P.L. Blair, author of fantasy/detective novels, has written her fourth book in the Portal series, Sister Hoods. Readers will be delighted to discover intrigue and mystery in a world of nymphs, satyrs and a herd of unicorns in - of all places - magical woodlands on the Texas coast. Characters, Kat and Tevis, form a band of heroes in an attempt to save the woodlands from devastation -- and their inhabitants from becoming homeless.

All of Blair's books are based on the perception that there are magic worlds adjacent to our own which exist in "portals." Before time as we know it existed, the portals were open and free, permitting their inhabitants to access the "real" world. Our ancestors were at liberty to hang out with wizards, elves, trolls, hobgoblins, thus creating the legends that we know of today.

If you've read Blair's Portal books, you know that her characters, Kat (a human) and her partner, Tevis (an elf) are detectives with the Corpus Christi, Texas police department and go about solving crimes caused by magic gone awry. In Sister Hoods, Kat and Tevis catch up with magical nymphs who have just robbed a bank.

Why did the nymphs need to rob a bank for money? Because the woodlands in which they live are being threatened by forces they must deal with - or lose their home. If they don't do something about the situation, a wyvern will be released when the woodlands are destroyed. Wyverns are the less intelligent relative of dragons, and their sole requirements are to sleep, breed and eat. Wyverns will eat anything - but, they prefer humans!

It's clear to Kat and Tevis that something must be done to help the woodland creatures, but what and how will lead them into a run of fantasy and mystery they never expected. The woodlands they must save are a wondrous land of magic that turns out to be ancient, powerful and dangerous in a way that could threaten the world in which humans live.

The plot thickens as Kat and Tevis realize that the woodlands are also threatened by a developer who wants to bulldoze these fragile lands and build condominiums. Even worse - the developer is backed by a group of menacing wizards who would like to seize the land and its magic and use it for their own sinister purposes.

Sister Hoods will appeal to a wider group of readers than simply fans of fantasy novels. Those who enjoy detective, mystery and suspense novels will also find Sister Hoods a wild and thought-provoking read. The Portal series books focus as much on building characters and interactions between the characters as it does on plots, and readers will find that the characters in Sister Hoods will remain in their minds long after the book is closed.

It's easy to see why readers of Blair's books range from children to senior citizens. There's something for everyone in the magical land that lies somewhere between fantasy and reality, and the action-packed and mysterious drama keeps readers wanting to keep turning pages until the surprise ending.

Fantasy novels are evolving into a cross-genre that everyone can enjoy, and Sister Hoods, by P.L. Blair is a book that has something for fantasy, detective, mystery and intrigue fans -- and anyone else who wants a well-written and entertaining read.

Review by Lauren Smith

Sister Hoods by P.L. Blair

Article Source: Sister Hoods - The Battle to Save a Magic Forest ( )