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Loading... The Madness Underneathby Maureen Johnson
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Less good than the first in the series, still a guilty page turner although it feels like more of a set-up for the next book than a standalone story. ( ) It took me a while to get into this one, and honestly, I feel like it suffers from middle book syndrome. This just felt like a filler book. Things don't really pick up till towards the end. The twists/reveals weren't surprising, and I pretty much expected this from the new characters introduced. I know this is kind of vague, but I'm trying not to use any spoilers. Overall it was ok, and I do want to see how it all ends in the final book. This actually kind of disappointed me. The first novel was incredible. I loved the Jack the Ripper angle and the boarding school setting. This one focused less on the school life and more on life outside of Wexford and unfortunately, I just wasn't that impressed. I also got quite annoyed at how often Rory refused to do her homework but acted like it was a shocker that her grades couldn't get up. And tbh, I expected her to take her exams with Allister over her shoulder whispering the answers. There were definitely some plot twists that I enjoyed, but there were also a few that I didn't like very much at all. Rory's character arc in this story was more satisfying than in the previous book. I thought her struggle to deal with the aftermath of the attack was portrayed realistically and thoughtfully. But, again, the ghosty bits and the regular Rory bits felt disconnected to me. I really like MJ's teen fiction, it's realistic and snarky-but-not-mean funny, but this paranormal stuff is not working as well for me. Also, I got the timing on this seriously wrong. I was trying to read this book closer to the release of the next one, [b: The Shadow Cabinet|17412895|The Shadow Cabinet (Shades of London, #3)|Maureen Johnson|/assets/nocover/60x80.png|24258340] which I thought was coming out September-ish but the Amazon page says March 2015. Boo! This was a decent follow-up to The Name of the Star, and I plan to stick with the series. I like Maureen Johnson's playfully humorous writing style and her ability to deliver genuine scares. I care about the characters she writes, and I want to read more about them. The pacing felt a little odd this time around, but I think it was because she took time for Rory to actually go through the aftereffects of the trauma she experienced in the last book. She had a rough time, which I thought was more realistic than just launching into the next adventure with a shrug after being I'm less enthusiastic with where the story seems to be going and the unresolved bits at the end. Jane Quaint and co. were a bit over the top toward the end too (although I loved the daring rescue by Stephen, Boo and Callum). I wonder if they will be the archenemies in the next book; if so, I'm not too thrilled with the idea. I did think it was an interesting touch that J.Q. was feeding her "patients" pot brownies during therapy, and Johnson did a nice job of subtly creating a mood of unease (for the reader) at the beginning of Rory's relationship with her. I could be wrong in my predictions. I could be worried for nothing. I certainly didn't predict what she did in this book. I have high hopes that M.J. will deliver the goods in the next installment in the Shades of London. no reviews | add a review
Belongs to SeriesShades of London (2) Distinctions
"After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Devereaux is back in London to help solve a new string of inexplicable deaths plaguing the city"-- No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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