Review: The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Devereaux 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. 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 (GoodReads).

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson (Due out Feb 26) picks up right where The Name of the Star left off. I got a huge kick out of the first book, and was SCARED. Success! Sadly, I didn't find the sequel as compelling.

• Originality 5. Still like this secret-ghost-cop thing. Also the tagline "Bedlam breaks free" really does apply and it gets points. I wish the book had focused on this more, because then this score would be higher (and the book would be better/scarier)
• Absurdity: 8. Oh man, I picked the bad guy out of the lineup literally the first time they were introduced. Rory, you are a fool.
• Level of Paranormal Romance: 2. WELL I can't say much for this book, but the cliffhanger suggests that the next Shades of London will have an exemplary paranormal romance for our girl Rory. For the bit of romance in this book, I was INTO that kiss. But one kiss does not a a high score make.
• Level of Harry Potterness: 4. I didn't sense a lot of momentum in this story. I will still finish the series, but I hope the next book brings more spunk and a plot I can get invested in.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received a review copy from Penguin Young Readers Group. Happy reading followed. (We do not accept or receive compensation for reviews at YAF and WS.)