Tamzin Clarke V Jack the Ripper from Dragon Girl Press through NetGalley for free for my honest review.**
Now onto my review:
When I first saw the title of this book, I almost passed it over and thought to myself “Really”. But I read the blurb and got intrigued. Jack the Ripper, the most infamous murderer in history being written into a YA book. Hmmmmm. Then the bad thoughts happened….mainly along the line of “this book is going to suck” and “I really shouldn’t read/review this book because I know I will give it a low rating”.
Well, I am happy to say, that not only did the book not suck but I am not giving it a low rating. See, this book was a great read with two storylines that are interwoven together.
The book starts off with Tamzin’s much older sister, Vickie, being murdered by a caped gentleman as she is undercover to catch johns (I forget the exactly what they call those types of stings)
That’s when we meet Tamzin. She is, understandably, devastated by her sister’s death but she has a great support system of her mother, father, boyfriend and friends to help her through it. On her way home from dance class, where she teaches a class to 5-6 year olds, she meets a mysterious boy who she finds out is named Daniel.
She works for her father in his antique shop and in her spare time, besides teaching dance, she babysits a young girl in her class. In the meanwhile, as we are getting to know Tamzin, 3 more murders are committed by Jack Angel (what the media have dubbed him).
One day, shortly after her sister’s funeral, the creepy owner of the club down the street stops in to see if her father has any new items. While he is there, the little girl who Tamzin babysits for comes in and creepy guy gets even creepier by sniffing them and saying that they smell good.
Later on that day, Tamzin gets a phone call from her mother saying that Maxine (or Max) has been kidnapped. So what does Tamzin do, she decides to go and track down Max herself with Daniel and her friends.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I loved Tamzin. She was spunky, bright and came across as a total sweetheart. But she shouldn’t have gone running off after Max. A big no no but, hey, what is a heroine is supposed to do.
Daniel was an enigma for most of the book. I couldn’t figure out how his was disappearing (I figure he was like an Invisible Man). So when it is revealed who Daniel is, I was very surprised.
Jimmy was alright. I can totally understand his jealousy when Tamzin starts spending time with Daniel. He is a very caring person (and talented musician).
The end of the story was great and I loved that the author attempted to humanize Jack the Ripper.
How many stars will I give Tamzin V Jack the Ripper? 5
Why? This is a book that I would feel comfortable letting my tween daughter read. Well written and fast paced, it takes you on a wild ride!!
Will I reread? Yes
Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes
Age range: Teen on up
Why? Very clean (no sex or foul language). There is violence but it is tastefully written.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 18 September, 2016: Finished reading
- 18 September, 2016: Reviewed