Chill Factor (Weather Warden, Book 3)

by Rachel Caine

Book Overview

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451460103
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Ace
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.7" x 0.9" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Brilliant fun - this series just gets better and better

This third instalment of Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series is a brilliant continuation of her story. Joanna Baldwin has been a human Weather Warden, a Djinn, and she's now back to being human again and, once again, doing her best, despite blundering around not knowing what's going on, to save the world. What's been really interesting about the way Rachel Caine is building these stories is that it's not just the same or similar story rehashed each time, but she's introducing new elements with each book. In book 2 we had the Ifrit; now in Book 3 we are introduced to a whole new secret society working against the Weather Wardens. Once again Joanne's past catches up with her and influences the situations in which she finds herself - old enemies come back to haunt her. Rachel Caine has very effectively built the love affair between Joanne and David in these three books. They are learning to trust each other, and although the time they actually spend together in this book is very limited, you get a real sense of closeness between them. Of course Joanne's other potential beaux are still out there - Lewis, Paul, even perhaps Jonathan... but it's nice to read, for once, of a sassy, modern woman being consistent and committed to her man. Even if he isn't a man but a Djinn. Like book 2, this one ended with a definite idea of where the next book is going to go. All is not well in Joanne's world and she evidently has a lot of work to do in book 4 to rescue David from the fix he's found himself in. However, these books probably do work OK as standalone books, although I think this one might have been a little confusing if you hadn't read the previous two. I love the way that Rachel Caine portrays her heroine - she's just so much fun. Long may she continue writing!

Gets better every time!

Chill Factor, the third installment of the Weather Warden series, is full of the non-stop action scenes and page-turning narrative that made Ill Wind and Heat Stroke riveting. Joanne Baldwin, Weather Warden, has been through a lot of things in a short period of time. She had been given a demon mark, gotten killed and reborn as a Djinn, only to return to her normal human form. Now she has to go after Kevin -- the troublemaker teenager that made her Djinn existence a living hell in Heat Stroke. He is in Las Vegas with powerful Djinn Jonathan. Jonathan wants to find missing Djinn, and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants, and that includes taking advantage of the powers that Kevin had stolen from Lewis. But Rachel hadn't expected coming across a secret anti-Warden organization. She also hadn't expected the twists that transpire between her and her Djinn lover David. There are many twists throughout the novel. This novel is a roller coaster ride of action coupled with twists and turns that kept me riveted until the end. Many things happen in this third book -- things that make me understand some of the characters better. Lewis is finally developed in this installment. His behavior in the previous two books makes more sense to me. Marion is also further developed in this installment. She is a more dimensional character this time around. The other characters -- namely Jonathan, Kevin and Rahel -- are dark and have very obscure personalities. You don't know whether they are good or bad. I am sure they are intended to be that way. Joanne continues to be the young, fun, sassy heroine who loves fast cars, fast men and the latest fashion trends. She manages to maintain her spunk during the most chaotic scenes. She is one of the best heroines I've read in books of this genre. The Weather Warden series has become a favorite of mine. This series gets better with each installment and I cannot wait for the release of Windfall.

A Wicked Low Pressure System on the Horizon...

With the third book in the Weather Warden series, author Rachel Caine has truly hit her stride. Chill Factor is a tightly-wound, fast-paced and action-packed story, rich in detail and characterization, and an utterly absorbing read. Though I agree it would be tough to follow this book without the benefit of reading the first two, for those who've made the journey thus far with Caine's multi-faceted cast of characters, the payoff in this latest installment is substantial -- thought-provoking, emotionally intense, and ultimately satisfying. Joanne Baldwin is not a heroine whom I identify with in a lot of respects. But for the first time, in this book, I found myself truly warming to her, even to the point of laughing and yes, crying at some of the more riveting turns. Caine has added layers of depth and complexity to her, drawing the character's inherent honor and integrity much closer to the surface. And the secondary players continue to expand and evolve as well, both good and evil, from those we already know in some detail (David and Lewis) to others whose motivations have been more of a mystery (Jonathan, Marion Bearheart, Kevin Prentiss, et al). In the author's skillful hands, the initial plot surrounding the rogue partnership of Kevin (uncontrolled Warden) and Jonathan (all-powerful Djinn) widens into a greater conflict -- one encompassing missing/kidnapped Djinn, the ethics of a Warden bureaucracy that may in fact be rotten to the core, and the imminent future of a planet whose natural forces remain dangerously unbalanced -- all against the glittering backdrop of Las Vegas and the raw, desolate beauty of the desert southwest. Meanwhile, relationships stretch and tangle. The connection between Joanne and her Djinn lover, David, remains at center stage -- exhilarating, heartbreaking, and always compelling. New readers to the series would be better off beginning with the first two installments, the excellent Ill Wind and its follow-up, Heat Stroke. Chill Factor ends cleaner, and on a different note than the more dark and disturbing Heat Stroke...but with so many issues left out there to resolve, I'm thrilled at the thought of the fourth book, Windfall, and whatever Rachel Caine has in store for us next.

Didn't intend to pick this book up, but...

I decided I might as well at least read the first chapter. 35 pages later, I realized I was hooked and bought the book. Honestly, this is the best of the series so far, very fast paced and compelling. Rachel Caine is definitely catching her stride as an author! Joanna Baldwin is back from the djinn, once more human. She faces a teenager with inconceivable power and a grudge against the world. Can she stop the kid without killing him? You'll turn pages til you find out.

Just keeps getting better

Our heroes were last seen barreling off to Las Vegas to rescue uber-djinn Jonathon from the clutches of the excessively powerful adolescent nightmare, Kevin. What actually happens is so much better than a simple search & rescue, I can hardly find words to express it. No one has ever really told Joanne the whole story about anything djinn-related (or Weather Warden-related, for that matter) and her Need to Know just hit critical mass. The author has a gift for introducing the unexpected plot twist in a way that fits the world and its established rules. I had a little wish list for my favorite secondary characters...all granted. (happy, sappy sigh) I had a little wish list for my least favorite secondary character...not quite granted, but he got what he deserved and, on the upside, is around for further trouncing. (looks good on him, too) I had a concern for the Warden powers becoming ex machinas for the series...intriguingly addressed. I had concerns about some of the more powerful, less warm'n'cuddly characters getting too powerful or worse, too cuddly. Didn't happen. I fretted over the author tying up loose ends and not having anywhere for the series to go...[SNORT] No, that didn't happen, either. As for the villain? Darn it, I liked him, too! On the whole, Chill Factor is the most satisfying genre read I've had in recent memory, and the first time I've stayed up all night to finish a book since a newly published book had "Dorsai" in the title.