The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I quite liked the first book in this series, ‘The Name of the Star’, but I REALLY, REALLY LIKED this one. And I don’t want to take anything away from the story but I think one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much was the narrator. Nicola Barber is without a doubt one of the best audio book narrators that I have ever listened to and I ended up even doing housework just so I could listen to this book!
Rory, who survived a Jack the Ripper attack has been sent away to Bristol with her parents but ends up back at school in London at Wexford and finally back with the Shades gang – Stephen, Boo and Callum. Rory has discovered that she has new talents but she is just not sure that she wants to use them. We still get to see a bit of Jerome, Rory’s kind-of boyfriend and then there is the addition of a new character – Jane the therapist.
I really enjoyed the story line and definitely got caught up in it… I felt that Rory made some bad decisions but then when I think about it, she is a 16 year old and her behaviour was what any 16 year old would do.
And then onto the ending… at first I felt happy and shiny and couldn’t stop smiling but then…… the other thing happened. And now I just have to wait to book three to find out……. ARRGGHHHHH…….
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I managed to avoid all reviews before I read this, and now having finished it…. That ending! OMG! Wasn’t expecting it all and now I don’t know how to feel.
More words to come when I have had time to think.
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