REVIEW: The Shadow Cabinet

THE SHADOW CABINET

by Maureen Johnson

Pages: 374, paperback

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Publication Date: 5th February 2015

ISBN: 1471401804
Received From:  Hot Key Books

Summary 

Grieving, shaken, and feeling very much alone, Rory's life as a member of the Shades of London has changed irrevocably. It's only been a matter of hours since Stephen was taken from her, possibly for ever. Her classmate Charlotte is still missing, kidnapped by the same people who tried to take Rory. Rory is no longer a schoolgirl haplessly involved in the dealings of a secret government unit. She is their weapon in a matter of life and death. 
With hardly a moment to think for herself, Rory is back to work. Charlotte must be found -- as must Stephen, if he is even out there. Lines must be drawn and forces rallied. Something is brewing under London, something bigger and much more dangerous than what has come before. The Shadow Cabinet holds the key to everything, and it is up to Rory to unravel its mysteries before time runs out... 

Review

**Spoilers if you haven't read the second book**

I started this series when I was still in college about five years ago now and I remember being terrified! The ghosts that haunted the streets of London literally were the thing of nightmare so when the second book came out, The Madness Underneath, I was hooked instantly. The ghosts may not have been quite as terrifying as the Ripper, who had made me cringe, but they were still scary. However, the reason I loved book two so much was that we go more of our all seeing ghost busting team! Saying that the ending of the second instillment broke me and when Hot Keys sent me the third book I couldn't bring myself to read it. With Stephen dead I didn't know if I really wanted to read on but after almost two years I finally picked The Shadow Cabinet off the shelf and started reading.

The Shadow Cabinet continues where we left on in The Madness Underneath. Stephen has just died, Charlotte is missing and the whole of London is on the hunt for Rory. This instalment of The Shades of London sees the team tackle the ghosts of their pasts and opens up a whole new world with the introduction of Sid and Sadie. These two gruesome characters are the reason behind Jane's madness and why she's so desperate to get hold of Rory. With ghosts old and new and a vital member of the team gone will this ghost busting team make it to the end of the book? Only one way to find out. 

""We see people come back all the time," I said.

"No. We see people who didn't leave. There's a big difference.""

Much like The Madness Underneath the ghost element that had scared and entranced me so much with The Name of the Star was missing and I was a little disappointed. Yes, there were ghosts and odd moments that felt like it was drawing on the foundations of the original book (especially in the second half) but it was mostly focused on one thing... Jane. In the second book Jane kidnapped Rory's 'friend' Charlotte and at the start of this book the hunt is on to find her. The whole story felt more about the people rather than the ghost to me and without Stephen and Rory and Callum not talking it really didn't grip my attention the way I hoped. 

There were new elements introduced to the series however, with more information into Jane's background, all things occult and a little firecracker named Freddie who tries to integrate into the ghost hunting team. Although With Stephen gone its not exactly the best timing at I can totally see why Callum doesn't approve as it feels a bit like they are trying to replace Stephen. The story line as a whole is good although it may not have been all I hoped for it still kept me interested and I wanted to know what was going to happen next. 

I'll admit the first part dragged on a bit but I love the series so much and I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. The second half was much more like the Shades of London books we've come to know and love and if you haven't yet read it I would recommend it. I won't say too much else as I don't want to give the game away but when book 4 is realised (as far as I know there isn't a title yet, but I will keep you posted) I will be reading it. Although unlike with the others I think I'll be reading more out of curiosity than seer excitement. Worth a read if you haven't already, as I do have high praise for the rest of the series. 

**I received this book as an ARC from Hot Key Books to read & review. This is a 100% honest review.**

The Boy in the Smoke

The Boy in the Smoke by Maureen Johnson

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Summary (via Goodreads)
On a cold night, Stephen Dene went to the Eton boathouse to perform a desperate act. But someone stopped him along the way, sending his life in a new and decidedly strange direction-leading him to London, to two new friends and to a world of shadows and mystery.

Review
There are two ways I can review this book. I can either give my opinion on it as a stand alone or I can tell you what it adds to The Shades of London series. Now if I was to review it as a stand alone I wouldn't be able to give it more than a 2 out of 5 because the story itself isn't exciting enough to grab hold of the reader and make you want to turn the page. HOWEVER, as part of the series I loved it! It gives you a glimpse into our favourite ghost-fighting policeman and makes the events at the end of The Madness Underneath all the more heartbreaking. So, what I guess I'm saying is that if you haven't read at least the first Shades of London book then don't bother with this short eBook as its not going to do anything for you.

That being said I HAVE read the series so this is what you get... You find out how it came to be that Stephen can see shades. You get a small insight to the devastating family relationships and you get a little creeped out at the same time.

Being as its only a short book I won't go into too many details as I don't want to spoil it. Johnson has produced a book that will keep fans of the series going until the third instalment of the series is released. Recommend to anyone who has read The Shades of London books.

If you haven't already check out my reviews for The Shades of London series thus far.

The Name of the Star     .     The Madness Underneath

Shades of London - eBook

For someone who really doesn't like eBooks I'm starting to get quite the collection. This weeks new buy is The Boy in the Smoke by Maureen Johnson. Author of The Shades of London books. This short focuses on our - or at least my - favourite ghost-fighting hottie, Stephen. I haven't had the chance to read it yet as I'm working my way through Lauren DeStefano's Sever, but it's next on my list. Also if you haven't got it yet it's currently 62p on Amazon... just saying!

The Madness Underneath

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary (From the Back Cover)
Surviving a near fatal attack by a ghostly killer will leave its mark. Seventeen-year-old Rory Devereaux has painful scars and deadly new powers at her fingertips. But without her secret ghost-fighting squad she feels brutally alone. She's lying to her boyfriend, failing in class and, worse still, Rory fears that a terrifying horror stalks the streets of London.

Review
This is the second in the Shades of London series, which starts weeks after The Name of the Star concludes. Rory has been set away from London to try and come to terms with that happened in the last book. However, no matter where she goes she'll never be able to escape the ghost's of this world.

Eventually she returns to school, where everyone is trying to move on from the Ripper copycat killer by focusing on their end of term exams. Rory however is a little preoccupied with finding her ghost-fighter friends and her new ability to kill Shades with a single touch.

Unlike the previous book the human's in this are just as dangerous as the ghost's with new untrustworthy characters being introduced to our favourite ghost hunter. Rory's life in London has never been easy but this term things are about to get a whole of a lot worse, being as the events of her last mission ripped a hole between this world and the next and a couple of crazy ghost's have escaped.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book was the unsuspecting twist in Rory's love life that was hopelessly sweet and heartbreakingly devastating all at the same time. I can't wait for the next in Johnson's Shades of London series as it ended on quite the stomach retching cliffhanger!

Official Book Trailer:

For those of you interested this is the GoodRead's page for the third book, The Shadow Cabinet:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17412895-the-shadow-cabinet?from_search=true