{Spoilery Explosion} The Madness Underneath

The Madness Underneath (Shades of London #2)

Maureen Johnson

Pages: 304

Publisher: Speak

Format: Paperback

Source: B&N

Age Group: YA

Date Published: December 10, 2013

After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Deveaux 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 to get back to her friends. 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. In this follow-up to the Edgar Award-nominated THE NAME OF THE STAR, Maureen Johnson adds another layer of spectacularly gruesome details to the streets of London that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

OK so I know I've already written a review for this one, but the ending hit me so hard that I needed to make a second post about it...

Basically, The Madness Underneath was perfect. It was twisted and sad and funny all at once. I just kept reading and thinking "this book is about me." I mean, I don't see ghosts or anything, but I did know what Rory was going through in her recovery from being stabbed. I mean, I missed the end of my Junior year and made my first B. When Rory talks about feeling lost and you can just tell she feels dumb because she's so behind, I've been there. Thank God I managed to overcome that before I read this book, because I think it would have had a different impact on me. If I had read it at the time, I might have felt even more lost and y upset. I mean, Rory doesn't even finish her classes. She gets expelled because her grades got so bad. If I had read this when it first came out, when I was in the hospital, I probably would have been a basket case. But, because I read it when I got better, when I had finally caught up it school (I missed a month this school year, too...), I was able to read it as someone who had gone through it and felt stronger for it. I was able to see Rory as someone in the position I had been in and empathize with the way she felt. And the way she felt was so realistic. God, I felt the exact same way, like I just wanted to sit on the couch and do nothing and ignore my school work and hope to God it went away. But, like Rory, I realized that it wouldn't. That I would have to face it eventually. I just really want Maureen to know that her book helped me. 

I have shipped Stephen and Rory since The Name of the Star, and then they FINALLY kissed (it was glorious and my shipper heart soared), but he freakin' dies right after!! I'm hoping that Jane's cult who wants to defeat death can help. I want him back so so so so so bad. I know that Rory can touch ghosts, right? Except her touch kills them! So, no more make-out sessions with Stephen (dead or not) until that gets fixed. And you know he's gonna be PISSED when he comes back as a ghost. If Callum's reaction was any indication. Although, I would like to know what Mr. Stoic is like when he's angry... I was so excited when they kissed. SO EXCITED. And then with the whole "comatose" thing, I never saw it coming that he would die on me! I'm so upset, and I can't find the release date for book three :( If anyone knows when that might be I would be much obliged if you'd help a sister out. 

I gotta go buy the paperback of The Name of the Star so I can reread the whole series and cry my eyes out again. I just love Rory so much, though, so no matter what happens on the Stephen front, I still love the series. I gotta read more Maureen Johnson, 'cause I really like the way she writes.