Jack is Back and Badder than Ever

So, I saw this book on Amazon and my fingers just itched to click the To Cart button.  I didn't though.  I have to refrain sometime, you know?  But, I still wanted to read this book so badly.  Like, come on!  It takes place in ENGLAND and the main character, Rory, moved there from NEW ORLEANS.  Well, at least someplace very close to New Orleans.  Let's just say I have a huge geology crush on them, I guess you could say.  I've always wanted to go to England and I've been to New Orleans and absolutely love it there.  The energy there is unbelievable and welcoming.  There's a lot of talent there and it's always awesome to listen to the jazz bands playing on the streets. (Jazz band geek all the way.  I play the alto sax for it.)  But that's all besides the point when imagining the beautiful accents the characters have.  British people!  Eep!

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it’s the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.
Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn’t notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

I was really excited to read this book and it did not let me down.  I liked how Rory was not one of those annoying new girls that comes in to the story.  She's clueless, but she tries to do the best she can on her own, but also recognizes help when she needs it.  She doesn't ask a bazillion stupid little questions and there's no insta-love here.  This was really one of my books.  And sometimes, it's good to grab a nice mystery/thriller off the shelf than the norm.
Jazza, Rory's roommate, has to be my favorite character out of the book.  She smart, quiet and shy, and loves to play the cello.  Oh, and she's got a bunch of books!  She doesn't like breaking the rules, but does like to rebel once in a while.  Also, she's got that cute English accent.  :)
The Name of the Star just starts off as it should have.  Rory moves into her new home, a boarding school, and meets everybody around.  She meets people that soon become her friends and some that become those annoying, pesky characters that seem to sometimes get in the way.  And the imagery was very vivid.  I could imagine the cobblestone streets and the older-looking buildings perfectly.
Then things start to get interesting.  There's this 'invisible' man prowling the streets at night killing people on the same exact dates and times as the murders of the infamous Jack the Ripper from Autumn of 1888.  Okay, so this book also gave me a bit of a history lesson about Jack, but I already knew a bunch about him.
Things start to get scary when Rory actually sees the murderer and the murders get closer to her school.  I was a bit creeped out about all of this, but it was a good creeped out.  A whole bunch of things happen and Rory finds herself as a wanted victim from the Jack the Ripper copycat.  With help from some weird people she meets, they help her get down to the bottom of it all and nearly escape death.
This book gets four stars, which mean I really liked this book.  The only problem I had with it was the pacing.  In the middle things started getting a bit slow, but not slow enough to deter me.  I loved and I can't wait to see what happens next for Rory and her band of English friends.
Happy reading, everyone!