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    Royal Street
    Royal Street
    Royal Street
    Ebook360 pages5 hours

    Royal Street

    By Suzanne Johnson

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson is the fun, fast-paced first book in the Sentinels of New Orleans, a series of urban fantasy novels filled with wizards, mermen, and pirates. These novels are perfect for readers of paranormal fiction and "fans of Charlaine Harris and Cat Adams" (Booklist) and RT Bookreviews agrees that "for readers missing Sookie Stackhouse, this series may be right up your alley."

    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 the soldiers sent to help the city recover.

    To make it worse, Gerry 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 for the serial 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 gumbo.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateApr 10, 2012
    ISBN9781429988476
    Royal Street
    Author

    Suzanne Johnson

    Suzanne Johnson lives in Auburn, Alabama, and works as associate editor of Auburn Magazine. She is a veteran journalist with more than fifty national awards for writing and editing nonfiction. She is the author of the urban fantasy novels Royal Street and River Road.

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    Reviews for Royal Street

    3.5/5

    126 ratings23 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Great fun read, kept my attention and kept me entertained!
    • 3/5
      See my review of this book, and many more, at Tales from the Great East Road.

      Drusilla Jaco, DJ to her friends, thought her job was hard – mixing potions, helping to guard New Orleans from supernatural creatures (including attractive undead pirates), and negotiating politics with the Elder wizards. When the city is warned to evacuate due to the oncoming Hurricane Katrina, her mentor Gerry insists DJ leaves while he stays to defend the city from whatever may come. DJ watches safely as her city avoids the worst of the hurricane, only to be severely damaged by flooding. As heartbreaking as it is to watch, DJ’s worst nightmare comes true when she gets a call from the Elders: Gerry has disappeared and the walls between the Otherworld and the mortal world have weakened.

      Partnered with the stubborn, but good looking, Alex who works for the FBI, and hiding from the undead pirate she tricked who is back for revenge, DJ must help rebuild New Orleans and protect it from the supernatural monsters now unleashed. With a serial killer targeting wizards with voodoo rituals and the rise of disturbing questions about Gerry’s views concerning the Elders, DJ may have her work cut out for her.

      The use of Hurricane Katrina was very interesting, and justly done. Seeing the damage done to New Orleans through DJ’s eyes, and her relief and guilt as she realises just how lucky she was to have escaped and have her home undamaged, was almost painful to read. Her heartbreak was real and helped to make DJ a sympathetic character.The descriptions of the city were also thorough, creating some very moving scenes. The few scenes in the Otherworld towards the end of the book where also very enjoyable. Hopefully, the Otherworld will be explored further in the rest of the series as it was isolated to Old Orleans, and had the potential to be far more varied in both setting and characters.

      The romance in Royal Street is of the slow-burn variety, beginning with hostility between DJ and her partner Alex, slowly becoming friendship as they trust and confide in each other. Both DJ and Alex are likeable characters, despite their faults – namely both being stubborn, unnecessarily so at times. Jean Lafitte, the undead pirate and other half of the possible love triangle, on the other hand, was a character who was much harder to like and trust – though this does make him quite interesting. His motives are constantly unclear as he changes allegiances and plans with no notice. It is only obvious that he looks out for himself. Though this makes his character interesting and unpredictable, as a romantic interest it makes him unstable and fairly unbelievable, since he has tried several times to kill DJ. Other than his looks, there doesn’t seem to be any other reason to be a romance with.

      The use of voodoo in this book was very interesting, but could have been expanded. In fact, this seems to be the biggest fault with Royal Street. Though a few ideas and especially the world building was not as extensive as it could have been, as this is just the first of the series, I can only hope that these great ideas are further explored in the next novels, which I will be reading.

      3.5 stars
    • 3/5
      Hurricane Katrina is headed for New Orleans, and Gerry is sending his ward, D. J., to safety, away from harm’s way. But though Gerry survives the blast and aftermath of Katrina, he soon turns up missing. D. J. returns to look for her friend and mentor. In addition to the havoc the hurricane caused to the city, it also created breaches in the passages from the modern world to the Otherworld, allowing all sorts of creatures to pass between. An interesting plot and fascinating setting did not save this novel. Towards the middle, the story bogs down. D. J. spends all her time looking for Gerry, with little else added to the plot to hold our interest. A disappointing conclusion did not add to the enjoyment of the tale. A somewhat entertaining but not great read.
    • 5/5
      Ml over this book. It's a very good series.
    • 4/5
      This was a good start to a promising new series. My favorite thing about this book has to be the author's sense of humor. It matched my own quite well. I love her writing style and the character development was nicely done. There were just a few places here and there where a bit more detail would have been nice, but overall all it was very well done. I especially like the setting of post Katrina New Orleans. There are newspaper excerpts at the top of several chapters detailing the recovery process that brings a personal touch to the story. If you enjoy urban fantasy, definitely give this one a look!
    • 4/5
      I adore paranormal fiction!! What I like best of all is when somebody gives me a new and fresh take on the subject! This is an amazingly new spin in paranormal!

      DJ is an awesome kick butt chick! I love everything about her! I am always for a sassy gal with a few powers to play around with! She is definitely one for my list of heroines I wish I could swap lives with! Sure she has drama to deal with, but she also has killer adventures!

      The world in this series is very well thought out and defined. I was excited to read about New Orleans and an alternate version of Post Katrina events. The story was beautifully paced and entertaining. I was very intrigued my many new elements the author created especially the historical undead.

      Oh, and the hotties!! First is my fav, undead pirate Jean Lafitte. I mean who wouldn't love a sexy pirate lusting after them! I would have no trouble...um...walking his plank! Next is her fellow sentinel and all around hottie Alex. And then his cousin Jake is thrown into the mix! So many choices! But I say why choose, ok, I might read a little too much menage and it warps my view on love triangles!

      So many dynamic and engaging characters I never wanted it to end! I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the next book!!
    • 4/5
      Royal Street is the first book in the Sentinels of New Orleans series by Suzanne Johnson.

      The blurb of this book gives us a good summary of the story, adding more to it will be telling everything and not leaving anything for you to discover.
      After hearing so many great things about this book and seeing its beautiful cover I knew I have to read it. But something happened when I started to read it. I read page after page, I was enjoying the story but I couldn’t feel any connection with it or the characters. It was a good book, nice characters, great setting and all that, but even though I was trying I couldn’t get into the story. I was feeling bad because everybody loved the book and I wanted to love it too, the more I tried it the harder it was to like it. I was also not feeling well that day so on page 100 or so I decided to take a break from reading it.
      Two days later I was feeling better and I resumed my reading, that day I got lost in Royal Street; since the moment I picked it up I couldn’t put it down until I reached its last word. After that, I got to the conclusion that the day I couldn’t read it I was the problem not the book.

      I have read many books set in New Orleans but the New Orleans Mrs. Johnson gives us in this book is new and refreshing. The events occur during the days before and after Katrina. The descriptions of the places and situations are vivid and realistic; seeing the devastation of the city from a native’s point of view is heart wrenching. I loved how Mrs. Johnson incorporated the paranormal elements into the reality of the city life; I also loved how she created a parallel world (Beyond) in which these beings reside, with boundaries that sometimes they can breach to enter to our world.
      The organization of wizards with its different designations and rankings in charge of protecting the humans against these supernatural beings is a new and refreshing take in this genre.

      Drusilla Jaco also known a DJ is not your typical heroine, she is not only an empath but a green wizard, that means her magic is based in potions and spells and not in pure power, or at least that’s what we believed. DJ is a strong, loyal and caring heroine. She is also smart and funny. As with many Urban Fantasy heroines she puts herself at risk for the ones she loves and cares without thinking about consequences. DJ’s past is full of secrets, secrets she doesn’t even know; next to her we will learn about some of them, others secrets we will have to wait to discover in future books, I’m sure there is more about DJ than meets the eye.

      DJ’s new partner Alex Warin is a dreamy hero with a protective streak. He is strong and gentle when needed; he also has a great sense of humor. There were some sparkles with DJ but even though there was an attraction their relationship didn’t change status.

      Alex’s cousin Jake also plays an important part, he is also attracted to DJ and he brings the normalcy to the story. I’m sure he will play a bigger role in books to come.
      One of the characters I loved the most was the undead pirate Jean Lafitte, his actions were more than surprising and his participation in the story was refreshing to say the least, I really hope to see and learn more about him in future books.

      Despite my slow start I can honestly say I really liked and enjoyed Royal Street.
      Royal Street is a great debut novel and one I recommend you to read if you like strong heroines, vivid settings and dreamy heroes. I’m looking forward to read next book of this series River Road.
    • 3/5
      I went into this UF/PNR pretty hopeful: spunky heroine, a secret wizard organization, Hurricane Katrina, and an undead sexy pirate. What's not to love, besides the Louisiana location (seriously, hasn't another paranormal series coughSookiecough dominated that locale for the last 7 years?)? Well, if you're an apparently unsatisfied reader like me, three out of those four items did not live up to expectations. DJ failed to impress me throughout her misadventures, and the much-advertised Hurricane Katrina lacked the emotional pull the author was aiming for, and this is no Harry-Potter level of wizardry. Suzanne Johnson has the large and unenviable task of setting up a series from this introductory book, and based on the "strengths" of Royal Street, I wish her much luck and patience. 'It's never a good sign when you can't even agree with the heroine on the nickname she gives herself. Drusilla Jaco prefers to go by "DJ" but in my head, she was always Dru. As in, "Dru, why are you doing that?", "Really, Dru, really?!" and "Don't you want to maybe think that through before you do it, Dru?" Dru is a deputy sentinel and is oh-so-very aware of the first word in her title. She doesn't believe in herself or her abilities and feels crippled when her mentor goes missing in the aftermath of Katrina. My problems with this novel really began with Dru: despite my chummy nickname, this is not a character I invested in, even marginally. I managed to finish this because I was powered by an interest to see how everything would wrap up, rather than a desire to see Dru grow and change as a person. She's also mind-numbingly slow to put things together - SPOILER - example: when her supposedly dead mentor appears to her and tells her to lie to everyone, especially the authorities, she doesn't take this as a sign of something bad. She just blithely accepts his word and goes along. In an ironic twist, it's not DJ, or her partner Sentinel Alexander that is the character with the most life. No that honor goes to Jean Lafitte, a pirate who is technically...dead. He's a bastard alright from the first moment he speaks, but damnit, at least he is an interesting and dynamic one. In a cast of so few, where I dislike most of the few, Jean was the one character I would root for continually. He didn't add the most to the story, but when I wanted to slap Dru for her wishywashy romantic love triangle BETWEEN COUSINS, Jean was the only tolerable part of the page. The love-triangle isn't as pronounced as some UF/PNR novels, but is fairly shameless and stupid on DJ's part. Within pages, Dru decides she doesn't want Alex, and goes on a date with his cousin Jake, only to be jealous of a girl looking at Alex while she is on the date with Jake. What? Really? At that point, I just thew up my hands and accepted that DJ was not a girl/character to whom I would ever relate.If it was all just characterization issues with Royal Street, I could've easily seen a 3 or maybe even a 3.5 rating for this novel. However, the twists and turns of the story are sadly predictable and telegraphed to the reader prematurely. I foresaw the resolutions to the main plot as well as most by plots easily and early on - I mostly continued reading to corroborate my correct guesses and see in what capacity Jean LaFitte would sidle into DJ's life. Perhaps best along with Jean, the villains of the piece are worth reading about. Unlike their cliched main character counterparts, Marie Leaveau and Baron Samedi are interesting and unpredictable for the duration of the novel. The murders committed at the heart of the mystery are semi-interesting but tend to get lost in the endlessssss searches for Gerry and the non-ending back-and-forth reporting to the Elders and waiting for a response. So much of this book is research or reporting or waiting that I got bored and would set it aside for several hours before returning to the story.The world that Johnson has envisioned for her characters to play within is barely sketched out. It seems to be the same world as the one we actually live in (notable appearances: Louis Armstrong, Marie Laveau), but with wizards, vampires, undead, ghosts and other supernatural ilk. The wizards themselves were given a bare framework to illustrate the mechanics of the Sentinels program that was slowly fleshed out as the novel progressed. I liked the separation of talents into different spheres of influence (green congress versus red congress, etc.), though it does severely limit the possible scope of Dru's abilities. SPOILER! I also have to wonder why other European sentinels did not come to help with the influx of supernaturality after Hurricane Katrina. It is mentioned that American sentinels went to Europe in 1976 for the "Wizard War", so why is no help forthcoming in this apparently most drastic of times for New Orleans, with 'pretes' and historical undead just waltzing into the city? Holes like this, in the logic of the main plot of the entire novel, just distract me. I kept wondering why the author would mention a possibility to fix every thing (call them in to help with the pretes AND finding Gerry! Both plotlines wrapped up in thirty pages) and then ignore it for the rest of the book. It was...odd.This is the first in a series, and one I doubt I will pursue. Though my first impression formed ("I like that dead, dastardly pirate!") was one of the few favorable ones I took away from Royal Street, I believe this is a novel that will find a wide audience. Dru is far from a horrible protagonist, and some will genuinely like her wide-eyed and innocent approach to life - this is just not for me. 2/5 and a "no, thank you" - I will wonder what Jean LaFitte gets up to in his afterlife on Earth, but curiosity won't make me pick up book two when its out.
    • 5/5
      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. 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.
    • 3/5
      I also have a thing for books that are set in New Orleans~it is my favorite city to visit by far, and sometimes I dream about living there. I have a good friend who grew up in and lived in New Orleans until about 8 years ago, and I ask her about it every chance I get without bugging her too much. She puts up with me though. This book got my attention because on our honeymoon, my husband and I stayed on Royal Street. Then I saw that the book takes place before/during Hurricane Katrina. I was in New Orleans with my family a week before the hurricane hit - in fact my brother got an eye ulcer while we were there, and if it hadn't gotten better, we would have been there during the hurricane. My father went back down with the Red Cross as a volunteer as well. I just feel a huge connection to the city. It was also a little strange to read it when I did, because of Hurricane Isaac and its threat to the city. I am keeping my fingers crossed that they will all be ok down there.So, now that you know my life history ~ I thought this book was entertaining. Johnson made up some of her own rules regarding ghosts, and they worked for me. Sometimes they don't for me, like the shiny vampires in Twilight. Johnson created this world where famous ghosts can exist as long as people still talk about them and remember them. I think this was a way to get famous New Orleans ghosts like Marie Laveau, Louis Armstrong, and Jean Lafitte to be characters in her story. At first I was skeptical of this device, but then it grew on me and I liked it. This book reminded me a bit of the Harry Dresden series, and while I liked Royal Street, it is not quite as good as Jim Butcher's books. But this is the first book I have read in the series, and I think it has potential. I do plan on reading the next in the series, River Road in the future. This book was a fun read with all the wizards and magic, but the parts dealing with the devastation left behind by Katrina were very moving.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this new urban fantasy set in post-Katrina New Orleans. DJ Jaco has been the junior Sentinel in New Orleans working for her mentor and foster-father Gerry St. Simon. They are both wizards but are from two different schools of wizardry. Gerry has physical magic; DJ has to use potions and spells for her magic. Her kind of magic is seen as less useful for a Sentinel. Their task has been to keep magical creatures in the Beyond or send them back there if they have come to our New Orleans. Nlow Hurricane Katrina destroyed the barriers that keep the paranormal out of New Orleans.Gerry had sent DJ back to her grandmother's house to wait out the storm. But the Elders, the council that controls the wizards, have called and sent her back to New Orleans because Gerry is missing. They also send along an enforcer to help DJ. Alex Warin in his name. DJ thought on first seeing him was that "he looked like the poster child for an upscale GQ mercenary." She can't deny that she is hot but he more than makes up for it by being irritating. The two have a very contentious relationship.I liked the world that Johnson created. Her paranormal creatures include werewolves, vampires, the Fae, and a new one for me - the historical undead. Among them are Jean Lafitte, Marie Leveau, Louis Armstrong and other historical figures. She has a special relationship with Jean Lafitte in that she has sent him back to the beyond a number of times and he is determined to get revenge on her.DJ is a great urban fantasy heroine. She is smart, loyal, and determined. What she is not is some sort of well-armed ninja. She doesn't want to learn to use a gun. She prefers to rely on her spells and potions to save the day. She is also the sort of smart-mouthed heroine with a sarcastic sense of humor that I enjoy reading about. This story sets up a moral dilemma for her that forces her two choose between two equally dreaded outcomes. Watching she and Alex try to track down Gerry, find out who or what is killing National Guardsmen in voodoo rituals, and trying to keep the human and paranormal worlds from going to war while developing a friendship that could blossom into a romance was very entertaining. Add in Alex's human cousin Jake for another side of the romantic triangle and you have me reading as fast as I can to find out what happens next. I recommend this one to urban fantasy lovers.
    • 3/5
      I was pleasantly surprised by the story. It did bother me that Ms. Johnson wrote about Katrina. I had family & friends in New Orleans and Mississippi at the time of Katrina. Everyone made it fine, but it's still tough to read about the destruction. I did think the author did a good job writing about it. My biggest issue with the book is the title. It really doesn't fit in. Royal Street is mentioned but it's not the main street events happen on.
    • 4/5
      Royal Street begins right before New Orleans is hit by Hurricane Katrina and the world that D.J. (Drusilla) knows is changed forever. Because after the storm hits, D.J. finds herself caught up in a search for her mentor, Gerry, who went missing during the storm. Determined to not only prove Gerry's innocence but also find him, D.J. finds herself caught up in a dangerous mystery filled with creatures from the dark.Royal Street was an intriguing beginning to this new urban fantasy series and it has caught my attention! One of the things that I enjoyed most about this novel is how the author intertwines Hurricane Katrina with the storyline to make an original urban fantasy read. The author uses and references the hurricane constantly throughout the book, and I loved how you could feel her love of New Orleans while reading. It really enhanced my enjoyment of the story. D.J. is a wizard and at the beginning of the story it comes across as if she is an inexperienced wizard. I liked that as the book progressed we were able to see her grow and her skills develop into something more. The author hinted at even more than we saw though and I'm curious to see how she grows and develops in future books. My only real problem that I had with the book was D.J.'s lack of confidence in herself and her skills. It wasn't constant throughout the book so it didn't take away from my reading experience but it was there. I'm hoping that as she grows in future books that she becomes a force to be reckoned with. Because you can just see that the skills and talent are probably there just waiting to be let out. And I will definitely be there to read the next book whenever it comes out :)All in all, I found this book to be a pretty solid beginning to this new series. And now I'm eager to read more about D.J. and see where she goes from here. I'm curious to see what happens next...which is all you can ask from a book sometimes, right?? Recommended especially for fans of urban fantasy!Bottom Line: It didn't rock my socks off but it was pretty darn good if I do say so myself!Disclosure: My many thanks for an e-copy of this book thanks to the publisher and Netgalley!
    • 4/5
      DJ returns to post Katrina NOLA with a new assignment as sentinel of the devastated city. Her mentor and former sentinel (Gerry) is missing in the storm and she fears the worst. Her new partner, and enforcer sent by the Elders, thinks Gerry may have used the cover of the storn to join in a dark pact with the undead of Old Orleans. But whatever is happening with Gerry there is no doubt that the borders between the natural world and the supernatural one have weakened, and and the historical dead are walking the streets. And a series of murders are pointing directly at some voodoo ritual intended to strengthen the power of a voodoo god.OK, it is a bit hard to explain. But, it is really fun and entertaining. I love books set in NOLA and this one was great. The world is interesting and unique. DJ is a cool character. And the concept of the historical undead, is original and works really well in a setting like NOLA. I hope to see more of Jean Lafitte, that sexy, dangerous pirate. Oh, and that sexy, dangerous enforcer too.
    • 5/5
      I adored the opening scene of this book! DJ, our heroine, is on a mission to send Jean Lafitte – one of New Orleans’s historical undead – back to the beyond and she finds herself very disturbed that he’s adapted to the modern era by carrying around fruit-flavoured condoms on his person! I think it takes guts to open with a scene like that but Suzanne Johnson pulled it off flawlessly!The world building was fairly strong, though with some plot holes. The biggest one of these was that it’s mentioned that the wizards from Europe and America step in to help each other in dire situations – be this the American wizards travelling to Europe to fight in a war between wizards and other preternaturals (“pretes”), or the European wizards travelling to the US to deal with the preternatural aftermath of a hurricane in Florida a few years before. And yet, after Katrina hits and devastates the New Orleans area, only one other human preternatural – European or American – steps in to help this deputy with the task of getting things back under control.Other than this most glaring problem, the world building could easily stand on its own two feet despite the fact that we didn’t meet many of the various preternatural races that exist here. There’s no rush of course; in fact, I believe that it was much better this way with lots still left to explore in future books. The series has a lot of potential to be one that hooks UF readers across the board. It certainly succeeded in hooking me!In this first book, the pretes that are dealt with the most are what are called the historical undead. These are those people who lived and died in a certain area during their natural life and even after their deaths they remain in the collective memory of current society. So long as people remember their names, they are essentially immortal but if their names are forgotten then they will disappear. I have, of course, come across ideas like this before but I’m pretty sure it’s the first time I’ve seen them used to this extent in a book. It was actually a very interesting idea as it allowed for use of such historical figures as Louis Armstrong, Marie Laveau and Jean Lafitte (though I have to admit that I hadn’t heard of Lafitte before – I’m not exactly “up” on New Orleans culture).I actually really liked Lafitte’s character. He was the sort of baddy that you can really root for as the reader. For a while I even entertained the prospect of him as a potential romantic interest. He might be several centuries dead, in it for himself and a reprobate (he’s a pirate – what pirate isn’t a reprobate?) but he was quirky and fun. Hey, I’ve read books where the romantic interest was much worse than Jean Lafitte in Royal Street! He wasn’t the romantic interest, but he was still a fun character.It was also interesting to view hurricane Katrina through the eyes of a local. I don’t think it really packed the emotional punch that the author was aiming for, but it was certainly a very different experience to the one I went through at the time. Still, I didn’t really feel complete despair at the loss of human life or the death of a beloved city. I was, however, able to build these emotions up for myself through what was not said in the narrative. The quotes from the newspapers were a good touch as well.DJ was a good character, if slow at times. She so desperately wanted to reach that happy ending where she’d get her mentor back and no one gets hurt that she was willing to overlook some blindingly obvious evidence. This said, I have to admit that she did often allow herself to get distracted by her feelings towards her new partner, Alex, and his cousin, Jake. It meant that sometimes the plot would stagnate as she floundered in waters that she tried very hard to pretend didn’t even exist. She was frustrating at times, but in the long run I liked her and I suppose that’s what’s most important.All in all, I found this book to be an interesting introduction to a new series that I want more of. Apparently the next book is going to be about undines (mermaids) – I can’t wait!
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      Royal Street is an enjoyable urban fantasy series debut from Suzanne Johnson. The devastation of Hurricane Katrina has caused breaches in the border between this world and the Beyond and Drusilla Jaco, a Green Wizard, is charged with banishing the undead back to the ether. DJ though is distracted by her missing mentor, Gerry, who is suspected of betraying the Elder Wizard Council, an undead pirate seeking revenge and the Enforcer, Alex. With a voodoo God and a serial killer on the loose the new Sentinel of New Orleans has her hands full.What I particularly like about Royal Street is the world building. Set in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, Johnson sensitively incorporates the tragedy into her story. The devastation makes an interesting background throwing up natural obstacles like a lack of electricity and transport which her protagonists have to work around.New Orleans history is rich with iconic characters which Johnson works in to the story including voodoo gods, pirates and even musicians. While there is mention of vampires, fae and werewolves it is the historical undead that feature in Royal Street. Known in general as Pretes, the otherworldly beings reside in the Beyond in ‘Old Orleans’, a historical alternative to the modern city.The magic system of Royal Street focuses on wizardry with a system that is headed by the Elders and then tiers of wizards with different abilities. As a Green Wizard, DJ is only able to wield potions, spells and charms, Red Wizards have mastery over physical magic while Yellow Wizards have psychic abilities. Enforcers are the muscle for the council dispensing justice where necessary.Unfortunately Royal Street was let down by the protagonists of the story, especially DJ who lacks the smarts I prefer in my urban fantasy genre. There are too many instances where she makes poor decisions, ignores obvious clues or acts so slowly as to put herself or others in danger. This is particularly true at the climax when she inexplicably fails to act to prevent injury to her allies. The romantic element of Royal Street includes Alex, the Enforcer sent to assist DJ, Alex’s cousin Jake, a war vet, and the pirate, Jean Lafitte. DJ is attracted to all three men but I didn’t like the way in which she seemed to be toying with Alex and Jake in particular. The relationships are another example of DJ’s immaturity.While I think the characters of Royal Street need to be stronger, I did enjoy the book. There are often teething problems for a new series and ultimately I think the original aspects of the world building and potential of the story outweigh the flaws. Royal Street is a promising debut and I will be interested to see where Johnson takes it.
    • 4/5
      A paranormal series that takes place in New Orleans - not very original. But two things made me decide to request this book through NetGalley. One, it takes place during Hurricane Katrina. I wanted to see how the author incorporated the Katrina disaster into this book. And two, the main character is a wizard. I've been craving more magic users in my paranormal reads lately. I enjoyed most everything, except the love triangle. Love triangles rarely bother me. I usually find it fun guessing who she will end up. But the one in this book bothered me. I guess, I didn't see any reason for a love triangle. There was enough conflict without DJ going back and forth between Alex and Jake. I think Alex's seriousness and being a stickler for the Council of Elder's rules produced enough conflict in their relationship. No need to throw Jake in there. I hope this love triangle is resolved quickly in this series.I liked the magic system. There are different types of wizards in this world. DJ is a Green Wizard, which means she does magic through spells and rituals. As DJ says, "Green Congress wizards were the geeks of the magical world, hell on rituals and potions but always last to get picked for wizard dodgeball, so to speak." Her mentor, Gerry, is a Red Wizard; he can do physical magic, no need for him to create a spell or ritual. I like it when there are limitations or different specializations of magic. I thought the author did a good job setting the book during Hurricane Katrina. I sympathized with DJ as she not only dealt with finding her mentor and dealing with supernaturals throughout the city but also as she dealt with the destruction of the city she loves. I think it makes sense that next major life change for DJ would happen during a disaster that very much changes the city itself. Very interested to see where Johnson is taking this series. ARC provided through NetGalley.
    • 3/5
      This is the first book in a new urban fantasy series called The Sentinels of New Orleans. I got an eARC for review through NetGalley(dot)com. The second book in the series will be titled, River Road, and is scheduled for a November 2012 release. This was an okay urban fantasy. The story has a unique setting and some of the magic is very interesting, but I found the plot and characters to be a little bland for me.Druscilla Jaco (DJ) is a Junior sentinel, as a green wizard she spends more of her time mixing potions than confronting baddies. When she finally gets a more important assignment she ends up on the bad side of the dangerous undead pirate named Jean Lafitte. Not a big deal as long as the gates between their world and ours remain closed. Then Hurricane Katrina hits; not only does it tear apart New Orleans it also rips a number of tears in the Gates letting a number of supernatural baddies into the world. DJ's mentor and the lead Sentinal, Gerry, is now missing. To make it worse the Elder's have sent Alex to help out DJ; Alex is a grenade totting assassin and he is more likely to blow things up than ask questions. Now DJ has to close gates, dodge Jena Lafitte, solve a series of murders, and do it all with Alex at her side. Yep, it's going to be a long week for DJ.There are some things I really liked about this story. The idea of setting it during Hurricane Katrina was an interesting one. It makes the characters deal with a number of real life issues that normally they would never have to deal with. It was also a good way to get a look into how things were in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina went through. The world created here is solid, although not super creative, basically the Sentinels guard humanity from the evil creatures that live on the other side of the Gates. This is kind of explained, but not in great detail.Making DJ a green wizard is an interesting choice; DJ definitely isn't about flash and bang but more about planning ahead and being resourceful with the small magics she does have. This leads to some interesting scenes, but at times made DJ feel like too much of a victim to me. In face I never really grew to respect DJ as a character. She rushed into bad situations more than once and never seemed to learn from her mistakes. She was very flighty about which guy she liked best throughout the book; she kind of played with both of them and I just can't get into a character that does that.Alex is a much more interesting character, he adds a lot more to the story than DJ. Still though I had trouble engaging with him. Him and DJ never felt like they had great chemistry to me and they didn't fight well as a team. The romance is thankfully limited in this book, because I don't think it would have worked well to make Alex and DJ any more engaged with each other.The plot was very predictable. The main storyline involves DJ trying to solve a series of murders that look like they might be the work of a ritualistic serial killer. The way it all wrapped up was very predictable, I guessed it would involve Gerry in a certain way and it totally did. I was a bit disappointed to be right. DJ also spends a lot of time doing research, which really isn't all that interesting to read about. It made the story really drag at certain points.The books wraps up decently enough with some loose plot threads for future books. The writing is decent and easy to read. Overall this is a decent urban fantasy. I liked the interesting setting and the world-building that went on here. It's not super creative, but it was interesting to have the whole thing set during Hurricane Katrina. The idea of a parallel type of world that house the supernatural was interesting too but has been done before. I had a lot of trouble engaging with the characters; they were just too vanilla for me and never had great chemistry together. The plot was also a bit too predictable for me. Those things combined kind of left with a "well, I guess that was okay feeling". I know a lot of people are totally loving this book, but I just wasn't feeling it. There's some good stuff here, but there's a lot of mediocre stuff too. I'd tentatively recommend for urban fantasy fans if you don't have anything else to read. I personally am getting a bit worn out on urban fantasy right now which may be why I just wasn't into this book. I'd recommend Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews, Elemental Assassin by Jennifer Estep, Jane Yellowstone by Faith Hunter and Charlie Madigan by Kelly Gay over this series. I am not planning on reading the next book when it realease, but I will keep my eye on it just to see if Johnson tightens up her story in future series and delivers something outstanding.
    • 4/5
      Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: A story of a woman that is in over her head in the devastated city of post-Katrina New Orleans. Lots of magic and testosterone thrown in for good measure.Opening Sentence: A secluded Louisiana bayou.The Review:When Hurricane Katrina hit, I watched it from the relative safety of my living room, far removed from the path of destruction. I live in a town that is relatively natural-disaster free. Watching the levees break was like watching a movie; completely unreal. Royal Street brings the reader into the emotional and physical trauma of watching your beloved city turned inside out.Dursilla Jaco, better known as DJ, is a junior wizard sentinel that helps guard this world from the creatures and spirits from the Beyond. Her job, until now, has been relatively simple. Since Katrina’s appearance however, the line between Here and the Beyond are in flux; allowing more creatures to travel to our world. During all this, DJ is valiantly searching for her missing mentor and friend, the Sentinel of New Orleans Gerald St. Simon; one of many who have gone unaccounted for since the break in the levees. Until Gerald is found, it is up to DJ to keep the supernatural peace. With the help of a gun happy Enforcer, Alex Warin, DJ must learn to balance between personal mission and professional duty.Alex has been sent to New Orleans to help out the new Sentinel to keep the peace in the now hectic town. He knows how to kill and is there to help clean out any “undesirables” trying to take advantage of Katrina’s timing. Being a shapeshifter helps him be successful at his job, even though he doesn’t advertise that fact. So when the Elders give him his new assignment, he has no idea that the woman he meets would tie his emotions up like a knot. He didn’t come to New Orleans to fall in love, no matter how much DJ intrigues him. But just because it isn’t planned, doesn’t mean it won’t happen. Though he tries, he can’t help but be jealous of the attention DJ gives to his cousin. Is Alex willing to make the effort it will take to secure DJ’s heart? Or will he allow his sense of duty get in the way? What will he do if she chooses his cousin over him? Is he willing to just be her co-sentinel or will he leave because he wouldn’t be able to cope?Even though there is the potential, the overshadowing story is not about love; it is about magic and sacrifice. When there is a string of murders of some of the soldiers that have been sent to help the city recover, DJ and Alex discover that it is tied to beings from the Beyond trying to gain a foothold in our world. An old Voodoo god wishes for sacrifices of people with magical abilities, and he has his sights set on DJ. Can she and Alex stop this loa from entering our world, or will DJ die for a god’s rebirth?Within DJ’s personal story, the metaphor of life-altering changes cannot be better represented than by Katrina’s similarities. Her feelings of betrayal by her mentor and friend can be mirrored by the feelings of betrayal by the government’s lack of foresight and slow response for help. Like the people affected by Katrina are left to deal with losing everything, DJ must make do for herself without relying on others to provide it for her.It is a story of loss and renewal; a time of change, both good and bad. DJ must move on or be swallowed whole, just like the survivors of Katrina. A truly heart-wrenching tale of struggle and triumph, leaving the readers with a sense of a brighter future ahead, for both DJ and her town.Notable Scene:“So, boy, we’re going on a field trip,” I said, scratching the top of his head between his ears, which made him zone out in some kind of doggy stupor. I liked having a dog. He let me speak my mind, and never talked back or argued. He thought I was the smartest, coolest person on earth, and didn’t cast judgment because I didn’t have a lot of experience and couldn’t shoot a gun. He like to share my junk food, protected me while I slept, and didn’t eat as much as one might think. The stupid cat even liked him.Best of all, he had no emotions I needed to protect myself from and I could babble at him to keep my mind off where I was going and why.“I wish you were my partner,” I said. He grinned at me and drooled on the passenger seat. “Yeah, I know, really. It would be great. I can’t get a read on Alex, ad that drives me crazy. You’re easy to read. You’re a sweetheart.”Another good think about dogs. You can sound like a complete idiot when you talk to them because dog’s don’t care. Dogs love idiots.The Sentinels of New Orleans Series:1. Royal Street2. River RoadFTC Advisory: Tor Books books provided me with a copy of Royal Street. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. The only payment received came in the form of hugs and kisses from my little boys.
    • 2/5
      Review courtesy of All Things Urban FantasyWith it’s gorgeous cover art from Cliff Nielsen, and a sultry sounding description featuring a fledgling wizard in post Katrina New Orleans, ROYAL STREET was one of my Top 12 most anticipated releases for 2012. Unfortunately, it ended up coming in short of my expectations on just about every level. It’s a little like a mix between The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher and the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris, except not as clever as the former nor as sexy as the latter.The worldbuilding was the real strength of ROYAL STREET, with a fascinating bureaucracy of Wizards governing all the preternatural creatures worldwide and policing the beings who crossover from the Beyond (like sexy, violent pirates who sadly didn’t get anywhere near enough page time), and a really intriguing idea to play off the Hurricane that devastated New Orleans in 2005. Wonderfully realistic and perhaps unknown details are woven throughout ROYAL STREET to convey a high level of authenticity to the setting that I thoroughly enjoyed.Aside from the setting and worldbuilding, there were too many apathetic elements in ROYAL STREET to win me over. The beginning was a bit slow, and unfortunately DJ’s voice rang a tad immature and a little too antagonistic (without legitimate reasons) towards the guys in her life. The plot also never really grabbed me and I had to fight the urge to skim constantly. There weren’t any obvious pitfalls that I can point to, but there weren’t any real high points either. Scenes and setups that could have gone in extremely fun and entertaining directions never did. For example the game of Truth or Dare between DJ, her new partner Alex, and his ex-marine cousin Jake started out promising some juicy revelations, but then just ended. It felt like a tease. Similarly, DJ and Alex have to pretend to be a couple at one point (which I was hoping would lead to Alex taking advantage of the situation, or maybe DJ getting a little too caught up in her role etc.), but again, nothing really came of it. These aren’t criticisms per say, but they are indicative of my overall underwhelming impression of the book.To be clear, ROYAL STREET isn’t a bad read, and there will be plenty of readers who enjoy it (see ‘Also Reviewed By’ section below). It’s just not as good as it could have been. The worldbuilding was very creative and the time period/setting was tactfully handled and perfectly suited to the urban fantasy genre. But DJ was a little too immature and lacked a strong voice, the romantic entanglements/love triangle was devoid of excitement, and the overall plot was on the staid side. Hopefully, those issues will improve in the next Sentinels of New Orleans novel titled RIVER ROAD when it’s published in Fall 2012.Sexual Content: Kissing
    • 4/5
      Originally Reviewed at: Mother/Gamer/WriterRating: 4.5 out of 5 ControllersReview Source: NetGalleyReviewer: HeatherRoyal Street is part paranormal and part alternate reality. This is a world where magic is real, those with fame can live forever, and every supernatural being you could dream of lives in the Beyond – or on Earth. Fascinating sexy pirates, deadly vampires, and even famous jazz musicians all grace this thrilling, mysterious, funny read and of course our main star, DJ the little wizard.It starts mere days before New Orleans fell to Hurricane Katrina. DJ is a young Green Wizard who is forced to leave her post before the onslaught of the hurricane hits. She leaves behind her home, the mentor whom she loves as a father, and is forced to evacuate on the orders of the Wizard Congress. She complies though she voices her opinion with Jerry; after all she just dispatched an ancient pirate who tried to seduce her into making a bargain.She hadn’t been gone long, and she watched in horror as the city she loved fell when the levees broke. If anything could have been worse, she wouldn’t expect it to be Jerry. Her mentor had gone missing, and upon the Wizard Congresses orders, DJ would have to return and find him quickly before the breaches between Earth and the Beyond allowed more supernatural’s to waltz on in.DJ would have to do the impossible, but not alone, no, the Congress sent in an enforcer, a delectable enforcer as both her partner and protector. Alex has many of his own secrets, his own talents, and one is to infuriate DJ. But when his cousin comes into the picture jealousy rears-up when DJ shows interest.Oh but this is so much more than a love story, or a triangle, and no I won’t give a single thing away beyond this point! You’ll have to nab yourself a copy and get your read on!I really loved this story, and I sure hope the author will be writing more. There weren’t any real loose ends, but I could see it continuing here and there. This story was very well written and filled with facts, lots of paranormal, fantasy creatures and ideals, and it all worked well together. I even enjoyed the humorous bits that were nicely splayed into the story. A lot of times they seem awkward, but no these really meshed nicely.Character, world, and plot creation was superb. I actually got sad when I watched the book come to an end. I’ll say it again, I want more of DJ, Alex, Jake and oh even Jean, loved him – and hated him at times too! So, please, please, please keep writing more!
    • 4/5
      Will post review closer to release

    Book preview

    Royal Street - Suzanne Johnson

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