When madness stalks the streets of London, no one is safe…There’s a creepy new terror haunting modern-day London.
Fresh from defeating a Jack the Ripper killer, Rory must put her new-found hunting skills to the test before all hell breaks loose…
But enemies are not always who you expect them to be and crazy times call for crazy solutions. A thrilling teen mystery.
I just like to start by saying this is the second in Shades of London series, so I'm going to write this based on that you've read the first book. So probable spoilers for the first one if haven't read. Just slight hints to spoilers to The Madness Underneath.
In all honesty, I don't remember there being a big mystery in this book but it been like a month since I read it (I know bad for writing a review, but we now have reflection and it was somewhat out of my control).
So the books starts with Rory being in Bristol with her parents and seeing a therapist and obviously not being able to actually talk about what happened, because you know ghosts. Having read the last book (like I said I'm persuming you have) you know it ended in cliffhanger sort of fashion, well that actually quickly addressed and plays a big part on this book.
Rory has been away from school for over month, but really wants to get back to London to talk to the Shades as they are only people she knows that have clue about ghost stuff and obviously going back to school is the only way to do so (since this is a YA novel after all).
I just like to say that Rory's school stuff was portraied really well and Johnson did a really good job on that. As someone who has fallen almost that behind at school and had the horrible realisation that the battle might have already been lost, it really spoke to me and it was very similar to what happen to me almost. A lot of YA novel do seem to forget about the whole education thing, like they'll have school in them as a setting but never acknowledge that the protagist has been away from school for like a month and must be so far behind. Bravo, Johnson for having the only novel I've ever see deal with it and it was basically my favourite part.
Though, this also brings us to Rory doing something rather stupid of basically, damn I actually can't say what she does because it probably spoiler it. I was just shaking my head at Rory the whole time, lets just say that Rory's ghost seeing and new ability make her vulnerable and she ends up doing something stupid. Though, its good in terms of the book and kinda deals with real life issue within the world of Fantasy.
One annoying mistake was made in the book and I've just got to point this out because so obviously wrong and it something that you really should check when writing a book set in a country you're not totally familiar with. Rory must be 17 if she in her last year of education by English standards. That means she not a minor in Britain. So someone doesn't know the law, but this someone trained as policemen, meaning he really should/would know this, especially as everyone knows this in Britain, its the smallish details that can really ruined a book. Especially if the reader Autistic and notices errors easily.
On to the romance of the book, I saw it coming from the start (as in the last book), but glad it didn't go down the annoying line it could have especially since that got old with the second Twilight book (oh,Twilight you seem to haunt the world of YA). It once again done in a realistic, if not slightly cliché way at the end.
As for the ending, I did see it coming. I just felt it was going happen to someone and the someone I thought it would be was right. Though, I always tend to see the ending coming, but I just felt it was sort of cheap. Like it was just for this dramatic ending. However, I do think this is setting up for the next book and hopefully will work out fine in terms of the series.
I rated this book 4 out 5 stars. It was really good, they was just a few things that let it now.
Disclaimer: I got this book off NetGallary. So for free. Don't worry I'm honest and kinda of bitch. Just asked my Best Friend.
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