*Thank you to Kaleidoscopic and Andersen Press for my copy of the book, in exchange for an honest review*
Despite being the second book in the The Ghost Hunter Chronicles series, The Ripper of Whitechapel reads perfectly as a standalone. I have always been fascinated by the story of Jack The Ripper, so the idea of a YA horror which incorporates the story of Jack The Ripper was immediately something I was interested in reading.
The opening chapter introduces us to the Ripper himself, watching and waiting in the shadows for his next victim, before we then move forward in time to a horrifying haunting at a local school, and we are then consequently introduced to our main characters, Eve, Tom, and Clovis. Within 2 chapters, this book was already creepier that quite a few adult horrors that I’ve read, and the descriptions of specific horror scenes are so well written that you can vividly visualise them in your head. One thing I have always felt with horrors and probably always will is that there is nothing more terrifying than scary children, and this book certainly has those.
There were so many exciting characters to fall in love with in this book, and lots of different personalities. Uncle Rufus was a particular favourite of mine, and I’d love to meet someone as intriguing and as eccentric as him. Mr Pig the parrot was another favourite of mine too. A parrot who swears and head bands to thrash metal… where can I get myself one of those?! I loved the friendship dynamic between Eve, Tom, and Clovis. They were more like family than friends, and they always took care of each other, no matter the danger, and there was plenty of it in this story.
Along with the danger, there were also some very interesting inventions that I would love to try out. Uncle Rufus is a bit of a genius when it comes to inventions, and it adds some light hearted fun to an otherwise serious story. It definitely took the edge off in a way that gave you a small respite from the horror that the characters were experiencing.
I used to live in the East End of London, and went to University in Whitechapel, so I knew a lot of the locations and the area that the book was set. I think this made me even more interested in the story than I already was, and it also helped me visualise the story too. I really enjoyed the way the characters spoke about how the area had changed since the days of Jack The Ripper, and it also made the story much more realistic to acknowledge those changes.
The book comes together in a dangerous horror filled climax, with a beautiful ending which not only wraps up the story perfectly, but also gives the victims a beautiful way of taking back their power. This was such a lovely touch from the author, because I felt that it gave the victims of Jack The Ripper the respect and care that they deserve, even in a fictional environment.
This book will send shivers down your spine, and have you clinging to the edge of your seat. With an interesting and enjoyable storyline, and horror and danger to really keep you hooked, this is definitely up there with some of my favourite YA horror books. I will definitely be reading the previous book in the series, and hopefully there are more to come too.
I give The Ripper of Whitechapel a 4 star rating!