SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion

Hi everyone, we will be reading the 3rd book of the Weather Warden series together. Feel free to join in discussions even if you've read the book.

The buddy read will be starting August 27th.

Can't wait!

Jeann wrote: "Hi everyone, we will be reading the 3rd book of the Weather Warden series together. Feel free to join in discussions even if you've read the book."

Thanks for setting up this thread. I'm looking forward to this one. It might be hard to wait until the end of August... although there are lots of new releases coming out, so I'm sure I'll be able to stay busy.

Thanks for setting this up Jeann. I'm looking forward to reading this. I hope it lives up to the last one.

No problems guys. I think I've solved the notification issue - I just turned off the "You are following this discussion" and then turned it on again and it seems to be working now for that particular thread.

That's good to know. : )

I'm gonna try that cause once again no notification for this thread. Grrr. lol

Hey! This buddy read is coming up. I should be able to get to it either this Sunday or Monday (depending on when I finish my current book).

I'll be starting on Monday most likely since I'll be out of the house most of Saturday and Sunday and I'll be needing to finish up my Bingo book since I just know that New Series is going to be called (I'm trying to talk it into actually happening) and my team will have a chance to win.

Woah that was quick! Yay can't wait to read this! I'll have to see what is called for Bingo too.

I must admit that the Bingo threads are super daunting. Plus, I'm afraid if I investigated further I'd end up sucked into a new reading challenge. : )

Yeah I'm trying to stay away from some things. I've got so many books to read that for a moment there was feeling overwhelmed. I didn't know what to pick to read and I started to freak out that the end of the month was so close, but then I remembered that reading is supposed to be fun and that challenges and due dates don't matter. So now I'm back to normal, but that damn Bingo game has brought out my competitive nature, so I can't ignore that one.

Bingo is so fun, it helps you narrow down your reading pile to a few categories but I must admit it does last for a few months and it's hard to fit in other reads. I've been doing a bingo shelf + a buddy read every week on top of doing book reviews. It's a big commitment but so worth it and fun getting to know other readers :)

It's nice to take a breather between games though just to read whatever you would like for a change.

Anyway, Chill Factor fits in with the magic shelf that's just been called, so looks like I'll be picking this up in about 1-2 days :)

I was just going to go through the list to see if Chill Factor was on there. That helps. I can't believe that it's not a winning shelf again. The odds were seriously against that happening, but I'm glad it's not ending yet.

Sometimes when I can read whatever I want, I can't choose. Then I start wishing I had Bingo or a Buddy read. I'm so indecisive sometimes. lol

*grumbles*I didn't get a notification for this thread again. Aaargh! I'll try Jeann's trick and see if it works next time.

I like the challenges that pair us up together or put us on teams. It's a nice way to meet new people. And I love doing the buddy reads too. : )

Paris - It takes me forever to decide on a new book (when I don't have a buddy read or challenge coming up). I could definitely read quite a few chapters in the time it takes me to decide.

I started this one last night. I'm on page 90 (about 27% in). I know this is silly, but I love having more than 3 chapters! There are 11 in this one, and I'm so excited! (Yes, that's pretty sad.)

These aren't really spoilers, but I'll hide them anyway. This happens in the first few pages and isn't that much of a surprise. (view spoiler)[I love how Joanne is so irritable now that she's a human after being a Djinn. "Being human sucks." She's tired and dirty and hungry and has to pee. Hahahaha. I'm glad Ms. Caine decided to add that into the story. Makes it more realistic for me. (hide spoiler)]

Again, not really a spoiler, and I think it happens in the first chapter. It's an amazing idea. (view spoiler)[David can manifest any book he wants. How great would that be? He is his own library. So jealous! (hide spoiler)]

Crap. I started this last night, but then my Kindle died and I had to charge it so then I started reading something else and got totally wrapped up in that and forgot to go back to Chill Factor. But I promise I'll get back to it tonight.

(view spoiler)[i totally agree. I think it's great that we get to see Joanne being miserable as just a human again. I would be and I think the majority of the world would be if they had to start living life that way again after being able to magically do whatever you wanted and not having to deal with human problems like urinating. (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[Oooohhh I'm so jealous of David. I want that ability although I think I would get so overwhelmed and have a difficult time deciding which book to pick. lol (hide spoiler)]

Hahaha. That's true, Paris. Spoiler for first chapter: (view spoiler)[Access to unlimited books would be very overwhelming. : ) (hide spoiler)]

I read to page 198 last night (59%). I'll wait for you two to catch up, but I will say that I can never guess where Ms. Caine is going with her story. I mean, wow! But I will say (don't check if you're not up to page 198 or so): (view spoiler)[Aha! I just KNEW Lewis had something up his sleeve! He couldn't have hired a hit on Joanne, so I figured it had to be a way for her to get to Las Vegas. (hide spoiler)]

One more thing that happens between the first conversation between Joanne and Kevin: (view spoiler)[I loved it when Joanne told Kevin her real name, and he's like, "That's it." Poor Joanne and her non-exotic, seemingly boring name. : ) (hide spoiler)]

Paris - What was the other book you got caught up in? The battery issue is the one problem with ereaders...

Finally read up to page 37! I just love Rachel Caine's writing, it's always comforting to go back to. I agree Joanne's thoughts make it seem more real, and it really is true that in the Weather Warden world that everyone craves power.

Argh! So even with the addition of multiple chapters I still couldn't just say "oh one more chapter and then I'm going to sleep". So of course last night, I went to bed and started reading and got so hooked that I couldn't stop and I finished the book. I have to remember that no matter what, these are not books to read in bed. They are too freaking crazy and action packed to read in bed.

I love Joanne and her snarky comebacks. And all of her names for people and groups. Her personality lightens up the mood a little even in the craziest of times. I also think that Rachel Caine does such a great job of explaining all the sciency stuff that doesn't make me want to pull my hair out or pick up another book. It would be really easy to lose readers with all the jargon.

Chatper 2/3 (view spoiler)[I was so angry at Paul and Lewis that I wanted to kill both of them for Joanne. Good to see Rahel, even if she is an Ifret (hide spoiler)]

Chaz (view spoiler)[I knew when she started in on the remembering of Chaz that he'd be important to the whole story, but at that moment I really didn't care. Not sure if that could have been introduced better, I felt like it kinda bogged the story down for a moment there. Then she kinda did the same thing when she started talking about finding him that day, there was a lot of information that I didn't need or care about. (hide spoiler)]

General spoilers for the rest of the book (view spoiler)[The Ma'at, I don't know what to think about them. I get this feeling that the Ma'at and the Wardens are kinda like the Democrats and the Republicans. They both think they're right and the most virtuous, even if there are corrupt members or their group. The only difference is that the Wardens don't seem to know about the Ma'at.

I do hope we learn more about them though. I think that they might be an interesting addition to Joanne's world. Especially given that she told Paul to shove it at the end like she should have.

Man Joanne can take a licking and keep on ticking. Throughout the entire book she keeps getting beat down, even in the flashbacks. Its crazy what she endured in this book being human again.

Rahel!! So glad to see her back. (hide spoiler)]

Major Spoiler (view spoiler)[I knew he was doing something to her when he was saying that ritual and Joanne asked him about it when they were in bed. I did not tihnk he was knocking her up. Now the question is, how does that work. Does it grow like a normal baby, even if it won't be born unless David dies? It'll be interesting to see how that plays out. (hide spoiler)]

General thought on the series so far (view spoiler)[I like that the next books bad guy is introduced before the end of the book so you kinda know what you're getting into in the next book. And each book isn't wrapped up completely. There is still an overall feeling of things being left unsettled. (hide spoiler)]

I can't wait to see what you ladies think about everything.

I read up to page 258 (77%) last night. I tried to stop myself kind of early because I knew that (like Paris) I would end up reading the whole thing and staying up way too late. (I ended up reading part of a challenge book instead - one that wasn't nearly so action packed.)

I really like Joanne and her humor too. There were a few times I laughed out loud.

Ms. Caine really likes her flashbacks, doesn't she? At least, there aren't as many as in the first book.

One thing has been bugging me: (view spoiler)[Joanne is so insistent on not hurting Kevin. I know I should be forgiving and understanding and what not, but Kevin is a huge jerk. Do we all remember the last book and how gross he is? He certainly isn't innocent and has been responsible for some deaths. Yeah, he was abused but... I don't know. It seems like Joanne shouldn't care quite as much. Sure, she shouldn't kill him, but let someone else do it. (hide spoiler)]

Paris - I'll check out the rest of your spoilers once I finish the book (probably tonight).

Response to what's bucking (eta: or bugging lol) Jean (view spoiler)[I was bothered by that too. I tried to really get in Joanne's shoes and try to understand why she was so adament about not hurting Kevin, but I couldn't really. I think though that it was just a way for things to play out for Kevin. Cause the reader would probably be mad that she just didn't kill him, but if you explain away not killing him because Joanne doesn't want them to, then maybe readers won't question it as much. (hide spoiler)]

Uh oh, time to catch up so I can read those spoilers hehe :D I haven't progressed much.

Paris wrote: "Response to what's bucking (eta: or bugging lol) Jean [spoilers removed]"

Whats's bugging and also bucking me (hee, hee): (view spoiler)[I figured it was a plot device and that Ms. Caine needed Kevin alive for some reason. Plus, she needed some sort of conflict there. Otherwise, killing Kevin would be too fast. I haven't finished yet, so there might be more to it... (hide spoiler)]

Jeann - You need to catch up!! : )

OK, I finally reached page 101 (30%) last night. I've been so busy lately, have barely had time to read!

I like how every book, you get one memorable outfit from Joanne. These are so naff that it's hilarious! I think in this one, she was wearing a white pantsuit, a neon halter neck top and neon yellow heels. Lol you could just imagine that attracting a lot of attention.

(view spoiler)[Hoping she gets David back. It's interesting how other people are treating her relationship with him as some sort of perverse abuse of power. (hide spoiler)]

I love Joanne's memorable outfits too. I'm always thinking "who would wear that" and then it just fits, of course Joanne would because those are the kind of things that she does or the situations she gets herself into.

Jeann's spoiler comment (view spoiler)[I found that interesting too. It's pretty obvious that she's not the first person to sleep with her Djinn and while people weren't fond of Bad Bob, they didn't really say much about his really perverse use of his Djinn, but that fact that Joanne is in love with hers is super taboo. (hide spoiler)]

You bring up something interesting Paris (view spoiler)[Both Bad Bob and Yvette were grossly misusing their Djinn for disturbing sexual favours and yet they aren't really judged as harshly for Joanne for actually falling in love with her Djinn. Interesting how it works huh? (hide spoiler)]

Jeann wrote: "You bring up something interesting Paris [spoilers removed]"

Yeah, that's right. That's totally not fair.

I finished this one up last night. Definitely exciting. The thing bugging me (message 20) continued to bug me for the rest of the book. (view spoiler)[Kevin is so awful. I know there were a few moments where his "goodness" shone through, but I didn't buy it. Ugh! (hide spoiler)] Unfortunately, this was my major difficulty with the book.

Response to Paris' major spoiler: (view spoiler)[Since David is very close to death and sort of turned ifrit on us but then came back (not totally sure what happened there), maybe that was the "death" that the baby required? (hide spoiler)]

Spoiler for the series in response to Paris:(view spoiler)[I'm definitely glad that all the books have been published. Can you imagine having to wait so long between books? (hide spoiler)]

Spoiler for the book:(view spoiler)[I have to admit that I missed David in this one. I'm glad Marion is on our side though. Really glad to see Rahel again too. Maybe something will happen with Rahel and Lewis? (hide spoiler)]

I have a question. This is a spoiler for the whole book. Sorry, Jeann. : ( Don't worry about catching up. We'll be happy to talk about the book once you're finished.

(view spoiler)[In one of the first flashbacks about the cave and Orry, I thought Joanne said he had his way with her (or something like that) and then left her for dead. I jumped to the conclusion that he raped her. Of course, the final flashback shows that he "only" tortured her. I have to admit that I was happy he tortured her and that I was wrong about the rape. Did anyone else think rape for that scene? I thought it was one of those fade-to-black rape scenes that was implied but not seen. Or maybe I read too quickly over the scene? (hide spoiler)]

I just saw this thread (and am refraining from reading spoilers above me with a valiant effort). Luckily, I have read the first two books in this series, so I may or may try to get this book and get in on the action. We shall see though, a lot of books ahead of this one :)

Sorry Jeann...catch up when you can. We'll still be around when you finish.

Jean's response to my major spoiler (view spoiler)[ oooh I didn't think of that. Perhaps you're right. I mean really anything can happen, everything seems so up in the air with the Djinn and how they're made/born and how they die (hide spoiler)]

Response to Jean's next point (view spoiler)[It would drive me bonkers if they weren't out and I had to wait. I had a hard enough time putting the book down while I was reading it. Waiting a year for the next book would bite. (hide spoiler)]

Response to Jean's final spoiler (view spoiler)[I missed David too, although it was kinda nice to see Joanne on her own sorta. Or at the very least not leaning on a Djinn. I'm glad Marion is on her side too especially since she obviously knows what things are like for Joanne since she fell in love with her Djinn too. Oooohhh... Rahel and Lewis..I like that. I want to like him more, I'm not as attached to him as I think I should be, so maybe a relationship with Rahel would help that. (hide spoiler)]

And last but not least, Jean's new question...(view spoiler)[Wait...you mean she wasn't raped? I really thought he raped her. I swear she made comments about being violated. There were two separate torture scenes. The first one is were I thought he raped her and then left her. Then he came back and woke her up and tortured her and then thought he killed her. Or at least that's how I thought it went down, but the flashbacks were a tad confusing so I could be way off. (hide spoiler)]

Hey Ellese! Jump in whenever you get to the book. I'm loving talking about this series. There really is a lot to delve into and a lot of things that I am getting a different perspective on because of these buddy reads. Would love to see what you think of this one when you get to it!

I'm finally on page 201! Really zooming past everything once I've finally had a good sitting. Feel free to join in our conversations as you read the series Ellese! We'll still be checking.

Jean wrote: "Hahaha. That's true, Paris. Spoiler for first chapter: [spoilers removed]

I read to page 198 last night (59%). I'll wait for you two to catch up, but I will say that I can never guess where Ms. ..."

LOL I totally agree with you about Joanne's non-boring name. But judging from her outrageous fashion choices, tough as nails attitude, and sass and strength to boot, a fancy name would have been a bit too over-the-top I would think.

I just came upon a line on page 201 that describes her perfectly. (view spoiler)[Quinn says "I've seen rich men with power over major corporations break down and cry over less than you have just survived. You gave as good as you got."

It's so true. I really feel like she's being jerked around in this book, first with unsuccessfully trying to deal with Kevin despite her best intentions, the wardens taking David away from her and then effectively 'killing' her. Now she's being interrogated and toyed with by the Ma'at. I just hope she gets a break sometime soon, that's probably more than anyone could take.

And I liked how Rahel showed up at the right time and ate Prada. Lol (hide spoiler)]

Ellese wrote: "I just saw this thread (and am refraining from reading spoilers above me with a valiant effort). Luckily, I have read the first two books in this series, so I may or may try to get this book and ge..."

Hey Ellese! Definitely read this one when you can. We always like talking about books. : ) And you're right - it's hard not clicking on those spoilers...

Spoiler about Lewis: (view spoiler)[Yep, Lewis isn't my favorite. I think I liked him even less in this book. There was really no reason to trick Joanne. She would have gone along with anything Lewis suggested. I'm sure she would have agreed to her "death" in order to get into Las Vegas. (hide spoiler)]

Related to my new question (spoiler for whole book):(view spoiler)[OK, now I'm confused too. : ) I guess I thought the second torture flashback added more information to the first, like she was finally giving us the rest of the information. He violated her by torturing her. Now I'm not sure. I'd think if he did rape her, then she would have been even more upset about "liking" Quinn later. (hide spoiler)]Hmmmm. I think we need Jeann (and maybe Ellese?) to help clarify. We'll see what they think...

Jeann's comment (view spoiler)[She was totally jerked around in this book. Everyone treated her so poorly and like a pawn in this game. Even David. (hide spoiler)]

Lewis spoiler (view spoiler)[I'm so glad I'm not the only one who isn't a fan. I feel like we're supposed to like him despite all the crap he's done to Joanne because of their history, but I just don't think he even really thinks about her at all since we met him. it's all about him, even when he's supposedly martyring himself for the greater good (killing Kevin even though it means he won't get his powers back). I think if he and David had gone to Joanne with their plan she would have totally agreed since those are the two men she loves the most. (hide spoiler)]

Jean's new question major book spoiler: (view spoiler)[I often thought that if he had raped her she would have been more traumatized by it all, but I still never thought that rape didn't happen until you mentioned it. I just thought it was another one of her quirks. (hide spoiler)] I kinda want to go back and read it. I look forward to seeing what Jeann has to say about it. Hopefully she can clear it up for us.

OK Jeann, we can't wait for you. We need you to clear something up. : ) Don't worry, I'm only joking... um, half joking.

okay, so I'm reading and it is pissing me off when the warden HQ or Lewis tell Jo that she can't know about something cuz it is on a need to know basis. hello, she saves the world, like everyday!

Jean wrote: "OK Jeann, we can't wait for you. We need you to clear something up. : ) Don't worry, I'm only joking... um, half joking."

Lol. I think today I'm gonna try to go back and find those scenes. I'll report back if i do.

nope, he (view spoiler)[raped (hide spoiler)] her!

Midu wrote: "okay, so I'm reading and it is pissing me off when the warden HQ or Lewis tell Jo that she can't know about something cuz it is on a need to know basis. hello, she saves the ..."

That seems to happen to her a lot. It's definitely annoying to know that it doesn't stop between book 3 and book 7. Ugh.

Midu wrote: "nope, he [spoilers removed] her!"

Thanks Midu for clearing that up!

and I just don't get why she'd put up with it!!

Thanks, Midu! (view spoiler)[I wonder why she wasn't more traumatized by the rape then. You'd think she would have been extremely upset when she realized she'd been hanging out with her rapist. (hide spoiler)]

Midu wrote: "okay, so I'm reading and it is pissing me off when the warden HQ or Lewis tell Jo that she can't know about something cuz it is on a need to know basis. hello, she saves the ..."

That is definitely annoying. Aargh! (view spoiler)[Lewis, what makes you so high and mighty? Give Joanne all the info so she can help. (hide spoiler)]

i thought so too, at that time but i was able to overlook it because a lot was going on at that moment

Midu wrote: "i thought so too, at that time but i was able to overlook it because a lot was going on at that moment"

That's true. She was pretty busy.

yeah, and what about David? he disappears all the time and it never bothers her?

We haven't seen David disappearing all that much yet. (view spoiler)[Although he was gone for most of this book and I much prefer him to be around. (hide spoiler)]

Wow I finally finished the book and went back and read all the spoilers ladies! This book was amazing. It just gets better and better as the quote on the front of the book says, lol. (My one says "Caine just keeps getting better and better!)

I'll hide all my thoughts behind here - (view spoiler)[

Jean, I definitely think Joanne got raped by Orry. There was no doubt about it during the scene. I could see where the confusion is though, because she doesn't really mention it all afterwards, but goes into detail about how she was tortured and gave him the information about the Djinn. But I think it was just too traumatising that she doesn't want to recall that particular part. Remember the way we found out about it was through a dream that she had. I could kind of see why she'd not want to think about it ever again.

Imara, I loved that description about her. She seems like a force to be reckoned with, a combination of Joanne and David, beautiful, powerful, fiery, sultry. I wonder whether Joanne will be around when/if her daughter is born? (hide spoiler)]

Poor Joanne was jerked around a lot in this book. (view spoiler)[At first, I was surprised by her strength in enduring so much, but as we witness the flashback between Mr Sleazeball Chaz, we know that she's endured her worse nightmare and that's what makes her tough. She was broken back then, raped, tortured and nearly drowned, and I'm sure nothing else will break her after that.

She's guilty about all the Djinn getting stolen and feels responsible for it, because she had to tell Orry about how they operate. However, she doesn't acknowledge that the knowledge saved her life, and she's saved the world multiple times ever since then. I think that's why he didn't kill her, which would have been so easy. (hide spoiler)]

Even though there was a huge absence of David in this book, It indeed was refreshing seeing her stand on her own two feet, using her powers of negotiation, sexual prowess, and weather powers to assist with the mission.

I'm a bit confused about Paul. (view spoiler)[Both him and Lewis seem like complete asses in this book. Isn't Paul supposed to be like a father to her? Instead, he threatens to take away her powers, assists in having her killed momentarily, and doesn't give her the credit she deserves at the end of her book. I totally understand the tough love act, but there was no sympathy here at all.

Lewis's method in getting Jo into Vegas was definitely over the top. But then again, even Joanne wouldn't agree to getting murdered. Plus it would probably take too long to explain, instead of just doing it. The raw fear that she felt was definitely cruel though. Not cool.

Lewis and Rahel *wolf hoots* soooo hot! I'm all for it! (hide spoiler)]

Marion: (view spoiler)[I too, really love how Marion is kind of rebelling against the Wardens and is by Joanne's side. I always saw her as an uptight ice queen. But in fact, she over anyone would understand what Jo is going through with her love for David. She has her own motivation in not telling the wardens about the free Djinn. How did she find out, though? It wasn't really explained. (hide spoiler)]

Kevin: (view spoiler)[He's creepy, and gives me shivers down his spine. I too, agree that Joanne's soft spot for him was a bit too much in this book. I'm kind of glad that kid found Bianca though, even though she was a hooker, double-crosser, and essentially got in the way during the crucial moment. Perhaps Jo feels for him because he's endured even worse horrors than her own? He's had no one in his life, and it's not his fault he's turned out really gross and twisted. Joanne, over anyone, knows what Yvette did to him and that he's scarred.

I do like how Marion she's the potential in him, but he's a bit of a loose cannon. He could be the Wardens only fighting chance in the next book though. We'll see how it goes. (hide spoiler)]

Ma'at: (view spoiler)[This is really interesting, they are literally undetected by the aetheric which is why the Wardens haven't picked up on them sooner. I can actually see Joanne joining them sooner or later. (hide spoiler)]

Phew, sorry for the novel everyone! Had to catch up and get my thoughts out there.