4 stars for Pirate's Alley (Sentinels of New Orleans book 4) by Suzanne Johnson.
Christmas is but 8 weeks away. Yet I feel the festive mood in the air all around me as I sit curled up on my couch to read Pirate's Alley. Having pondered some, I come to the conclusion that because I read the previous 3 books of the Sentinels series over the Christmas season years ago, my mind has unconsciously associated the joyful spirit to the reading of this urban fantasy series. So the latest book 4 simply acts as a catalyst to trigger the jolly ambience.
To recap, 28-year old Drusilla Jane Jaco aka DJ, the sentinel of the New Orleans region, is the all-in-one border guard-sentinel-peacekeeper while shapeshifter Alexander Warin aka Alex is the muscle called in when peace talks fail. Since the events in book 3 Elysian Fields, they now work in a gray zone where job responsibilities are no longer spelled out clearly.
In this latest instalment, we see the holding of Interspecies Council meetings, the group's official gathering - of the preternatural bureaucrats - as a governing body where judgements are passed and examples made. There is a whole lot of political mess involving ambitious wizards, freaking elves, temperamental faeries, pretentious vampires and other smaller groups of scheming supernatural beings.
For my part, the highlight in this book is neither the council meetings nor political disarrays, but DJ’s special assignment; one which involves a flirtatious and very good looking 230-year old Frenchman who is none other than the undead pirate Jean Lafitte. Special assignment aside, it is interesting to see how DJ comes about realising the need to sort and choose between love and friendship, duty and loyalty amid the political shenanigans.
Of all the characters in the Sentinels series, I adore the legendary pirate Jean Lafitte – who usually holes up in his outpost of Old Orleans, a wild and lawless border town between modern New Orleans and the preternatural world Beyond – the most. He is ever the courtly old-world gentleman regardless of his background. So yes, I love it every time DJ comes within his sight and territory. And with a sequel titled Pirate's Alley, you can imagine the amount of quality time the two of them clock up basked in each other's company. The best part? Well, let’s just say this alluring pirate can charm his way not just into DJ's heart but mine as well.
It feels wonderful to be back in the preternatural world again, notably one where part human-wizard-elven DJ and the infamous historical undead Jean Lafitte reside, but on the flip side, the happenings in their paranormal world this time round comes across much like listening in to a radio station that has gone wild and kept looping the same songs over and over.
Politics and conspiracy plots hatched by each faction of the otherworld for their own gain has made our protagonist DJ running around in circles, from preparing to attending council meetings to finding the many – whoever – persons for that we-need-to-have-a-talk talk and then it is back all over once more. Then again, notwithstanding the merry-go-round plot, there is plenty of light-hearted humor to be found in DJ’s first person narratives and it definitely helps to alleviate the agony of subsisting in the tail chasing of a plot.
All in all, I have an enjoyable time reading Pirate's Alley. It may not be the best in the Sentinels series but definitely a story that captivates me enough to keep the pages turning.
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication date: 21 Apr 2015
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After vanquishing undead serial killers and discovering the dark secrets of her family history, wizard sentinel DJ Jaco must now stop the coming preternatural war in Suzanne Johnson’s Pirate’s Alley.
Wizard sentinel DJ Jaco thought she had gotten used to the chaos of her life in post-Katrina New Orleans, but a new threat is looming, one that will test every relationship she holds dear.
Caught in the middle of a rising struggle between the major powers in the supernatural world – the Wizards, Elves, Vampires and the Fae – DJ finds her loyalties torn and her mettle tested in matters both professional and personal.
Her relationship with enforcer Alex Warin is shaky, her non-husband Quince Randolph is growing more powerful, and her best friend Eugenie has a bombshell that could blow everything to Elfheim and back. And that’s before the French pirate Jean Lafitte, newly revived from his latest “death,” returns to New Orleans with vengeance on his mind. DJ’s assignment? Keep the sexy leader of the historical undead out of trouble. Good luck with that.
Duty clashes with love, loyalty with deception, and friendship with responsibility as DJ navigates passion and politics in the murky waters of a New Orleans caught in the grips of a brutal winter that might have nothing to do with Mother Nature.
War could be brewing, and DJ will be forced to take a stand. But choosing sides won’t be that easy.
*Blurb from author's website*
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