Rachel Caine (aka Roxanne Conrad) is a bestselling author of Urban Fantasy with 2 series for adults and one for young adults.  With an award winning paranormal romance also to her credit, she is enjoyed by readers, young and old.  She lives with her husband and 2 beloved pet iguanas in Fort Worth and still manages to hold down a day job!

http://www.rachelcaine.com/

My Comments

I picked up the first Weather Wardens book on the recommendation of a friend, and I was intrigued by the world of the Djinn that Rachel Caine had created.  It was unique and fresh and I loved that the magic in the world came in the form of talented people who had an affinity for different elements and could affect them accordingly.  It was a nice change from the paranormal romances I had been guzzling up until that point.  I’ve not had a chance to read the first book in the Outcast series yet, a Weather Warden side series, but am looking forward to it.

The Morganville Vampire series, even though written for young adults, were still a good read and again provided a fresh look at the vampire mythos and a whole town controlled by them, allowing humans to live there by sufferance and following a set of rules.  She creates characters who you can empathise with, even though they may not be all human and her writing style is fluid and easy to read.  The plots may not be overly complex but she isn’t afraid to throw her major characters into a tailspin and I have to admire her for that.  Definitely recommended if you want a good read!

Bibliography

Weather Wardens

• Ill Wind – Read my review
• Heat Stroke – Read my review
• Chill Factor
• Windfall
• Firestorm
• Thin Air
• Gale Force
• Cape Storm

Outcast Season

• Undone
• Unknown

Morganville Vampires

• Glass Houses – Read my review
• The Dead Girls’ Dance – Read my review
• Midnight Alley
• Feast of Fools
• Lord of Misrule
• Carpe Corpus
• Fade Out

Red Letter Days

• Devil’s Due
• Devil’s Bargain

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Book two of the Morganville Vampires follows directly on from the shocking conclusion of first book.  It dives straight into the action as the remaining house mates try deal with their grief and the situation they are now in.   I thought the actions and reactions of the teenagers were about right and not too overboard, dealing with events as they can and ultimately just trying to survive.

The writing is very straightforward but still manages to convey a lot of emotion and depth without being confusing.  I still feel these books are targeted at a younger audience but I was still able to empathise with the characters and care about them as they evolve throughout this novel.

The pace was pretty good and there are a few twists, some of which you see coming but I completely missed any clues to the one with Michael and I was also quite surprised at Claire’s actions at the end.

All in all I enjoyed it and am looking forwards to reading the next in the series.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

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I think the Morganville Vampires series is aimed at a slightly younger audience than myself but I still enjoyed Glass Houses.  The character of Claire was interesting, a 16 year old shy and gentle girl being thrust into a world she has no idea about.  She weathers it well and stands on her own two feet when she can and has maturity beyond her years, often more so than those older than her.  I think it would have been very easy to make her a sassy, know it all kid but that would have made her unbearable as a character.  Instead she is very engaging and likeable.  The rest of the cast work well although the boys can be a little irritating at times but that doesn’t detract too much.  The ‘bad guys’ are well written and several of them you just can’t wait for them to get their comeuppance.  The story flows well and the history of Morganville is intriguing and adds much to the story.  By the end, I was looking forwards to reading the second book in this series.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

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