Week 26 ~ Ill Wind

Week 26 ~ June 25-July 1, 2007

Ill Wind
by Rachel Caine

(urban fantasy)

This was a highly amusing book, and one I'd been meaning to read for months before I actually got to it. I'm glad I read it, sad I waited so long, and happy that there is more to the series already waiting for me.

I liked the fact that Caine seems to be sticking to a limited number of paranormal creatures. Wardens (weather and otherwise) and djinn. At this point, that's it. And I like that. I'm not against vampire novels, or werewolf novels, or whatever. But I'm getting sick of books that seem to throw them all in merely because they seem unable to figure out which ones to leave out.

I also liked the way each individual paranormal was limited. Weather Wardens can't control fire, unpartnered djinn aren't as powerful as djinn with Warden Masters, etc. Limits and balances are nice.

The ending had a nice semi-twist, one that I sort of saw coming even though I didn't expect the exact end result. I did see some of the mini-twists coming, though the identity of the Bad Guy was one that made perfect sense afterwards and yet I didn't anticipate it. It was nicely written, and the series will make a nice addition to my bookshelf.