The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson Series: Shades of London #2
Published by Speak
Published: December 10, 2013
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The New York Times bestseller!
A new threat haunts the streets of London Rory Deveaux has changed in ways she never could have imagined since moving to London and beginning a new life at boarding school. As if her newfound ability to see ghosts hadn’t complicated her life enough, Rory’s recent brush with the Jack the Ripper copycat has left her with an even more unusual and intense power. Now, a new string of inexplicable deaths is threatening London, and Rory has evidence that they are no coincidence. Something sinister is going on, and it is up to her to convince the city’s secret ghost-policing squad to listen before it’s too late.
The Madness Underneath is one of those sequel books that you just have to read as soon as the opportunity arises. As luck would have it a friend sent me a copy a little bit before it was released and I jumped on that opportunity. Because you see, I LOVED The Name of the Star. I thought it was clever and mysterious and fun. As I said in my review it was an interesting concept with really likable characters and I couldn’t wait to get back entangled with them. And man did they not disappoint. With the main mystery of the story gone Johnson had to be crafty in the story she created to keep viewers drawn in and I think she was able to do just that. The twists and turns of the story were just enough to make up what couldn’t be duplicated from the first book.
The Madness Underneath picks up where The Name of the Star left off. Our heroine Rory Devereaux has left school and is now residing with her parents as she recuperates from her brush with death and the knowledge she now has to make sense of. With no one to talk to and nothing to do Rory jumps at the opportunity to go back to Wexford and to her roommate and her friends of the underground secret ghost police. However, returning isn’t easy for Rory. Faced with the memories of the Ripper, keeping her secret life and powers a secret and dealing with her sort of boyfriend Rory has a lot on her plate not to mention school and a new slew of deaths that seem to be happening. Completely overwhelmed by everything Rory has a choice to make, but will she make the right one or the easy one.
Can I say that I think I loved Rory even more in this book then I did in the first? And I really really loved her in the first. Seeing her come into her own in Madness really added something to the character that wasn’t there before. And seeing her get completely overwhelmed, as any teen in her place would do, added a vulnerability. And don’t even get me started on her relationship with Stephen. Honestly, I didn’t think much of it in the first book, but this time, man was there some hardcore chemistry even if there was never anything truly romantic happening. WOWZA!
Add all of that in with the great story that had been crafted and you really have yourself a winner of a book. I tore through it as fast as I could for the most part because I wanted to find out how it was all concluded. Imagine my shock when it wasn’t. What I thought was a 2 part story, in fact, has a third part coming out and I’m officially on the dying to read list. I mean 2014? Really? However, will I wait that long Ms. Johnson? However, will I wait?!
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