#Review: Elysian Fields by Suzanne Johnson - 5 wine Glasses

Title: Elysian Fields 
Series: Sentinels of New Orleans #3
Author: Suzanne Johnson
Format: Hardcover, 352 pages
Published: August 13th 2013 by Tor Books
ISBN: 0765333198
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Library 
Rating: 5 out of 5 Wine Glasses

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. 

Linda's Thoughts:
The scariest sound in New Orleans’ French Quarter is silence....

ELYSIAN FIELDS by Suzanne Johnson is an action-packed, fast-paced, addictive page-turner! It's the third book in Suzanne's Sentinels of New Orleans series. I confess to not reading this series in order as ELYSIAN FIELDS served as my introduction to Suzanne Johnson's writing and to the Sentinels of New Orleans series. In spite of having not read the first two books in this series prior to reading this book, I was able to pick up the story and characters as I read.  So, contrary to what I've read in other reviews, it worked very well as a standalone for me. I quickly fell in love with the uniqueness of the well-plotted story, the historical setting and the characters - human and otherwise.

I love DJ! She totally rocks! Drusilla "DJ" Jaco, geeky blonde wizard-in-training with elven blood, is the kick-ass heroine in this series. She's smart, never gives up, and has a sense of humor that had me laughing out loud more times than I could count. 

As this installment begins, DJ is working on perfecting her elven magical powers with the most annoying wizard ever. She's getting tired of rejecting advances made by her neighbor, Quince, who is supposed to be in love with her best friend, Eugenie. She's finding that she no longer wants to ignore her attraction to honest, sexy, hunk Alex Warin (I'm Team Alex all the way!). As if all the above wasn't enough to keep her busy, she's investigating murders in New Orleans which seem to be committed by the famed creepy serial-killer Axeman. Whew! 

Thanks to a tip from the undead HOT pirate Jean Lafitte, DJ knows that a necromancer is controlling the resurrected Axeman. Unfortunately, the Axeman is now targeting DJ too. How can she protect herself from the Axeman and solve the murders? I was enthralled from the opening line and stayed on the edge of my seat through-out - all without having read the previous books! Don't get me wrong; As soon as I finished ELYSIAN FIELDS, I inhaled the first two books in short order as I was driven to read about how all these characters developed - especially DJ and Alex. But ELYSIAN FIELDS is one fabulous book all by itself. 

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes:

"Great. We had an undead serial killer quoting Tennyson."
---

"Was she bonkers? The man was an immortal undead serial killer fueled by the cold magic of a necromancer. He wasn't going to pet the azaleas and sing Grateful Dead songs." 
---

He jerked away with an inhuman snarl an a nip at my forearm still clutched in his grip. A burn raced across it as I jerked it away.

We stilled, the moment carved in ice as we both looked at my arm. He’d broken skin. A small scratch, three or four inches long with a deeper jacg at the end. Not serious enough to need stitches, but deep enough for the blood to well up and start a slow drip onto the scuffed hardwood floor of the bar.

Deep enough for a little of the virulent loup-garou DNA to mingle with my own.

Deep enough to change my life forever.
---

"Well, if you're going to talk it to death, never mind." I got up with every intention of marching back to my house and dying of humiliation--it would solve a lot of problems. He reached out and grabbed my arm before I got out of grabbing range, and pulled me into his lap. 
"Shut up." He cradled my jaw in his hands and touched his lips to mine.

I have never been to New Orleans, but I have dreamed of visiting there. Suzanne's writing is so life-like, this book took me there! The setting of New Orleans post-Katrina was eerie, interesting and illuminating. Living in Florida, I can fully relate to the devastation that hurricanes can render. Now I am also aware - and won't ever forget - that the storm's energies can also free the historical undead and an assortment of paranormal characters. Yikes! 

After reading ELYSIAN FIELDS, I can unequivocally state that I am hooked on The Sentinels of New Orleans series, The world and characters the author has created are, without a doubt, incredible. If you loved, and now miss, True Blood, this series can be your fix!  I can't recommend it enough! If you enjoy highly original, entertaining paranormal urban-fantasies with a vast array of quirky characters and light romance, this series is an hangover-inducing must-read! I have the next book, PIRATE'S ALLEY, on my nightstand now and can't wait to see where Suzanne takes this series next!