Several months ago, a friend mentioned a series of books his wife enjoyed greatly, and since she and I have similar tastes in reading, I gave them a try. After a bit of searching, I found the first of the Weather Warden books and subsequently got the entire series. At present, there are only five books in it, but to all indications, it will go on for some time yet. Happily, the quality of each one is even better than the prior.

They recount the adventures of Jo Baldwin, a Weather Warden who seems to stay in constant trouble. Weather Wardens are psychically gifted individuals who are attuned to the elements and can control the weather, just as the name implies. They do have to let some inclement weather occur to keep the balance, but things would be worse if they did not exist. As Jo’s saga begins, she is on the run from her people, wanted for murder. She did kill someone, Bad Bob, but he had forced a demon mark on her and was trying to do worse. When she picks up a hitchhiker, her life changes forever. The hitcher, David, turns out to be Bad Bob’s Djinn who she accidentally freed. Jo does not know this until long after she has fallen hard for David. As he helps her prove her innocence, the bond between them grows to a point that when she is killed in a confrontation, he turns her into a Djinn. She must then learn how to be one, but David can’t help her. She is handed over to Jonathan, the head Djinn, who puts her through a rough course of schooling that would kill her if Djinn could be killed. Then, Jo gets captured by an adolescent boy whose mother has a grudge against the Djinn, David in particular. Jo finds herself turned into a tool that could wreck havoc on hundreds of innocents, unless she can free herself. Her freedom is won, but with a terrible price. Moreover, she is restored to humanity and has a life to re-establish.

It is not a good time to be alive, though, much less to be bringing life to the world. As Jo takes on the role of not Weather Warden, but weather girl, she discovers she is pregnant, with David’s child. Not only that, but the Djinn are rebelling against those who have controlled them, and her flighty sister has moved in with her. Said sister rebounds from a divorce to establish a relationship with a killer who may love her, but will still use her to blackmail Jo into getting him a Djinn. He does not care that the world is crumbling around them and that the Djinn are at war. He wants what he wants. When Jonathan dies so that Jo’s child can be born, armegeddon begins. An ancient contract between the Djinn and Nature ends. Demons rise to try and take control of the natural forces, Wardens are dying, and the Djinn have to struggle to retain control over their own wills and not be taken over by the world gone wild. Jo has one ally she can rely on; her daughter, Imara, who arrives without labor, fully grown. She is much more powerful and wise than a human, but less than a Djinn. To further complicate matters, Jo’s sister’s pyschotic boyfriend is still making trouble and even David can no longer be trusted. Just when it seems things could not get worse, they do. Jo’s daughter is killed and her own memory destroyed, leaving the two men who love her, David and a fellow Warden, baffled. We won’t know for some months yet how that turns out.

The Wardens are not Ms. Caine’s only series. Recently, she has begun a young adult (or young at heart adult) series of books called the Morganville Vampires. Claire Danvers, a sixteen year old girl with an amazing mind begins her freshman year at college in Morganville, instantly attracting the notice of the bad crowd. She is hazed to the point of fearing for her own life, so she decides to move out of the dorm. The best option seems to be the Glass House, a home owned by Michael Glass and shared with his two friends, Eve and Shane. Despite some reservations about Claire’s age, her beaten state convinces them to let her stay. Unfortunately, she draws the ire of a local vamp. To keep her safe, Shane offers the vampire his blood, just two drinks, but the idea is abhorrent to Claire, Michael, and Eve. They go into action to find a treasure the vampires want so as to trade for protection and to end Shane’s bargain. With the vampires keeping an eye on them, that is not even a little bit simple. It is made harder still by the fact that Michael cannot help at all. He is a ghost, trapped in limbo during daylight, only alive at night. As the vampires close in, there is little he can do to help his friends. Yet, in the end, he is the one who pays the highest cost of them all. When their rescuers mistake him for a vampire, it turns out that ghosts can die again.

Whether in the Warden stories or Morganville, Ms. Caine’s strength lies in her characters. Jo’s dramatic journey is action packed, but it’s her emotional pain and growth that makes you eager to see what happens next. THe same is true with Claire’s story. You are drawn into their lives and emotions to the point that when the story ends, you want to scream. Her prose is vivid, creating a world that is wonderful as it is dangerous. These are books you want to hurry to see how they end, but do not want the final page to come either.

Look for them all. The titles in the Warden series are: Ill Wind, Heat Stroke, Chill Factor, Windfall, and Firestorm. So far, the only Morganville Vampires book is Glass Houses.

Treat yourself. These books are worth your time and money both.