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Ill Wind by Rachel Caine
May. 16th, 2008 02:17 amIn a modern world where people called Wardens keep Mother Nature in check and from wiping out the world, Joanne Baldwin is a Weather Warden, a Warden who (obviously) can control and affect the weather. Normally she's little more than your normal up and coming (if ambitious) staff Warden, but recent events have put her on the run as a fugitive accused of murder, desperately in need of a djinn and with a considerable bit of the Wardens of the World Council after her. Her only hope is to find her old "friend," Lewis, who is supposed to have three unbound djinn of his own. On the one hand, Lewis is also on the run from the Council, and has been missing for years. On the other, Jo is the only one who has a clue where to find him. Along the way she picks up a hitchhiker named David, who has his own ties to the mess her life has become.
The book starts off mid-action, with Jo on the run and calling her friend Star for help, then flipflops between the current action and the events leading up to it. This isn't my favorite storytelling technique, especially when, like here, there aren't chapter breaks to help the reader keep up, but it works pretty well. The world building and system of magic are interesting and well done, and I like fantasy series where the world is different from our own(or the past) only by "this type of magic exists, and everyone knows it" and Jo is a strong heroine without being "look at me, i'm badass." (Listen, I love my badass heroines, but I can only handle so many UF "look at me, I'm badass because I have an attitude and I'm speshul" heroines with overly complicated love lives before I have to start being choosy about which ones I'll keep reading about. Jo has an attitude and seems to be speshul, but she's more Angel season 2 Cordy than she is Buffy.) Furthermore, it is an urban fantasy series without a vampire or werewolf in sight. And, so far, no hints of endless romantic complications with a revolving door of love interests to "keep things interesting." Though that could change.
The book starts off mid-action, with Jo on the run and calling her friend Star for help, then flipflops between the current action and the events leading up to it. This isn't my favorite storytelling technique, especially when, like here, there aren't chapter breaks to help the reader keep up, but it works pretty well. The world building and system of magic are interesting and well done, and I like fantasy series where the world is different from our own(or the past) only by "this type of magic exists, and everyone knows it" and Jo is a strong heroine without being "look at me, i'm badass." (Listen, I love my badass heroines, but I can only handle so many UF "look at me, I'm badass because I have an attitude and I'm speshul" heroines with overly complicated love lives before I have to start being choosy about which ones I'll keep reading about. Jo has an attitude and seems to be speshul, but she's more Angel season 2 Cordy than she is Buffy.) Furthermore, it is an urban fantasy series without a vampire or werewolf in sight. And, so far, no hints of endless romantic complications with a revolving door of love interests to "keep things interesting." Though that could change.