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tracey_stewart's review against another edition
5.0
Royal Street is another Netgalley offering which made me very happy. Netgalley is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you're gonna get. Royal Street is one of the ones that looks like it might be one of those odd chocolate-covered taffy things, where the inside is that strange pastel color and you seem to just have to chew and chew. It might look that way, as possibly just-another-urban-fantasy, but Royal Street is actually pure coconut. Or, as the Cigarette Smoking Man preferred, English toffee.
I don't know why it's been so hard to polish up and polish off this review....
It has, in real time, been seven years since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and – well, here in Connecticut the impact of those horrors was mainly through our television screens. It was terrible – but we were largely able to proceed with our lives, grieving during the evening news each night. It was an impersonal horror.
This story brings it home and makes it personal. In fact, I think it's brilliant how Suzanne Johnson uses the disaster as a springboard for her story: natural disasters cause the barriers between worlds to weaken. There is this world, where wizards work quietly and unknown to mundanes to keep things on an even keel, and there is the Beyond, where all of the mythical mystical beings of legend and young adult novels dwell. Dwell, but don't like to remain; they would rather be here, powers amidst the powerless, rather than exiled to the Beyond where any average prete (short for "preternatural") is a small fish in a big magical pond. This world is much more fun and tasty. New Orleans, always prone to breaches being as it is and ever has been steeped in magic even mundanes can't help but be aware of, is now wide open because of the huge disturbance of the hurricanes. Wizards are kept busy containing the situations that arise – anything from gnomes looking for a drink to vampires looking for a drink. The book begins just a couple of days before Katrina, as the Louisianan main character – Drusilla Jaco (DJ) – watches weather forecasts with an eye half worried (it really does sound like a bad one) and half jaded (but we've heard all this before).
That's one side of the tale – the increase of preternatural activity, including the disappearance of Drusilla's mentor Gerry, with whom she has lived most of her life. He made her evacuate for the storm to her grandmother's house; he stayed, as sentinel of New Orleans needing to be on hand for whatever happened. And now he's gone without a trace, mystical or otherwise, and in addition to that and the expected increase in other activity National Guardsmen are being murdered. Also alarming: strange symbols are being found on houses all throughout the area… the houses of wizards. And DJ, not-quite-trained as she is, is suddenly the only sentinel on hand.
The other side of the tale is the one everyone faced.
This is her city. And, slowly at first and then stronger and stronger, it becomes clear that it will never, ever be the same again. It's just the beginning of the pain, still fresh, still in survival mode; reaction has not had the chance to morph into the outrage over failed levees and the debacle the trailers turn into … The pain is still concentrated on what the hurricanes did, not the government: nearly 1000 deaths, and many times that struggling to cope with the loss of everything they owned.
The magic system of the book is lovely, well thought out and detailed with plenty of room for exploration later. Johnson achieves the best of all worlds by simply creating several classes of wizard – red, green, blue, etc. – and allowing each group different strengths and abilities. With this, DJ is quaffing potions and throwing vials containing various spells like a bona fide video game heroine, and her mentor Gerry can burst open a door with a wave of his hand. And neither can do what the other can.
Seriously awesome random line: At this point, I could have been floating around with a lampshade on my head, playing maracas and singing show tunes.
Odd quirk of the text: "Bon chance" is always used instead of "bonne".
The pirate Jean Lafitte is a major player in the book, right from the beginning (and he has eyes for DJ). He is beautifully used, as a story-telling device (he serves as the reader's introduction to pretes and how they are dealt with) as well as simply as a character: yes, this is indeed what the pirate must have been like, and how he would behave. The reality of the character is not forgotten: this fellow is no charming rogue type, though he can be charming and "rogue" can be substituted for "scoundrel". He is ruthless, violent, intelligent, and out for profit – and is also alarmingly attractive even though he oughtn't to be. He seemed like he was intended to make a cameo appearance and then wouldn't leave. "The old rule about taking candy from strangers should apply doubly to taking alcoholic beverages from undead pirates."
One of my Issues with my reading of late has been a tendency toward Everybody Loves [insert heroine's name here]. The stunningly gorgeous (though not cookie-cutter beautiful!) female main character moves through her life drawing men along behind her like a magnet through a metal shop rubbish tip. In time there isn't a man of appropriate age (and sometimes in-) who is not goofy in love with her; even casual interactions show unnamed NPC's giving her smiles and special treatment.
The funny thing is, Royal Street goes that route ... sort of. All I can really say is that if you're gonna do it, do it like this. DJ is attractive, but not the be-all and end-all, and the men who enter her life become attracted to her in a more natural manner - one becomes her new partner, one is his cousin and part of the attraction is a competitive streak between the two men. And then there's Lafitte – but he's just like that.
I love that DJ doesn't play the moronic games so many heroines (and in fact heroes) do: I really should share such and such information with this man who has announced himself as my partner, but he irked me and I won't, I'll just go into this ridiculously dangerous situation alone and fix it all by myself so there. She doesn't much like him, doesn't want him around, hates that he thinks Gerry might have been on the wrong side – and she works with him like a reasonable adult human being in a bind. They help each other. Also, he doesn't spend the entire book keeping stupid secrets from her; there is one huge secret that he spills fairly early on. It still has impact – comical and plot – and doesn't end up being something she can screech at him for keeping from her at the end of the book. As happens in so many books. She even promptly tells him about her dreams. This is awesome.
I don't know why it's been so hard to polish up and polish off this review....
It has, in real time, been seven years since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and – well, here in Connecticut the impact of those horrors was mainly through our television screens. It was terrible – but we were largely able to proceed with our lives, grieving during the evening news each night. It was an impersonal horror.
This story brings it home and makes it personal. In fact, I think it's brilliant how Suzanne Johnson uses the disaster as a springboard for her story: natural disasters cause the barriers between worlds to weaken. There is this world, where wizards work quietly and unknown to mundanes to keep things on an even keel, and there is the Beyond, where all of the mythical mystical beings of legend and young adult novels dwell. Dwell, but don't like to remain; they would rather be here, powers amidst the powerless, rather than exiled to the Beyond where any average prete (short for "preternatural") is a small fish in a big magical pond. This world is much more fun and tasty. New Orleans, always prone to breaches being as it is and ever has been steeped in magic even mundanes can't help but be aware of, is now wide open because of the huge disturbance of the hurricanes. Wizards are kept busy containing the situations that arise – anything from gnomes looking for a drink to vampires looking for a drink. The book begins just a couple of days before Katrina, as the Louisianan main character – Drusilla Jaco (DJ) – watches weather forecasts with an eye half worried (it really does sound like a bad one) and half jaded (but we've heard all this before).
That's one side of the tale – the increase of preternatural activity, including the disappearance of Drusilla's mentor Gerry, with whom she has lived most of her life. He made her evacuate for the storm to her grandmother's house; he stayed, as sentinel of New Orleans needing to be on hand for whatever happened. And now he's gone without a trace, mystical or otherwise, and in addition to that and the expected increase in other activity National Guardsmen are being murdered. Also alarming: strange symbols are being found on houses all throughout the area… the houses of wizards. And DJ, not-quite-trained as she is, is suddenly the only sentinel on hand.
The other side of the tale is the one everyone faced.
The houses on either side of Gerry's were deserted, windows broken out. Heck, every single house in Lakeview was deserted. Two square miles empty and ten thousand people homeless just in this one neighborhood.
Then multiply it by dozens more neighborhoods.
This is her city. And, slowly at first and then stronger and stronger, it becomes clear that it will never, ever be the same again. It's just the beginning of the pain, still fresh, still in survival mode; reaction has not had the chance to morph into the outrage over failed levees and the debacle the trailers turn into … The pain is still concentrated on what the hurricanes did, not the government: nearly 1000 deaths, and many times that struggling to cope with the loss of everything they owned.
The magic system of the book is lovely, well thought out and detailed with plenty of room for exploration later. Johnson achieves the best of all worlds by simply creating several classes of wizard – red, green, blue, etc. – and allowing each group different strengths and abilities. With this, DJ is quaffing potions and throwing vials containing various spells like a bona fide video game heroine, and her mentor Gerry can burst open a door with a wave of his hand. And neither can do what the other can.
Seriously awesome random line: At this point, I could have been floating around with a lampshade on my head, playing maracas and singing show tunes.
Odd quirk of the text: "Bon chance" is always used instead of "bonne".
The pirate Jean Lafitte is a major player in the book, right from the beginning (and he has eyes for DJ). He is beautifully used, as a story-telling device (he serves as the reader's introduction to pretes and how they are dealt with) as well as simply as a character: yes, this is indeed what the pirate must have been like, and how he would behave. The reality of the character is not forgotten: this fellow is no charming rogue type, though he can be charming and "rogue" can be substituted for "scoundrel". He is ruthless, violent, intelligent, and out for profit – and is also alarmingly attractive even though he oughtn't to be. He seemed like he was intended to make a cameo appearance and then wouldn't leave. "The old rule about taking candy from strangers should apply doubly to taking alcoholic beverages from undead pirates."
One of my Issues with my reading of late has been a tendency toward Everybody Loves [insert heroine's name here]. The stunningly gorgeous (though not cookie-cutter beautiful!) female main character moves through her life drawing men along behind her like a magnet through a metal shop rubbish tip. In time there isn't a man of appropriate age (and sometimes in-) who is not goofy in love with her; even casual interactions show unnamed NPC's giving her smiles and special treatment.
The funny thing is, Royal Street goes that route ... sort of. All I can really say is that if you're gonna do it, do it like this. DJ is attractive, but not the be-all and end-all, and the men who enter her life become attracted to her in a more natural manner - one becomes her new partner, one is his cousin and part of the attraction is a competitive streak between the two men. And then there's Lafitte – but he's just like that.
I love that DJ doesn't play the moronic games so many heroines (and in fact heroes) do: I really should share such and such information with this man who has announced himself as my partner, but he irked me and I won't, I'll just go into this ridiculously dangerous situation alone and fix it all by myself so there. She doesn't much like him, doesn't want him around, hates that he thinks Gerry might have been on the wrong side – and she works with him like a reasonable adult human being in a bind. They help each other. Also, he doesn't spend the entire book keeping stupid secrets from her; there is one huge secret that he spills fairly early on. It still has impact – comical and plot – and doesn't end up being something she can screech at him for keeping from her at the end of the book. As happens in so many books. She even promptly tells him about her dreams. This is awesome.
novelesque_life's review against another edition
4.0
4 STARS
(I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review).
Drusilla Jaco,aka DJ, is a juniour wizard learning the craft from her uncle and once guardian, Gerry St. Simon. He is also her boss and mentor for the New Orleans' Sentinel assigned to protect the city from rogue supernatural. Hurricane Katrina has caused more than damage and death to the city but have crumbled the the border between the modern world and the otherworld. While DJ is visiting her grandmother she realizes she has not heard from Gerry and goes back home to discover he has disappeared. The Elders have assigned an enforcer, Alex Warin who is sent in to help her locate her uncle but may have his own agenda. The search is on!
What a witty fun urban fantasy novel. DJ is sarcastic wizard who has bad luck with men - and will have you laughing out loud or crying alongside her. She is like Harry Dresdon in that she is anything but conventional and this novel is one part smart humour and another part heartbreaking.
(I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review).
Drusilla Jaco,aka DJ, is a juniour wizard learning the craft from her uncle and once guardian, Gerry St. Simon. He is also her boss and mentor for the New Orleans' Sentinel assigned to protect the city from rogue supernatural. Hurricane Katrina has caused more than damage and death to the city but have crumbled the the border between the modern world and the otherworld. While DJ is visiting her grandmother she realizes she has not heard from Gerry and goes back home to discover he has disappeared. The Elders have assigned an enforcer, Alex Warin who is sent in to help her locate her uncle but may have his own agenda. The search is on!
What a witty fun urban fantasy novel. DJ is sarcastic wizard who has bad luck with men - and will have you laughing out loud or crying alongside her. She is like Harry Dresdon in that she is anything but conventional and this novel is one part smart humour and another part heartbreaking.
lynseyisreading's review against another edition
4.0
Wizarding wizards!
What a treat this was. I've had my eye on this series for a while now. Doesn't it have the most fabulous cover art? Thankfully, I found the inside of the book just as appealing as the outside. If you like any of the following in your urban fantasy, you should get along with this book (and series) very well:
If you don't like any of those things...WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?
Just kidding. But seriously, this is a great start and I enjoyed Drusilla - DJ - Jaco very much. I also have my beady eye on the hunk of man goodness that is Alex, and Jean Lafitte? What an interesting fellow. I'll reserve judgement on him for now until I delve deeper into his delicious undead brain.
Ew...
I also really enjoyed the focus being on wizards for a change. And a female wizard to boot. Such a great idea to have your main character have an almost limitless potential for awesome. As long as she knows the spell for it, and can summon enough power, she can do pretty much anything. Which is so much more exciting than if she were, say, a werewolf or something.
What can you do? I can be a wolf.
What can you do? ANYTHING!
Which would you pick? Yeah, me too.
So I hope I've convinced you to go check it out. It should be on the shelf of every UF lover, without exception. I will not accept excuses.
Lynsey out.
4 Stars ★★★★
What a treat this was. I've had my eye on this series for a while now. Doesn't it have the most fabulous cover art? Thankfully, I found the inside of the book just as appealing as the outside. If you like any of the following in your urban fantasy, you should get along with this book (and series) very well:
- Sensible, non-stupid protagonist
- Interesting, complex and well-written secondary characters
- Just enough romance to appeal, without overtaking
- Villains you kinda-sorta have a crush on on the sly
- Interesting hierarchies within the supernatural community
- Magicky woo woo stuff
- A well-plotted mystery with a thrilling conclusion
- Vibrant and easy to visualize setting
- Great dialogue and engaging narration
- Wizards, weres, vamps, shapeshifters, and my favourite of all: historical undeads kept alive by the magic of memory (so. freaking. cool!)
If you don't like any of those things...WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?
Just kidding. But seriously, this is a great start and I enjoyed Drusilla - DJ - Jaco very much. I also have my beady eye on the hunk of man goodness that is Alex, and Jean Lafitte? What an interesting fellow. I'll reserve judgement on him for now until I delve deeper into his delicious undead brain.
Ew...
I also really enjoyed the focus being on wizards for a change. And a female wizard to boot. Such a great idea to have your main character have an almost limitless potential for awesome. As long as she knows the spell for it, and can summon enough power, she can do pretty much anything. Which is so much more exciting than if she were, say, a werewolf or something.
What can you do? I can be a wolf.
What can you do? ANYTHING!
Which would you pick? Yeah, me too.
So I hope I've convinced you to go check it out. It should be on the shelf of every UF lover, without exception. I will not accept excuses.
Lynsey out.
4 Stars ★★★★
diaryofthebookdragon's review against another edition
3.0
In the flood of new urban fantasy novels, [b:Royal Street|12009478|Royal Street (Sentinels of New Orleans, #1)|Suzanne Johnson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1314132668s/12009478.jpg|16974328] is missing that special something that will make it stand out. All of the necessary elements are here: first-person point of view, budding love triangle, wizards, shapeshifters, fae, werewolfs...
The only interesting part of the book is setting: New Orleans during hurricanes Katrina & Rita. I was not aware how much damage they have done and it was sad reading it.
Don't get me wrong, the book was an easy read, but I do not have a feeling that I would have missed very much if I skipped it.
The only interesting part of the book is setting: New Orleans during hurricanes Katrina & Rita. I was not aware how much damage they have done and it was sad reading it.
Don't get me wrong, the book was an easy read, but I do not have a feeling that I would have missed very much if I skipped it.
dukefn99's review against another edition
4.0
I'm always interested in a good urban fantasy novel. When I won a copy of the fourth book in the series, I knew I needed to go start at the beginning so that everything made sense. And boy, am I glad I did.
This book starts off with a bang, introducing the reader to New Orleans just days before Hurricane Katrina strikes. The reader then weathers the storm and aftermath with the characters that are reeling from the destruction. In Suzanne Johnson's world, New Orleans is already a hot spot for paranormal activity. But the storm weakens the borders and is allowing all those paranormal creatures and undead easier access to our world.
This book introduces us to DJ. She's a green wizard, drawing most of her powers from potions and wards. She's still learning how to control and understand her powers when her mentor disappears during the hurricane. Since Gerry, her mentor, is the Sentinel of New Orleans, she is asked to step into his position by the Elders, who are the ruling group of wizards. They don't want her looking into Gerry's disappearance and send Alex, an enforcer, in to help her with her new job.
Phew! Now that we have the ground laid, let's get into this review. I really like where Ms Johnson was going with this book. It's an interesting world that was created and setting it to coincide with Hurricane Katrina was a winner in my book. She didn't gloss over details of how bad the hurricane and aftermath were and yet everything fit well into the story.
For the most part, I liked DJ. She was a little snarky, I laughed from time to time with her antics. She was a little hard headed and rebellious, not listening to the advice (or orders) of those who knew more than she did. Alex wasn't as alpha as I would have liked him to be. He let DJ dictate what they were going to do and then had to mop up after her when it didn't work out as planned. I think their dynamic would have worked better if he stood up to her a little more. There is an underlying spark between the two which wasn't explored a lot during this book, but I have a feeling will be present in the future books of the series.
In the end, the supporting characters really stole the show. From Jean Lafitte to Louis Armstrong to Baron Samedi, Ms Johnson pulled historical and voodoo characters into her story to enrich the plot. The scenes that these characters were in amped up the action and helped save this book from being a little mundane. There are only so many times that I want to read about DJ and Alex eating MRE's or all those little day-to-day chores they were doing that didn't really advance the plot (but did add some understanding about like in New Orleans at that time).
All in all, I enjoyed this story and am interested in seeing where this is going to go. I was slightly disappointed at the ending, but the journey to get there was worth the ride.
This book starts off with a bang, introducing the reader to New Orleans just days before Hurricane Katrina strikes. The reader then weathers the storm and aftermath with the characters that are reeling from the destruction. In Suzanne Johnson's world, New Orleans is already a hot spot for paranormal activity. But the storm weakens the borders and is allowing all those paranormal creatures and undead easier access to our world.
This book introduces us to DJ. She's a green wizard, drawing most of her powers from potions and wards. She's still learning how to control and understand her powers when her mentor disappears during the hurricane. Since Gerry, her mentor, is the Sentinel of New Orleans, she is asked to step into his position by the Elders, who are the ruling group of wizards. They don't want her looking into Gerry's disappearance and send Alex, an enforcer, in to help her with her new job.
Phew! Now that we have the ground laid, let's get into this review. I really like where Ms Johnson was going with this book. It's an interesting world that was created and setting it to coincide with Hurricane Katrina was a winner in my book. She didn't gloss over details of how bad the hurricane and aftermath were and yet everything fit well into the story.
For the most part, I liked DJ. She was a little snarky, I laughed from time to time with her antics. She was a little hard headed and rebellious, not listening to the advice (or orders) of those who knew more than she did. Alex wasn't as alpha as I would have liked him to be. He let DJ dictate what they were going to do and then had to mop up after her when it didn't work out as planned. I think their dynamic would have worked better if he stood up to her a little more. There is an underlying spark between the two which wasn't explored a lot during this book, but I have a feeling will be present in the future books of the series.
In the end, the supporting characters really stole the show. From Jean Lafitte to Louis Armstrong to Baron Samedi, Ms Johnson pulled historical and voodoo characters into her story to enrich the plot. The scenes that these characters were in amped up the action and helped save this book from being a little mundane. There are only so many times that I want to read about DJ and Alex eating MRE's or all those little day-to-day chores they were doing that didn't really advance the plot (but did add some understanding about like in New Orleans at that time).
All in all, I enjoyed this story and am interested in seeing where this is going to go. I was slightly disappointed at the ending, but the journey to get there was worth the ride.
rkstumblingbear's review
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
library_bookwyrm's review against another edition
4.0
Royal Street is a great paranormal romance, set in New Orleans during and right after Hurricane Katrina. It looks like it will segue into an awesome series! I tend to stick to paranormal and steampunk romances, and this one was irresistible; I love reading a book where I can pinpoint the exact location of the action. "Hey, look - Uptown!" "Oooh, Napoleon House!" The romance story line was a comfortably familiar "Oh, my - two hot guys, who will she choose?" (a trademark of romances), while the paranormal activity was twisty enough to keep you guessing what will happen next. If you like paranormal romances, you'll like Royal Street. If you like paranormal romances AND live in New Orleans, this is a definite must-read!
chllybrd's review against another edition
4.0
I gave it 3.5/5 stars
ROYAL STREET takes place during and after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Druisilla takes off to safety at her Grandmas house but her mentor Gerald St. Simon goes missing. Now that the borders between her world and the Underworld have crumbled Druisilla becomes the target of a dead pirate as well as a voodoo god. To make matters worse a sexy new partner walks into her life sent by the wizard elders.
Druisilla (DJ) is a junior wizard trying to figure her way through what she is capable of. She tended to jump before thinking, and made bad decisions anyways but I still found it enjoyable to follow her. I loved Alex. He jumps into the book by rescuing DJ from a dead pirate Jean Lafitte and never left. He was always surprising me with what was revealed about him next. There was a great array of characters, we had bar owners, dead legends, pirates, voodoo gods and assassins. The author does a great job of incorporating the events around Hurricane Katrina and using real life descriptions that brought everything into picture. There is a bit of a love triangle between DJ, her bodyguard/partner Alex and his cousin Jake. I have to say it was a bit of an annoyance because all along I could really only see her with Alex so Jake ended up annoying me when he probably wouldn't have otherwise.
Book one is filled with a lot of background and what I would consider build up for book two. The ending is left open but isn't cliffhanger-ish. Overall I enjoyed it and will be reading book 2.
ROYAL STREET takes place during and after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Druisilla takes off to safety at her Grandmas house but her mentor Gerald St. Simon goes missing. Now that the borders between her world and the Underworld have crumbled Druisilla becomes the target of a dead pirate as well as a voodoo god. To make matters worse a sexy new partner walks into her life sent by the wizard elders.
Druisilla (DJ) is a junior wizard trying to figure her way through what she is capable of. She tended to jump before thinking, and made bad decisions anyways but I still found it enjoyable to follow her. I loved Alex. He jumps into the book by rescuing DJ from a dead pirate Jean Lafitte and never left. He was always surprising me with what was revealed about him next. There was a great array of characters, we had bar owners, dead legends, pirates, voodoo gods and assassins. The author does a great job of incorporating the events around Hurricane Katrina and using real life descriptions that brought everything into picture. There is a bit of a love triangle between DJ, her bodyguard/partner Alex and his cousin Jake. I have to say it was a bit of an annoyance because all along I could really only see her with Alex so Jake ended up annoying me when he probably wouldn't have otherwise.
Book one is filled with a lot of background and what I would consider build up for book two. The ending is left open but isn't cliffhanger-ish. Overall I enjoyed it and will be reading book 2.
elsiemookow's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I haven't picked up an old-school urban fantasy in ages, and although I admit there are better out there, it was nice to pick up a relatively mindless actiony book. Taking place during and after Hurricane Katrina, there are magicians, pirates, voodoo practitioners, shapeshifters- you name it and it appears. Don't expect too many plot twists or surprises, and it will be a fun read.