Book Review: Ill Wind by Rachel Caine

It seems like it takes me longer between books than it used to. Not just seems, it has been. Definitely. I've been finding it difficult to focus on reading while I'm in the midst of revising/creating/editing book 2. So...the summer reading list fell apart. And, I'm fine with that. But I need to keep reading. The alternative is a persistent vegetative state. I know how I get.

That's why I'm glad I picked up Rachel Caine's Ill Wind. Ms. Caine is one of my urban fantasy peers from the Fangs, Fur and Fey group--I've been building quite a library from the authors on that list, so I figured I should justify the expense. Plus, this book didn't appear to have any of the usual suspects (vampires, werewolves, faeries, or zombies).

In Ill Wind, Caine introduces us to Joanna Baldwin, weather warden, car enthusiast and smart ass. So, you're asking what's a weather warden, well it's not your local meteorologist people, think Stephen King's Carrie running her shtick in a hurricane. Joanna's got a big problem, she's been saddled with a murder rap and a nasty demon that's slowly taking her over. The only person who can help her out is missing. She's skrewed, no? Well yes, at least once.

Caine sets the story on the road and it plays out as fast as Joanna's vintage Mustang. The world is inventive and populated with interesting characters, especially the Djinn, or genies, to you and me. These are only the second djinn I've read in recent years, the first being Christopher Moore's snarky creation in Practical Demonkeeping. Always fun stuff.

My rec? Check it out. This would have been great summer beach reading. Totally.

Next book: Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest