I think Maureen's ability to make her character grow and change is showcased here. I like the way Rory deals with the aftermath of the first book, and it rang true.

The ending made me cry but that's what good books do, they make you feel and think.

This wasn't as exciting to me as the first one, which I really loved, but it was still good. I think it suffers the usual middle-book-of-a-trilogy syndrome -- all build-up, ends on a giant cliffhanger. But still witty and exciting and very, very readable.

And now the interminable wait for the third book. D:

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Cover Story: Water Damage
This blurry cover makes me want to blink my eyes and bring it into focus. I think it is supposed to look ghostly, but instead it looks like it’s been dropped in a puddle and melted.

First Line: “Back at Wexford, where I went to school before all of this happened to me, they made me play hockey every day.” (I chose this first line from the first chapter after the prologue, because the prologue is one of those bait-and-switch deals that exist for no other reason than to set up a scene later in the novel in which the main characters discover something you already know isn’t that important.)

The Deal: Rory is suffering from mild PTSD after defeating the copycat ghost of Jack the Ripper in the first book. In between bullshitting her therapist and reassuring her parents, Rory is doing her best to adjust to a life where she can not only see ghosts, but explode them with her touch. But she misses Wexford, the boarding school where it all happened, and she misses the Shades, the secret ghost-busting police unit, so when offered, she jumps at the chance to return to both. Reintegrating into her former life isn’t at all easy, though: there’s another string of ghost-related deaths to obsess over, and she’s about to be kicked out of Wexford for failing grades. What’s a human terminus to do?

Style & Substance: The premise of the first book, Shades of London, hinged on the concept of the Jack the Ripper killings happening in the present day. That’s why I picked it up in the first place. This middle book doesn’t have anything so novel or high profile. It sets up new cult-ish villains that will clearly return in the third book but doesn’t connect with the major storyline in the first, aside from the ghost-busting angle. It feels like the first book could have been a stand-alone if the ending had been a little more tied-up, while this second book is actually starting up the series with a recurring villain and story arc. Maybe what I’m trying to say is that this series is turning out more procedural than I thought it would be, rather than one seamless story told over three books.

Plot-wise, this book doesn’t do much. It sets up the new Big Bad (the aforementioned cult) and teases the upcoming conflict, and then ends with a giant cliffhanger. (This caused me to write, “Dumb cliffhangers, I hate you” in my notes.) The story barely started before it was over. I thought the main villain was way too obvious, so the reveal lacked impact and made me doubt Rory’s intelligence. Also, the way the terminus works (the ghost-busting device that Rory can now do without) is still unclear; the general mythology of ghosts and secret police in contemporary London isn’t clearly developed. It’s just there on the surface to tell a cool story.

Character-wise, however, this book is as fantastic as the first one. Rory’s voice – her easy-breezy talky narrative, her crazy Southern tall tales, her odd humor – is what keeps me most interested in this series. Her personal problems make up the bulk of this story: her need to talk about what happened but unable to find someone to trust; her dawning sense of failure over her studies at Wexford; her confusion over dating a guy she’s attracted to but doesn’t really feel connected to; her struggles to accept her new power, etc. Like the first one, there are some really funny bits in here, too. Again, though, while Johnson does a great job developing Rory, the other characters don’t get much to do, even Stephen, who spends most of his time shepherding Rory around and arguing with her about safety and responsibility.

You Should Read This: If you liked Shades of London, the first one (duh). If you like ghost-busting goodness. If you like secret supernatural police units. If you like boarding school stories. If you like funny characters.

Also Read: Clarity and Perception, by Kim Harrington, for paranormal teen sleuthiness. Heist Society, by Ally Carter, and Bad Kitty, by Michelle Jaffe (neither of these are paranormal but the humorous narrative and mystery focus is similar). Midnight Riot and the other Rivers of London books by Ben Aaronovitch, for its Britishy paranormal police procedural.

Also Watch: No idea. Medium? Ghostbusters?

I really loved the Name of the Star, and this was a decent follow-up to the story, but very obviously a second book-- a lot of set-up for whatever will happen in book three, but not a lot of character-meeting and world-building to make it as interesting as the first. It's still Maureen Johnson, and she's fantastic, but Another series I'd probably recommend reading in one gulp, as if it's a single story.

I love Maureen Johnson and I love The Name of the Star, but this book was just such a middle book for me. It was so clearly just a thing to get to another thing. I felt like this book could have been just the first part of the next book. I understand WHY it could be that way, but for me, I was disappointed. HOWEVER, I am sure the next book will be great, because all the plot stuff laid out in this book.

3 things that will make you WANT to read this book:

- MURDERING GHOSTS!
- CONFUSING ROMANCES
- FUNNY LINES

Sweet weeping baby Jesus I want to be Rory Deveaux in this twisted world of mind-f*** in glorious London. I just got back from a trip abroad there actually, and this book has altered my memory of it forever. And that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Satisfying second installment of this series!

The second book of the Shades of London series perfectly ramps up the stakes of Rory’s sight and power. Was ready to start book 3 as soon as I finished this one.

I really enjoyed this continuation to The Name of the Star, though it suffers a little from being the middle of a trilogy. Still good though - and I still am excited to find out what happens next in this series. Full review up at Slatebreakers http://slatebreakers.com/2013/04/08/review-the-madness-underneath-by-maureen-johnson/