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Shades of London #2
The Madness Underneath
After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Deveaux has been living in Bristol under the close watch of her parents. So when her therapist suddenly suggests she return to Wexford, Rory jumps at the chance to get back to her friends.
But Rory’s brush with the Ripper touched her more than she thought possible: she’s become a human terminus, with the power to eliminate ghosts on contact. She soon finds out that the Shades—the city’s secret ghost-fighting police—are responsible for her return. The Ripper may be gone, but now there is a string of new inexplicable deaths threatening London. Rory has evidence that the deaths are no coincidence. Something much more sinister is going on, and now she must convince the squad to listen to her before it’s too late.
In this follow-up to the Edgar Award–nominated The Name of the Star, Maureen Johnson adds another layer of spectacularly gruesome details to the streets of London that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
But Rory’s brush with the Ripper touched her more than she thought possible: she’s become a human terminus, with the power to eliminate ghosts on contact. She soon finds out that the Shades—the city’s secret ghost-fighting police—are responsible for her return. The Ripper may be gone, but now there is a string of new inexplicable deaths threatening London. Rory has evidence that the deaths are no coincidence. Something much more sinister is going on, and now she must convince the squad to listen to her before it’s too late.
In this follow-up to the Edgar Award–nominated The Name of the Star, Maureen Johnson adds another layer of spectacularly gruesome details to the streets of London that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
290 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,205 reviews
March 1, 2013
After loving Maureen Johnson from afar, largely via her very entertaining Twitter feed, I was thrilled that she was venturing into the world of speculative fiction by delving into the horror of Jack the Ripper, ghosts, and mystery via a London boarding school and secret police force. That’s much more up my alley than her usual contemporary route. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy The Name of the Star, I didn’t forget about it, and am still constantly recommending it to readers over a year later. Needless to say, I was very much anticipating the follow up, spurred on by the much approved cover makeover of the series to the creepy shadowy goodness you see above. And so, I am sad to report, that The Madness Underneath is the greatest disappointment of 2013 thus far. It may not be the most egregious offender of the second book slump scenario, but between the let down and my complete non-support of where Johnson is aiming to take this series, I’m afraid the Shades of London and I are at an impasse.
The Madness Underneath doesn’t lack for entertainment value. As with its predecessor, Rory’s story completely sucks you in. Johnson’s writing flows with ease and humor, and I honest to goodness had no idea how little was actually happening in this book until I was nearly 3/4 of the way through. I was kicking back and enjoying the set up so much, I didn’t realize that there wasn’t really much of a story. Once I did, I felt deflated–but this does spell promise for other reader’s ability to just enjoy and not pick at The Madness Underneath as I am about to.
So here are my issues with The Madness Underneath:
-What happened to the rest of that cast we loved? In book one, I had such a great time getting to know the Shades, the ghosts, and Rory’s frienimies at Wexford Academy. They’re still here in The Madness Underneath, but only in a very shallow surface sense. Rory is so self-involved for the entirety of this book, that these other characters are no longer players themselves, but mere props. Which brings me to the fact that…
-This book is largely angst disguised as character development. Yes, Rory goes through some growing pains in The Madness Underneath that are undoubtedly integral to who she will be as a character as the series continues, but I felt as if Johnson flip-flopped the proper ordering of things. In my mind, this development should have been an accessory to the plot, and not the other way around.
-The plot was scattered. Why bother giving us a preface that sets up a potentially awesome new creepy plot when you’re going to essentially solve this issue quickly and move on to something completely different and unrelated? When there are revelations later on in the story that were very loosely tied back to this beginning plot, it seemed an afterthought rather than well-planned. The first part of this book had only a very fragile connection to the second part, making it seem as if there really wasn’t the material here for a complete book–it’s just another strained stretch of a set-up for book three shoved into its own binding.
-The last 30% of the book…this is the section that sets up for book three rather than creating any sort of finalized story for book two (or rather, the only part of the book with a real plot). Rory goes from a girl struggling to deal with a jilting realignment of her personal expectations as well as the expectations of everyone she knows to an idiot who throws everything out the window on a whim. I realize that teenagers are impulsive and moody and make mistakes, but Rory’s path is baffling to me as it seems completely out of character, despite her angsty developments in this book. I felt Johnson created a convenient excuse for this rather than actually justifying it. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so upsetting if I felt there had been more of a build up or connection with the beginning of the book–unfortunately, there wasn’t.
-The ending. I’ll admit it, this one I can’t blame on Johnson so much as acknowledge that it’s personal. Some readers will love this unexpected turn of events, but I hated the ending of this book. Please someone else who’s read it contact me via Twitter or Goodreads so that I can complain about the absolute eye-rollyness of it without spoiling it for those yet to read. Note: It is not an open/cliffhanger ending for those who may be concerned since that is indeed what usually sets off my rage meter–it’s a twist.
Alas, I have to acknowledge that one of the double edged swords of book blogging is that it has caused me to become a much more critical reader. Had I read The Madness Underneath directly after finishing The Name of the Star a year and a half ago, I’m sure I wouldn’t have felt struck with the disappointment that I felt today. Yes, there were things I loved about it–the fact that Rory can have relationships that don’t have to be true love (heck, they don’t have to be love at all), the humor, the creepy edge of knowing and seeing what few others can. I can see many readers greatly enjoying this one, I, however, toss it unceremoniously onto the second book slump pile of series I have abandoned.
Original review posted at Bunbury in the Stacks.
The Madness Underneath doesn’t lack for entertainment value. As with its predecessor, Rory’s story completely sucks you in. Johnson’s writing flows with ease and humor, and I honest to goodness had no idea how little was actually happening in this book until I was nearly 3/4 of the way through. I was kicking back and enjoying the set up so much, I didn’t realize that there wasn’t really much of a story. Once I did, I felt deflated–but this does spell promise for other reader’s ability to just enjoy and not pick at The Madness Underneath as I am about to.
So here are my issues with The Madness Underneath:
-What happened to the rest of that cast we loved? In book one, I had such a great time getting to know the Shades, the ghosts, and Rory’s frienimies at Wexford Academy. They’re still here in The Madness Underneath, but only in a very shallow surface sense. Rory is so self-involved for the entirety of this book, that these other characters are no longer players themselves, but mere props. Which brings me to the fact that…
-This book is largely angst disguised as character development. Yes, Rory goes through some growing pains in The Madness Underneath that are undoubtedly integral to who she will be as a character as the series continues, but I felt as if Johnson flip-flopped the proper ordering of things. In my mind, this development should have been an accessory to the plot, and not the other way around.
-The plot was scattered. Why bother giving us a preface that sets up a potentially awesome new creepy plot when you’re going to essentially solve this issue quickly and move on to something completely different and unrelated? When there are revelations later on in the story that were very loosely tied back to this beginning plot, it seemed an afterthought rather than well-planned. The first part of this book had only a very fragile connection to the second part, making it seem as if there really wasn’t the material here for a complete book–it’s just another strained stretch of a set-up for book three shoved into its own binding.
-The last 30% of the book…this is the section that sets up for book three rather than creating any sort of finalized story for book two (or rather, the only part of the book with a real plot). Rory goes from a girl struggling to deal with a jilting realignment of her personal expectations as well as the expectations of everyone she knows to an idiot who throws everything out the window on a whim. I realize that teenagers are impulsive and moody and make mistakes, but Rory’s path is baffling to me as it seems completely out of character, despite her angsty developments in this book. I felt Johnson created a convenient excuse for this rather than actually justifying it. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so upsetting if I felt there had been more of a build up or connection with the beginning of the book–unfortunately, there wasn’t.
-The ending. I’ll admit it, this one I can’t blame on Johnson so much as acknowledge that it’s personal. Some readers will love this unexpected turn of events, but I hated the ending of this book. Please someone else who’s read it contact me via Twitter or Goodreads so that I can complain about the absolute eye-rollyness of it without spoiling it for those yet to read. Note: It is not an open/cliffhanger ending for those who may be concerned since that is indeed what usually sets off my rage meter–it’s a twist.
Alas, I have to acknowledge that one of the double edged swords of book blogging is that it has caused me to become a much more critical reader. Had I read The Madness Underneath directly after finishing The Name of the Star a year and a half ago, I’m sure I wouldn’t have felt struck with the disappointment that I felt today. Yes, there were things I loved about it–the fact that Rory can have relationships that don’t have to be true love (heck, they don’t have to be love at all), the humor, the creepy edge of knowing and seeing what few others can. I can see many readers greatly enjoying this one, I, however, toss it unceremoniously onto the second book slump pile of series I have abandoned.
Original review posted at Bunbury in the Stacks.
September 8, 2013
If you're like me, whenever you get invested in a book series, you're worried the remaining books won't live up to the first one, right? Well, you won't have to worry about that with The Madness Underneath. It is one of the rare ones. A sequel that is even better than the first one. It is everything you hope for in a sequel. This book has made me feel so many genuine emotions (scared, sad, worried and heart broken) and the ending is a whopper.
Rory is one of my favorite characters. I love her voice to bits. I agreed with her reactions and thought her growth throughout the novel was very realistic. This novel sets us up for the bigger plot that the series will focus on. It sounds completely fascinating and slightly terrifying! I am thoroughly looking forward to the next book in this series.
I also want to say I think Maureen has a talent with "cliffhangers." I said this before in my short review of the first book. It's just enough of a cliffhanger to make you excited to read the next book but not so much of a cliffhanger that you want to run the book over with your car.
Rory is one of my favorite characters. I love her voice to bits. I agreed with her reactions and thought her growth throughout the novel was very realistic. This novel sets us up for the bigger plot that the series will focus on. It sounds completely fascinating and slightly terrifying! I am thoroughly looking forward to the next book in this series.
I also want to say I think Maureen has a talent with "cliffhangers." I said this before in my short review of the first book. It's just enough of a cliffhanger to make you excited to read the next book but not so much of a cliffhanger that you want to run the book over with your car.
August 7, 2019
I just have to get this out of my system... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
After the first book, I wasn't expecting much from this book. It would have been wrong for this one to be as twisted and creepy as the first, it would have been too much. But it stays in the same unique universe.
But I wasn't expecting that. Or that. Or that.
Although at times The Madness Underneath feels like a filler, a space between the first and third books when nothing too much *can* happen, it is great in its own right. I don't think you could easily read this book without having read the first.
I wish that Rory could have perhaps gone back to Alistair and explained her reactions. It's like he was mentioned once and forgotten about and now it seems very unlikely that he'll ever be mentioned again.
I liked that Rory's life was falling apart. It should have been falling apart after what happened to her. I didn't like that the school didn't really make any concessions for her BEING STABBED AND ALMOST FREAKING KILLED! Surely her exams could have been postponed until the very end of term? Exams are usually at the very end of term anyway.
In my head I pictured creepier scenes. I pictured a ghostly face peering from the crack in the basement wall, and instead it was a slightly less creepy he's-behind-you.
I can't wait for the next one though, I *need* to know what comes after that ending! Shades of London might not be the best series out there, but I am hooked. Please have more than 3 books, Maureen Johnson, I could read of this creepy, unique world forever.
After the first book, I wasn't expecting much from this book. It would have been wrong for this one to be as twisted and creepy as the first, it would have been too much. But it stays in the same unique universe.
But I wasn't expecting that. Or that. Or that.
Although at times The Madness Underneath feels like a filler, a space between the first and third books when nothing too much *can* happen, it is great in its own right. I don't think you could easily read this book without having read the first.
I wish that Rory could have perhaps gone back to Alistair and explained her reactions. It's like he was mentioned once and forgotten about and now it seems very unlikely that he'll ever be mentioned again.
I liked that Rory's life was falling apart. It should have been falling apart after what happened to her. I didn't like that the school didn't really make any concessions for her BEING STABBED AND ALMOST FREAKING KILLED! Surely her exams could have been postponed until the very end of term? Exams are usually at the very end of term anyway.
In my head I pictured creepier scenes. I pictured a ghostly face peering from the crack in the basement wall, and instead it was a slightly less creepy he's-behind-you.
I can't wait for the next one though, I *need* to know what comes after that ending! Shades of London might not be the best series out there, but I am hooked. Please have more than 3 books, Maureen Johnson, I could read of this creepy, unique world forever.
April 14, 2015
The second book in the Shades of London series does not disappoint. Contrarily, I loved it so very much, that although I have the third book (recently released) in this series, I can't bring myself to start it just yet for fear of suffering major withdrawal upon completion. I'm going to savor these brilliant, kind, honest and witty characters for awhile.
Here are some of my favorite lines from The Madness Underneath.
“We would be friends. Oh, yes. We would be friends.”
“The pointless procedure is one of our great natural resources.”
“But he smiled. He didn’t want me to see, but I totally saw.”
“There was a pause and in the pause, there was everything.”
Here are some of my favorite lines from The Madness Underneath.
“We would be friends. Oh, yes. We would be friends.”
“The pointless procedure is one of our great natural resources.”
“But he smiled. He didn’t want me to see, but I totally saw.”
“There was a pause and in the pause, there was everything.”
April 10, 2015
This book was a roller coaster. And by that, I mean the kind that putt along the entire time, to the extent where you start to wonder if maybe you accidentally just got on a kiddie ride, then OMG I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS DROP I'M GONNA BARF.
It definitely suffered from middle book syndrome, as it's Book 2 in a trilogy... but it felt like the first half resolved issues set up in book 1, and the second half ramped up to the inevitably crazy and exciting book 3. I was actually quite let down, until I got to the end and it punched me REALLY HARD RIGHT IN THE GUT WITHOUT ME REALIZING WHAT WAS HAPPENING. That ENDING. WTF!
So... The Madness Underneath won me over in the end, but I wish most of the rest of the book hadn't felt so bland.
It definitely suffered from middle book syndrome, as it's Book 2 in a trilogy... but it felt like the first half resolved issues set up in book 1, and the second half ramped up to the inevitably crazy and exciting book 3. I was actually quite let down, until I got to the end and it punched me REALLY HARD RIGHT IN THE GUT WITHOUT ME REALIZING WHAT WAS HAPPENING. That ENDING. WTF!
So... The Madness Underneath won me over in the end, but I wish most of the rest of the book hadn't felt so bland.
July 15, 2013
My main problem with this second book was the lack of plot...to be honest, this was really more of an in-between book. Yes, it's interesting to see Rory try to reconcile what happened to her in the last book and what to do with her new ability. However, the book didn't really feel like it started until I was about 60% through. Everything before that point was Rory kind of wandering around trying to decide what to do, being confused and directionless. I think that would have been interesting if Rory's thought process had shown more of her dealing with the trauma she experienced and how it affected her. Yet, as she wanders around confused, she is "ignoring" the trauma of what happened and it led to a huge portion of the book where nothing was happening. Her relationship, which started in the first book, felt like it was non-existent and awkward. Which I actually kind of appreciated as it's pretty realistic for a first relationship (where you start to realize that maybe you're only dating the person because they're there). At the same time, I feel like her realization that she should maybe move on should have been more connected to the fact that this wasn't really much of a relationship, as opposed to her focusing on the her "ability" as the reason she should move on.
Even when she takes the initiative to use her abilities, I was left confused as to whether she actually got the murderer or if she had just eliminated someone random. The book spends a lot of time summarizing past events as well, but then doesn't go over many of the more easily forgotten details, which makes some of the narrative confusing. I also wasn't sure how much editing went into this book...in one scene, Rory notices a coat and makes the connection that its owner is missing. A few scenes later, she relays the information that this character is missing by saying "I saw her upstairs and the next second she was gone.".
The last 40% of the book started to get interesting, as she had made a decision (even though as the reader I saw red flags everywhere), and a plot started to really get moving. However, some very dramatic, important plot movements were happening so crushed together that I felt like they weren't being built up enough BEFORE they happened. It started to feel as if these events where just being thrown in because not enough happened earlier in the book.
Even when she takes the initiative to use her abilities, I was left confused as to whether she actually got the murderer or if she had just eliminated someone random. The book spends a lot of time summarizing past events as well, but then doesn't go over many of the more easily forgotten details, which makes some of the narrative confusing. I also wasn't sure how much editing went into this book...in one scene, Rory notices a coat and makes the connection that its owner is missing. A few scenes later, she relays the information that this character is missing by saying "I saw her upstairs and the next second she was gone.".
The last 40% of the book started to get interesting, as she had made a decision (even though as the reader I saw red flags everywhere), and a plot started to really get moving. However, some very dramatic, important plot movements were happening so crushed together that I felt like they weren't being built up enough BEFORE they happened. It started to feel as if these events where just being thrown in because not enough happened earlier in the book.
March 10, 2018
Wow! That was incredibly dramatic and exciting. Laced with humour, the story line was unexpected and emotional. Can hardly wait to read the next one. Even if you don't normally do YA fantasy, you should give this series a go. Recommended.
March 7, 2013
352 pages. About 200 pages too long as far as relevant content goes.
Rory is recovering from her injury in the previous book, and spends much of her time moping around in Bristol with her parents. She then gets permission to go back to Wexford, where she spends more time moping around, tentatively and reluctantly embracing her new role as a new Terminus (but not really doing much about it or with her new powers). Actually, she spends much of the book doing nothing BUT moping. This isn't Shades of London, Book 2, it's Shades of London, Book 1.5, Rory moping, and not much else.
She's distracted in school, pretending to study but not really and massively falling behind and is horribly shocked and in denial that she is in danger of flunking out of school. She sees a new therapist, and does something incredibly stupid. Honestly, it's the very definition of TSTL, I just about threw my Nook across the room when I read what she was going to do. Man oh man, I am so sick of Rory in this book.
Due to the plot and mystery being so weak there might as well not have been one, and the characters being completely unmemorable, I can't in all good conscience give this book a good review. In the previous book, there was at least some semblance of character creation, there was none here, it was just bland, bland, bland.
Rory is recovering from her injury in the previous book, and spends much of her time moping around in Bristol with her parents. She then gets permission to go back to Wexford, where she spends more time moping around, tentatively and reluctantly embracing her new role as a new Terminus (but not really doing much about it or with her new powers). Actually, she spends much of the book doing nothing BUT moping. This isn't Shades of London, Book 2, it's Shades of London, Book 1.5, Rory moping, and not much else.
She's distracted in school, pretending to study but not really and massively falling behind and is horribly shocked and in denial that she is in danger of flunking out of school. She sees a new therapist, and does something incredibly stupid. Honestly, it's the very definition of TSTL, I just about threw my Nook across the room when I read what she was going to do. Man oh man, I am so sick of Rory in this book.
Due to the plot and mystery being so weak there might as well not have been one, and the characters being completely unmemorable, I can't in all good conscience give this book a good review. In the previous book, there was at least some semblance of character creation, there was none here, it was just bland, bland, bland.
Want to read
January 28, 2012What exactly will this book be about? I LOVED The Name of the Star, and I am dying for the sequel to be released, but I'm confused as to what it will be about. The kind-of cliffhanger of book one raised the potential for the sequel, but the Ripper is gone, so... will there be a 3rd Ripper? Will the Ripper return? What happens to Jerome and Rory?!?! Extremely cute couple, but I can't deny that I'm curious if Steven and Rory will get together.... Will there even be a bad ghost in this book, or will it be about Rory somehow returning to London and to Wexford, and the problems our group of Shades will face.... WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THIS BOOK?!?!?!
November 14, 2013
I have an axiom that if a character in a book is engaging enough then even watching them chew oatmeal will be interesting. Maureen Johnson has found a strong, memorable voice in her protagonist/narrator Rory Deveaux, a Lousiana girl transplanted to London. Rory has a colorful personality, injecting random asides and humorous descriptions into everything, and telling embarrassing stories about her family when she gets nervous.
Some people don't enjoy the character because she's not very heroic, but I think that's part of what makes her interesting: like most real people, when confronted by the inexplicable and possibly supernatural, she freaks out. Not to say she's a coward, but that she reacts like a normal person would and doesn't suddenly turn into an action hero.
So I really love Rory's character and would enjoy reading almost anything written in her voice.
Good thing, too, because plot-wise The Madness Underneath does not deliver. The first half of the book is a build up for something that doesn't turn out to be a big deal. Then, when things finally start to really happen: the book ends!
A cliffhanger ending this is not - more like a cliffhanger middle. The book feels like the author was muddling around, searching for the direction of the plot, and then when she found it, she decided to end the book.
Well, presumably there will be another book out (and hopefully soon) that will continue on with some actual plot. I'll be reading it. But I'm warning you, Maureen Johnson, any more of these shenanigans and we are THROUGH!
Some people don't enjoy the character because she's not very heroic, but I think that's part of what makes her interesting: like most real people, when confronted by the inexplicable and possibly supernatural, she freaks out. Not to say she's a coward, but that she reacts like a normal person would and doesn't suddenly turn into an action hero.
So I really love Rory's character and would enjoy reading almost anything written in her voice.
Good thing, too, because plot-wise The Madness Underneath does not deliver. The first half of the book is a build up for something that doesn't turn out to be a big deal. Then, when things finally start to really happen: the book ends!
A cliffhanger ending this is not - more like a cliffhanger middle. The book feels like the author was muddling around, searching for the direction of the plot, and then when she found it, she decided to end the book.
Well, presumably there will be another book out (and hopefully soon) that will continue on with some actual plot. I'll be reading it. But I'm warning you, Maureen Johnson, any more of these shenanigans and we are THROUGH!
February 27, 2017
Ich fand das Buch in einigen Aspekten besser, in anderen etwas schwächer als das erste Buch.
Eigentlich sind das ja Thriller, aber ich habe eigentlich nur am Ende etwas davon gespürt. Auch vorher gab es Tote, aber es war nicht spannend im Thriller-Stil.
Andererseits fand ich gerade das auch ganz gut. So hatten die Charaktere sozusagen etwas Zeit für sich, ihre Beziehungen untereinander und dieser Teil war ja auch nicht langweilig! Sie haben Nachforschungen angestellt, neue Dinge in Erfahrung gebracht und es gab auch andere interessante Entwicklungen.
Das Ende war überraschend und hat mich auf jeden Fall sehr neugierig auf den dritten Band gemacht!
Eigentlich sind das ja Thriller, aber ich habe eigentlich nur am Ende etwas davon gespürt. Auch vorher gab es Tote, aber es war nicht spannend im Thriller-Stil.
Andererseits fand ich gerade das auch ganz gut. So hatten die Charaktere sozusagen etwas Zeit für sich, ihre Beziehungen untereinander und dieser Teil war ja auch nicht langweilig! Sie haben Nachforschungen angestellt, neue Dinge in Erfahrung gebracht und es gab auch andere interessante Entwicklungen.
Das Ende war überraschend und hat mich auf jeden Fall sehr neugierig auf den dritten Band gemacht!
October 24, 2013
Can I be honest? I feel... a bit manipulated. I am going through a horrible reading slump right now, so I know that I am a lot less tolerant than I would have been prior to this dry spell. So my review of this book might be a bit harsher. I feel that despite my rather harsh criticism, I am being fair and respectful, which are crucial to me as a reviewer.
I loved the first book, The Name of the Star, and I gave it five stars. I actually thought it was quite brilliant. In comparison, my feelings are not complimentary for this second book.
I am on the edge of giving up YA books because of reasons that this book sort of ties into. So forgive the segueway. I'll get back to my review in a little bit:
1) I am so sick of love triangles (this one doesn't quite have an in your face one. It's more of an obtuse triangle if anything).
2) Oh the high school drama! I am just sick of the whole high school setting, to be honest. This book isn't so bad in that sense.
3)So, so, so heartily sick of cliffhangers. Now this is where I felt manipulated. That ending was just wrong with this book. Not well done, and contrived. I think it ended this way so she could have a springboard for the next book. I'm not Maureen Johnson and so I don't get to tell her to write her books. But that was just pain unnecessary. If I could issue a plea to YA authors, stop the madness with this terrible, meaningless cliffhangers. You can write a series without them. If the publishers are behind this conspiracy, tell them no!
Okay, back to the book.
So I mentioned above how I was not feeling the ending. I was actually quite mad when I finished this book. I am doing a Bible Study and we talked about anger today, so I was glad I got that lesson prior to finishing this book. I was able to process my anger and determine the reasons for it. I felt manipulated and abused. I felt frustrated. I think that processing the anger has made me better able to review this book, but my reasons for feeling anger still stand.
The storyline itself was okay. However, it lacked the pizazz and the strength of the last book. It was meandering and rather dull in comparison. The word ennui is perfect for this feeling I had when I read this book. Although I can understand Rory being in a fog after the trauma she suffered, the feeling of malaise seemed to affect the whole narrative, and I didn't feel a sense of purpose or momentum as I read this novel. That was highly disappointing and contrasts very negatively with the first book, which has such a powerful, chilling atmosphere of menace that I found wonderfully effective . I had a feeling that this new character and her connection with Rory was going to lead to disaster, and I was right about that. But I'm not sure I really care, you know?
What I liked just as much as the first book was the atmosphere, the presence of London as a character in this novel. It makes me want to jump on a plane and go to England right now. In fact, London was more distinctive than the actual main character, which is a shame, because I love Rory. In this book, Johnson seems to be going through the motions in her characterization of Rory. She is blunted and hard to connect to her as a main character in this novel. My absolute Achilles' heel as a reader is that I can be so drawn into a story that I feel utter empathy for a character, if the writer is able to bring this character to life for me. With Rory, that connection established in The Name of the Star felt so attenuated, it hurt this read for me. Also, with such vibrant characters as Boo and Callum, they felt almost like the Shades of London they concern themselves with. Other important secondary characters, the same. And Stephen, well, he's one of my favorite characters, and even he didn't feel as real to me in this book, although I still love him.
Maureen Johnson established herself as a very admirable suspense writer with the first book in this series and "The Law of Suspects", a short story I had the pleasure of reading as my introduction to her. I feel she was off her game with this book. That ability to catch a reader and lead them down a dark, twisted path wasn't as evident in this book. My biggest reaction is that she was going through the motions. As a result, this reader is dismayed and disappointed.
Will I read the next book? With that ending, I have to do so. But my expectations are very low at this point.
Please up your game with the next book, Ms. Johnson. I need to know that you can finish what you started in this series successfully.
I loved the first book, The Name of the Star, and I gave it five stars. I actually thought it was quite brilliant. In comparison, my feelings are not complimentary for this second book.
I am on the edge of giving up YA books because of reasons that this book sort of ties into. So forgive the segueway. I'll get back to my review in a little bit:
1) I am so sick of love triangles (this one doesn't quite have an in your face one. It's more of an obtuse triangle if anything).
2) Oh the high school drama! I am just sick of the whole high school setting, to be honest. This book isn't so bad in that sense.
3)So, so, so heartily sick of cliffhangers. Now this is where I felt manipulated. That ending was just wrong with this book. Not well done, and contrived. I think it ended this way so she could have a springboard for the next book. I'm not Maureen Johnson and so I don't get to tell her to write her books. But that was just pain unnecessary. If I could issue a plea to YA authors, stop the madness with this terrible, meaningless cliffhangers. You can write a series without them. If the publishers are behind this conspiracy, tell them no!
Okay, back to the book.
So I mentioned above how I was not feeling the ending. I was actually quite mad when I finished this book. I am doing a Bible Study and we talked about anger today, so I was glad I got that lesson prior to finishing this book. I was able to process my anger and determine the reasons for it. I felt manipulated and abused. I felt frustrated. I think that processing the anger has made me better able to review this book, but my reasons for feeling anger still stand.
The storyline itself was okay. However, it lacked the pizazz and the strength of the last book. It was meandering and rather dull in comparison. The word ennui is perfect for this feeling I had when I read this book. Although I can understand Rory being in a fog after the trauma she suffered, the feeling of malaise seemed to affect the whole narrative, and I didn't feel a sense of purpose or momentum as I read this novel. That was highly disappointing and contrasts very negatively with the first book, which has such a powerful, chilling atmosphere of menace that I found wonderfully effective . I had a feeling that this new character and her connection with Rory was going to lead to disaster, and I was right about that. But I'm not sure I really care, you know?
What I liked just as much as the first book was the atmosphere, the presence of London as a character in this novel. It makes me want to jump on a plane and go to England right now. In fact, London was more distinctive than the actual main character, which is a shame, because I love Rory. In this book, Johnson seems to be going through the motions in her characterization of Rory. She is blunted and hard to connect to her as a main character in this novel. My absolute Achilles' heel as a reader is that I can be so drawn into a story that I feel utter empathy for a character, if the writer is able to bring this character to life for me. With Rory, that connection established in The Name of the Star felt so attenuated, it hurt this read for me. Also, with such vibrant characters as Boo and Callum, they felt almost like the Shades of London they concern themselves with. Other important secondary characters, the same. And Stephen, well, he's one of my favorite characters, and even he didn't feel as real to me in this book, although I still love him.
Maureen Johnson established herself as a very admirable suspense writer with the first book in this series and "The Law of Suspects", a short story I had the pleasure of reading as my introduction to her. I feel she was off her game with this book. That ability to catch a reader and lead them down a dark, twisted path wasn't as evident in this book. My biggest reaction is that she was going through the motions. As a result, this reader is dismayed and disappointed.
Will I read the next book? With that ending, I have to do so. But my expectations are very low at this point.
Please up your game with the next book, Ms. Johnson. I need to know that you can finish what you started in this series successfully.
March 31, 2019
Read this review and others on my blog!
Okay, what do I even say about Maureen Johnson at this point? She’s awesome? I love her characters, her voice, her plotting? Does that about cover it?
Listen, Maureen Johnson has a certain style that you’ll either like or you won’t, and her books are all different versions of the same wonderful thing. Quirky and intelligent MC, no parents for miles, a way of inserting detail and humor into the text that keeps you just reading one page, no, two pages, no, twenty pages more… If this is the sort of thing you enjoy, then go read the first in the Shades of London series, or Truly Devious , or 13 Little Blue Envelopes. (And presumably anything else by Johnson, all of which I’m sure I’ll read eventually.) If you’re trying to decide between her series, here’s a cheat sheet:
Shades of London series for ghosts (this book, The Madness Underneath, is book two)
Truly Devious series for true crime and historical elements
13 Little Blue Envelopes series for quirky road trips
It’s been a while since I read the first Shades of London book, so I got to rediscover the MC, Rory, in this second in the series. A Louisiana native transplanted to a London boarding school, Rory behaves in a way that feels authentic. There are more than a few points in the book where I was mentally screaming at her to do something, anything other than what she was doing, but even when Rory’s making bad choices, you can see why she’s making them. She’s flawed but relatable, and you can’t help but be on her side, even when she’s royally fucking up.
So what else do I have to say about this book? It had that classic “recovering from the first book” feel, especially given the emphasis on therapy. I can understand if a lot of readers feel this book lags in the first half, but again, I don’t care; something about Johnson’s writing just calls to me, and the rip-roaring ending made up for any slowness. Plus it’s totally allowable to slow things down temporarily after the frenetic ending of the previous book. Our MC is in high school and just went through some truly traumatic events—it would be unrealistic to push ahead with the story any faster.
As the book moves toward the finish line, there’s a plot twist that I’ll admit I saw coming, but the execution and details of the surprise were still exciting and unexpected. As can be expected from Johnson’s other books, there isn’t so much a resolution at the end of this book as a pause and shift in the action, compelling us to reach for the next in the series. Cliffhangers are just something you have to deal with if you’re a Maureen Johnson fan.
I did also feel that the plot held together more cohesively than the first in the series. Leaving aside the aforementioned cliffhangers, the ends of both books struck me as a little bit off, like the reader is being expected to take a too much of a leap of faith, all at a breakneck pace. You can definitely leave both of these books with a dazed, what even just happened feeling. Yet the second book is an improvement on the first—not quite so manic, not quite so out-of-the-blue.
So overall The Madness Underneath was a crazy fun read (I mean, it’s not Truly Devious, but whatever…) and I’m looking forward to picking up the third book in the series.
Okay, what do I even say about Maureen Johnson at this point? She’s awesome? I love her characters, her voice, her plotting? Does that about cover it?
Listen, Maureen Johnson has a certain style that you’ll either like or you won’t, and her books are all different versions of the same wonderful thing. Quirky and intelligent MC, no parents for miles, a way of inserting detail and humor into the text that keeps you just reading one page, no, two pages, no, twenty pages more… If this is the sort of thing you enjoy, then go read the first in the Shades of London series, or Truly Devious , or 13 Little Blue Envelopes. (And presumably anything else by Johnson, all of which I’m sure I’ll read eventually.) If you’re trying to decide between her series, here’s a cheat sheet:
Shades of London series for ghosts (this book, The Madness Underneath, is book two)
Truly Devious series for true crime and historical elements
13 Little Blue Envelopes series for quirky road trips
It’s been a while since I read the first Shades of London book, so I got to rediscover the MC, Rory, in this second in the series. A Louisiana native transplanted to a London boarding school, Rory behaves in a way that feels authentic. There are more than a few points in the book where I was mentally screaming at her to do something, anything other than what she was doing, but even when Rory’s making bad choices, you can see why she’s making them. She’s flawed but relatable, and you can’t help but be on her side, even when she’s royally fucking up.
So what else do I have to say about this book? It had that classic “recovering from the first book” feel, especially given the emphasis on therapy. I can understand if a lot of readers feel this book lags in the first half, but again, I don’t care; something about Johnson’s writing just calls to me, and the rip-roaring ending made up for any slowness. Plus it’s totally allowable to slow things down temporarily after the frenetic ending of the previous book. Our MC is in high school and just went through some truly traumatic events—it would be unrealistic to push ahead with the story any faster.
As the book moves toward the finish line, there’s a plot twist that I’ll admit I saw coming, but the execution and details of the surprise were still exciting and unexpected. As can be expected from Johnson’s other books, there isn’t so much a resolution at the end of this book as a pause and shift in the action, compelling us to reach for the next in the series. Cliffhangers are just something you have to deal with if you’re a Maureen Johnson fan.
I did also feel that the plot held together more cohesively than the first in the series. Leaving aside the aforementioned cliffhangers, the ends of both books struck me as a little bit off, like the reader is being expected to take a too much of a leap of faith, all at a breakneck pace. You can definitely leave both of these books with a dazed, what even just happened feeling. Yet the second book is an improvement on the first—not quite so manic, not quite so out-of-the-blue.
So overall The Madness Underneath was a crazy fun read (I mean, it’s not Truly Devious, but whatever…) and I’m looking forward to picking up the third book in the series.
October 3, 2023
#1) The Name of the Star ★★★☆☆
#3) The Shadow Cabinet ★★★★☆
➸ Trigger warnings for .
▷ Representation: Boo (sc) is Indian-British; Callum (sc) is Jamacian-British; Jerome (li) has asthma.
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • Twitter • Instagram
March 10, 2018
Obwohl ich den ersten Band in 2016 gelesen habe, kam ich wieder richtig gut in die Geschichte rein. Ich brauche dringend den dritten Teil!
September 24, 2019
2019 review:
Such a sad ending! So much change in this book though, so much was so completely different at the end of this book compared to the end of book 1. I really want to know how things work out, so it's quite annoying that this series looks like it will be unfinished.
2013 review:
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins Publishers and Netgalley.)
This is book 2 in the ‘Shades of London’ series, and picks up a couple of months after the end of book 1.
**Warning – some unavoidable spoilers for book 1 ‘The Name of The Star’**
Following Rory’s encounter with the ‘Jack the Ripper’ copycat in book 1, she’s been recovering at her parents rented home in Bristol, and seeing a therapist 3 times a week, even though she can’t tell her therapist what really happened in London.
Rory’s discovery that she seems to now be a human Terminus means that she knows she has to go back to London though, and she has to try and find Stephen, Boo and Callum and explain to them what has happened.
Finding herself sent back to ‘Wexford’ Boarding School in London, Rory finds herself concentrating less on her studies, and more on finding the spook squad, and busting some more murderous ghosts. How long can Rory continue neglecting her studies though? Can Charlotte’s strange therapist help her too? How long can the ghost busters continue without a working Terminus? And how does Rory feel about her possible future as part of their squad?
This was a great sequel to ‘The Name of The Star’, I loved Rory, I loved the atmospheric nature of the story, and the ending was so sad it made me cry!
Rory is quite damaged by her previous experiences in London, and it’s taking her a while to work through things, especially seeing as she now has no one that she can confide in. She knows that she needs to go back to London, but it’s more because she needs people she can talk to, rather than wanting to go back to school. It’s really easy to relate to Rory in this respect, because she really is doing her best to recover from her trauma, and she seems to know better than anyone what she needs, even if it’s not what everyone else thinks that she needs.
It was good to go back to Wexford and catch up with all of Rory’s old friends though, especially when she managed to get back in contact with Stephen, Boo, and Callum. It was obvious how much they all needed each other, and even though Rory wasn’t ready to jump straight back into the job, she was able to focus on important things, and help when she was really needed. She even put extra effort into trying to solve a murder which wasn’t necessarily unsolved, and kept an eye out for things resembling what happened during her own attack.
There was a small hint of romance in this book, but it was very, very slight. The main storyline was concerned with Rory’s recovery, and the new ghostly murders happening in London, and it flowed really well. I liked how it wasn’t the same storyline rehashed, and I liked how all the characters had been changed by what had happened in book 1.
The ending to this book was a big shock though! Something totally unexpected and sad and shocking happened which I really wasn’t expecting, and it even made me cry! It’s obvious that there will be another book after this one, but how Rory will recover from this newest tragedy remains to be seem, I can only assume that she will be even more damaged in the next book than she was in this one which is really sad. I really want to read the next book now though!
Overall; a great ghostly/paranormal YA murder mystery.
8 out of 10.
Such a sad ending! So much change in this book though, so much was so completely different at the end of this book compared to the end of book 1. I really want to know how things work out, so it's quite annoying that this series looks like it will be unfinished.
2013 review:
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins Publishers and Netgalley.)
This is book 2 in the ‘Shades of London’ series, and picks up a couple of months after the end of book 1.
**Warning – some unavoidable spoilers for book 1 ‘The Name of The Star’**
Following Rory’s encounter with the ‘Jack the Ripper’ copycat in book 1, she’s been recovering at her parents rented home in Bristol, and seeing a therapist 3 times a week, even though she can’t tell her therapist what really happened in London.
Rory’s discovery that she seems to now be a human Terminus means that she knows she has to go back to London though, and she has to try and find Stephen, Boo and Callum and explain to them what has happened.
Finding herself sent back to ‘Wexford’ Boarding School in London, Rory finds herself concentrating less on her studies, and more on finding the spook squad, and busting some more murderous ghosts. How long can Rory continue neglecting her studies though? Can Charlotte’s strange therapist help her too? How long can the ghost busters continue without a working Terminus? And how does Rory feel about her possible future as part of their squad?
This was a great sequel to ‘The Name of The Star’, I loved Rory, I loved the atmospheric nature of the story, and the ending was so sad it made me cry!
Rory is quite damaged by her previous experiences in London, and it’s taking her a while to work through things, especially seeing as she now has no one that she can confide in. She knows that she needs to go back to London, but it’s more because she needs people she can talk to, rather than wanting to go back to school. It’s really easy to relate to Rory in this respect, because she really is doing her best to recover from her trauma, and she seems to know better than anyone what she needs, even if it’s not what everyone else thinks that she needs.
It was good to go back to Wexford and catch up with all of Rory’s old friends though, especially when she managed to get back in contact with Stephen, Boo, and Callum. It was obvious how much they all needed each other, and even though Rory wasn’t ready to jump straight back into the job, she was able to focus on important things, and help when she was really needed. She even put extra effort into trying to solve a murder which wasn’t necessarily unsolved, and kept an eye out for things resembling what happened during her own attack.
There was a small hint of romance in this book, but it was very, very slight. The main storyline was concerned with Rory’s recovery, and the new ghostly murders happening in London, and it flowed really well. I liked how it wasn’t the same storyline rehashed, and I liked how all the characters had been changed by what had happened in book 1.
The ending to this book was a big shock though! Something totally unexpected and sad and shocking happened which I really wasn’t expecting, and it even made me cry! It’s obvious that there will be another book after this one, but how Rory will recover from this newest tragedy remains to be seem, I can only assume that she will be even more damaged in the next book than she was in this one which is really sad. I really want to read the next book now though!
Overall; a great ghostly/paranormal YA murder mystery.
8 out of 10.
November 8, 2015
Rory is now a survivor of a vicious assault with all the emotional baggage that brings. She's also not coping at school, or coping anywhere at all really. But she still sees ghosts, and now she has an added ability as well, one that may make her essential to the Shades.
I liked this one a lot more than the first one. The writer is clearly so much better at her craft here. Rory is so clearly suffering from traumatic stress and the injunction placed on her not to talk about her experiences has her on the verge of a breakdown. She gets respite, but only in the form of working with the Shades and exploring her abilities, something that seems sure to bring her into further trauma. The muggles in her life are doing their best to care for her, but they're unable to because they don't know the full story. The people with the sight and their superiors are too messed up and overworked to help. And amidst all of that is a 17 year old girl with a cognitive impairment and extreme stress and She Is Not Coping.
So the places this goes are very believable. Almost inevitable in fact.
I liked this one a lot more than the first one. The writer is clearly so much better at her craft here. Rory is so clearly suffering from traumatic stress and the injunction placed on her not to talk about her experiences has her on the verge of a breakdown. She gets respite, but only in the form of working with the Shades and exploring her abilities, something that seems sure to bring her into further trauma. The muggles in her life are doing their best to care for her, but they're unable to because they don't know the full story. The people with the sight and their superiors are too messed up and overworked to help. And amidst all of that is a 17 year old girl with a cognitive impairment and extreme stress and She Is Not Coping.
So the places this goes are very believable. Almost inevitable in fact.
October 4, 2012
I need some time to... absorb this... but whoa. Whoa. WHOA.
___
Okay, I wrote the above immediately after finishing, and now I've slept on it and it's the next morning, so I'll try to be a little more articulate. THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD. I almost don't want to say ANYTHING because I want you to be SURPRISED by everything, but let's just say that the concern I've seen about THE NAME OF THE STAR wrapping things up too neatly to allow for more books is NOT something you should be worrying about. There is PLENTY MORE that can happen to Rory and company. This book both CONTINUES the stories of the first book and adds some NEW ELEMENTS that make the world of the Shades of London even more fascinating. I had completely intended to go to bed early last night, but I could not stop reading. It made me laugh and cry and broke my heart. In a good way. You know.
(Disclaimer: Obviously I can't claim to be unbiased, but everything above is completely sincere.)
___
Okay, I wrote the above immediately after finishing, and now I've slept on it and it's the next morning, so I'll try to be a little more articulate. THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD. I almost don't want to say ANYTHING because I want you to be SURPRISED by everything, but let's just say that the concern I've seen about THE NAME OF THE STAR wrapping things up too neatly to allow for more books is NOT something you should be worrying about. There is PLENTY MORE that can happen to Rory and company. This book both CONTINUES the stories of the first book and adds some NEW ELEMENTS that make the world of the Shades of London even more fascinating. I had completely intended to go to bed early last night, but I could not stop reading. It made me laugh and cry and broke my heart. In a good way. You know.
(Disclaimer: Obviously I can't claim to be unbiased, but everything above is completely sincere.)
May 11, 2018
This was one of the most miserable sequels I've ever read. The first book was fun and good. This was a mess. The plot had no building tension. There were five mini-plots that didn't connect very well and didn't compel me to keep reading. There was kissing because kissing has to happen in YA, apparently, even though the kissing was lukewarm at best. There were three huge cliffhangers at the end, which is a bit excessive. And the first quarter of the book is spent recapping what happened in the first book and contriving to get Rory back to London where the supposed plot will begin. But no real plot begins, and why send your character away from the action only to drag her back to it? I don't understand why this book exists. This series deserved a more structured and purposeful second part.
November 6, 2015
Another great entry in the Shades of London series. While this was very much a middle book, that was OK because it picked up the story from book 1 nicely and spent some time letting the characters develop and introduced some new ones. The ending set the stage for book 3, which based on that, promises to be very interesting.
November 7, 2015
3.5. A solid middle entry to the series but I'm not in love with the direction the plot took in the last third of the novel.
July 13, 2014
I really liked this book. A lot.
Especially because it is composed by so many great things.
Great story.
Great characters.
Great MC.
Ghosts.
Flawless writing (with funny dialogues and creepy parts).
Imagine a table full of your favorite desserts (I'm using a metaphoric example with food, because just like Rory, I much appreciate the subtle art of eating). Even though you want to eat them all, you can not, because your poor stomach would clearly not resist. So you pick up a plate and you serve yourself with small amounts of all the food.
That plate is this book.
Characters:
Most times I feel like Rory is a funniest and sassiest version of myself, even though I'm pretty funny and I actually feel like I'm reading my brain. Does that make any sense? Probably not.
I like to talk. Talking is kind of my thing.
I don’t know about you, but when something happens to me—good, bad, boring, it doesn’t matter—I have to tell someone about it to make it count. There’s no point in anything happening if you can’t talk about it.
Two perfect examples right here.
Boo and Jazza, didn't have a big role in this book, but I still liked them.
Jerome was so cute and nice but I suspect I liked him because I think guys with curly hair are adorable. However
Stephen. I always liked him. And I always believed he should end up with Rory, they're perfect together. He's the serious and silent type, we all fall for this type at least one time in our life. I personally liked Callum best, he's so outgoing and funny.
One guy who wore only a dirty sheet. He was thin and bearded and laughing. And he was doing some kind of dance, a hopping sideways dance. He leaned into the opening of the door and shouted something inside. It wasn’t English. I’m not sure it was any language. It sounded like loopgallooparg.
The doors bounced back open. He laughed harder and did it again.
“He’s an idiot,” Callum explained. “And doesn’t seem to understand anything I say. Doesn’t like it when I do this.”
Callum slapped the ghost’s head. He wasn’t quite solid, not like Jo or Alistair, but he did flinch and hop away a few feet. The doors closed, and the train glided away.
“So I do that,” he said. “I slap ghosts in the head. That’s what I’m reduced to.”
I find this funny every time I read it. I can visualize it perfectly.
Jane was a crazy old hag, I always suspected that something was off about her.
Writing:
I'm very compatible with Maureen Johnson's writing skills. She makes everything look so real! And this is a book with ghosts!
The figure was in the doorway. I say “the figure” because I couldn’t quite tell if it was a man or a woman or what age it was. It was a bundle of cloth, of watery features and gray air. I could tell where the eyes were supposed to be, but there were just deep spaces with no center. It rocked back and forth, as if moved by a breeze.
“Hello,” Stephen said.
The figure moved forward a few feet, and not by any method that resembled walking. It just moved and continued quaking at us from a slightly closer location.
Story:
In truth, the story of the first book was a bit better, nevertheless, I still enjoyed this immensely and couldn't put the book down until I was finished.
In Madness Underneath we have a slightly damaged Rory trying to live her previous life (as in, before the Ripper stabbed her and she became a human terminus), but a series of strange events happens and she, once again, is faced with an adventure.
The damned ending:
My poor heart can't take these kind of cliffhangers, it can't. So if I happen to have an heart attack, we all know whose fault it was, Maureen Johnson you awful, awful brilliant genius.
I can't believe the next book only comes out next year...
4.5 stars!
Especially because it is composed by so many great things.
Great story.
Great characters.
Great MC.
Ghosts.
Flawless writing (with funny dialogues and creepy parts).
Imagine a table full of your favorite desserts (I'm using a metaphoric example with food, because just like Rory, I much appreciate the
That plate is this book.
Characters:
Most times I feel like Rory is a funniest and sassiest version of myself,
I like to talk. Talking is kind of my thing.
I don’t know about you, but when something happens to me—good, bad, boring, it doesn’t matter—I have to tell someone about it to make it count. There’s no point in anything happening if you can’t talk about it.
Two perfect examples right here.
Boo and Jazza, didn't have a big role in this book, but I still liked them.
Jerome was so cute and nice but I suspect I liked him because I think guys with curly hair are adorable. However
Stephen. I always liked him. And I always believed he should end up with Rory, they're perfect together. He's the serious and silent type, we all fall for this type at least one time in our life. I personally liked Callum best, he's so outgoing and funny.
One guy who wore only a dirty sheet. He was thin and bearded and laughing. And he was doing some kind of dance, a hopping sideways dance. He leaned into the opening of the door and shouted something inside. It wasn’t English. I’m not sure it was any language. It sounded like loopgallooparg.
The doors bounced back open. He laughed harder and did it again.
“He’s an idiot,” Callum explained. “And doesn’t seem to understand anything I say. Doesn’t like it when I do this.”
Callum slapped the ghost’s head. He wasn’t quite solid, not like Jo or Alistair, but he did flinch and hop away a few feet. The doors closed, and the train glided away.
“So I do that,” he said. “I slap ghosts in the head. That’s what I’m reduced to.”
I find this funny every time I read it. I can visualize it perfectly.
Jane was a crazy old hag, I always suspected that something was off about her.
Writing:
I'm very compatible with Maureen Johnson's writing skills. She makes everything look so real! And this is a book with ghosts!
The figure was in the doorway. I say “the figure” because I couldn’t quite tell if it was a man or a woman or what age it was. It was a bundle of cloth, of watery features and gray air. I could tell where the eyes were supposed to be, but there were just deep spaces with no center. It rocked back and forth, as if moved by a breeze.
“Hello,” Stephen said.
The figure moved forward a few feet, and not by any method that resembled walking. It just moved and continued quaking at us from a slightly closer location.
Story:
In truth, the story of the first book was a bit better, nevertheless, I still enjoyed this immensely and couldn't put the book down until I was finished.
In Madness Underneath we have a slightly damaged Rory trying to live her previous life (as in, before the Ripper stabbed her and she became a human terminus), but a series of strange events happens and she, once again, is faced with an adventure.
The damned ending:
My poor heart can't take these kind of cliffhangers, it can't. So if I happen to have an heart attack, we all know whose fault it was, Maureen Johnson you awful, awful brilliant genius.
I can't believe the next book only comes out next year...
4.5 stars!
March 6, 2013
I kind of liked the first book. Didn't love... but liked enough. Complaint about this book: NOTHING HAPPENS for the first 2/3rds of the book. It's still interesting enough, but there is literally no plot.
No... this gets one star for the ending. This is a little spoilerish, but I knew Jerome wasn't for Rory. He's nice, but not for her. Stephen, on the other hand... yeah, I saw that coming from a mile away. And it made me happy.
And then... just... screw you Maureen Johnson (this is way spoilerish, without actually giving it away). You better have a good way to fix this problem you started. Do you like ripping people's hearts out? Look... I'm a writer... sort of. I have an MFA in creative writing and if I ever get the time, I plan to start a YA book (I have always written plays and screenplays). Never in my life would I ever, ever, ever write something like this ending. EVER.
I can handle some sad, BUT NOT THIS SAD! I have to read the next one just to see if she fixes this... more like I will SKIM the next one to find out and if I'm not totally pissed off by it, I might read it.
Sorry... you get one star for this one, all because of the last few pages. I would have given three otherwise.
No... this gets one star for the ending. This is a little spoilerish, but I knew Jerome wasn't for Rory. He's nice, but not for her. Stephen, on the other hand... yeah, I saw that coming from a mile away. And it made me happy.
And then... just... screw you Maureen Johnson (this is way spoilerish, without actually giving it away). You better have a good way to fix this problem you started. Do you like ripping people's hearts out? Look... I'm a writer... sort of. I have an MFA in creative writing and if I ever get the time, I plan to start a YA book (I have always written plays and screenplays). Never in my life would I ever, ever, ever write something like this ending. EVER.
I can handle some sad, BUT NOT THIS SAD! I have to read the next one just to see if she fixes this... more like I will SKIM the next one to find out and if I'm not totally pissed off by it, I might read it.
Sorry... you get one star for this one, all because of the last few pages. I would have given three otherwise.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2017
Almost half way through this book and I just ordered the third one. The Shades of London books are spectacular!!
In the first book, Rory almost dies from Jack the Ripper (wanna be) attack, and discovers she gained a new ability besides seeing ghosts, so Jack was right.
Now Rory returns to school but she's not the same in some ways, she feels behind in all her classes, she isn't sure she likes her boyfriend anymore and she can't relate to her friends.
Rory is getting on my nerves! For most of the book I wanted to slap her so hard! Her decisions and action are nonsensical!
In the first book, Rory almost dies from Jack the Ripper (wanna be) attack, and discovers she gained a new ability besides seeing ghosts, so Jack was right.
Now Rory returns to school but she's not the same in some ways, she feels behind in all her classes, she isn't sure she likes her boyfriend anymore and she can't relate to her friends.
Rory is getting on my nerves! For most of the book I wanted to slap her so hard! Her decisions and action are nonsensical!
March 3, 2016
Oh das Ende :(
April 26, 2016
Cover Blurb: Yes or No? Divided. If I saw this book without knowing anything about it, I may not have been inclined to pick it up just because it doesn't really especially ghostly or intriguing. But I do like the title font, and there is something slightly haunting about it when you know what the series is about.
Characters: Rory is a blast. She's got a great sense of humor, is practical for the most part, and not overly emotional. Rory has suffered some series trauma, but rather than losing her temper or breaking down into tears every other sentence, she acts calm in a way that tells you that someone is really upset deep down. If a character is going to be traumatized for over half of a book, I would rather they go around catatonic than emotionally ripped to shreds. Rory also has a great way of always laughing at herself in a very sarcastic manner, which makes for a really great narrator. In fact, her narration is what kept my interested in The Madness Underneath (more on that later). I was sad that Rory's friends weren't in this installment much, and even sadder that we barely got to see Alistair, who has to be on my favorite ghost characters of all time. But we get to know Stephen a bit more, and that was nice. He's controlling and bossy without being a jerk; the sort of guy who makes a good manager and leader. He initially tries to keep Rory out of danger and never forces her to do anything - he always tells her that she has a choice, - but when Rory pushes back, he knows when he's lost the battle, and he gives in, with a few rules, of course.
The Romance: I was a little worried that Rory and Jerome's slight romantic interest would take up more time, but thankfully it didn't. Jerome is hardly in the story, and while I have nothing against his character, I never really "got" Rory's attachment to him. To put it in a more modern sense: their chemistry didn't seem to gel. Unsurprisingly, Rory starts to have feelings for Stephen (I saw that one a mile away), but thank goodness, it doesn't get focused on much at all. And yes, their chemistry does gel a bit more, and that little part of me that can sometimes be a bit of a fangirl gave a squeal of delight when the attachment was made evident. Just so long as it never gets in the way of an adventure, I'm fine with it.
Plot: Time has passed since Rory was stabbed by a ghost imitating Jack the Ripper, and she's moved from London to Bristol to recover from the traumatic experience. Her therapist isn't helping because Rory can't tell her what really happened that night - she signed an official document swearing herself to secrecy. And now Rory has discovered that by touching ghosts, she can vanish them permanently. When the Shades - the secret ghost police of London - arrange for Rory to return to her school, Wexford Academy, to finish out the term, she readily agrees. Maybe with a return to Wexford and its routine, she'll be able to get back to a normal life. But there's surprises waiting for her on her arrival: the owner of a nearby pub has been mysteriously murdered, the Shades are threatened with being shut down now that all of the terminuses are broken, and Rory is far behind in her schoolwork. With the stress of catching up in time to sit for exams, the murders, and now being employed at the ghost polices' only terminus, Rory's emotions are taking one heck of a beating. And things are only to get crazier. When The Madness Underneath began with another creepy murder, I was excited. This was going to be every bit as good as The Name of the Star! Well . . . The majority of the book is spent on Rory, her frayed emotions, her reluctance to "vanish" ghosts, and her difficulty in keeping up with school. The pub owner's murder is wrapped up remarkably easily, and when a second murder happens, it is in no way connected to the first. Things started picking up towards the end (more on that later), but for most of the book I kept waiting for something to happen.
Believability: Not applicable.
Writing Style: This is what kept my attention. Rory is a great narrator; she's funny, she has a real flair for the dramatic, and she's just awesome. Her narration kept me from realizing that I was over halfway through the book and nothing of significance had yet occurred.
Content: 1 s-word.
Conclusion: The Madness Underneath ends with a few twists that I both liked and didn't really care for. The first twist with Jane I saw coming - I'll give Rory this: she did berate herself afterward for listening to Jane, and once she was in the situation, it didn't take her long to realize that something was off. This was the twist I didn't really care for, because it was obvious, and it was in no way connected to the first murder. So in the end I was like, "Okay, so did the first murder just happen so the Author could get events going? Because it's not really relevant to the rest of the story. At all." The second twist - - I liked. A lot. I didn't see it coming at all. Initially, it bordered on being lame, but after some thought, I decided that I actually really liked it. Overall, The Madness Underneath wasn't as good as The Name of the Star. But it being the second book in a series, it also worked really well as a gateway book to the third installment, setting characters and events up very nicely. In that respect, I was all right with it being less engaging as Book One. And I still really enjoyed Rory's narration.
Recommended Audience: Guy-and-girl read, fifteen-and-up, great for supernatural mystery fans and just plain mystery fans.
Characters: Rory is a blast. She's got a great sense of humor, is practical for the most part, and not overly emotional. Rory has suffered some series trauma, but rather than losing her temper or breaking down into tears every other sentence, she acts calm in a way that tells you that someone is really upset deep down. If a character is going to be traumatized for over half of a book, I would rather they go around catatonic than emotionally ripped to shreds. Rory also has a great way of always laughing at herself in a very sarcastic manner, which makes for a really great narrator. In fact, her narration is what kept my interested in The Madness Underneath (more on that later). I was sad that Rory's friends weren't in this installment much, and even sadder that we barely got to see Alistair, who has to be on my favorite ghost characters of all time. But we get to know Stephen a bit more, and that was nice. He's controlling and bossy without being a jerk; the sort of guy who makes a good manager and leader. He initially tries to keep Rory out of danger and never forces her to do anything - he always tells her that she has a choice, - but when Rory pushes back, he knows when he's lost the battle, and he gives in, with a few rules, of course.
The Romance: I was a little worried that Rory and Jerome's slight romantic interest would take up more time, but thankfully it didn't. Jerome is hardly in the story, and while I have nothing against his character, I never really "got" Rory's attachment to him. To put it in a more modern sense: their chemistry didn't seem to gel. Unsurprisingly, Rory starts to have feelings for Stephen (I saw that one a mile away), but thank goodness, it doesn't get focused on much at all. And yes, their chemistry does gel a bit more, and that little part of me that can sometimes be a bit of a fangirl gave a squeal of delight when the attachment was made evident. Just so long as it never gets in the way of an adventure, I'm fine with it.
Plot: Time has passed since Rory was stabbed by a ghost imitating Jack the Ripper, and she's moved from London to Bristol to recover from the traumatic experience. Her therapist isn't helping because Rory can't tell her what really happened that night - she signed an official document swearing herself to secrecy. And now Rory has discovered that by touching ghosts, she can vanish them permanently. When the Shades - the secret ghost police of London - arrange for Rory to return to her school, Wexford Academy, to finish out the term, she readily agrees. Maybe with a return to Wexford and its routine, she'll be able to get back to a normal life. But there's surprises waiting for her on her arrival: the owner of a nearby pub has been mysteriously murdered, the Shades are threatened with being shut down now that all of the terminuses are broken, and Rory is far behind in her schoolwork. With the stress of catching up in time to sit for exams, the murders, and now being employed at the ghost polices' only terminus, Rory's emotions are taking one heck of a beating. And things are only to get crazier. When The Madness Underneath began with another creepy murder, I was excited. This was going to be every bit as good as The Name of the Star! Well . . . The majority of the book is spent on Rory, her frayed emotions, her reluctance to "vanish" ghosts, and her difficulty in keeping up with school. The pub owner's murder is wrapped up remarkably easily, and when a second murder happens, it is in no way connected to the first. Things started picking up towards the end (more on that later), but for most of the book I kept waiting for something to happen.
Believability: Not applicable.
Writing Style: This is what kept my attention. Rory is a great narrator; she's funny, she has a real flair for the dramatic, and she's just awesome. Her narration kept me from realizing that I was over halfway through the book and nothing of significance had yet occurred.
Content: 1 s-word.
Conclusion: The Madness Underneath ends with a few twists that I both liked and didn't really care for. The first twist with Jane I saw coming - I'll give Rory this: she did berate herself afterward for listening to Jane, and once she was in the situation, it didn't take her long to realize that something was off. This was the twist I didn't really care for, because it was obvious, and it was in no way connected to the first murder. So in the end I was like, "Okay, so did the first murder just happen so the Author could get events going? Because it's not really relevant to the rest of the story. At all." The second twist - - I liked. A lot. I didn't see it coming at all. Initially, it bordered on being lame, but after some thought, I decided that I actually really liked it. Overall, The Madness Underneath wasn't as good as The Name of the Star. But it being the second book in a series, it also worked really well as a gateway book to the third installment, setting characters and events up very nicely. In that respect, I was all right with it being less engaging as Book One. And I still really enjoyed Rory's narration.
Recommended Audience: Guy-and-girl read, fifteen-and-up, great for supernatural mystery fans and just plain mystery fans.
January 14, 2021
This book was a complete mess and it broke my heart.
February 26, 2013
Warning: There are major spoilers for book one in this review. I advise you to read it first.
In THE NAME OF THE STAR, book one of the Shades of London series, American exchange student Rory discovered that she could see ghosts. Her ability got her mixed up with the Shades - Boo, Callum, and Stephen - and their hunt for a man copying the Jack the Ripper murders. Rory's trying to recover mentally from her stabbing, but she's having trouble. It doesn't help that she's been turned into a human terminus and any time she touches a ghost they blast off into the unknown.
I loved the character development in THE MADNESS UNDERNEATH. All of the relationships from THE NAME OF THE STAR have changed, mostly because Rory has changed. This is not a series where the heroine easily bounces back. Rory needs therapy and support, and she mostly gets it, but she's blocked off from a great deal of help by the fact that she can't tell people she was attacked by a murderous ghost.
Plus Rory's voice is irresistible. Maureen Johnson manages to inject a great deal of humor into a creepy, morbid series. Rory may not instantly be better, but neither is she depressed and nonfunctioning. She's fighting and part of that is holding on tight to her sense of humor. I've mentioned that Rory changed, but the charming narrator of the first book is most definitely not gone.
The plot of THE MADNESS UNDERNEATH meanders a bit more than THE NAME OF THE STAR. There is a murder in a bar, there is a murder of a psychic, there is a case but it's not as cohesive as it was last time. Things don't really start to pull together until the end, and just when it looks like resolution is coming Johnson flings out a major gamechanger. I sure hope there isn't a gap between THE MADNESS UNDERNEATH and book three as there was between THE NAME OF THE STAR and book two. Everyone is going to be talking about this ending.
If you loved THE NAME OF THE STAR, then I believe THE MADNESS UNDERNEATH will meet your expectations. If you haven't read THE NAME OF THE STAR, I recommend starting there. Much of THE MADNESS UNDERNEATH is about consequences and I don't think it will have the full impact if you're unfamiliar with the many characters. This series is a great choice for people who love ghost stories, London, and young people who fight crime.
In THE NAME OF THE STAR, book one of the Shades of London series, American exchange student Rory discovered that she could see ghosts. Her ability got her mixed up with the Shades - Boo, Callum, and Stephen - and their hunt for a man copying the Jack the Ripper murders. Rory's trying to recover mentally from her stabbing, but she's having trouble. It doesn't help that she's been turned into a human terminus and any time she touches a ghost they blast off into the unknown.
I loved the character development in THE MADNESS UNDERNEATH. All of the relationships from THE NAME OF THE STAR have changed, mostly because Rory has changed. This is not a series where the heroine easily bounces back. Rory needs therapy and support, and she mostly gets it, but she's blocked off from a great deal of help by the fact that she can't tell people she was attacked by a murderous ghost.
Plus Rory's voice is irresistible. Maureen Johnson manages to inject a great deal of humor into a creepy, morbid series. Rory may not instantly be better, but neither is she depressed and nonfunctioning. She's fighting and part of that is holding on tight to her sense of humor. I've mentioned that Rory changed, but the charming narrator of the first book is most definitely not gone.
The plot of THE MADNESS UNDERNEATH meanders a bit more than THE NAME OF THE STAR. There is a murder in a bar, there is a murder of a psychic, there is a case but it's not as cohesive as it was last time. Things don't really start to pull together until the end, and just when it looks like resolution is coming Johnson flings out a major gamechanger. I sure hope there isn't a gap between THE MADNESS UNDERNEATH and book three as there was between THE NAME OF THE STAR and book two. Everyone is going to be talking about this ending.
If you loved THE NAME OF THE STAR, then I believe THE MADNESS UNDERNEATH will meet your expectations. If you haven't read THE NAME OF THE STAR, I recommend starting there. Much of THE MADNESS UNDERNEATH is about consequences and I don't think it will have the full impact if you're unfamiliar with the many characters. This series is a great choice for people who love ghost stories, London, and young people who fight crime.
March 18, 2013
God, I was so disappointed with this book! So very disappointed.
I adored The Name of the Star and I thought it was really cool to read Maureen Johnson's version of speculative fiction and urban fantasy/paranormal/what-have-you since the majority of her books have been of the contemporary fiction variety. TNotS was refreshing, but still had the MJ signature writing style.
While The Madness Underneath still retains that same style, it does not do the premise of its predecessor justice. Where the first book had tense situations with a ghostly killer on the loose, Madness just throws that entire idea out the window and it was so annoying because the VERY FIRST CHAPTER set me up to think that I was going in to a novel full of ghost murders. In fact when Rory and Stephen go to Bedlam and make the connections with the cracks, I was still thinking I was getting a book about murderous ghosts and that Rory and the Gang was going to have to figure out how to mend the cracks.
But no. No, I didn't get any of that. In fact, you've read about 75% of the book by the time you realize that all of that ghostly murder mayhem is a red herring and that red herring isn't leading you away from some mega awesome plot twist. It's not leading you to really anything.
Instead, the book is mostly about Rory's angst and I get that she has went through a traumatic experience and can't tell anyone about it, but I didn't want that to be the overwhelming aspect of the book. Along with that angst, we get Rory angsting over whether or not she's going to flunk out of Wexford. Again, that's not what this book should've been about.
I will admit, I did get choked up by the end of the book, but two whole chapters just doesn't make up for the severity of the second book slump syndrome this book put me through. I will stick around for book three, but I really hope it picks up.
I adored The Name of the Star and I thought it was really cool to read Maureen Johnson's version of speculative fiction and urban fantasy/paranormal/what-have-you since the majority of her books have been of the contemporary fiction variety. TNotS was refreshing, but still had the MJ signature writing style.
While The Madness Underneath still retains that same style, it does not do the premise of its predecessor justice. Where the first book had tense situations with a ghostly killer on the loose, Madness just throws that entire idea out the window and it was so annoying because the VERY FIRST CHAPTER set me up to think that I was going in to a novel full of ghost murders. In fact when Rory and Stephen go to Bedlam and make the connections with the cracks, I was still thinking I was getting a book about murderous ghosts and that Rory and the Gang was going to have to figure out how to mend the cracks.
But no. No, I didn't get any of that. In fact, you've read about 75% of the book by the time you realize that all of that ghostly murder mayhem is a red herring and that red herring isn't leading you away from some mega awesome plot twist. It's not leading you to really anything.
Instead, the book is mostly about Rory's angst and I get that she has went through a traumatic experience and can't tell anyone about it, but I didn't want that to be the overwhelming aspect of the book. Along with that angst, we get Rory angsting over whether or not she's going to flunk out of Wexford. Again, that's not what this book should've been about.
I will admit, I did get choked up by the end of the book, but two whole chapters just doesn't make up for the severity of the second book slump syndrome this book put me through. I will stick around for book three, but I really hope it picks up.
March 29, 2015
This book was amazing!
I really enjoyed the first book 'The Name of the Star' and the prequel 'The Boy in the Smoke' and when I read the reviews of 'The Madness Underneath', I thought I was going to be disappointed... I really wasn't!
I wasn't sure what to expect, I certainly didn't think that Rory was going to be a major part of this book (probably because I didn't read the synopsis - I rarely do in a series though) and when I started reading and realised that this was going to be a continuation, I was thrilled.
Maureen Johnson is a new author to me, The Boy in the Smoke' was on my kindle for a long, long time before I decided to read it and I wish I hadn't waited so long... I love the way this author writes, simple and imaginative, the writing flows and I don't struggle with anything. Easy and absolutely wonderful!
I am really unsure about the ending, meaning I simply don't know where this story is going.... and
I can't wait to pick up book 3!!!
I really enjoyed the first book 'The Name of the Star' and the prequel 'The Boy in the Smoke' and when I read the reviews of 'The Madness Underneath', I thought I was going to be disappointed... I really wasn't!
I wasn't sure what to expect, I certainly didn't think that Rory was going to be a major part of this book (probably because I didn't read the synopsis - I rarely do in a series though) and when I started reading and realised that this was going to be a continuation, I was thrilled.
Maureen Johnson is a new author to me, The Boy in the Smoke' was on my kindle for a long, long time before I decided to read it and I wish I hadn't waited so long... I love the way this author writes, simple and imaginative, the writing flows and I don't struggle with anything. Easy and absolutely wonderful!
I am really unsure about the ending, meaning I simply don't know where this story is going.... and
I can't wait to pick up book 3!!!
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