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Rachel Caine
HEAT STROKE
book cover

Weather Warden Book 2
2004; Aug; Roc
Buy from Amazon.com (mass market paperback)


Who recommends: Preeti, Linda, Edith, Danielle, JW
Who discommends:

Rachel Caine's HEAT STROKE had me turning the pages. This story continues the adventures of Joanne Baldwin as she figures out life as a new-made genie with help from her lover and fellow genie, David. But David did something forbidden by saving Joanne's life and the price to be paid is coming due. We get the skinny on the origin of genies, their powers, and some more about genie culture.

The inter-personal stuff in HEAT STROKE was as aborsbing as in ILL WIND. Plumbing the world of genies in this one was as fascinating as all the weather and demon-mark stuff in the last. But the actual magical problem in HEAT STROKE involving a rip in the ether (or something) and little floating lights (or something) completely failed to engage my interest (obviously.) Additionally, multiple characters in the story all talking like they're escapees from a Buffy the Vampire Slayer script can get a little wearying. But the sassy, contemporary, funny, angst-filled, paranormal nature of HEAT STROKE, perhaps also influenced by Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is very welcome.

I liked the story enough to eagerly await the next volume, CHILL FACTOR. Caine is a natural storyteller.--Preeti (6 Aug 04)

Preeti already gave a concise review of this book, so I'm going to try not to say too much about the plot and spoil the surprises. In short, I was very happy with the romance in Rachel Caine's HEAT STROKE. Additionally, seeing the view of the world first laid out in ILL WIND from the other side (the djinn side) was fascinating. The history of the only other living man-made djinn and his tragic romance and what followed was really something!! I was interested in all of it--the mystery of the rip and the blue sparkles included. Confused about the danger, too, since you were kept guessing on what it was...but never bored. And while Joanne and David do manage to solve the mystery and save the world, you do get left with a kind of cliffhanger on another front. Preeti, I'm so jealous that you got to read CHILL FACTOR already!! I think it's coming out this year, though, so I'll try to be patient. :-) You can put me in for a high recommend for HEAT STROKE in the meantime!--Linda (26 Sep 04)

I loved the first Rachel Caine book, ILL WIND, and think I would have enjoyed this book a lot more if I hadn't just read MaryJanice Davidson's UNDEAD AND UNWED. Unfortunately this one also had a heroine with attitude who is into SHOES. I started out thinking "Geeze, not again!" but was quickly drawn into the story. There were two huge weak points, however, and they both came at the end of the book. The first comes when the heroine refuses to take advantage of the opportunity to kill a person who is the personification of evil. This pissed me off. If sheÕs going to be written as strong and feisty, then it would be really nice if she had some balls instead of being a pathetic soft-hearted weenie. The other weak point was the confusing and unsatisfying explanation of the "blue sparkle" phenomenon. So all in all, I'd give this a mild recommendation. Fun, but flawed.--Edith (13 Nov 04)

There's rather too much "woo woo" hand-waving in the second book. And I agree with Edith that if Joanne is supposed to be so tough, she should show it. She lets people get away with too much.--Danielle (7 Dec 04)



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