I kicked off my RIP reading this year with The Madness Underneath, second in the Shades of London series by Maureen Johnson. The third book is already out and this is definitely not a trilogy (according to those who have read it). So, I'm not going to talk much about plot here because this is one of those series that build from book to book. The basics though are these: Aurora, Rory for short, has moved from Louisiana to London and has enrolled at a posh boarding school. Soon after she arrives, she almost dies when she chokes at meal time. This leads to her being able to see ghosts which, as you can probably guess, leads to nothing but trouble.
This second book is comparable to the first though the plot has moved on past the Jack the Ripper plotline. For some reason, Rory bugged me more in this one, making blatantly bad decisions and acting in nobody's best interests. Still, one feels for her and can only imagine what it would be like to be thrown into ridiculously fantastical and perilous situations in an unfamiliar place as a majorly hormonal teenager. I'll keep reading the series but I'm going to get the next book from the library rather than buying it. I think this is a one-time-through kind of series for me.
Avoiding the cracks,
K
I admit, this book felt very messy compared to the first, especially given the back of the book description. The third one was much better, I thought, more cohesive and fewer bad decisions, heh. Though still some of those, too!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear the third one is better. I want to keep going but I was a bit nervous. Those bad decisions were just so bad, weren't they?!
DeleteAgreed. I definitely like the first one the best.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many books she intends to write in this series ...
DeleteI really enjoyed the first book but found myself disappointed with this one. I still want to read the third one, though!
ReplyDeleteSounds like we had the same experience. I think I might get the third one this month or next month just to move on quickly. ;)
DeleteI'd forgotten all about this series, but I know I have the first one buried in the shelves somewhere. What better time than RIP ti dig it out, huh?
ReplyDeleteThe first one is a great RIP read! I hope you find your copy. :)
DeleteHm. I meant to read it but then I kind of forgot about it. Sounds like I didn't miss much!
ReplyDeleteWell, the first book is good, this one is okay and Amanda says the third is good again. So, if you want to invest time in the whole series ...
DeleteI enjoyed the first book but have nearly forgotten the second since reading it. I'm reading the third for RIP X and hoping it's better.
ReplyDeleteEveryone seems to think that it is so I hope they're right!
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