The (unexpected) end of an era
I've got a major paper underway and a stack of course readings I really ought to get on top of. I probably ought to clean the bathroom and get to the gym. But do you know how I spent the last 12 hours (sans six hours of sleep)? Racing through Rachel Caine's 'Total Eclipse', the latest Weather Warden novel and, as I realized about halfway through (because I am a bad fangirl and the cover didn't tell me so), the conclusion of the series. Major character death. Death on a massive scale. 'Verse changing action. Lots of plot lines finally coming to fruition. Like all of her books, I sped through the chapters - woman knows how to end a chapter to make you want to read another. Then, suddenly I knew it was going to be over and I nearly wept. She's still writing a decent YA vampire series, a spin-off series that's pretty good and has an early career that I'll have to check out at some point, but nothing comes close to the 'verse she created for Joanne Baldwin and her fellow Wardens. I have always bought these books the moment they came out and treasured every novel.
The best part is Caine maintains and develops her characters - no extreme caricatures, no cardboard cutouts or paper tigers. The heart of the series is Joanne Baldwin, who is the type of heroine I'd like to be. I love that she is not invincible - she bleeds, she burns, she screws up, but Joanne always means to save the world. She's a girly girl who's also bad ass. The men in her life love her, want to protect her, but recognize her power. Both rival love interests are equally flawed men - there is no Prince Charming here. They do massively stupid things to help her, to protect her and she lets them. She is not all-powerful, she does not save the day every time and she regularly asks for help.
I'm going to miss the hell out of Joanne Baldwin. I would gladly have bought dozens of these novels and if Rachel Caine ever goes back to this well, I'll gladly do it still. Until then, Rachel, please sell the TV rights because for you, for the Weather Wardens, I think I'm ready to fangirl again.