The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

First things first: cover art! I really like this cover art, it's pretty simple but I love simple cover art. The book should be about the story, not the cover art. The cover art is simply there to give you a glimpse about the story and it is usually what makes me read the inside of the front cover. The words on this cover are big and bold and also slightly out of focus which makes sense considering the novel is about ghosts. 

*******
Summary:

"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 am a sucker for mystery books, and paranormal mystery doesn't come up very often in the book world so there was seriously zero thought to bringing this book home with me from the library. This one was very interesting, but in a good way! This book brings up this interesting concept: near death experience equals you can now see ghosts. Which happens to Rory because she almost chokes on a piece of food and dies. As a character Rory is amazing, she isn't naive and I seriously can imagine me being friends with her, that is how likable she is. Actually pretty much all the characters in this book are amazing, and I love pretty much all of them. Also for once a series with out a love triangle! I mean I love, love triangles but only if they are written well and that seems to be the default for many books so this one was very refreshing. Johnson shows that you can have a book without a relationship being a massive focal point, this one is all about the mystery. This one brings up the interesting and terrifying concept of: so you have a serial killer but only a couple people can see him and oh by the way he is a ghost. This isn't Ghost Whisperer, there is no crossing them over. I love love love this book! Highly recommend the series! 

Rating: 10 out of 10. This is an interesting new concept, love it!

Content Rating: 2 (12-18). There is quite a bit of drinking in this book, however it is set in England so the legal drinking age is a lot lower than it is in the states. There are a couple instances of kissing, and some violence.