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Windfall by Rachel Caine

I think this was my favorite Weather Warden book so far. Having washed her hands of the Wardens, Jo is back in Florida working a pay-the-bills job as a "weather girl" with a local TV station. The hilarious part is she doesn't even get to predict the weather. She just stands around in nightmarish costumes (picture huge foam suns with face cut-outs and bulky clouds dripping glitter rain), forced to grit her teeth and smile as the schmaltzy-beyond-belief weather man struts his stuff. Fortunately she has a new friend in the feisty Cherise--the petite and beautiful weather girl who drives a Mustang, gets to wear flattering bikinis, and never gets buckets of water dumped on her.

Jo's carefully laid plan of flying under the supernatural radar while trying to figure out how to revive David gets blown to smithereens when her estranged sister shows up on her doorstep in need of a place to stay at the same time as the local Wardens come after her for supposedly tampering with the weather in a Big Bad sort of way. Meanwhile, nobody can find Jonathan, the free Djinn are starting to form into factions, and the whole conflict seems to be quickly ratcheting up the scale from debacle to outright civil war.

The great thing about Windfall is the new characters that are introduced. I loved Cherise and I really liked Jo's sister Sarah. Together they bring a human quality to the story that seemed to be lacking in the last two books and that, I think, Jo desperately needs if she's going to stay afloat. It's good to know there are people who care about her and who will be there when she needs a friend or someone to help ransack the dump for a missing bottle. Four books in and Rachel Caine continues to keep the tension taut, the stakes high, and Jo's wardrobe awesome. On to the next. I'm so glad I found this series after six books were already out...

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  1. Anonymous4:26 PM

    I really loved the first books in this series, but after a while, the cliffhanger endings started getting on my nerves!

    You're lucky you get to read them all in one go :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Angiegirl4:36 PM

    Seriously. If I had a long wait in between, I'm not sure I'd be able to maintain my enthusiasm. Particularly since, as you say, they tend to end mid-crisis and the overarching conflict is so huge.

    As it is, I'm able to down them in big bibliocandy gulps.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thea2:08 AM

    I totally understand where Li is coming from!

    But I *still* love this series--it is one of my top 3 UF series'. Each book raises the stakes, and they do get increasingly heartwrenching to read...but I keep coming back for more! At this rate, Angie, you'll be completely caught up for Gale Force later this year!!

    And I agree, Cherise and Sarah are wonderful (if somewhat frustrating) characters. And I totally love that Jo has an eye for clothes and designers--I can't remember where Miu Miu flats come in, but I believe it's the next book. Wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Angiegirl12:28 PM

    Yep, love the fashion talk. Of course, it does make me want to go out and buy myself a whole new shoe wardrobe. It's been sooo long since I've bought new shoes.

    So Thea, what are your other 2 top UF series'?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thea10:04 PM

    Oh shoes. I love looking at them and trying them on, but I feel so terrible spending a bunch of money on pretty kicks I hardly ever wear! Although since it's warming up, it's about time to get some new pretty sandals...hmm...

    My other top 2 have to be Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series, and Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan books. Guh. I love every single book for both!

    So...are you done with Firestorm yet? :P

    ReplyDelete
  6. Angiegirl4:50 PM

    I completely agree about Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series. That would have to be my top UF pick.

    I actually haven't read any Kim Harrison yet.

    I'm just about done with Firestorm!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thea10:02 PM

    Mercy Thompson is just plain awesome. I highly, highly recommend the Rachel Morgan books--I discovered them this year and read through all six rapid-fire style. Mercy used to be my favorite UF series...until Rachel Morgan!

    ReplyDelete

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