Name: Ill Wind
Rating: 3.96551724137931 (29 reviews)
ISBN: 9780749079161

Rachel Caine

Joanne Baldwin is a Weather Warden. But now she is on the run from another kind of storm: accusations of corruption and murder. Her only hope is Lewis, the most powerful Warden. Unfortunately, he is also on the run, having stolen three bottles of Djinn and become the most wanted man on Earth.

Ill Wind

When Joanne Baldwin, a Weather Warden who can tame the most violent weather, is forced to flee from the law when murder accusations rain down upon her, she must find the only man who can help her - Lewis, the most powerful Warden, who is also on the run from the World Council. Original.

Briar's Reviews

For years I have been yearning to read Ill Wind by Rachel Caine. I love her Morganville Vampire series so I wanted to dip my toes into her adult novels. I am glad I finally found the first book in this series and picked it up. It's super cute and a definite must read for fans of Rachel's writing!

The general idea of this book is what originally pulled me in: people can control weather. These wardens seem to be something along the lines of the government (different levels, different specialties) and they try to keep each other in line. Certain people are more powerful than others, and of course our lead is! Joanne is the special one in this book, and she has some hunky fellas to chase after.

There's also demons (djinns - they seem like genies, but... bad guy genies?) which seem interesting. I didn't fully understand why they existed in this universe, but they do! 

Now to get back onto track: this book is mostly romance with a splash of fantasy. Joanne falls in love with a hitchhiker who proves to me more than he says he is (or... doesn't say he is?). The end of the book leaves us with an awful cliffhanger (which infuriates me! Why would Rachel do this to me?!) so I'm left knowing I have to read the rest of this series to actually know what happens. 

In my humble opinion, this book felt very niche to me. Especially when I look at other reviews! Some people hate it and some people love it, and there doesn't seem to be much inbetween. As a fan of Rachel, I really enjoyed it! Joanne isn't my favourite character (she didn't seem super bright to be brutally honest) but I like where the story is going. I'd love to see how the whole controlling weather aspect of this story rolls out (haha, jokes... rolling in and out... like a thunderstorm... yeah, I'm hilarious). I also really enjoy seeing the romances play out, so... yeah.

Side note: I want more info on Lewis. He felt like a wasted character since he was talked about a lot but did very little. I'm assuming the future books will expand on him.

Overall, I liked this book. I want to pick up the next book in this series as soon as I can get my hands on it. Rachel's writing has always been a guilty pleasure for me, and it shall continue!!

Three out of five stars.

Nickie Mohler

Joanne Baldwin is on the run. Accused of murder, she flees not only her accusers, but also a raging storm. Joanne is a Weather Warden. She can manipulate the weather. But, so can the people after her. This book was different. It didn't grab my attention right away, so I wasn't sure if I would like it. The second half was faster paced and I ended up enjoying the book. I'm going to give the next one a try.

Someone's finally doing something about the weather...in the first in this series by the New York Times bestselling author of Ink and Bone and the Morganville Vampires series. It's "A FUN READ" (Jim Butcher) from "A FIRST-CLASS STORYTELLER" (Charlaine Harris)... The Wardens Association has been around pretty much forever. Some Wardens control Fire, others control Earth or Water or Wind—and the most powerful can control more than one. Without wardens, Mother Nature would wipe humanity off the face of the earth... Joanne Baldwin is a Weather Warden. Usually, all it takes is a wave of her hand to tame the most violent weather. But now, Joanne is 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 also on the run from the Council. It seems he’s stolen not one but three bottles of Djinn—making him the most wanted man on earth. And without Lewis, Joanne’s chances of surviving are as good as a snowball in—well, a place she may be headed. So, she and her classic Mustang are racing hard to find him—because there’s some bad weather closing in fast... “[Ill Wind’s] forecast calls for murder, mayhem, magic, meteorology—and a fun read. You’ll never watch the Weather Channel the same way again.”—Jim Butcher, bestselling author of The Dresden Files Rachel Caine is the author of several bestselling series, including the Revivalist and Outcast Season novels. Among her many popular novels are Daylighters, The Dead Girls' Dance, Terminated, and Black Dawn.

Book One of the Weather Warden

Kelly Gorman

I had started this book ages and ages ago - and then didn't finish it. When I saw it come up as a book club selection I gritted my teeth and said - okay here we go again. I don't recall *why* I didn't finish it first time around - this was a thoroughly enjoyable read. The action is pretty much non stop and the book grabbed my attention and didn't let it go.

Southern Today Gone Tomorrow

Written by Rachel Caine, Ill Wind follows Joanne as she races to stay alive and find someone who can help her get rid of the demon mark. Also, she is a Weather Warden and has the ability to influence/control the weather. And there are Djinn.

I loved this book. Rachel Caine was such a fantastic writer, and her characters just are so wonderfully realistic, and I think one of the things that really benefited this book is that there weren’t a whole pile of characters, which really allowed this book to be about Joanne and her struggle.

And David, we can’t forget about David.

Overall, if you are a fan of urban fantasy – even, I think, maybe super heroes – and are okay with some romance, then this is a great book. Sassy characters that don’t push the sass over the top, a plot line that keeps you going, and a lot of twists and turns make this a great adventure story to read. If you are okay with romance.

Ill Wind

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