Sentinels of New Orleans
Book #1
Suzanne Johnson
Genre: Urban
Fantasy
Release Date: August 10, 2012
Publisher: Tor Books
ISBN: 978-0765327796
ASIN: B006OM459U
Pages: 337
Word Count: 94,000
Cover Artist: Cliff Nielson
Goodreads Rating: 3.71
My Rating: 4.5
Book Description:
As the junior wizard sentinel for New Orleans, Drusilla
Jaco's job involves a lot more potion-mixing and pixie-retrieval than sniffing
out supernatural bad guys like rogue vampires and lethal were-creatures. DJ's
boss and mentor, Gerald St. Simon, is the wizard tasked with protecting the
city from anyone or anything that might slip over from the preternatural
beyond.
Then Hurricane Katrina hammers New Orleans' fragile
levees, unleashing more than just dangerous flood waters. While winds howled
and Lake Pontchartrain surged, the borders between the modern city and the
Otherworld crumbled. Now the undead and the restless are roaming the Big Easy,
and a serial killer with ties to voodoo is murdering soldiers sent to help the
city recover.
To make it worse, Gerald St. Simon has gone missing,
the wizards' Elders have assigned a grenade-toting assassin as DJ's new
partner, and undead pirate Jean Lafitte wants to make her walk his plank. The
search for Gerry and the killer turns personal when DJ learns the hard way that
loyalty requires sacrifice, allies come from the unlikeliest places, and duty
mixed with love creates one bitter roux.
My
Take On The Book:
This is the kind of story where I can’t deny that I
spent the vast majority of it screaming at the female lead DJ, in what I felt
was the right direction. When she did follow my ‘advice’ I got all giddy but I
warn you, this woman is built to enfuriate because the giddiness only lasted a
couple of lines (maybe a paragraph or 2 if I’m being fair) the shoe something
that warrants more yelling lol. If it isn’t her yoyo emotions, it’s the hurricane
headlines that served to sadden you and remind you that while this story takes
place in a fantastical world that takes place during one of the most devastating
events for New Orleans.
While DJ infuriates me, she is also a pretty awesome
lead with a pretty solid moral compass. The above mentioned hurricane headlines
tied the story together in an unforgettable way. Using the actual events from
Hurricane Katrina, Ms. Johnson weaves a tale where the borders that separate our
mundane world with that of the preternatural creatures. I genuinely enjoyed and
loved the different aspects of this book… the characters take the top slot and
being some of the unique characters, I’ve read about to date in this particular
genre. The magic and the ambience is just an added bonus! And while this story
itself was unique, you are definitely left in a state of déjà vu when your
thrown into this supernatural world that is so very similar to previous urban
fantasy books.
Pros:
4.5 Quills
The Great & Not So Great
Pros:
- Alex. <3 Hubba hubba, this is one swoon worthy character from the minute he busts through DJ’s door with a smoking gun. But more than the hotness factor, he’s an amazing partner and love interest for DJ. I love their chemistry.
- DJ. I really like DJ even if I wanted to hurt her a couple of times. She’s got spunk and a really good moral compass. She states a couple time that she lives in the gray of things but I don’t really find any of her decisions squirm worthy. She always has people’s best interests at heart.
- Jean Laffitte. He is a super funny character even if he pissed me off on more than one occasion. He’s one cocky son of a bitch but I think that’s part of his charm.
- Magic. The magic in this series is different and that is one of the reasons I like this series so much. I like when a book or series has a unique take on magic.
Cons:
- Romantic Triangle to put all others to shame (I exaggerate!)… or is it more of a square. Obviously characters like Sookie Stackhouse and Anita Blake carry the title for romantic triangle/square/octagon/cluster fucks but DJ does have her fair share of suitors. To be fair, one is dead and spends most of the book pissing her off but I’m still not a huge fan of the heart tugging emotions that come with any romance including more than 2 parties. There is always that fear that the lead won’t pick the ‘right’ person. But don’t worry guys its not a huge factor in this book and its basically resolved in the next book.
- Predictability. Wow… I love this book but it was super predictable. There really wasn’t much mystery in this storyline. But its worth the read! Especially since the next 2 books definitely rectify these issues.
4.5 Quills
Purchase Links:
River Road
Sentinels of New Orleans
Book #2
Suzanne Johnson
Genre: Urban
Fantasy
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Publisher: Tor Books
ISBN: 978-0765327802
ASIN: B00842H5VI
Pages: 336
Word Count: 92,000
Cover Artist: Cliff Nielson
Goodreads Rating: 4.10
My Rating: 5.0
Book Description:
Hurricane Katrina is long gone, but the preternatural
storm rages on in New Orleans. New species from the Beyond moved into Louisiana
after the hurricane destroyed the borders between worlds, and it falls to
wizard sentinel Drusilla Jaco and her partner, Alex Warin, to keep the
preternaturals peaceful and the humans unaware. But a war is brewing between
two clans of Cajun merpeople in Plaquemines Parish, and down in the swamp, DJ
learns, there’s more stirring than angry mermen and the threat of a were-gator.
Wizards are dying, and something—or someone—from the
Beyond is poisoning the waters of the mighty Mississippi, threatening the
humans who live and work along the river. DJ and Alex must figure out what
unearthly source is contaminating the water and who—or what—is killing the
wizards. Is it a malcontented merman, the naughty nymph, or some other critter
altogether? After all, DJ’s undead suitor, the pirate Jean Lafitte, knows his
way around a body or two.
It’s anything but smooth sailing on the bayou as the
Sentinels
of New Orleans series continues.
of New Orleans series continues.
My
Take On The Book:
This
book ended with a bang and yes I was
literally squealing like a child. I’m pretty sure that my house mates were woken
up with a very enthusiastic yes that was indeed accompanied by my ‘happy dance’
lol. I literally jumped right into book three and I had to force myself away
from the book in order to write this review.
This
book picks up where book 1 ends but with a bit of a time jump… definitely
nothing to serious but enough for our favorite characters to do some off page
growing up and such. But where book 1 was lacking (nothing too serious, check
out the pros and con further down this post) this book excels. I definitely
still had my ‘shake DJ’ moments but she definitely makes you proud.
While I
enjoyed book 1 immensely, this storyline on this one focuses more on the
characters and gives you a lot more umph. Its enthralling! My friend literally
had to pry my kindle out of my hands…
The Great & Not So Great
Pros:
- Pace. I liked the fast pace of this story as much as I disliked it. It helped set the mood for this book and gives you the same sense of urgency that DJ has.
- Action. This book is not lacking in the action and testosterone fueled posturing. But it made the fast pace more bearable. There wasn’t a moment where you feel like the story is dragging.
- Storyline. While I enjoyed book 3 the most, I found this storyline to be the most interesting.
- Characters. The characters introduced in this book are freaking awesome… well most of them. Some of them can disappear... I’d totally be cool with that.
- Eugenie. She moved up on my awesome character list… she’s freaking hilarious. She reacts to situations realistically (as realistic as you can get with supernatural books) and she shares my sentiments about the hunky shifter Alex Warrin. :D
Cons:
- Predictability. Definitely not as much as book 1 but there was still some major plot points that were predictable. I don’t mind the smaller things being predictable but I like some mystery in the major turning points.
- No Breathers. I’m actually a big fan of the action and fast paced story but I felt winded after reading this book, like I ran a marathon and the last page or 2 were not enough of a cool down BUT the ending itself is PERFECTION.
5 Quills
Purchase Links:
Sentinels of New Orleans
Book #3
Suzanne Johnson
Genre: Urban
Fantasy
Release Date: August 13, 2013
Publisher: Tor Books
ISBN: 978-0765333193
ASIN: B00CQY7TOI
Pages: 352
Word Count: 1.2,00
Cover Artist: Cliff Nielson
Goodreads Rating: 4.14
My Rating: 5.0
Book Description:
The mer feud has been settled, but life in
South Louisiana still has more twists and turns than the muddy Mississippi. New
Orleanians are under attack from a copycat killer mimicking the crimes of a
1918 serial murderer known as the Axeman of New Orleans.
Thanks to a tip from the undead pirate Jean
Lafitte, DJ Jaco knows the attacks aren't random--an unknown necromancer has
resurrected the original Axeman of New Orleans, and his ultimate target is a
certain blonde wizard.
Namely, DJ. Fighting off an undead serial
killer as troubles pile up around her isn't easy. Jake Warin's loup-garou
nature is spiraling downward, enigmatic neighbor Quince Randolph is acting
weirder than ever, the Elders are insisting on lessons in elven magic from the
world's most annoying wizard, and former partner Alex Warin just turned up on
DJ's to-do list. Not to mention big maneuvers are afoot in the halls of
preternatural power.
Suddenly, moving to the Beyond as Jean
Lafitte's pirate wench? It could be DJ's best option.
My
Take On The Book:
Hot Damn! This was the best book in the series yet and
I have high hopes for the next installment. This was an amazing read, from page
1 where your introduces to the first grisly murder to the very last awe worthy
page. And after reading this book in particular I was able to pin point the
similarities to other titles that made me feel at home and invested. The
ambience that reminded me of other series.
I don’t even know how to describe what about this book
that made it so awesome so I’ll just go ahead and jump into the pros and cons
list for these 3 books.
The Great & Not So Great
Pros:
- Alex & DJ. I was so happy to see something going on there. Their chemistry is off the charts and they make me happy lol. They are too cute together.
- Eugenie. She's still awesome but I wish there was more of her in this book.
- Storyline. I like this storyline. Not as much as book 2 but then again this book has a lot more going on so the extensive storyline of book 2 would probably have given DJ a heart attack. She had enough to deal with.
Cons:
- Not enough character interaction. While this book was a DEFINITE improvement on the triangle/square thing going on, there was not enough interaction with characters. Its more of a solo DJ book with a splash of each character and while I love DJ… I love her chemistry with Alex and their friendship/partnership/sexual tension more! Hopefully book 4 gives us more of the ‘dynamic duo’ that I love <3.
- Rand. Uggh, I did not like him in book 2 and I certainly didn’t like him here. He’s so creepy and pretentious. He is not good enough for Eugenie and super skeevy. I don’t like how he worms his way into DJ, Alex and Eugenie’s lives.
- My waiting. I’m a very impatient person, and have these first 3 books at my fingertips ready to be devoured has spoiled me because I don’t want to wait for book 4. I want to pull a ‘Samantha’, wiggle my nose a poof is sitting on my lap ready for reading. On that note, this is not really a con ;)
5 Quills
Purchase Links:
SHORT EXCERPT FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS
Purchase Links:
This Series was a great one thus far. I would recommend it to anyone who has read an enjoyed The Mercy Thompson Series byt Patricia Briggs or the earlier books from The Anita Blake Series by Laurel K. Hamilton and The Southern Vamp Series by Charliane Harris. It has a lot of similar elements to Mercy Thompson what with the fae staff that follows DJ and so on but the seires is unique on its own and is something worth reading.
SHORT EXCERPT FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS
By midafternoon, I was out of ideas and
full of nervous energy that finally sent me out of doors, catching up on yard
work I’d neglected all season, raking the small, crunchy leaves from the live
oaks into piles a kid would love to play in.
“Need
help?”
I
ignored the voice and counted to ten, hoping it would go away. Instead, Quince
Randolph knelt next to a tall pyramid of leaves I’d erected and took the lid
off the big green trash can he’d brought with him. He began scooping up armfuls
and piling them in the can. “You should compost this down. It would make a good
mulch for flowerbeds. Plus you need more color in your landscaping.”
“Whatever.” I didn’t know what mulch
was, didn’t care enough to ask, and had such a brown thumb that flowers never
survived my gardening efforts.
Rand
wore a chocolate-brown sweater almost the same color as mine, with jeans in a
similar wash. With our comparable shades of long blond hair, we resembled
grown-up Bobbsey Twins, except he was prettier. Freddie and Flossie do New Orleans.
“Are
you here for any particular reason?”
He
squinted up at me against the soft afternoon sunlight. “I just want to get to
know you better.”
Uh-
huh. “Tell me what you are, and then we’ll know each other better. I’m betting elf
or faery.” I was kind of betting elf— it might explain his interest in me
although, thankfully, he’d never shown any inclination to plunder my brain.
He
grinned. “Go to dinner with me and I might tell you.”
I
noted the return of his peridot earrings. Big liar. Super-big cheater. “Where’s
Eugenie? You know, your girlfriend?”
A flash
of irritation spoiled his perfect features a half second before he answered. “Working.
Can we—”
What
ever he planned to ask, my answer would be no, but he didn’t get a chance
because a clomping noise reached us from the direction of Prytania Street. Rand
and I both were stricken speechless at the sight of Jean Lafitte sitting like
royalty in the back of a gold and white French Quarter tourist carriage. It was
being pulled by a light- gray mule wearing a hat festooned with
fake flowers and driven by a smiling
guy who had no idea how many daggers his undead pirate passenger had hidden on
him.
The
ornate carriage rolled to a stop, and the mule flicked an ear at the passing
traffic. Those animals pulled tourists around the French Quarter all day, and
it would take more than an impatient Toyota driver to rattle one of them. The
carriages were also ridiculously expensive if one commissioned a ride outside the
Quarter.
Then
again, Jean Lafitte was loaded. The driver probably had a reason to smile.
Jean
exited the carriage with extraordinary grace for such a large man. He was tall,
powerfully built, black-haired, cobalt-eyed, a shameless flirt, and talked with
a raspy French accent that made me swoon even though he was technically dead.
In other words, I had a bit of a problem with Jean Lafitte and my own common
sense being present at the same time.
Jean
said a few words to the carriage driver, then turned to prop his hands on his
hips in a broad pirate-like stance, giving Rand a disapproving visual once-over.
The mule backed up a
few awkward steps before pulling the
carriage into my driveway.
God
help me, I hoped Alex didn’t get home in time to see this. I’d never
hear the end of it.
“Do
you wish me to rid you of this intruder, Jolie?”
About
The Author
On
Aug. 28, 2005, Suzanne Johnson loaded two dogs, a cat, a friend, and her mom
into a car and fled New Orleans in the hours before Hurricane Katrina made
landfall.
Four
years later, she began weaving her experiences and love for her city into the
Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series, beginning with Royal Street (2012), continuing with River Road (2012), and now with Elysian Fields (August 2013).
She
grew up in rural Alabama, halfway between the Bear Bryant Museum and Elvis’
birthplace, and lived in New Orleans for fifteen years—which means she has a
highly refined sense of the absurd and an ingrained love of SEC football and
fried gator on a stick.
As
Susannah Sandlin, she writes the
best-selling Penton Vampire Legacy paranormal romance series and the recent
standalone, Storm Force.
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“I received a free copy of the book from the author/publisher for my honest opinion. I was in no way compensated for this review and all opinions are expressly my own”
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