Rory and her parents move to England, vying for a change that their lives in Louisiana couldn’t offer. Enrolled in a boarding school called Wexford, Rory is looking forward to all the adventure that is bound to come her way. But when a gruesome murder takes place, with an uncanny resemblance to the Jack the Ripper cases, Rory gets dragged into the mess before she’s had a chance to come to terms with what’s happening. Full of secrets and bewildering scenarios, The Name of the Star doesn’t fail to entertain.
This book was interesting from the beginning and maintains a good pace till the very end. I love stories based in boarding schools, so it was fairly easy to get into the story. While the characterization was decent, it was nothing too extraordinary. I felt that Jazza and Jerome were thrown in the backseat way too soon. After Rory gets involved with the case, her life at the boarding school sort of loses flavor. Boo’s character is portrayed to be a carefree- party girl and is introduced mid-way so I couldn’t really understand her completely, because by the time you get accustomed to picturing her as someone who doesn’t really care about anything, we’re forced to confront another alternative.
The author’s writing style is most definitely fantastic and she knows how to keep you hooked onto the book. There are quite a few people who are painted suspiciously and so you don’t know who the culprit is. In hindsight, the end is a little predictable but not so much that it spoils the fun. The structure of the book is such that it follows a chronological timeline without any time gaps. It is split into different sections and each section begins with a quote, which I found to be really good. I really liked the novel and would recommend it to all who enjoy murder-mysteries. I may or may not pick up the second book in the series because this one works really well as a standalone.
Ratings – 4 stars on 5
Meera
The Life Stories 