The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Rory, a teen from small town Louisiana, moves to London for a year to attend school at Wexford. The same day she arrives, a murder takes place. A murder in the style of Jack the Ripper.

Rory doesn't pay a lot of attention to that. Until she almost chokes and dies. Now she's seeing people no one else can. Her new friends think she's either making things up or going crazy.

The murderer is also curious about Rory and begins to follow her around. Not sure what's going on, she turns to the only people who may be able to help. Unfortunately they are also in a little over their heads.

The ghosts and terror in the story are very real, but there's also humor and a solid central story. I liked Rory and thought her narration was easy to follow. Another amazing book by Maureen Johnson!

Playing Dead by Tim Bowler

Blade has been hiding in London for a while, hiding from his past. It catches up to him though, in the form of thugs who are trying to capture him and make him pay. Blade is sure he can avoid them, but he'll have to leave London.

Then he meets Becky and gets tangled up in her life. Becky wants to escape the gang she belongs to--the same gang that beat Blade up before--and she wants Blade's help. What Blade doesn't expect is Becky isn't straight up with him. Not even a little. And the two of them end up kidnapping someone's kid because of it.

It took a long time to figure out what Blade is saying; the British slang is very heavy here. I wasn't really a fan of the story at all. Blade talks to the reader, like we're on the run with him, which is a nice device, but I found I didn't care too much. I'm sure I'm just an anomaly.

Worldshaker by Richard Harland

Col (or Colbert...) lives on a city ship known as Worldshaker. It's the year 1875 and he lives on one of the Upper Decks with his parents, sister, and baby brother. Col is selected to follow in his grandfather's footsteps and become the next commander.

As the successor, Col knows his actions must be above reproach. But he's already violated their basic rule by not turning in the Filthy who broke into his room. The Filthy--Riff--escaped from the officers forcing her to become a Menial and all she wants is to get back Below.

Col agrees to help her so he won't get caught. He doesn't know why he doesn't just turn her in, but he can't. They break into the lower decks and send her back Below. After she's gone, Col hopes life goes back to normal, but he can't help but think about her. And when it appears his peers are going to teach him a lesson, Col decides he needs her help to save his life.

While he realizes the danger in such a task, he doesn't realize the chain of events he'll start just by falling Below and surviving...

Action-packed and adventurous. Col is a likable, although naive, character. Riff is especially funny, but also a little naive. Col attempts to change the world and his trust in adults is frustrating and enduring at the same time. A great steampunk novel.

Possessed by Kate Cann

Rayne lives with her mom and younger brother in London. Their apartment is oppressive, as is their neighborhood. So oppressive all Rayne can think of is escape. She wants to get away from people, from all the noise.

She can't believe her luck when she finds a job posting for a tea room in a remote country estate far from London. A chance to get away.

Morton's Keep isn't exactly what she was expecting when she arrived for the interview or to start her job. The house itself is full of history, anger, rage, and malice. That history is not at all pleasant, as Rayne learns some of the murders, executions, and torture that happened within the manor's walls. Her new group of friends are fascinated with the place, especially Sir John. Rayne is more than a little disturbed by their interest and with other things she sees around the grounds and surrounding forest. She's determined to figure out what's happening before anything else happens.

The story itself reminds me of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Witchlight and The Inheritor, although not quite as creepy or dark. The setting is vivid and characters believable. There were a few moments where I had to suspend disbelief, but other than that, I enjoyed the story.

Numbers by Rachel Ward

Jem has a secret--one that makes her avoid getting too close to anyone. When she looks someone in the eye, she can see the date of their death. It's been that way for as long as she can remember, even with her mom's death.

As must as she tries to avoid him, Spider, a guy at her school, gets through her defenses and somehow they become friends. Then one day they're at the London Eye, and everyone Jem sees has the same death date--that day. She runs, Spider chases, minutes before a bomb goes off.

Now the two are on the run--they're suspects. And Jem knows time is running out--Spider's date is looming closer and closer.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The author's from England, and some of the slang is hard to follow. However, the story itself is entertaining and well-written. There is some foreshadowing that hints at what will happen in the end.