Five Reasons to Read: Elysian Fields (Sentinels of New Orleans #3) by Suzanne Johnson

Series: Sentinels of New Orleans #3

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Series: Sentinels of New Orleans #3

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Torbooks

Publication Date: 8/13/13

Format: Hardcover

Pages:  352

Source: Received from publisher for review

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An undead serial killer comes for DJ in this thrilling third installment of Suzanne Johnson’s Sentinels of New Orleans series

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.

Combatting 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 could be DJ’s best option.

   

My Reviews   Royal Street  |  River Road


First Line -  The scariest sound in New Orleans' French Quarter is silence.

Elysian Fields released in August 2013, not long after I'd grown tired of all things paranormal and urban fantasy. Despite that, I fully intended to read this book because I love Sentinels of New Orleans series, and knew this book would overcome my paranormal slump. I'm ashamed that I'm a year late to this one, but thrilled to say that I was right. Elysian Fields was a fantastic addition to the SoNO series. Just as I'd hoped.

So why did I love Elysian Fields? Let me count the ways...


1. This series has what I consider to be the best premises for an Urban Fantasy series, ever. When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, it helped bring down the metaphysical barriers between the modern world and Beyond, allowing preternaturals in. Very creative, yes?



2. In Sentinels of New Orleans series, you get a wide array of preternaturals, and this is where it gets even more creative. The usuals are accounted for, such as wizards, elves, vampires, shifters and the like. But you also get cool pretes in loup-garou, mers, were-gatores, My personal favorite is the Historical Undead, famous former citizens given power by human memory. Louis Armstrong is an example of this, and is actually a minor character in the series. My very, very favorite member of the Historical Undead is the pirate (or privateer, as he insists) Jean Lafitte is sexy, charismatic, oddly charming, and dead sexy (no pun intended).


3. Elysian Fields (the entire series) is led by Drusilla "DJ" Jaco, a wizard with elven blood, THE Sentinel of New Orleans. I know we hold our UF heroines to an extremely high standard, fair or not, and DJ is exactly what I love in a urban fantasy heroine. She smart, yet not infallible. She tough and never quits, yet will admit when she needs help. She's funny, with a wry sense of humor, always finding a the perfect quip to encapsulate the WTF-ery that is her life. With a Historical Undead serial killer and a necromancer after her, a potentially life-threatening event, and the fact she's falling hard for one of the men in her life, DJ obviously has a lot going on. She's a boss, and I love it.



4. So I mentioned that DJ and romance.... This is an area that's left me a bit torn throughout the series. Alex Warin, his cousin Jake Warin, and Jean Lafitte have all expressed a lot of interest in DJ. Interest she's returned at times. Now, given that Jean is technically dead, he's not a very good option. But he is a great friend and ally to DJ and without a doubt the funniest character. Jake Warin is actually a good option, and he and DJ definitely have chemistry. Buuuut, there's the fact Jake is a loup-garou with major issues and isn't exactly in a good place now. I love Jake Warin, but nope, probably not the best choice. That leaves Alex Warin! I've always liked Alex, and he's without a doubt DJ's best choice. He's honest and good to DJ, sexy, and he isn't likely to attack her in a fit of blood lust. Yay. Alex does find himself overwhelmed by the consistent turmoil in DJ's life, but I think he's going to stick. Not gonna lie, all three of these "men" leave me a bit weak as I read. And as much as I'm going on about all the choices, this isn't a love quadrangle. To be honest, romance isn't the focus of the books, but does enhance.


I am not going to talk about the other dude who wants to claim DJ. NOPE.

5. Elysian Fields is the game changer of the Sentinels of New Orleans series. Every good UF/PNR series has a turning point, a moment or book that seems to change the course of the series. A book that makes you sit back up and inspires renewed enthusiasm. For me, Elysian Fields is that book. DJ's life is more danger than ever, with a dramatic turn of events that changes things on the supernatural front and on the personal front. The series has been spun in a direction I never anticipated, and I can't wait to see what comes next in Pirate's Alley.


If you're looking for a great Urban Fantasy series, Sentinels of New Orleans is my number one recommendation.

Rating: 5 stars

Favorite Quotes

 
  Jena 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 very 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.


  And there he was, as big and solid and sexy as the day I'd met him, but more than that. I hadn't known then what a good man hid beneath the sometimes-Neanderthal exterior. A kind man. A kind man wearing a pair of low-slung jeans and no shirt, with abs to get lost in and hip bones flashing temptation. I was so in over my head.


  "Before I met you I never hid evidence." Alex slung gravel as he turned onto a side road and wound his way back to civilization. "Now, thanks to you, I've hidden bodies. I've lied to the police. I've falsified reports to the Elders. I've been cursed by a maniac nymph and turned into a pink dog. And let's not forget looking the other way when your friend Jean Lafitte stole a goddamn Corvette."


  "Give him time." Rene patted my shoulder before climbing into his pickup. "Shifters and weres, most of us like things straight and simple. And nothing personal, babe, but you ain't either one."
  "You don't seem to have a problem with it." Rene liked my chaos. He didn't even seem upset that it had almost gotten him killed today.
  "Big difference between me and Alex." He grinned at me out his truck window. "You aren't my woman. Later, babe."
  Great. Relationship advice from a merman who bought questionable sexual-potency tonics. Life had come to this.

The Sentinels of New Orleans Series

      

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I'm the author of the Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series, set in post-Katrina New Orleans. Book 3 in the series, ELYSIAN FIELDS, released on August 13, 2013. Books four and five coming in 2014.

As Susannah Sandlin, I write the Penton Legacy and Omega Force paranormal romantic thrillers series.

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