Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson

Premise: Drusilla Jaco is a junior sentinel and Green Congress wizard, trained in ritual magic, apprenticed by her mentor Gerald St. Simon, who is a physical magic Red Congress wizard. Together they protect New Orleans by investigating breaches in the barrier between the mundane world and the Beyond, where vampires, fae, elves, and the historical undead reside. Drusilla (who also goes by DJ) is busy sending the pirate Jean Lafitte back to the other side when Hurricane Katrina hits, causing much more damage than mere flooding.

The hurricane damages the barrier between two worlds, causing rifts that allow greater access into our world to the undead. Someone is using the chaos to kill soldiers and relief workers in voodoo rituals, all in the name of Baron Samedi, the voodoo deity. During this time Gerry goes missing and DJ is assigned a new partner, the enforcer Alex Warin, who turns out to have some secret powers of his own.

Not only must DJ learn the ropes of her new role assigned to her by the Elders, she must discover the whereabouts of Gerry, uncover who is behind the ritual killings, and protect herself from the relentless attacks of the undead. All of this must be done while New Orleans recovers and she unearths family secrets in Gerry’s journals that have been kept from her for her entire life.

Themes:Royal Street is a mystery with twists and turns, making new revelations around each corner. DJ must investigate Gerry’s disappearance, the barrier destroyed by the hurricane, and the mysterious killings of aid workers and soldiers.

Loyalties are put to the test in this story. As details about her past are revealed, DJ will be forced to choose between her allegiances to family and the promises inherent in performing her duty as a wizard.

Though it didn’t really feel like a romance novel, Royal Street is sprinkled with it throughout, as DJ encounters two cousins with different personalities and with vastly different histories. Even with these two men entering her life, she also is an empath with the ability to sense others’ feelings, including Jean Lafitte’s, with whom she has an ongoing embattled relationship.

Pros: The characters in Royal Street are all fun, including the antagonists. I kept wanting to hate someone, but even despite double-crosses from pirates and voodoo demigods, I found them all likeable, which made picking the enemy that much more difficult. Drusilla is a strong but flawed female character who can take a punch, but who also struggles with showing her emotions, especially at the most inopportune times. I loved the use of magic in an almost mundane manner, like it is just the daily grind for wizards.

Cons: For such an independent female protagonist, DJ seems to entertain the affections of men a lot. The payoff in the end of the story suffered from too much foreshadowing. When we finally arrive to the conclusion I felt like I already knew what was going to happen. Without spoiling anything, I was screaming at DJ to just get it over with.

Recommendations: Royal Street is a lighthearted magical journey with characters that are fun to sit back and watch interact with each other. With an untapped setting people can relate to with recent events, this is an entertaining debut novel from Suzanne Johnson. I will definitely give the sequel a go, with the hopes that DJ will be strong on her own and not feel the need to be in a relationship, and with a greater payoff when we reach the end. And hopefully Louis Armstrong will be there too. Now I’m going to listen to some jazz.

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Wide Open by Deborah Coates

Premise: Sergeant Hallie Michaels has come back home to South Dakota on leave from Afghanistan for her sister’s funeral. Everyone is telling her that Dell committed suicide, but Hallie knows better. Ever since Hallie died and was revived while on duty, she has been able to see ghosts. She knows there is more to the story because Dell’s ghost, and the ghosts of other women, are trying to tell her something about their mysterious deaths.

The new deputy sheriff, Boyd Davies, is willing to help her, but he has some secrets of his own that he learns only Hallie might understand. With only ten days of leave to figure out how Dell and these other women have died, Hallie is rushing to find answers, but with everyone in the small town supporting Martin Weber’s innovative new energy company, the truth is being hidden from view.

Before she knows it, Hallie is getting threatened, beaten up, fires are breaking out, and strange weather patterns are becoming more frequent. Hallie will need all the help she can get from her friends, Boyd, and the ghosts constantly following her in order to fight an enemy wielding a power she can’t hope to defeat.

Themes: Seeing ghosts the way Hallie does could be seen as a metaphor for experiencing death in real life. When Hallie interacts with Dell and the other ghosts, it speaks volumes about the way we manifest our feelings when someone close to us dies. We try to understand why things happen and like to believe the lost opportunities for unspoken things can be redeemed. We all cope with death in different ways, and Wide Open gives us glimpses into the ways different people do so.

Wide Open is also a story about coming home. When we are gone from a place where we grew up, people change, places change, and new people are thrown into the picture. Relationships with friends can sometimes pick up where they left off, but sometimes we are changed in ways while we are apart that can’t be undone and those relationships now contain a dissonance that was not there before.

Pros: The characters in Wide Open are spectacular. They speak realistically and interact with each other in a truly human way. The magic is interesting and powerful and perfectly vague, which means it is just enough explanation to be cool without attempting to over-explain things that wouldn’t have made any sense anyway. Every contact with the ghosts makes you feel like they are right there with you, wandering aimlessly and running cold chills up your arms, at least until they demand your attention with something they want to tell you.

Cons: Hallie curses more than any character I can think of. I don’t know if it was to make her seem like a stronger female character, but it only made me want to wash her mouth out with soap. You don’t have to swear in order to sound tough, and it kept me from fully enjoying the story. Also, it seemed to take too long to arrive at the climax. The last fifty pages or so contained so much preparation for battle that it didn’t seem like a realistic amount before the real action kicked in.

Recommendations: I went into reading Wide Open not knowing much about it and with few expectations, but I was greatly rewarded from the second I first cracked it open. If you are willing to look past how much the protagonist curses, Wide Open is a fun read that is a fresh take on urban fantasy with a little bit of romance and a lot of mystery, magic, and action. The freezing cold that comes with the ghosts surrounding Hallie will chill you with every contact. This is a solid first novel from Deborah Coats, whose future is wide with promise.

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The Emperor’s Knife by Mazarkis Williams

Premise: Beyon became emperor of Cerana and after his brothers were killed by the hands of the Emperor’s Knife, an assassin with the lone rights and ability to kill nobles as a part of his holy duty. At least that was what was supposed to have happened. Beyon’s brother Sarmin was secretly spared and locked away in a tower. The problem is that because of his seclusion Sarmin might be going mad and all these machinations are happening by the schemes of those closest to him.

There is a pattern in and through everything. In fact, there is a literal pattern of geometric designs being written on people’s skin, on the walls of Sarmin’s tower, and even in nature in the grasses and sands. It is a strange magic that is not natural, and the Pattern Master behind it has sinister intentions. If only anyone could figure out what those intentions are and who is behind the blue and red colored tattoo-like patterning being written on the Cerani people. When someone becomes a Carrier of the pattern, they become sick and die, or they can be controlled to do things against their will, even murder. It is Emperor Beyon’s law that anyone with the pattern be put to death at the hand of Eyul, the Emperor’s Knife, but when it is discovered that the markings have spread to the emperor himself, choices must be made.

A Felting girl, Mesema, of the steppes is being wedded to Sarmin to give an heir to Cerana that Beyon has been unable to give, but she discovers more about the pattern that others have missed. Mesema, Sarmin, Beyon, and Eyul must stand against the Pattern Master, but trusting anyone is a challenge, including each other. There are strange magics in Cerana, along with many competing gods and religions. Even the Emperor’s Knife contains some sort of magic, but is the Emperor’s Knife the man, Eyul, or is it the knife itself that contains the power?

Themes: Loyalties are ever-changing in the Cerani Empire. People have ambitions and bloodlines are important, but even those can’t always be relied upon. Even family relations mean little when it comes to keeping position and standing in the empire, between mother and son, brothers, cousins, and between husbands and wives.

Closely related to loyalty is the inherent politics in an epic fantasy novel between nations and royalty. When forming alliances with surrounding nations there is an exchange of power, both militarily and familial. We find these politics in the foreground, such as in the marriage deal between Mesema’s father and Cerana, and in the background in the motivations of each character.

We also see glimpses of romantic love and brotherly love, and of the intimacy of real relationships with people. People come and go in our lives but certain relationships stay with us for a lifetime, even after those people are long gone. This happens in The Emperor’s Knife in the form of distance and death, and the longing for those loved ones can be felt in every instance.

Pros: There are so many characters in The Emperor’s Knife that are complex and interesting with dark pasts and internal struggles that make them each real and human. I was impressed with the strong female characters in a male-dominated world that were not necessarily feminist but also didn’t come across as weak-willed. I appreciated the use of romantic and sexual relationships done in a subtle and intimate way that didn’t come across as crass or perverted. The matter-of-fact expression of killing and death carried with it a sense of cost and loss that keeps it far away from being gratuitous. The magic systems of both the pattern and the elemental magics are interesting enough to set this book apart from most others right off the bat.

Cons: The depth of the pattern magic system seemed much less than that given of the elemental spirit magic of the mages from the Tower. Perhaps the author is saving more of this for later books, but I wish more explanation was given into the back story of how the pattern works or at least its implications. Is it connected to blood and sacrifice as it seems to imply? This is less of a con than implied since I liked the magic structure even in the amount that was revealed to us. One thing that might be confusing to some American readers is the use of some British English spellings, such as organise, waggon, and colour, but this is something that is easy to read over and forget.

Recommendations: The Emperor’s Knife has a Middle Eastern style to it that is refreshing, with a magic system that is intriguing yet seems so much deeper than the author showed us in this first book. Replete with political intrigue and mystery, The Emperor’s Knife is a story I will remember and that will keep me thinking after the book is closed. By the end of the story I was still wondering who to trust. I only wish I could pick up book two right now and keep reading. This is a strong and daring undertaking of a debut novel from Mazarkis Williams.

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The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

May contain spoilers for people who haven’t read the first two books. But if you’re reading this review, you probably should read the first two books anyway.

Premise: The god Ruin has been released from the Well of Ascension and his antithesis Preservation is weakened to the point of disappearing from the land. As the final book in the Mistborn Trilogy, The Hero of Ages expands even further what you thought you knew about the Final Empire. The background behind the strange powers of Allomancy and Feruchemy are further explained, with new metals added to their knowledge, and we are introduced to the third part of the magic system: Hemalurgy. This new facet is where metal spikes are driven through one person and into another to grant powers to the the person receiving the spike.

The ashes are now falling continuously and they are piling up. People are now falling sick to the mists, some even dying. Elend is now a powerful Allomancer after being mortally wounded at the Well of Ascension and being saved by the last bead of a unique metal that created the first Allomancers. Vin and Elend go on separate quests to find the hidden caches that the Lord Ruler created to help the people during this time that he apparently knew would come. Elend is seeking the rumored stockpile of atium that he thinks will somehow help them, while Vin is searching for more information that leads her to believe that she is the prophesied Hero of Ages.

The shape-shifting kandra play a much larger role than just spying as they did in the first two books. The kandra TenSoon, who took the place of OreSeur to spy for Straff Venture, goes back to his people after the death of Zane to try to convince them to fulfill their agreement from the First Contract. We learn their part in the grand scheme and how they came to be through the use of Hemalurgy at the hands of the Lord Ruler. The Steel Inquisitors, led by Kelsier’s brother Marsh, are gaining more powers by going around and killing Allomancers and Feruchemists. We also learn more about how the Koloss were created and their role. We discover that Hemalurgy is actually a way for Ruin to control people depending on the size and amount of spikes in their bodies, which includes the Koloss, kandra, Steel Inquisitors, even Spook, and more.

Themes: Faith is a theme that has grown through the trilogy, culminating in The Hero of Ages. After the loss of Tindwyl, Sazed has lost his faith in all the religions he spent his life memorizing and storing in his Copperminds. He goes through them one by one discerning whether they are truth or lies as he seeks his long lost Terris religion. He grows more and more disappointed with the results as he disproves one after another until he comes learn of the Terris religion, which turns out to come full circle to their current situation with Preservation and Ruin. Spook’s faith in the Church of the Survivor is also tested when Kelsier appears to him and gives him instructions.

The recurring theme of trust comes to a head in this book, as well, as Vin and Elend learn to trust each other and themselves in making decisions for the good of the empire. The trust in their relationship with each other defines them. This theme is so prevalent that there is a section of the book entitled Trust. Spook even has to make some choices about trust as his words to Vin tell us something about the truth behind Hemalurgy:

“Don’t trust anyone pierced by metal. Even the smallest bit can taint a man.”

Pros: Another layer is added to the magic system, the character depth, and the overall plot. At the end of the second book I wasn’t sure how the release of Ruin from the Well of Ascension was going to tie into the story, but I was incredibly surprised at how it wrapped everything together while adding depth to the entire trilogy. The Hero of Ages turns out to not necessarily be who you think it is but loose ends are tied up. Plot points are brought back into the mix and everything makes so much more sense in the big picture of Preservation and Ruin that now I want to go back and read the series again.

Cons: There were a few things that I felt were over-explained, if not becoming a little tedious, such as Vin and Elend trying to secure the caches and Sazed reviewing the religions. I feel like all three books could have been cut another 5-10,000 words without any effect to the story.

Recommendations: This is a story of faith, trust, love, and hope, and Sanderson explores all of them expertly. The depth added to the trilogy from this book made me like the first two even more. Sanderson raised the bar for the fantasy genre with the Mistborn trilogy and my expectations for new fiction with his innovative world and masterful storytelling, and he did it with style. If you have to choose any new fantasy series to read, this should be it.

Recently released was The Allow of Law, which is a standalone book set in the same Mistborn universe but in more of a modern age.

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The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

Premise: One year after the Lord Ruler is defeated and the Final Empire is broken, Elend and Vin are trying to bring the people together under a more representative government, with the skaa now playing a role along with the nobles and the merchants. It seems to be a good idea at first, but squabbles arise and they soon find themselves besieged by three armies, one of them belonging to Elend’s own father, Straff Venture. The other two armies are led by Cett, while the other is a koloss army led by one of Elend’s old friends from his days of talking politics at their noble parties.

We learn more about Allomancy, and that is expanded to Feruchemy, the magic that we were introduced to at the end of the first book, where instead of swallowing metals and burning them, the user wears the metals and stores abilities for later use. In The Well of Ascension, we get to see Feruchemy at work as Sazed taps into his stored speed, strength, health, and more from his different metals, along with his stored memories of all the long dead religions from before the Lord Ruler.

The Well of Ascension brings us another layer to an expansive world full of political intrigue, religious fervor, including that of the believers of the new Church of the Survivor, and what it means to be a leader. Elend is a victim of his own laws that he wrote when he is ousted as king, while Vin begins to be suspicious of the mists that she thought she could rely on. Straff’s Mistborn, Zane, plays a big part in that mistrust, especially when it is learned that he is Elend’s half brother. Vin’s powers are pushed beyond their previous limits, with the help of duralumin, and her battles with Zane make her question her loyalties and help hone her abilities. The search for the Well of Ascension, which is supposed to contain the power necessary to stop the ash and the mists that Vin believes could be The Deepness that the Lord Ruler defeated before, is a main objective for Vin as she seeks to use the power to repeat the task of the Lord Ruler of saving the world.

Themes: The ever-present theme of trust in continues in The Well of Ascension, with Vin and Elend learning to trust each other as they enter into new roles, but also with Elend attempting to lead his people to trust each other to make the new government work. Elend also must trust Tindwyl to advise him on being a leader worthy of respect. Vin’s trust is put to the test as she interacts with Zane and he attempts to sway her to join him.

Not only is love shown as a theme between Vin and Elend, but Sazed even gets to learn the value of love being a motivator for everything in life when the Terriswoman Tindwyl shows up, who is there to help shape Elend and Vin into the leaders they need to be. While she is there, Sazed and Tindwyl work together to discover more about their lost Terris religion and the location of the Well of Ascension. During their time studying together, a bond is formed and mutual respect is revealed from years ago that blossoms into a deep affection for each other.

Politics are all over this book, with alliances formed and broken, deals behind closed doors, bribery, spying, pitting one enemy against the other, with military powers and battlefield tactics also coming into play. We go from a complete dictatorship with the Lord Ruler, to a republic style democracy, to an emperor ruling over lesser kings.

Pros: The magic system is further explained with Allomancy and expanded in Feruchemy. I thought that Allomancy was enough, but the addition of Feruchemy just added so much more and was just plain cool. The major battle scene fighting the koloss with Sazed tapping into his years of stored abilities alone was worth reading this book. The extra layers of politics, religion, magic, and the well-formed back story take the Mistborn series from one good book to something more, showing us that Sanderson took a lot of care in building this world.

Cons: The political wrangling and backstabbing between the different factions and powers gave much depth to this book, but could be tiring at times. Think of how exciting it is to watch congresspeople bicker over pointless bills in real life and this is what you’ll get in a fictional book as well. While it gave it more of a sense of reality, it can be boring until you add in the spying and fighting and the threat of armies. With that working against the story, even that was done well enough that it didn’t take long to wade through those parts to get back on track with more exciting things.

Recommendations: This second book in the Mistborn Trilogy takes what you learned in the first book and builds on it, shattering some things you thought you learned and expanding the magic system to give it even more depth. We learn how people can change when forced into certain situations and that what we think about ourselves and our world morphs and grows with experience. With a story full of challenges to faith and trust, this trilogy is very recommended. If you are going to read any of the Mistborn books, you shouldn’t stop with the first book.

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