I had such high hopes for this sequel after having so much fun reading the first book in the Shades of London series, but I can’t pretend this was anything other than a massive disappointment. Everything I loved about the first book (the coherent plot, fun cast of characters, Rory’s personality, great setting) was absent from The Madness Underneath. I wish I had stopped reading after the first book. In The Madness Underneath, Rory is recovering from the events of the first book under her […]
I See Dead People
This review is a few weeks late, but I originally chose this book as an antidote to tax season stress. And it worked! Thank god for books. I’ve read (and enjoyed) a few of Maureen Johnson’s books in the past and this one didn’t disappoint. Rory Deveaux leaves Louisiana for a London boarding school, Wexford Academy, while her parents work in Bristol. In London, she’s greeted with Rippermania. There’s been a murder near the school, closely mimicking Jack the Ripper’s first victim. As the victims […]
Southern Smartass Meets British Ghosthunters
I apologize because this got a little long and away from me! To be fair, I was reviewing two books… Today we are doing a 2-for-1, since these are the first two books in Maureen Johnson’s Shades of London series. The third book just came out (I got my copy today!), so I wanted to re-read the first two and catch myself up on the story. I sped through these books. I am an unapologetic fan of Maureen and will rabidly consume anything she writes. This […]
An uneven, anti-climactic but still thought-provoking read about teenage sexuality and friendship.
This is more like 3.5 stars for me, mostly for the ending, which just fizzled out, after a strong beginning, strong middle, even strong leading up to the end . . . but the end was a nope. Rounding up though, because I’m just magnamimous like that. The Bermudez Triangle (I refuse to ackowledge its new title) follows Nina, Avery, and Mel, who have been best friends since they were small children. In the summer before their senior year, Nina goes away to a college […]
This Seemed an Appropriate Christmas Day Review
I’ve read everything John Green and Maureen Johnson have ever written. I own their catalogues and evangelize their books. Yet, somehow, this one always slipped through the cracks. I meant to get around to it, really, but never managed to. One day last week, I needed some Christmas cheer and decided this was the way to go; I was ever so glad I did! I’m not too surprised I enjoyed the first two stories in this linked trilogy, and the third was also really well […]