Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Three, Vol. 2 by Brian Buccellato,(Writer), Bruno Redondo (Illustrations), Mike S. Miller (Illustrations)

Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Three, Vol. 2 by Brian Buccellato
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I felt like this was very short but eventful. Superman is no longer neutralized, and he's madder than ever. Constantine is up to his scheming at maximum levels. I liked that this one had lots of magic in it. Injustice messes with my head, because Superman is a terrible and formidable villain. Wonder Woman as well. Ugh, her crush on Superman has made her into a terrible dupe. I am and always will be Team Batman, just saying. The body count is always high in this series, and I hate that people fall in with an authoritarian because he know how to manipulate fear (sounds familiar with the current situation in the US right now). I will finish this because I want to know how this ends. But I will be holding my breath and gritting my teeth the whole time.

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Constantine: Hellblazer, Volume 1: Going Down by Ming Doyle

Constantine: The Hellblazer, Volume 1: Going Down by Ming Doyle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A new Constantine series that feels like old Constantine. Nice. Yeah, it's got the tone and the feel of the older series. By that I mean the cringy, it's the "that's not right" feeling I get when I read old Constantine. They haven't cleaned up this version and made him PC for a "kinder" generation. I didn't like the artwork so much. It's a little squiggly for my tastes. Okay, yes I'll keep reading. It's Constantine.

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Injustice: Gods Among Us, Year Three, Volume 1 by Tom Taylor et al

Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Three Vol. 1 by Tom Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sorcerer John Constantine has been put in the position of assembling a team of supernaturals to take on the greatest menace the world has ever known, authoritarian Superman who has decided he will save humanity by protecting it, and ruthlessly dealing with his enemies. He has amassed a huge toll of fallen superheroes who are working against him with the help of some heavies in the supernatural DC universe. He has aligned himself with villains who care nothing about murdering people. It's just terrible stuff, but riveting reading. Readers won't come out of this series without their minds being messed up. I can't get over how awful it is in a world where Superman is a bad guy, and the whole superhero community is fighting each other because of taking sides for and against him.

This book is timely in that it presents some timely themes about our society. Where freedom in a society is taken away due to fears (or exploiting) about the safety of humanity. Slavery and authoritarianism doesn't save anyone. There is no such thing as benevolent slavery or obstruction of basic rights. I hate that Superman was so mentally and emotionally broken that he ended up this way and led a lot of people to their destruction in the process.

Favorite parts: Harley Quinn, Zatana, John Constantine snark, seeing normals fight the good fight against superpowered heroes.

Least Favorite parts: Gruesome details of DC superheroes that I like. The tragedy of these events.

This series will stick with me for a long time. I think it should be a miniseries on Netflix although it would just about kill me.

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Control Point by Myke Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What if people suddenly manifested magical powers and those powers were either deemed illegal or only could be used under the jurisdiction of the government and military? What if you're in the military and all of a sudden, you manifest powers that are considered forbidden? That's Oscar Britton's journey.

Oscar is a very conflicted character. Everything he thought he knew has been challenged, and his deeply held sense of right and wrong is continually tested as he goes from being on one side of the equation to the other, and back. He's a loyal Army soldier, until he realizes that his handlers might be the bad guys in some aspects.

It's interesting that I read this around the time I saw the movie Captain America: Civil War, because they both deal with similar issues. Does being right mean that you're always on the 'right' side? And how your vantage point can definitely affect how you view the morality of a situation.

The magic was really interesting, and I liked seeing Oscar develop and learn to use his powers. He matures emotionally as this book unfolds, and that isn't always comfortable reading. Some of the scenes were really hard to read, and some characters were downright creepy as heck in their powerful abilities. Also the examination of bigotry and racism (not necessarily skin color, but identity and being other than the norm). It looks hard at the military and how that all works being a grunt and having to follow orders, even if they aren't morally right, according to you.

This is the first book in this series, and I'm curious to see where the story goes next. I think that science fiction and fantasy have the ability to look hard at issues and get a reader thinking about things. This book definitely did that for me. The action was well done and had me on the edge of my seat, and I liked Oscar. I felt sympathy for him, because he was in a very rough situation and he was continually forced to make some difficult choices in this book.

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Playing With Fire by Derek Landry

Playing with Fire by Derek Landy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a crazy book series, but I like that about it. A lead character who is a sorcerer whose body is skeletal. A thirteen-year-old girl who stays out all night fighting evil creatures and sends her reflection to school as a stand in. Heinous, and I do mean heinous villains who don't mind exploding people, along with psychopathic assassins with Southern accents who can dig through the ground and who have a favorite straight razor. Yup. That's what this book is about.

I think that this one is a lot more dark, violent and disturbing than the first book, so I'd definitely warn a parent to read it first before letting a kid younger than twelve read this. The narrator was great. I loved his accents and how he makes these very strange characters stand out. I like his intonation for Skulduggery, rather sarcastic and one of those people who really don't panic. If he does, then you're in trouble. I enjoy his relationship with Valkyrie/Stephanie. She talks to him kind of disrespectfully, but it doesn't bother him. He treats her as an equal.

There were loose ends tied up from the first book that really needed tying. Even a cameo of sorts from Valkyrie's deceased uncle who left her his house and fortune. The sorcerer world grows bigger and more complicated in this book, and Valkyrie has cause to think about the life she's chosen as the descendant of Ancients who has decided to fight the good fight. She realizes how much time she's missing out with her family.

This book is just plain weird. If you don't like weird, pass it by. If you have strong opinions on what young people should read and that list includes violent books with sorcery, monsters and psychopathic characters who have no qualms about harming a 13-year-old girl, then you won't care for this. But if you like fun, weirdly humorous, quirky, sometimes scary, and sometimes creepy crawly books with not a small degree of wish fulfillment for tweens (and messages about empowerment for young girls), then you might like this.


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Constantine, Vol. 4: The Apocalypse Road by Ray Fawkes, et al

Constantine, Vol. 4: The Apocalypse Road by Ray Fawkes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was definitely pretty intense. At times it was hard to follow what was going on with the story. The artwork was good, but the layout was disorganized, which detracted from my rating considerably. Constantine is definitively anti-heroic in this volume. He makes an ugly, mean choice that makes him the de facto bad guy to parties concerned, even if he believes it's for the greater good. I asked myself a few times if I agreed with his decision and on one level, I can't see it working out better the other way. That doesn't make what he did any better. I didn't understand the magic at all, but maybe that's good. I am sure that I don't need to know how to do sorcery anyway. I am studying Revelation at my Bible Study and we just finished Revelation 9, in which the angels are sounding the trumpets, and Constantine makes a reference to that. Who knew I'd have this kind of crossover in this week?

This is still not my favorite New 52, but I keep picking it up. That must count for something?

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Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's been a long while since I read this, but I remembered absolutely loving it. My memories were correct. In fact, I read every book by Diana Wynne Jones I could get my hands on growing up. I've finally gotten a chance to reread this, and I'm glad I choose the audiobook format. Jenny Sterlin was brilliant. She utilizes her voice distinctly for the varied characters. She even makes a distinction between Old Sophie and New Sophie very well. I recommend listening to the audio if you have a chance.

Howl is a real character. He's what you would rightly call an amiable rogue. Howl's imperfections are very much part of his charm. I liked how Sophie spent most of the book annoyed with Howl, but you could tell that she had fallen in love with him. She was awful jealous."I think she doth protest too much." Howl will admit that he's a coward, and he's extremely vain. He's not above manipulating people. But Sophie is a perfect match for him. She doesn't put up with his bull, but at the same time, she's good for him and both Michael, his apprentice.

I love Sophie. She's an awesome character. What pluck despite her timidity and low self-esteem. I liked how as she was under the old age spell, she came into her own and it's understandable. She was freed from the fears and restrictions that had ruled her life as the Oldest Daughter. The older you get, the less you have to lose, and the more you are willing to call it like it is, but also you realize that life is valuable and each moment could be your last. Sophie comes into her own and realizes that she has a unique ability to create magic of her own.

Calcifer is a character. He's a fire demon who has made a pact with Howl. He pretty much runs the castle, and he's incredibly grumpy about it. You could tell that Sophie and Calcifer grew quite fond of each other.

One of the things I love about fantasy most is the world-building and the way that the imagination has free reign. The descriptions of things that are completely imaginary and even from our normal lives, but with an interesting twist. Ms. Wynne Jones knew her fantasy and I could see how influential she was to Neil Gaiman as an author. That twisted convergence of fantasy and the lightest edge of the horrific. The Witch of the Waste is on the periphery of this novel, but she's a disturbing presence. Also, she's a cautionary tale to those who are corrupted by magic.

There's nothing to complex about this story. But simplicity can be gorgeous, and a well-told story outweighs author tricks that pad a novel unnecessarily. I consider this a fantasy classic.

**A note about the movie:

I do so much love the Anime version of this. It's gorgeous, and I can watch it again and again! There are some changes between it and the novel, but it's a great adjunct and exploration of the novel in a visual format. Definitely recommend it, but the source material is where you want to start. Read this book!

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Constantine, Volume 2: Blight by Ray Fawkes, Renato Guedes (Illustrator)

Constantine, Vol. 2: Blight by Ray Fawkes
My rating: 3.25 of 5 stars

I liked this better than the first volume. I felt it was chaotic and at times difficult to follow. The resolution of the Cold Flame arc felt a tad anticlimactic to me. I did like how it tied into the Justice League and Forever Evil arcs. It was nothing to shout about, although it gets some brownie points with the Zatanna cameo (I love her)! And it was good to get closure on Necro Nick.

I'm wishing I had written my review sooner! But maybe I didn't have much to say anyway.

I'd probably give it 3.25/5.0 stars.

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Constantine , Vol. 3: The Voice in the Fire by Ray Fawkes, ACO (Illustrations)

Constantine, Vol. 3: The Voice in the Fire by Ray Fawkes
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I still find the writing in these books confusing, but the stories kept my interest more than Blight, and I wasn't quite as lost. Constantine encounters some real characters in the magical underworld, which I always find fun in a rubbernecker sort of way.

Each story seemed better to me, and the Doctor Fate story packs a pretty good punch. Perhaps this series is finding its feet. I've been watching the NBC Constantine series on DVR, and it's a nice combo to do it this way. I definitely hold a grudge against NBC for canceling it. I don't have much more to say than that.

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars.

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Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics by Ted Naifeh

Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics by Ted Naifeh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This second volume in the Courtney Crumrin series is superior to its predecessor. It's atmospheric and creepy, and a bit sad underneath it all. Courtney is not remotely a sweet little girl. She's cranky and isolated from her peers. She has a devious nature. However, she's also decent and kind when she wants to be. She's so well drawn, her personality coming through loud and clear.

At first, I didn't like that the whole book is drawn/inked in black and white. I prefer color, but it suits the story and the mood very well. The drawings are gorgeous and the use of shadow and light (values) is impeccable. As an artist, it's important to be able to convey everything through the strength of one's skill with that particular medium, and Naifeh definitely succeeds. It's interesting that I just completed a unit on Chiaroscuro in my drawing class around the time I read this. This book enhanced my understanding of its usefulness in illustration.

There is a very sad element to this book that affected me even after I finished the book. I'm still grieving about it, actually. Someone innocent is used as a pawn and injustice seems to win out. Courtney resorts to extreme measures to exact justice, and one wonders what stains that will put on her soul. Her magic ability is growing in leaps and bounds, and it's going to be interesting to see where that goes in the next volumes.

I like her uncle. He's a pretty tough character. I wish there was more interaction between Courtney and him in the books.

An interesting world that seems to be growing in an intriguing way. I'll keep reading these.

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Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landry

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have had the print book on my bookshelf for years, but I decided to try the audiobook from my library as this looked like it would be fun to listen to. Turns out I was right. This was a lot of fun. The narrator was great. He had a delicious Irish accent, although he modified it to suit other characters. I liked his sort of flat tone he used for Skulduggery, making him sound kind of ironic and mysterious, like there was a lot going on under the surface.

At first, it's a bit odd. There's some weird music between interludes, followed by a low male voice saying, "Yeah!" I thought that was pretty weird and random, but it grew on me, fast. I had no expectations, so it was all novel for me. I expected the story to be campy, but it turns out to be pretty dark.

Now the characters.

Skulduggery is a fun and likable character. But he's also credibly tough. He's a sorcerer who happened to lose his body in an epic battle. I wondered how the author would get me to buy into a story where the main character is just a skeleton. It took about ten minutes. When I heard the explanation, I was like, "Okay then." At some points, I'm skeptical that he's so blase about 12-year -old Stephanie going along with him on some very dangerous adventures. But I have to remind myself that the target audience is 12-year-olds. Skulduggery is a chill dude. It's funny how sanguine he is about Stephanie's bossing him around and threatening to hit him. Maybe he enjoys it because he's lonely. He was great friends with her uncle, so he might have developed a fondness for her via his friend. At any rate, he was very tolerant to Stephanie and he clearly took it very seriously to protect her, even if he did take her along on his dangerous missions. Knowing Stephanie, she probably would have followed him. Skulduggery is a good guy. You would think he'd be menacing, with the whole skeletal appearance, but he's an all around good guy, although he does have enough of a dark edge to be appealing and authentic. The interview with him at the end was awesome. Just the right touch for the audiobook.

Stephanie is in some ways very much a girl of her age. Tween and teenage girls have attitude for days. Yes, it's a bit of a generalization, but there is a lot of truth in it. She also had a very vivid inner life that I recognized in myself. Not that I would have wanted to do every thing she does (okay, maybe some of it). She's pretty saucy, if I'm honest. It made me laugh and part of thought I'd get the taste slapped out of my mouth if I had talked to an adult that way when I was a kid. All in all, she's a well-drawn character, with the sass, bravery, sense of honor and a great sense of humor that should appeal to most readers.

Together, they make quite a team. I enjoyed their buddy movie banter. Even if Stephanie could be kind of rude to Skulduggery. I loved it when he told her she was "very annoying."

The secondary characters are good, all making sense to the story. I liked the interactions between Stephanie and her clueless parents. They were cute. In a way, it was pretty obvious that Stephanie pretty much got away with a lot more than you'd expect for her age with them.

I like that the tone of this book stays intense but with some good humor. I like that while Landry doesn't take himself too seriously, he shows respect for the intellect of his young readers. In other words, he doesn't make the story too silly or ridiculous. We are dealing with a very evil set of villains with uber-nefarious purposes. Some aspects were fairly creepy, and it reminded me a little of Simon R. Green's Nightside books in a good way. China Sorrow especially definitely made me think of a Nightside character. Don't get me wrong. I don't think this was derivative at all. It feels novel and unique amongst the many urban fantasy stories I've read or encountered. It has a lot of good action, and Skulduggery can fight, with his fists, with his trusty sidearm, and with his elemental magic. Speaking of, the magic elements were well done. They had a unique feel. I like the explanation about the different types of magic users. I think this series would make a fun movie. I'd be cool with either live action or animation.

I definitely want to continue this series, and I am crossing my fingers that I can get the rest of these on audiobook.

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Black Canary/Zatanna: Bloodspell by Paul Dini, Joe Quinones (Illustrations)

Black Canary/Zatanna: Bloodspell by Paul Dini
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I'd have to give this a 3.5/5.0 because I wasn't enamored of the facial rending of the characters, moreso Zatanna. For lack of a better word, she looked a bit goofy at times, with the exaggerated eyes and arched brows. I'm a bit of a Zatanna fangirl, especially from the previous Paul Dini run, and I liked her look so much better in those. It's a shallow thing, but I can't help how I feel. Overall, the story was good. Pretty straightforward, not a lot of surprises. A cute way to team up to admirable, strong female lead crimefighters, with slightly different approaches. I liked the strong foundation for their friendship and that they made such an excellent team together. I liked the Green Arrow cameo, but I was glad he was strictly a guess star and didn't participate in the major story arc unnecessarily. This is Black Canary's show.

I think readers who enjoy Black Canary and Zatanna will like this book. You may or may not enjoy the art more than me. I was jazzed like crazy that my library had this. Keep them coming!

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars.

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Justice League Dark, Volume 3: The Death of Magic by Jeff Lemire

Justice League Dark, Vol. 3: The Death of Magic by Jeff Lemire
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A disappointing follow up to The Books of Magic. I didn't like the storyline much in this one. I felt the story built up to an exciting plateau, but to me, the conclusion wasn't that well done. I feel like that was a nod to Harry Potter, which is kind of fun. And all the magic creatures looking to young Andrew as their lost leader.

I kind of liked the "What If" when the team lands in the anti-magic kingdom, where their powers don't work. Even Constantine can't lie or dissemble. That was funny, since Constantine is the most honest and forthright you'll ever see him in his life. Kind of felt bad for Deadman and Madame Xanadu since being in the place was particularly bad on them both.

Yeah, I don't remember much else because it's been so long since I read this. Just that it wasn't as good as the last volume. I'll keep reading though.

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Hellblazer: Original Sins by Jamie Delano, John Ridgway (Illustrator), Alfredo Alcala (Illustrator)

Hellblazer: Original Sins by Jamie Delano
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm not sure I can say I like this. The subject matter is quite unpalatable, really. I do have this attraction to occult detective stories, and that's Hellblazer in a nutshell. Constantine is not what I'd call a good man. His compass is flawed, but in his own way, he does try to make things right or do the right thing, even if it's for selfish reasons. He considers himself neutral in the good versus evil war. However, his acts more often than not add to the good side of things. If not, I probably would write him off. The tragic thing about Constantine is that he has left a trail of destruction in his wake, people whose lives were destroyed or taken due in part to a connection to him. I think that this weighs on Constantine, but it doesn't seem to motivate him to change his crooked ways. I did like how he manages to manipulate demons who think they have the upper hand. I wouldn't ever recommend making deals with demons, mind you, but it's amusing that Constantine does and always pulls a fast one over them.

The artwork is vivid, but it doesn't really appeal to me (a lot of yucky imagery), although I like Constantine's looks. Sometimes he looks like Billy Idol, sometimes more like a young Sting. I can see how inspired Joss Whedon was in his crafting of Spike and Giles' characters. Spike has Constantine's punk, don't care leanings, and his use of British insults. Giles' youthful peccadilloes seems very much like Constantine's youthful dabblings in the occult.

I'll keep reading this series, but I think this is one I will have to take regular breaks in between. However, I'm enjoying getting Constantine's background, especially since I am loving Justice League Dark, and since NBC is having a Constatine series starting up this fall.

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Justice League Volume 2: The Books of Magic by Jeff Lemire, Mikel Janin (Illustrations)

Justice League Dark, Vol. 2: The Books of Magic by Jeff Lemire

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I liked this a lot more than the first volume, thus the higher rating. The storyline makes more sense to me, and it's quite menacing with a series of stories where the team is forced to give their 100% in working together to save the world, and a team of people who don't want to work together having to do so. I also liked the look back when Zatanna and Constantine meet, since it ties into the story as an old enemy from their past becomes an issue again.

Also, I liked the way the story leads into a huge arc that promises to provide plenty of fuel over this series. They have a special kid to protect, for specific reasons. Constantine, who is not quite a hero, has to man up and be heroic to save the world. But never fear, he's still up to his shifty tricks. Also, there were some cool cameos that sent me running to the DC Wikia page to do some research.

This story was fun but scary and has plenty of cool magical and action moments. There are plenty of twists and turns and the story feels more developed, cohesive and layered. It's definitely convinced me to keep reading this series. I would have done so half-heartedly before (just because of Constantine and Zatanna), but now I'm invested.

My advice is if you didn't like the first volume, don't give up. This one is much better. I enjoyed the heck out of it.



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Justice League Dark, Volume 1: In the Dark by Peter Milligan, Mikel Janin (Illustrations), Ryan Sook (Illustrations)

Justice League Dark, Vol. 1: In the Dark by Peter Milligan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The short of it:  This is weird!

For a supernatural fiction-attracted person like myself, the idea of a Justice League sub-group with members who are all gifted in the magical/supernatural arena was too awesome to resist.  It has some pretty weighty DC magical members, such as John Constantine, Zatanna (one of my new favorites), Madame Xanadu, and Deadman.  Add some new to me character like Shade The Changing Man and Mindwarp, and you have an interesting cast of characters.  Madame Xanadu is a powerful seer who foretells the end of the world, unless this specific group of people can work together long enough to set things right. That is much more difficult than it seems, with differing agendas and levels of commitment on offer. Not to mention a very powerful, very dangerous adversary, Enchantress, who has lost her human host and is going on a rampage.

Yeah, this was weird.  I think the thing I liked the most was the ensemble cast.  The storyline didn't really capture my interest.  It was pretty gruesome and just plain kooky.  Overall, made the book hard to follow.  Also, some characters had stronger roles than others.  I think that lacking backstory on some of the characters left a few question marks for me. I consulted the DC Comics Wikia and that definitely helped.

Of course, I'm not done reading this series.  It's sort of a mediocre start, but I can see some promise.  Plus, I just love Zatanna and I do have a sort of thing for that rogue John Constantine.

It's a three star rating for me. 



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Constantine Volume #1 by Jeff Lemire, Ray Fawkes, Renato Guedes

Constantine #1 by Jeff Lemire
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was a bit underwhelmed with the New 52 version of Constantine. While it does retain the darkness of the prior incarnation, it lacks some depth. I think that Constantine has a tendency to be the Trickster, always working angles and not above double-crossing people when it give him an advantage. However, there wasn't enough explanation to go along with the visuals in this graphic novel. I think the writing could have been clearer and more expansive. The storyline itself was interesting, although there were certain aspects that I didn't like much. What happens to the kid that goes along with Constantine on his quest initially, was really hard to get past. I mean, Constantine is not a likable guy, but I hated him for what he did. Even if he felt he had good reasons. I did like how it's evident that Constantine knows he's a b*stard. But I don't think knowing you are a jerk and doing anything to change the situation is that big an advantage. Constantine doesn't mind playing dirty to outwit the dirtier magicians/sorcerers that he goes against. If you like an antihero, then you have to face that aspect of his nature. While I'm not always okay with his methods, I can generally acknowledge that its the nature of Constantine. However, I think maybe he goes too far this time.

I'm not sold on the artwork just yet. And the storyline is a bit obtuse. I'll have to see where this series goes. I won't write it off just yet.

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Zatanna, Volume 2: Shades of the Past by Paul Dini

Zatanna, Vol. 2: Shades of the Past by Paul Dini

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


These Zatanna graphic novels are great.  I like the sense of whimsy and fun mixed with the intrinsic warning that magic can have an allure and be misused and abused by dark forces.  While I am more afraid of clowns than puppets, I can completely see Zatanna's trepidation when it comes to puppets. And it turns out she has excellent reason for it.  The story arc about the puppet was spooky in a good way, and it had plenty of twists to it. 

Zatanna's stories go from humorous to very dark, and while Zatanna is a character with an inner light, she is very well equipped to handle even the worst magical bullies.

Unfortunately, this series got cancelled with the 52 reboot, so we don't get to see the conclusion of the Brother Night story. I hope that they come out with more Zatanna adventures outside of her work with the Justice League Dark. I really like her style.



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Zatanna, Volume 1: The Mistress of Magic by Paul Dini

Zatanna, Vol. 1: The Mistress of Magic by Paul Dini

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


My first review got sucked into the Review Twilight Zone, so here we go again.

Zatanna is an interesting mix of showmanship, jocular affability and incredible magical aptitude.  Her costume is a shirtwaist and tails, with a top hat, and she brandishes a magical wand.  Her enemies tend to underestimate her abilities, big time. She's more than capable of taking on the practitioners of the darkest of magics, as evidenced in the story arcs of this book.

This book was an improbably successful mix of a light-hearted vibe and kooky magic tricks and a glimpse into the world in which sorcerers practice dark arts and demons trade power for souls.  It shouldn't have worked, but it did.  I think it's because Zatanna successfully straddles that line of fun-loving, cheerful stage magician and truly talented wizard who uses her skills to protect humans from the world of evil sorcery that she is familiar with through past battles and a heartbreaking loss.

I am watching "Young Justice" on Netflix (fantastic show, by the way!), and Zatanna was on an episode I watched today, and it was serendipity that I had read this around the same time.  I think she's a cool character with a skillset that is distinctive compared to some of the more famous DC Comics heroes.  I found Justice League Dark at my library, where she teams with other sorcerers and wizards to combat dark magic, and I'm looking forward to reading more Zatanna graphic novel content.

I'd recommend this to readers who aren't too squeamish about sorcery and magical content.  One of the baddies is really, really bad, and some folks die in terrible ways due to evil magic, so not for the faint of heart.



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Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson

Royal Street by Suzanne  Johnson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Royal Street is a very refreshing and enjoyable urban fantasy read.  I was captivated by the sights and scenery of New Orleans, and the honest and enlightening perspective of the city during and after the Hurricane Katrina devastation.  We did get refugees (both human and animal) from New Orleans around that time in the Austin, and also the poisoned air drifted our way, causing a lot of allergy and respiratory issues.  Seeing the aftermath from a more distant perspective was painful enough. I can't imagine having experienced it firsthand. Ms. Johnson allowed me to do this in reading this book.  New Orleans has such a personality, that it continually establishes itself as a important character in her own right in books.  This reader is not jaded at meeting this beautiful ancient dame yet again.

Drusilla Jaco doesn't cede all the attention to New Orleans. She establishes herself as a likable character whose story you want to learn.  She's neither too strong, nor too weak.  Her strengths and weaknesses balance themselves out, making her a character I want to accompany on an adventure.  Drusilla is a wizard, which is fun.  Usually the tendency is to make a female UF protagonist a witch, which I feel can be a bit sexist. It could also be that I am not a big fan of witch storylines and witchcraft.  I can and do like the idea of wizards a little more, and why can't a woman be a wizard? In this case, she is not just a wizard, but one with a special heritage which comes into play. That was fun to see Drusilla, or DJ, as she is called, come into herself and her genetic inheritance.

As far as other characters, I definitely liked Alex and Jake. Boy howdy, I do not care for love triangles, but this one feels credible.  Both guys have a lot to offer, and you do feel torn. I have made up my mind who I want Drusilla to end up with, but we'll see what the series has to say about that.  Either way, so long as it doesn't turn into bed-switching (which has become almost an UF staple lately), I'm okay with going along for the ride. Now that Jean Lafitte, he's a character. I find him sexy, but it's in a "I'm so wrong to think he's sexy" kind of way.  I mean, he's ruthless and amoral, and he is physically abusive. I'm not feeling that at all. At the same time, he is a cutthroat pirate, so I can't really ascribe 21st century values to him, can I?  Yeah, I'm feeling conflicted.  At any rate, he's an interesting character.  I can't really tell you about one of my favorite characters, who is in fact an inanimate object that DJ calls Charlie.  Let me just say that Lord of the Rings fans will find it very cool indeed!

As far as the urban fantasy action, this book is pretty good on that score although it could have used more showing and more description.  I did feel that the final confrontation wasn't as exciting and as well-executed as I would have liked. Admittedly, I am a stickler for well-written action scenes, so I tend to grade harder in that area.  I did like that Drusilla does get to save the day. It was important for her to be able to do so, even though she did get a bit of help along the way.

Royal Street is a great start to a series that has me excited to read more.  I liked the concept and the characters are appealing and have me interested in reading more, including the Grande Dame of New Orleans. 

Urban fantasy readers looking for a book that would appeal to both male and female readers should find something to like in this book. I know I did!



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