A Book Obsession..

Firestorm

, by KT

Firestorm by Rachel Caine

Weather Warden #5

Rogue Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin is racing to New York to warn her former colleagues of the impending apocalypse. An ancient agreement between the Djinn and the Wardens has been broken, and the furious Djinn, slaves to the Wardens for millennia, have broken free of mortal control.

With more than half the Wardens unaccounted for in the wake of the Djinn uprising, Joanne realizes that the natural disasters they’ve combated for so long were merely symptoms of restless Mother Nature fidgeting in her sleep. Now she’s waking up—and she is angry....

After narrowly escaping the event of the last book, Joanne has a whole new challenge, maybe the biggest one yet, motherhood. When Johnathan sacrificed himself for David to be restored as a djinn, he also gave life to Joanne's djinn daughter, Imara. She never really believed Imara could possibly be able to be born without David's death, and she really did not expect her to be born as a six foot tall amazonian goddess. Imara looks just like Joanne, just made "exotic." Now that all the normal djinn, including David, have been possessed by mother nature and turned against all of humanity, Joanne realized its up to her to try and convince Mother they are worthy of survival. If she fails, so does all of humanity.

Even though it came at a complete shock, Joanne takes to motherhood very well. She instantly forms an unbreakable bond of love with her daughter and would do anything to protect her. This is kind of ironic considering Imara is a djinn who is so much more powerful than a human, but a mother wanting to protect her child truly is universal. Imara has all of the knowledge from both her parents, but she still has a vulnerable aspect to her. At times it is almost easy to forget she is only a few days old, but then she will do or say something to show that vulnerability. I don't know if it was as a result of Joanne and David's immense love for her, but I found myself instantly caring for her. She was born just in time for the world to start crumbling, and must learn immediately the hard lessons of life.

Joanne has always been special. When she was human, she was abnormally powerful with weather, then she became a djinn and all the powers that came with that. Now that David is no longer draining her, Joanne's powers are finally back in full force, with a new addition as well. Her change back to human made her manifest new powers in the fire warden category, which is extremely rare. Putting her powers aside, there is something even more special about her. She is the only one who even has a chance at convincing Mother Earth of humanity's worthiness. It isn't really clear why this is, but my guess would be that it is because of her constant self-sacrifice and drive to do the right thing no matter the cost.

This is yet another fast paced book in the Weather Warden series that will not disappoint. Each book makes me only care more for the characters, especially the newest one, Imara. The ending is very heart wrenching, and lives up to cliffhangers of the previous books. Just like its predecessors, this book is a must read for any urban fantasy lover.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Firestorm (Weather Warden, Book 5)

Windfall

, by KT

Windfall by Rachel Caine

Weather Warden #4

Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin's stormy personal life is taking its toll on her patience-and her powers. But when the truce between the Wardens and the mystical Djinn starts to self-destruct, Joanne finds herself forced to choose between saving her Djinn lover, saving her Warden abilities-and saving humanity.

Joanne, the poor girl, has so many different sides gunning for her. The wardens want to magically neuter her now that she is no longer under her thumb. David's condition is quickly deteriorating as well as her own powers. Johnathan wants to destroy her because he blames her for David's condition. Half the Djinn want her dead along with the rest of humanity. As if that wasn't enough, the mess with Quinn is coming back to haunt her in the form of a very determined cop as well as someone even more sinister than Quinn himself. She also is trying to deal with now being poor and a slimy, pig of a boss.

In her mind, her biggest fight is David's condition, all the other issues take a far backseat. If she doesn't find a way to fix him, he will continue to lose power until he becomes just a mindless, power sucking, killing machine. She needs her powers more than ever to protect herself now that the peace between the wardens and the djinn is crumbling. However, in order to keep David alive and himself, she must let him continue to slowly eat away at her powers, but that puts her and her unborn djinn child at an extreme risk of being completely drained to death. She has to basically choose between herself and her unborn child and the man she loves more than anything. I think the only reason she is even considering not choosing David over herself is because of that potential baby. In the past she has never hesitated to sacrifice herself for others, but how do you pick the love of your life over your own child?

Just like the previous ones in the series, this book is extremely fast paced and one thing after another is thrown at Joanne. It seems it will only be a matter of time before she won't be able to pick up the pieces anymore. It ended with yet another cliff hanger, and the next book promises to be even more of a "nail bitter" than this one. This is most definitely not a series to read out of order as one book thoroughly leads into the next. Make sure to start at the beginning, and you won't be disappointed.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Windfall (The Weather Warden, Book 4)

Chill Factor

, by KT

Chill Factor by Rachel Caine

Weather Warden #3

Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin has protected the human race from monster storms, been killed, reborn as a Djinn, and then restored to her original form. Now she's throwing the dice to stop an infinitely powerful, deeply disturbed kid-who is holed up in a Vegas hotel-from bringing on a new ice age.

Poor Joanne has really had a rough couple of weeks. She started on the run from murder charges, died, was reborn as a djinn, died again, and came back as a human. This book starts with Joanne and David trying to reach Las Vegas to stop the teenager, Kevin, who stole powers and enslaved the leader of the Djinn, Jonathan. Unfortunately they have not been able to make any progress as Kevin, via Jonathan always finds them before they get even close. Joanne finds herself stuck in the middle of a secret society and quickly learns she cannot trust anyone because even her friend seem to have no issue with using her as a pawn.

I've come to realize that I really should just expect the unexpected in this series. I cannot count how many times I thought "Woah, didn't see that one coming." Its amazing to see everything that is thrown at Joanne, yet she still seems to survive and come up kicking. At one point, Jonathan, who seems to have it out for her, even says "You really know how to survive, I'll give you that." I really admire her strength and determination to do the right thing. Yes, she does have a major weakness for cars and shopping, which she does at really odd moments, but in the end she makes sure to fight for what is right even if it means not taking the easy way out.

I'm starting to worry a little about Joanne and David's future. They just haven't been able to have any real time together, something always seems to tear them apart. I hope things do not fizzle between them. I love their chemistry and a lot of what I love of this series is the dynamic between the two. Hopefully they will at least get a little time together if not some peace in future books. However, with the way things ended in this book, it makes their future seem even more shaky.

This book was just as suspenseful as the first two. I love how the author integrates things from Joanne's past and makes them relevant to things happening now. Considering how she is always out to save the world, it was nice to see that she might actually be an important part of the puzzle, versus just a girl with a hero complex. This book is a great read, but beware that you will want to have the next book ready as the ending of this one will make you want to jump right into the following one.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Chill Factor (Weather Warden, Book 3)

Follow Friday & Book Blogger Hop (3)

, by KT

On fridays I participate in both Follow Friday and the Book Blogger Hop.

Follow Fridays is hosted by Parajunkee's View, and is just Fridays.

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy-for-Books, and runs Friday to Monday. There are new rules for the hop, so make sure to check out Crazy for Books for the details.

This week's hop question is:

Do you listen to music when you read? If so, what are your favorite reading tunes?

I don't listen to music while I read because I don't get sucked as far into the book when I do. However, I do listen to music while I'm blogging. I have to say my favorite group to listen to while blogging is Nickelback. I've always loved their music and it usually helps me get into the flow when I'm writing my reviews.

Heat Stroke

, by KT

Heat Stroke by Rachel Caine

Weather Warden #2

Mistaken for a murderer, Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin is hunted down and killed by her colleagues. Reborn as a Djinn, she senses something sinister entering earth's atmosphere-something that makes tomorrow's forecast look deadly.

Wow, I thought the first book was good, but this one blew it out of the water. It picks up right where the last one left off with Joanne trying to figure out her new Djinn powers. Even though David tries to hide it from her, Joanne quickly finds out there are consequences for him saving her. The leader of the djinns, Jonathan, gives her a week to learn how to support her own power or both David and her will lose their lives. Jonathan sends her to another djinn for training but a disturbance ethereal plane starts reeking havoc, leaving Joanne to try and save the day. Again.

We learned more about what djinns really are. I find their "ethereal" lack of true bodies to be interesting, as they are truly just pure energy. It takes conscious effort to take maintain human form, something Joanne really struggles with at first. Her battles with reforming without nudity make for some comedic scenes. Unfortunately, before she can really start to train herself, Joanne gets claimed by a human It was horrible for Joanne to see firsthand how helpless a bound djinn really is. When their master orders them to do something, they have no choice but to obey regardless of how horrific the order is. Luckily she uses her innate sassiness to her advantage to keep some semblance of control over her own actions.

There are plenty of twists and turns, (and some "untwists" of events from the first book), that just kept me on the edge of my seat. This definitely is a book you will wind up reading in one session as you will not be able to put it down. The ending was a cliffhanger leading right into the next book, and I can't wait to see how Joanne digs herself out of yet another mess.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Heat Stroke (Weather Warden, Book 2)

Ill Wind

, by KT

Ill Wind by Rachel Caine

Weather Warden #1

Joanne Baldwin is a Weather Warden. Usually, all it takes is a wave of her hand to tame the most violent weather. But now, she's trying to outrun another kind of storm: accusations of corruption and murder. So, she's resorting to the very human tactic of running for her life...

Her only hope is Lewis, the most powerful warden known. Unfortunately, he's stolen not one but three bottles of Djinn-making him the most wanted man on earth. Still, she's racing hard to find him-before the bad weather closes in fast...

Joanne's character is fun and sassy. She loves "real" cars and isn't afraid to dress sexy and be proud of it. She has a kick butt and take names attitude, and has the power to back that attitude up.There were several times in the book where she could have just taken the easy way out. However, she chose not to because doing so would have put innocent people at risk. Any time it came to a choice between the safety of others and her own, she always put her own safety second. This is such an admirable trait to add to other great characteristics.

This book had a lot of "flashbacks" to previous events in Joanne's life. Usually I do not care for flashbacks to the past in books, because they usually make the story choppy and break up the flow. However, these flashbacks were really well done and only added to the story. They gave just the right amount of information and were led into and out of perfectly.

David's character, as well as his motives, were much of a mystery for most of the book. However, his heart seems to be in the right place and set on Joanne. The romance between them, while a little on the fast side was enjoyable. It played a major part of the book, but didn't become excessive and take over the plot. The two make a realistic pair, and I really enjoyed the interaction between them, especially Joanne's sassiness. I hate it when one person becomes so complacent that the other person's personality completely takes over, but that was definitely not the case in this book. Neither of them just jumped in head over heels for the other one. They both kept their stubbornness and didn't bend over backwards for the other, keeping themselves separate people.

This book was full of suspense and twists and turns. The ending completely surprised me and the future books will only be even better because of those events. This is definitely a must read, I cannot believe I didn't read this sooner! Pick it up now, you won't be disappointed.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Ill Wind (Weather Warden, Book 1)

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

, by KT

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights an upcoming release we are greatly anticipating.

My pick this week:

Pale Demon - Rachel Morgan #9

by Kim Harrison

Publication Date: February 22, 2011

Amazon Pre-Order: Pale Demon

Condemned to death for black magic and shunned, Rachel Morgan has three days to somehow get to the annual witches convention in San Francisco and clear her name. If she fails, the only way she can escape death is to live in the demonic ever after . . . for ever after.

Banned from the flight lists, Rachel teams up with elven tycoon Trent Kalamack, headed for the West Coast for her own mysterious business. But Rachel isn’t the only passenger along for the ride. Can a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car survive for over 2,300 miles? And that’s not counting the assassin on their tail.

A fearsome demon walks the sunlight, freed after centuries of torment to slay the innocent and devour souls. But his ultimate prey is Rachel Morgan. While the powerful witch with nerves of steel will do whatever it takes to stay alive, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.

I love this series and this cover! Kim is one of my favorite authors, and I really cannot wait for this to be released.

The Mage in Black

, by KT

The Mage in Black by Jaye Wells

Sabina Kane #2

Sabina Kane doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to family. After all, her own grandmother, leader of the vampire race, wants her dead. So when she arrives in New York to meet her mage relatives, the reunion puts the fun in dysfunctional. Not only is mage culture completely bizarre, but everyone seems to think she’s some kind of ‘Chosen’ who’ll unite the dark races. Sabina doesn’t care who chose her, she’s not into destiny.

But the mages aren’t Sabina’s only problem. In New York’s Black Light District, she has run-ins with fighting demons, hostile werewolves and an opportunistic old flame. Sabina thought she’d take a bite out of the Big Apple – but it looks like it wants to bite back.

Sabina has major trust issues in this book. It is no wonder she has a hard time accepting her father's family after finding out she has been lied to and manipulated her entire life by her mother's family. She has a terrible temper and is very sarcastic, but that's only her "tough as nails" exterior, inside there is a world of hurt and pain. That facade does get a little old at times as she cannot seem to have a conversation without being snarky, but it is somewhat understandable as it is her version of "armor" to protect herself. As the book goes on, she starts to show more of her true feeling underneath.

Even though there wasn't any real progress in a relationship between Adam and Sabina, I felt more of a potential between them than in the prior book. Unfortunately, it is only a potential at this point, he was absent for too much of the book for anything to happen. Despite his absence, Sabina starts to allow herself to feel something for him and realizes at this point in her life, he is the only person she trusts to any extent. I hope in future books we get to see more of them actually together.

The mage's treatment of her irked me. If Sabina is supposed to be this "chosen" one, why does everyone seem to blow her off and act like she is an imbecile because she has lived differently than them. You would think if they believe she is that important, the mages would want to listen to her, so their dismissing behavior does not make sense to me. She does seem to gain some respect as the book goes on, but it just isn't enough in my opinion. She's either important to them, or she isn't. They cannot expect her to be this "chosen" one without their complete support.

This book was fast paced and jammed pack with action from beginning to end. Despite a few grievances, this is a pretty good book, and I eagerly anticipate the next installment.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
The Mage in Black (Sabina Kane)

Red-Headed Stepchild

, by KT

Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells

Sabina Kane #1

In a world where being of mixed-blood is a major liability, Sabina doesn’t really fit in. And being an assassin – the only profession fit for an outcast – doesn’t help matters. But she’s never brought her work home. Until now.

Her latest mission is uncomfortably complex, and threatens the fragile peace between the vampire and mage races. As Sabina scrambles to figure out which side she’s on, she uncovers a tangled political web, some nasty facts about her family and some unexpected new talents. Any of these things could be worryingly life-changing, but together, they could be fatal …

This time, it’s personal.

Sabina is an assassin, the only career she was allowed to have because of her mixed heritage. The entire vampire race, looks down upon her as if she were contaminated. It has been forbidden for Mages and Vampires to mate. Since Sabina is the result of such a couple, she is continually "punished" for her parent's sins. She has been trying to make her grandmother, the leader of the vampires, proud of her all her life. But no matter how hard Sabina tries, her stone cold grandmother only has disdain for her because of her mixed blood. She has always taken assassination jobs without question, but her latest assignment and meeting the mysterious mage Adam, makes her start to question her loyalties.

I really enjoyed Sabina's character. She's sassy and strong, as well as an accomplished assassin, but she isn't overly tough. Some female characters are so "tough" they hardly seem to have a feminine side, but this isn't the case with Sabina, she definitely has a softer side. She is very loyal despite her rather tough upbringing, She may be a little bullheaded about that loyalty, and refuses to think ill of her grandmother, but ultimately does not stop her from seeing the truth. I love how she realizes the difference between loyalty and blindly following something.

My main complaint about this book would be the lack of romance, or at least a real possibility of romance in the future. I don't mind a lack of romance in a book as long as future books seem to be leading towards a real potential between two characters. There was a slight sexual tension between Sabina and Adam, but it just wasn't enough to get me sucked into the idea of the two of them together. Adam's very mysterious, and I think I would need to know more about him to really feel a true attraction between the two.

The book was very good and ended well. There were plenty of twists and turns that kept me sucked into the book from beginning to end. I look forward to seeing where Sabina chooses to place her alliances in the next book.

Rating:

Buy now at Amazon:
Red-Headed Stepchild (Sabina Kane)

Teaser Tuesday (2)

, by KT

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser is from Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells. I just finished it last night, and since I have not started a new book yet, I'll count it as my current read. This one comes from 92% of the way in according to my kindle. (Sorry, no page number, that's one of the very few downsides to the kindle)

"We're not going to kill *blank*. *blank* doesn't deserve an easy way out."

I put the *blanks* to substitute the name as to prevent a spoiler, but I do love that teaser ;)