Elitist Book Reviews

DJ Jaco, the sentinel for New Orleans, has proven her mettle. In ROYAL STREET (EBR review), Hurricane Katrina changed boundaries with the Beyond, flooding the area with preternaturals, her mentor disappearing in the chaos. In RIVER ROAD (EBR review) she solves a wizard's murder and settles a mer feud. Now in ELYSIAN FIELDS it appears that one of the historic undead has emerged from the Beyond to continue what he started in 1918...as a serial killer.

But an undead serial killer isn't the extent of her problems. Her friendship with newly turned loup-garou Jake is on the rocks and now her best friend Eugenie's boyfriend Rand is making googly-eyes at DJ. Nothing seems to be going right...well, except that her relationship with Alex is heating up.

I enjoy DJ's narration as she flails around, attempting to give the impression that she knows what she's doing. She gets herself into all sorts of trouble--sometimes it's her fault, but most of the time it isn't. Her elven blood means that she has the attention of the Elf lords, which isn't necessarily a good thing. The Elders send a wizard to give DJ elven magic lessons, but he's a jerk. And no matter what she does, her problems only seem to get worse.

ELYSIAN FIELDS has a larger cast than previous books, but fortunately we're familiar with enough of the regulars that we don't get too overwhelmed. The good news is that the added variables notch up the excitement; the bad news is that someone trying to jump into the series starting with this book will get lost as a result of all the people involved. Fortunately, readers will be carried along in Johnson's exciting pace up until the end, so if they just go with the flow, things work themselves out.

We learned more about DJ's magic and how the world around her works in previous books; we do get to learn a little about Elves, but not a whole lot. Here it's the politics of preternatural relations that drive the story more than the setting or DJ herself. And since it's politics, the story felt a little convoluted as DJ discovered motives and those involved. I liked the previous books better because they were about the different preternaturals and DJ's magic. But I get the feeling this is a set up for something bigger, and I'm definitely interested in seeing what happens next.

Recommended Age: 15+
Language: Less than a handful
Violence: A couple of scenes
Sex: Innuendo and one on-screen scene

Find this awesome series here:

ROYAL STREET

RIVER ROAD

ELYSIAN FIELDS

It's been a few years since Hurricane Katrina, and all the paranormal goings-on in ROYAL STREET (EBR review). DJ has been settling into her role as the New Orleans sentinel, a wizard who keeps the preternatural denizens from running amok. At her side is Alex Warin, previously an enforcer for the Council of Elders, and now co-sentinel and best friend--even if she's not above admiring his good looks and muscular physique.
The boundaries with the Beyond and the human world were cracked by Hurricane Katrina, but things seemed to have settled back to normal--well, the new normal, anyway. At least until the historically undead Jean Lafitte asks DJ for her help intervening in a dispute between two tribes of Cajun merfolk. Merfolk along the Mississippi River have been falling ill and each tribe blames the other for poisoning the water. It won't be long before humans become affected.

DJ and Alex go to investigate and come across a dead body in the marsh...who turns out to be a wizard.

DJ is a great narrator and Johnson's crisp and creative prose is fun to read. We follow along as she puzzles out the behaviors of the people around her--despite some elven blood which gives her empathic abilities, she still has trouble understanding why people behave the way they do. Her style of magic, Green Congress, means she's limited to incantations and potions, so no fancy lightening bolt zaps for her, she has to do it the hard way. DJ, however, is resourceful and determined. She needs to prove to the Elders that assigning her as sentinel was the right decision.

While the entire book is told from DJ'S PoV we learn a little more about Alex and how well he really understands his co-sentinel--and to her surprise still likes her despite all her quirks. There's the love triangle with Jake, Alex's cousin, and newly minted enforcer for the New Orleans area. Johnson has fun with the romance (even making us wonder about Jean Lafitte's motives--what would that be, a love quadrangle?) and it's entertaining to watch DJ's bewilderment with the men around her.

Of course there's another main character of RIVER ROAD: New Orleans itself. Here we get to see less of the main city and more of a wider area, with its marshes, rivers, and back country. We still see the aftereffects of Katrina and what the new life in NOLA means, and not just for the magical community.

From page one the pace is strong, clear until the end of the book, much like in ROYAL STREET. The investigation is revealed bit by bit, some clues obvious and others not so obvious. Johnson weaves the love story, the mystery, the mythology together with a deft hand. I love the interaction between the magical species, their prejudices, behaviors, and motivations. There are some minor plot inconsistencies and the big action scene at the end could have been less contrived, but it still worked with the narrative.

I can't wait until the next installment.

Recommended Age: 16+
Language: A handful
Violence: A few fights; one semi-gruesome corpse scene
Sex: One steamy scene that ends before anything happens

This is a great new Urban Fantasy series you should check out:

1. ROYAL STREET

2. RIVER ROAD

This past April I visited New Orleans for the first time. As a tourist I saw all the sites: the French Quarter, walked Magazine Street, St. Louis Cemetery #1. One morning I took a walking tour hosted by a local, and he talked about the history of New Orleans and its inhabitants. We all had a good time. Then he talked about hurricane Katrina and everyone went quiet. He had lived it and survived to tell the tale.

So did Suzanne Johnson, and while ROYAL STREET is your typical Urban Fantasy, she handles the Katrina angle with the reverence it deserves, thereby adding with fascinating detail a compelling setting.

The story starts with our plucky heroine DJ (short for Drusilla Jane), who feels like her wizardly training has progressed enough for her to tackle the more complicated jobs sending back those who come across from the Beyond: like vampires, old gods, and even the occasional historical undead. But before she can get any headway with the local sentinel/mentor Gerry, Katrina starts heading their way and she is forced to evacuate and wait out the storm.

But then Gerry disappears and the Elders send her back to New Orleans to repair the surge of rifts caused by Katrina. Fortunately they send help in the form of handsome Alex Warin, whose preference for the use of force frustrates DJ. Alex's cousin Jacob--a bar owner in the French Quarter--rounds out the love triangle.

Johnson paces ROYAL STREET well, from page one clear until the end, tying the events and characters together deftly. The opening scene isn't a mere throwaway to introduce our heroine. Characters we meet along the way matter to the story--even the seemingly random dog. It's not simply a string of events, and by the time we reach the exciting climax we've already connected the dots and are ready to watch DJ fix the problem.

DJ herself is unlike most kick butt Urban Fantasy heroines. Sure she's a wizard, but her style of magic (green congress wizard) requires incantations and time, unlike her mentor Gerry whose physical magic (red congress wizard) packs more punch. She doesn't know how to fight or even handle a gun. But she can make a nasty smoke bomb in a pinch. She learns to come to grips with the danger of her situation and the new responsibilities given to her and does the best she can.

The magic is interesting as well as the explanation as to why wizards must keep tabs on those magical beings who cross over from Beyond. New Orleans is a popular setting for Urban Fantasy magic and mayhem as a result of its vibrant history. But the reality of living with Katrina and the havoc it caused really add a nice flair to the story--especially since Johnson is a native. She gives a good sense of the city, its flavor, and what the city itself means to those who lived through the hurricane.

Recommended Age: 16+
Language: A handful of mild references
Violence: Fighting and blood, with minor gore
Sex: A couple of steamy moments but otherwise only referenced

Check out this fun book here:
ROYAL STREET