Horror Book Reviews
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Title: Ill Wind (Weather Warden | Book 1) |
Review of Ill Wind (Weather Warden, Book 1)
- First in the new Weather Warden series...
Joanne Baldwin is a Weather Warden. Usually, all it takes is a wave of her hand to tame the most violent weather. But now, she's trying to outrun another kind of storm: accusations of corruption and murder. So, she's resorting to the very human tactic of running for her life...
Her only hope is Lewis, the most powerful warden known. Unfortunately, he's stolen not one but three bottles of Djinn-making him the most wanted man on earth. Still, she's racing hard to find him-before the bad weather closes in fast...
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Comments for Ill Wind (Weather Warden | Book 1)
- Posted on 2008-11-20
When storms are brewing....
When storms start brewing, enter the Weather Wardens. These Weather Wardens are a group of several hunderd humans with special powers. They can change weather, fire, earth and more. Also involved in the world of Weather Wardens? Djinn, genie in a bottle, people meant to serve their masters. Oh, and Demons, who want to rot people (or Djinn's) from the inside out. Joanne is one of these Weather Wardens, she is fairly new to the group but has some of the strongest and unrestrained powers. The books starts off with Joanne on the run from the Weather Wardens, who are blaming her for murderering one of their highest ranking members. Joanne is off on a road trip to try to find the one person who may be able to help her. Along the way, she meets many characters, and some old friends as well. She also encounters more than her share of bad weathers, some very malicious and created just to cause harm to her. The story is fast paced and the ending is very unexpected. More than one, didnt' see that coming, moment. I tremendously enjoyed the flashback sequeneces where we witness a younger Joanne coming into her powers and then follow her joining with the Wardens. I am hard pressed to say where I feel let down by this book. After practically coveting the Morganville Vampire series, perhaps I expected too much from this series. I think to start, Joanne isn't exactly my cup of tea. She kinda acts a little like a hoochie and that was a turn off for me. Even when being leered at in a bikini by a nasty old guy, and commenting on being sexually harrassed, she doesn't really seem to mind it that much. Also, the descriptions of the weather stoms breaking up molecules and all that, didn't have the impact that I would have expected. I never felt like there was ever any real threat to Joanne or her friends. I have the next book on my shelf already and I do look forward to reading it. I am hoping this series goes uphill from here. A three star rating isn't bad in my book, but I feel like I was expecting something more.
Score: 3
- Posted on 2008-11-01
Angieville: ILL WIND
So I finally got around to picking up my first Rachel Caine book. ILL WIND is the first in Caine's Weather Warden series featuring Joanne Baldwin. I have to say I really like the cover design and artwork on this series. Simple, classy lines accompany the smooth, witching weather artwork making the overall package quite pleasing. I'm looking forward to how they'll look all lined up nicely on my shelf.
Joanne is a weather warden, one of a few hundred people on Earth gifted with the ability to control the elements. Jo's gift is over water and air. She can summon up a storm and divert a disaster, but whenever a warden uses her power, the energy fallout has to go somewhere. And it's a daunting, thankless task managing where to expel it without creating another disaster along the way. Jo's job is made that much more difficult by the fact that she's recently become the unwanted owner of a Demon Mark, and the darkness inside will slowly consume her if she's unable to find a way to discharge it.
Caine's writing is highly accessible and I had trouble putting the book down in between sittings, mostly because I liked Jo and David (and Lewis). I liked the unusually deft incorporation of flashbacks to Joanne's college years and warden training days to show the reader how she came to be the girl she is. It's always fun sinking into a new world, particularly one like Caine's--that rare urban fantasy sans vampire, shape shifter, or other furry beastie. Although Jo's world isn't a completely Mythic Creature Free Zone. Most advanced wardens are given a Djinn--a magical being bound to serve them. (And, yes, they do usually come complete with a bottle to call home). The Djinn were a fun addition to the world and I can tell they're going to play a much larger role in the books to come.
Score: 3 - Posted on 2008-10-16
interesting series
I picked this book just to kill time, but ended up liking it. I'm going to read book 2 because the series seems interesting. The plot is original, but has the elements I like in Kim Harrison, Charlaine Harris, and early Laurell K Hamilton. There are no vampires or werewolves, but if you like magic, you will like this book. It is a little slow at first, but picks up and makes you care about the characters.
Score: 4
- Posted on 2008-09-18
Some Dirty Weather Ahead...
Joanne Baldwin is on the run... She's a Weather Warden, part of a secret organization of people with powers that can control the elements and keep mankind safe. One of her superiors has been killed and her own people suspect her (rightly as it turns out, but it was self-defense). She has also been infected by a demon and those in power can't help her--only take her powers away (and possibly leave her a mindless wreck, if it doesn't kill her outright). There's only one person who may be able to listen to her long enough to believe her and help her--a powerful renegade Warden.
With her love of classic muscle cars and her wise-cracks, Joanne is almost a typical urban fantasy heroine. She's got power and she's got a heart and she's got some even more powerful, nasty folk against her. (I wonder what it is with these heroines and Mustangs? C. E. Murphy's Urban Shaman has got a character with a Mustang as well.) The supernatural beings here aren't vamps and weres, but Djinn--slaves to the Wardens, they act as power sources and aides.
The suspense and adventure and danger made for a past-paced page-turner. The mystery was interesting, if a bit odd (I didn't think the enemy could do half the stuff that was thrown at Joanne, but I may have missed something!). I really liked the idea of the Djinn; it certainly added a unusual aspect to the story. There wasn't much depth to anything, but if you're looking for a fun read... with characters that may grow in future books, this is not a bad place to start. I'm actually quite curious about the Djinn, so I'll be reading the next book in the series soon.
Score: 4 - Posted on 2008-09-18
Very Good Supernatural Series
I found the Weather Warden series looking for books similar to the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. While a bit lighter on the supernatural side, it is a very good series, and despite what others may say, I *definitely* don't consider these romance books. Sure, there's some romance, and there's some girly stuff every now and then, but it's really very minimal, and from a guy's perspective, it doesn't at all detract from the storyline. Mind you, this is not a literary classic, but the whole series is very, very entertaining for somebody looking for an urban fantasy series with a dry wit to it.
Score: 5
