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26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Does the lady have it a little too rough?, September 5, 2006
I like the "Weather Warden" series a lot, so I snatched this right up and read it basically straight through. It was good, but at the same time I started getting nervous for the next in the series.
You see, the lead character in this novel goes through, well, Hell. In places almost literally. I'm beginning to get the feeling that I got while reading the Fisherman series, where after a while I just couldn't take the punishment anymore. The lead character in that series just takes beating after beating both physically and mentally, until he's a morass of guilt and psychological pain-- and the novel dwells on it.
Likewise the novels of Laurell K. Hamilton, which have grown from great adventure/horror/romance into page after page of egotistical males jealously growling at each other, or unearthly faeries playing high-handed politics. For what seems like the entire novel. I can't read them anymore, because I just got sick of it after a while.
The reason I bring these other series into this review (and I realize that Ms. Caine should be so lucky as to have a career like Hamilton's) is because they are examples of the flaw in "Firestorm"-- they lack balance. The mystery, the adventure, the description of new places and things, gets short shrift in the face of the punishment of the protagonist or an obssession with one single facet of the nature of people.
There's a lot of deus ex machina in "Firestorm." The lead character doesn't seem to be able to get herself out of a scrape-- she's always rescued just when she can't go on, used her last erg of strength, by her lover David or her daughter Imara, or typical love-triangle plot-thickener Lewis.
Caine has introduced a new type of supernatural being, called an Oracle, which she seems very excited about in the dedication of the book, but perhaps all the details about Oracles got edited out. They basically function as a McGuffin-- something to chase after, but which you never get to know the truth about.
Overall, a good book and I really enjoy the characters. I just hope the next book regains some of its balance, some of the humor and adventure of the earlier novels in this series.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely breathtaking, February 1, 2007
I must be the only person who's reviewed this book so far who doesn't think it moved too fast or rushed through it. And I certainly don't think Joanne has become a bad character. FAR from it.
Well ok, Windfall (the previous book to this) is the best Weather Warden book to date, but this is my second favourite, purely because it has lots of Jo and David scenes in it. Windfall was lacking a lot of their relationship, so to have lots of them makes this book awesome.
If you've read the other reviews, you'd know the plot - it's continuing on from Windfall's exciting cliffhanger, and you get thrown in the deep end straightaway. If you didn't read Windfall, you won't have a clue what's going on. But here it is simply: Jonathan, the head Djinn of them all is now dead, and Joanne's lover David has taken his place. David told Jo to warn the Wardens that the Djinn/Warden relationship is now over and that the Djinn can no longer be claimed. Jo, along with her trusty sidekick Cherise heads for New York City to Warden HQ. Also accompanying her is her newly born Djinn child, Imara, who was born grown up and in Jo's words dresses like a Victoria's Secret fashion model (ie better then she does). Jo and Imara's relationship is just adorable - they are so cute together. They have the usual mother/daughter arguments but always get along. What happens to Imara in this book is heartbreaking, and you really feel for Jo.
There is also a sidestory of Jo's sister Sarah and her evil boyfriend Eamon - he'd kidnapped Sarah and will kill her if Jo doesn't get him a Djinn. You find out why he needs one later in the book. Jo has to put up with this along with the fact that the world might be coming to an end and she is the only one who can stop it.
As always, the characterization is excellent - Jo is (as always) our feisty fun heroine, and I don't think (as a previous reviewer said) that she is turning into a damsel in distress. She takes care of business in her own stylish way and she never gives up. All the favourite characters are back - David, Lewis, Marion, Cherise, Rahel and there's a couple of new faces. Jo and David's relationship, like I mentioned before, takes a place in the spotlight for this book and I love it. All the scenes where they are together are riveting reads, and one of my favourite bits is where they have an argument about Jo's car, it's very cute. Jo delivers her narration with wit and personality and keeps you reading.
The worst thing about Firestorm? The ending. It's another cliffhanger, and it's about a million times worse then Windfall's one. We have to wait till August to see what happens in Thin Air, and it can't come quick enough for me.
Overall, this is another strong Weather Warden book and a fine addition to this absolutely magnificant series. Rachel Caine is an amazing author (and a very nice person to boot) and it shows in this book. Bravo, Rachel! Another winner, a definite 5 stars from me.
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29 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Exhausting..., September 12, 2006
All the Weather Warden books are good - okay, very good, excellent even - but this one just plain wore me out. From start to finish it is fast, furious, and doesn't let you, or Joanne (our herione) breathe.
The adventures in Firestorm has a redundant pattern that seems unbreakable. Duty, distrust, anger, pain, horror, sadness. That challenge finished, go to the next where Joanne again faces duty, distrust, anger, pain, horror and sadness. No rest for the weary, the same ugly scenario plays over and over and over, each time becoming more and more intense. Seriously well-written, you feel every bit of pain and anguish Joanne does. Unfortunately, you never get a moment to weep or heal, the next crisis comes too quickly for that indulgence.
There were several points in this book where I just plain wanted to give up, and hoped the heroine would as well. If Joanne had, at any point said, "That's it, you've broken me, I'm jumping off this cliff, ya'all can go to hell in a handbasket without me.", I would have sighed and answered, "well, Duh, about time, let me hold your coat," and cheered her on. Trust me on this, for Joanne, suicide would be a step up on her happiness scale.
I honestly don't know if I'll want to read the next book in the Weather Warden series. If the ending of this one had been even vaguely hopeful, I would have at least felt it had been worth the struggle, but there is no ending, only the promise of more pain and suffering.
Reading so that I might again wallow in depression and futility has never been my shtick.
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