Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson

Suzanne Johnson's website
Author's blog

I originally picked this book up at work when we got it as an advance reader copy. (Publishers send us books so that we'll read them and possibly promote them). I didn't actually pick it up and read it until late January, since I have a tendency to hoard books and forget that I have them. Wow, I was so taken by the book that I finished it in a little over two days.

The book takes place in New Orleans, Louisiana (only about an hour away from where I live), and it starts a few days before Hurricane Katrina hits. We are introduced to Drusilla Jaco, aka DJ, who is a Green Congress junior sentinel for NOLA, and find out that she grew up with her mentor, the Red Congress senior sentinel for Nola, Gerald St. Simon.

Green congress wizards are more earthen based. They use plants and other items to make potions and poultices, and their magic is less flashy. Red Congress wizards are the powerhouse wizards that are all flash, bang, and showy.

When the book starts, we are given enough information to understand what is going on, without it being annoying or boring, which is what I love in a book. I hate where I'm confused as to where the book is going or where I'm inundated with so many facts that I'm bored!

Anywho! Basically DJ evacuates so that at least one of the team is safe, while Gerald stays behind to monitor the barrier between our world and that of the supernatural world. After Katrina hits, Gerald goes missing, so DJ is challenged with heading back to New Orleans, finding Gerald, and containing the spirits who have crossed over to cause mischief.

The descriptions of the devastation are very accurate (seeing as Ms. Johnson is a NOLA native), and even though I've only been there a few times, I can still see the places in my mind. The struggle within DJ to do all that she is tasked to do is very palpable, especially her bemoaning of her status as a Groueen Congress wizard. (I'm sure we've all had those days where we wish we had a different skill set than that with which we were born or have cultivated)

Overall, I found this book to have the perfect balance of information dump, characterization, and action. It's almost like a summoning of Captain Planet in my eyes. Too much of those three, or too little, and you'll get something along the lines of Captain Pollution (or just a crappy book! lol)

Anywho, so far this is the first book in a series of 3, where the second book is out on shelves now (River Road), and the third book is due out sometime in August 2013. They are great reads, with plenty of supernatural creatures, magic, and even a little romance in the mix. There are enough surprises to keep the reader guessing what will happen next, and even a minor appearance of Elves! (Yes, Elves, not Elvis...)

Go read it!



Final Report:
Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson
336 pages
$14.99
Score: 9/10

Available at your local Barnes and Noble for purchase or at Barnes and Noble online