Review // The Madness Underneath (Shades of London #2) - Maureen Johnson

Published - (Expected) 26th February 2013
Published By - HarperCollins Children's Book
Format - Kindle
Goodreads Synopsis - When madness stalks the streets of London, no one is safe…There’s a creepy new terror haunting modern-day London. Fresh from defeating a Jack the Ripper killer, Rory must put her new-found hunting skills to the test before all hell breaks loose…But enemies are not always who you expect them to be and crazy times call for crazy solutions. A thrilling teen mystery.

I was so excited when I received the ARC for this book. I read The Name of the Star in July and stayed up all night just to find out what happens. This series is definitely one that drags you in - whether you like it or not! I only intended to read the first few chapters late last night so I could make a start and yet here I am, less than 24 hours later writing this review! Johnson is incredible.

Like other ARC reviews i've read, I was a little (very little) disappointed that there wasn't more ghost-fighting action but honestly, it didn't matter. Every emotion came out whilst I was reading The Madness Underneath. I laughed so much I snorted tea everywhere. Some parts were so unsettling that I refrained from leaving the room I was in...just in case. Other times I sported that oh-so-attractive sobbing face. You know the one i'm talking about. I couldn't get enough. I must have stopped my flatmate from reading HER book more than a dozen times because I just had to share some witty remark (sorry!)

Rory is an amazing character. She is brave, strong, outgoing and she has flaws that just point out, she's only human and just like us...sorta. 
Rory's new abilities leave a lot of questions hanging in the air. What actually happened? Is it permanent? How is this going to change the Shades? What about the crack? What about....well. I'm not even going to mention the ending. 

I even love the title, The Madness Underneath. It's obviously so different from The Name of the Star but after reading the book...yes! The title can be interpreted in so many different ways. The madness underneath London...literally? Rory's feelings? The Shades?

I cannot wait for the next book and to get answers.

Sick/Ill Book Tag

I love these book tags! I tag whoever reads this ;) As always, link me to your answers in the comments as I love seeing what people come up with :)

This tag is the Sick/Ill book tag. As the owner of an autoimmune disease myself, I thought this one could be fun/different to anything else. The aim of the game is to pick a book that suits the description of the condition.

A total of 9 illnesses whose symptoms mirror how a book made you feel:

1. Diabetes: a book too sweet, like really sweet.
Let It Snow - Green, Johnson & Myracle.
Such an adorable book, containing three short stories (one by each other). Very sweet and easy to read. 

2. Chicken Pox: a book you've read once, and will never pick up again.
Fifty Shades of Grey - E.L.James or any autobiography.
Reading that book once was more than enough for me! Also autobiographies are really interesting to read but I can't see myself ever re-reading one.

3. Influenza: the flu a contagious book that spreads like a virus
The Study Series - Maria V Snyder
Since buying these books, i've gotten five other people to read them and LOVE them. I will forever push these books on to people :)

4. The cycle: a book you read every month, year or often
Harry Potter Series
I think every Potter fan re-reads these often! :)

5. Insomnia: a book that kept you up all night.
Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer & The Name of the Star - Maureen Johnson
The Twilight books were just so easy to read that I soaked them up. I'm an unashamed Twilight fan and they would probably still keep me up all night!
Johnson's book was just brilliant and I could not rest until I had the story finished.

6. Amnesia: a book that's forgotten and failed to leave a powerful impression in your memory
The Vampire Chronicles - Anne Rice
I really need to finish this series! It's not that I didn't enjoy what i've read so far - I honestly just keep forgetting that i'm in the middle of it. It's just not powerful enough to make me want to finish I guess.

7. Asthma: a book that took your breath away
The Fault in our Stars - John Green
Beautiful writing, fantastic characters and a plot line that literally takes your breath away. This is a total must read.

8. Malnutrition: a book that lacked food for thought
Hush, Hush / Crescendo - Becca Fitzpatrick
I recently reviewed Crescendo and as I explained there - there's just nothing to these stories so far but I can't stop eating them up! Sometimes, I just can't argue with the critic in me, and I just have to sit back and read...:)

9. Travel sickness: a book that took you on a journey through time or space or to a specific local on the map
Eragon Series - Christopher Paolini
(With the exception of Inheritence, which I am yet to read).
I read these a few years ago whilst I was in hospital. Not really a 'travel' journey, but a journey none-the-less. They're just wonderful stories that anyone can get into and I hope that by the end of the year i'll have read the final installment to complete the story!

July Wrap-Up

It's the end of the month again, where is the time going? I managed to get most of my reading done this month which was great, except I had to switch out a couple of books with other things in order to stick to my reading time frames!
So here is July's Wrap-Up

Books Read in July

Fifty Shades of Grey - E.L.James
Let Them Eat Cake - Rachel Caine (Short Story)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
The Name of the Star - Maureen Johnson
Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick
Demon Thief - Darren Shan
Deja Vu of Love - Carol Cadoo

With the exception of Rachel Caine's short story and Carol Cadoo's debut novel Deja Vu of Love, all of the books have been reviewed this month.


Deja Vu of Love by Carol Cadoo will be featured on Loaded Shelves as part of her Virtual Blog Tour later this month where you can read more about the author, my review of her book and an exclusive Get-To-Know-You interview with Carol Cadoo.

Review // The Name of the Star - Maureen Johnson

Published - 29th September 2011
Published By - HarperCollins
Format - Paperback 
Goodreads Synopsis - "New York Times" bestseller Maureen Johnson takes on Jack the Ripper in this captivating paranormal thriller
The day that Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London to start a new life at boarding school is also the day a series of brutal murders breaks out over the city, killings mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper spree 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--the only one who can see him. And now Rory has 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 found Maureen Johnson through nerdfighteria and John Green so I knew that this book was going to be right up my street. I had no preconceived ideas of Johnson's writing styles as this is the first book by her that I have read (with the exception of a short story in Let it Snow). I'm pleased to say that The Name of the Star gets a big thumbs up from me!


I was pulled in instantly as the POV comes from the main character, Rory, and she was just so likeable from the start. In fact, all of the characters were well written, new, sassy and had their own personalities rather than just being back burner characters.


There were a lot of twists throughout, too. I'm usually quite good at guessing where a story is going to go but surprisingly enough, I was wrong more than once! I loved that Rory's 'abilities' as the blurb says, come from a simple incident that I at least, paid little attention to and thought nothing of it. Definitely one of the best bits for me. 


I am so looking forward to the next Shades of London book from Johnson, especially after that shocking revelation at the end! Recommended.

Let It Snow - Green, Johnson & Myracle

Beautiful presents wrapped in ribbons, and multicoloured lights glittering in the night through the falling snow. A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you only see in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss with a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks.
Thanks to three of today's best-selling teen authors - John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle - the magic of the holidays shines on these hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance and breathtaking kisses.

Followers of my blog will know that I am a big fan of John Green and his books so it probably comes as no surprise that this book was no exception and I 100% love it, and recommend it.

Aside from that little note, this is not just a John Green book. A collaborative effort between Green, Johnson and Myracle turned into something magnificent and will now forever be my favourite Christmas book, and top 5 all year books.

Let It Snow is three completely different stories that occur at the same time, same town and has mentions and appearances from characters in each of the stories, so you can always get a little fix from the previous one. I know that was a good thing for me anyway as I really didn't want to leave the characters from any of the stories once i'd grown to love them.

The writing styles of Green, Johnson and Myracle all seem quite similar to me. This is a GOOD thing as they are continuously easy to read, follow and love. I'm not sure if this is intentional or a happy chance as I haven't yet read any more of Johnson or Myracle's works.

The stories contain a heavy amount of snow which is WONDERFUL. I live in a very rainy place where snow is practically a myth, so to get the feeling of a real white Christmas filled with adventure was perfect and made me want to snuggle up in pjs whilst reading. The adventures are exciting and unpredictable too!

As the blurb suggests, there is a lot of teens and a lot of romance - but not in the tacky way that some books have. The characters are genuine, real and identifiable and as I keep repeating - so very LOVEABLE!

I'm sad to have reached the end of the book in such a short time (literally just a couple of hours) as I couldn't put it down, but I loved every word on every page and I wish more great authors would do collabs like this. In fact, Let It Snow is probably the only reason I have any Christmas spirit at all this year :)

Recent Book Acquisitions

I've been absolutely awful at reading lately due to my absolutely amazing busy life. So as much as i'd like to write a review for this blog, I can't! However, I can tell you what books i've recently acquired and shall hopefully be reading and reviewing in the not too distant future (MAYBE!).

1. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter. S. Thompson
2. The Name of the Star - Maureen Johnson
3. First Born - Torchwood

I also have the complete works of Beckett out of the university library but whether I get around to reading any of it remains to be seen.

If you're interested in knowing more about me other than the books I read then you can go to my main blog which is here :)

If you're more into reading blogs about books and authors then I direct you to Annamarie's Book Blog. She's got some exciting interviews coming up soon with authors i've previously reviewed!

Let me know in the comments what books you've recently bought!

Currently reading: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter.S.Thompson & The Color Purple - Alice Walker
Books read in 2011: (Tallies are a work in progress...)