Review of Orleans by Sherry L. Smith

Smith, Sherri L.  Orleans.  Putnam, 2013.

After Katrina, New Orleans was ravaged with six more hurricanes, each stronger than the previous one.  This has brought about an epidemic of Delta Fever, which attacks the blood and eventually causes death.  The combination of Delta Fever, hurricanes, and flooding has resulted in a dwindling population and destruction of the city.  Out of desperation, the United States government puts up The Wall, in an attempt to quarantine the city and save the rest of the US population from the same fate.

The book begins after the year 2025, and New Orleans is barely recognizable, filled with scavenging, and kidnappings and killings for blood, thus changing the city’s name to Orleans.  A type of caste system is in place, with blood typing being at its heart.  Many people believe that banding together with others who have the same blood type affords safety and security.  However, blood is considered a commodity and many will resort to any measure to get it.

Fifteen-year-old Fen de LaGuerre tries being a freesteader for a while but eventually joins the O positive tribe, led by their pregnant chieftain, Lydia Moray.  Lydia goes into labor at the same time that the O positives are attacked by another tribe.  Before she dies, she begs Fen to get her newborn baby, who does not have the virus, over The Wall so she will have a chance at a better life.

In the meantime, Daniel Weaver, a twenty-four year old scientist working for the military, has illegally snuck into Orleans to gather data in an attempt to cure Delta Fever.  He is carrying with him vials of the mutated live virus because he is afraid what the government will do if it comes into their possession.  Wearing a containment suit and armed with a datalink, similar to a tiny computer, Daniel has disguised himself as a leper in order to avoid detection.

Fen’s and Daniel’s paths cross when they are captured by blood hunters and locked up together in a blood farm’s holding cell.  Upon escaping, Fen reluctantly decides to help Daniel find the Institute of Post-Separation Studies, where virus research was conducted before The Wall was erected.  In return, Daniel will help Fen get Lydia’s baby out of Orleans and into the hands of adoptive parents.

The journey that Daniel and Fen will take to accomplish their tasks is daunting and dangerous, filled with deception, death, sacrifice, and, ultimately, survival of the fittest.  There are many backstories to explain how New Orleans became Orleans, how Fen has managed to survive, and why Daniel is searching for a cure for the virus.

Readers, hang on to your hat for a wild, wonderful ride through this book.  It is filled with wonderful, descriptive world building and tough, likable characters.  Having grown up in Louisiana, I have a soft spot in my heart for any book set in that colorful state.  This book was so good that I didn’t want it to end.

Fen de LaGuerre is a tough female protagonist, but has a nurturing side to herself that not many people see.  She is a determined, resourceful, and strong young heroine.  Fen has been through so much in her young life and seems much wiser beyond her years.  I would pit her against Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games) any day of the week!

Daniel, on the other hand, while being smart, is completely clueless when it comes to the inhabitants and terrain of Orleans.  Sometimes it seems he has no common sense because his mission blinds him.  It takes some time for him to realize that he can actually rely on Fen and trust her judgment.

Orleans is told from the viewpoint and both Fen and Daniel.  Fen’s voice will take some getting used to because she “talks tribe”, a type of regional color dialogue.  Some readers may find it off-putting, but I felt it lent itself well to the plot.  There is a timeline and short section at the beginning of the book explaining how the hurricanes and the fever overtook New Orleans.  The front matter also includes pages that look remarkably like primary source documents issued by the government.  On a side note, it is refreshing to read a dystopian novel that contains no romance or love interest!

I am officially adding Sherri L. Smith to my favorite list of young adult authors!  I plan to read anything she writes!  I highly recommend Orleans to high school and public libraries.  I enthusiastically give it five out of five fleur de lis!!!!

Reviewer’s note:  I was thrilled and lucky enough to get a signed ARC of Orleans from the author at the 2013 TX Library Association Conference in Ft. Worth, Texas in April.

Review of Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Sepetys, Ruta.  Out of the Easy.  Philomel, 2013.

Josie Moraine, the seventeen-year-old daughter of a prostitute, lives in Charlie Marlowe’s bookstore, where she also works, in the New Orleans French Quarter.  Josie’s mother, Louise, has never been a maternal figure, instead preferring the company of men to that of her daughter.  Josie has had to grow up fast; she learned to make martinis when she was seven years old.   By age eleven, she had found a home at the bookstore, while her mother lived at Willie Woodley’s New Orleans brothel and kept company with Cincinnati, a known associate of Carlos Marcello, the godfather of the New Orleans mafia.

Josie longs to leave New Orleans and her past life behind.  When she and Patrick, Charlie’s son, meet Charlotte Gates, Josie sees her chance to get out of New Orleans.  She applies to Smith College in Northampton, MA, where Charlotte is a student.  Unfortunately, getting out of New Orleans is not easy.  It seems that at every turn, Josie’s mother is there trying to pull Josie down to her level.  Cincinnati is always nipping at Josie’s heels, and people assume she will turn out just like her mother.

Thank goodness Josie has friends that take an interest in her and care about her.  From Cokie, the cab driver, to Willie, the brothel madam, to the prostitutes that work for Willie, and Jesse, the flower salesman---they all want protect her and help her to succeed in life.

When a murder happens to a visitor in the French Quarter, Josie feels that it is not a heart attack, like the coroner has ruled.  She tries to hide evidence while she figures out the mystery but becomes a victim, herself.  Now that her admittance to Smith and her tuition is in jeopardy, how will she ever find a way to leave New Orleans?

This historical fiction novel was just delightful!  The story is built around the book’s characters and the culture of New Orleans.  I loved the way that the French Quarter life and its historical figures were woven into the plot.  Ruta Septetys has a real gift with her ability to paint vivid pictures with descriptive words.  What a great idea it is to have a bookstore as a main setting and safe haven in this story!

Dora, Evangeline, and Sweety—Willie’s “girls” are strong female characters, despite the fact that they are “working girls”.  In fact, all the female characters in the book are strong, with the exception of Louise, Josie’s mother.  Who in the world would even think of naming her daughter for a madam, even if she is the “classiest madam in Storyville”?  Josie calls Willie her “wicked stepmother with a heart of gold”, and she truly is much more of a mother figure to Josie than Louise ever has been.

Anyone who is a fan of historical fiction or loves a good mystery will enjoy this novel.  I highly recommend it to high school and public libraries.

Review of Darkness Becomes Her

Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton.  Simon Pulse, 2011.

Thirteen years ago, New Orleans was destroyed by two hurricanes, which also decimated the southern half of Louisiana. Now called “New 2”, the old New Orleans and the surrounding area has been bought and rebuilt by the Novem, a group of powerful Louisiana families. The rest of the United States believes the rumors that exotic, mysterious New 2 is a sanctuary for paranormals. (And it is!)

Seventeen-year-old Ari Selkirk, who has been different all her life, is searching for her biological mother who gave her up for adoption at age four. What sets Ari apart are her teal-colored eyes and silver hair, which can never be cut, curled or colored. She has grown up in the foster care system, and her search leads her to New 2. Ari is befriended by Sebastian and his unusual friends, who try to help her discover why monstrous demons are trying to kill her and why her mother abandoned her. It all has to do with a family curse, and she must try to break the curse. Otherwise, she could end up dead, like her grandmother, at the young age of just twenty-one!

Darkness Becomes Her is the first young adult novel for Kelly Keaton, who has previously only written for adults, under the pen name “Kelly Gay”. The author has managed to incorporate quite a lot of Greek mythology into the story, along with the paranormal element. Since I grew up in Louisiana, I really enjoyed the descriptions of New Orleans, with its voodoo undercurrents and mystical references. Ari is a cool, but tough heroine, who doesn’t realize just how beautiful she actually is. Sebastian, who turns out to be her love interest, and the other outcasts who live with him, are just as intriguing, each in their own way. I expect these characters will be more developed with the next two books in the series.

Unfortunately, I did find a mistake in Ms. Keaton’s research. On page 28, she refers to the area around New Orleans as having counties. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. that does not have counties; instead, it has parishes, due to heavy influence of the Catholic Church on Louisiana’s heritage. I am surprised that this error was not discovered during research, or caught by the editor.

Darkness Becomes Her is a dark, necromantic read, sure to keep the reader turning pages! Look for two more additions to this series! I recommend it for high school and public libraries.