The Madness Underneath (Shades of London, #2)

by Maureen Johnson

[Stephanie]

This review was originally posted on Once Upon a Chapter



If it's possible I think I liked this The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson better than the The Name of the Star! I decided that I wanted to finish this series before moving on with the Truly Devious series and I'm really happy with my decision!

Johnson really expands on the possibilities of the first book and then layers in more mysteries. I didn't think that was even possible! She takes the things that we learned in The Name of the Star and then gives us more details to realize the full potential of what's happening. I really liked that Rory spent most of the book learning more about the history of the sight and more about what that will mean in her day to day life.

In The Name of the Star Rory's just learning about what has happened to her and how a very select group of people use that ability. In The Madness Underneath she's learning a bit more about what this actually means and even goes into how this might affect the rest of her life. I think Rory's character developed pretty nicely due to the reflection and knowledge she gains in this book.

I actually really missed a lot of the secondary characters from Wexford. Jazza, Jerome, Alister, and even Charlotte only received maybe 20 pages or so. I do understand that Rory's life has grown past that stage. Perhaps we're meant to feel that as I'm sure Rory is too. I'm hoping they'll make more of an appearance in The Shadow Cabinet.

I'm beginning to learn that Maureen Johnson is the queen of cliffhanger endings. I immediately wanted to go find my copy of the last book and just dive right in. I know myself better than that though. It is not worth risking burn out so I am going to force myself to read a book or two between them. She has tempted me though!