Windfall: Book Four of the Weather Warden [Mass Market Paperback]

Joanne Baldwin has had a tough time in this series. She started out on the run, died, became a Djinn, became human again and linked to David in a way that will spell their destruction. Now Joanne is in Florida as a morning weatherman's assistant (read that as comic relief) and is trying to rebuild her life now that she is no longer a Warden and no longer Dead. But things just won't let her rest.

Joanne's boss is too luck predicting the weather. The powers that be think Joanne is tampering with the weather. David has almost completely degenerated into an iffrit. Head Djinn Jonathan wants her to cure David or else. Joanne's sister is in trouble and crashing at her place. A cop if following Joanne around. And then things get bad and complicated. Joanne's past is catching up to her. The death of Quinn in Las Vegas has long arms. The Djinn are now tired of the rule of Jonathan and slavery to the humans. War is breaking out and Joanne is always right in the middle of things.

Well, the story of Joanne and David finally sees a form of resolution but the ending, combined with the excerpt of book five, shows us that things are not going to calm down for awhile. Joanne loves fast and powerful cars and her life seems to parallel that love. Interludes between the chapters provide some much-needed information about the way the world works although it takes a while to be obvious. All in all a fast-paced read that stands well with the rest of the series (now if I didn't have to wait a year for the next one). If you have been enjoying the series, this one will not let you down.

Just when you think Rachel Caine cannot outdo her previous Weather Warden offering with action, twists and wit, she creates something so riveting you cannot put the book down even if you wanted or had to. Windfall is the fourth book in the Weather Warden series and the best one thus far. No sooner does Joanne Baldwin free herself from one conundrum than she lands in another. She quit her job as Weather Warden and now settles for a job as Weather Girl for one of the local stations. She has gone from saving humankind from the elements of Mother Nature to smiling in front of a camera wearing sun or rain costumes and getting soaked with water. But that is the least of her problems. Her sister crashes into her home after her husband dumps her, a vengeful cop won't leave her alone until she tells him what happened to his former partner Quinn (villain from Chill Factor), her sister starts to play house with Cute British Guy (the name Joanne and her friend use to describe him), and Joanne may be losing her powers, for David is becoming an Ilfrit and is feeding from her power. On top of everything else, there are rogue Wardens with demon marks chasing after Lewis and the Djinn have had enough and are killing Wardens in order to obtain their freedom. They have also separated into two groups and have begun what could well become a supernatural Civil War. There are many twists throughout the novel.

There isn't one single boring moment in this novel. There are so many twists and turns that you don't notice that you've almost reached the end of the book (or at least that's what happened to me). I wish it had been longer. There are so many awesome scenes and wonderful dialogue going on. The action-packed scenes are second to none and you picture high-budget film sequences as you read those parts. Of course, no film could ever take away the enjoyment of reading a book like this one! Joanne is as fun, quick-witted and cool as ever. She still loves fast cars and flirts with attractive men, despite loving David and doing just about anything for him. I love David, but his future is uncertain after reading this novel. I am loving Lewis though. The author keeps hinting at a possible rekindled romance between him and Joanne and that would be interesting to me. Great characters like Rahel and Jonathan are back, but there are some great new ones as well. I love Joanne's new friend and colleague Cherise. The pretty, fashionable, UFO-obsessed Weather Girl is the perfect complement to Joanne. I love their bantering! I also like Sarah, Joanne's sister, and I absolutely love bad boy cop Armando Rodriguez. I hope he will be featured in future installments. Eamonn is an interesting, three-dimensional villain and he will no doubt wreak some more havoc in future books. All in all, this is by far the coolest Weather Warden book to date, and they've all been great fun. We are left with several cliffhangers and I look forward to reading Firestorm with utmost anticipation. Keep these great installments coming Ms. Caine! You and Charlaine Harris have become my favorite fantasy authors.

Well, Rachel Caine has done it again with her latest installment of the Weather Wardens series. "Windfall" is a deeply visceral, emotional, and shattering thriller. Midway through the book, I wasn't sure what type of review I might write, because make no mistake, this is a difficult read for fans of the series. Hands down, it is the darkest so far, but also incredibly riveting, expressive and utterly heartbreaking in parts.

As always, the writing shines. Descriptions of characters and situations literally bring the story to life before a reader's eyes. Heroine Joanne Baldwin continues to evolve and mature, while still holding to the kick-ass, make-no-excuses attitude that keeps her so unique a character. Fascinating new players are introduced here as well, from the fun and appealing Cherise (Joanne's partner in weather broadcasting hell) to some scary and intense new villains -- one of whom emerges in a twist that's both anticipated and still shocking enough to take your breath away. While I missed former players like Marion Bearheart and the mysterious Ma'at (who have a cameo appearance here), a healthy dose of uber-Warden Lewis and his ward, Kevin, helps to fill the void. I'm not convinced that Caine has resolved the Joanne-Lewis-David triangle for good just yet. Which only makes things more interesting. David junkies like myself will struggle with the awfulness of his transformation -- one which began in "Chill Factor" and that grows progressively worse in this installment. Through it, we get a greater glimpse of who the Djinn are, as well as a history of their union with the Wardens -- one that brings new meaning to the old saying that love hurts.

What's more, Windfall expands and intensifies the conflicts of the Warden universe. The author has been skillfully building these since the beginning of the series with a frightening inevitability that resembles nothing so much as a march to war. In the context of real world events, that makes these stories timely, and it's amazing the way that Caine evokes that kind of reality, even in a fantasy-based setting. And even though this novel left me craving a double martini and a hefty dose of Prozac at the end, I can't recommend it enough. Fans of the series will not be disappointed...

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