Undone

Undone by Rachel Caine

Outcast Season

ISBN# 978-0-45146-261-9

Available now

Published by Roc

Format: mm pbk., 320 pages

Genres: fiction, urban fantasy

So, this is the first book in the awesome Weather Warden spin-off series, the Outcast Season.  Joanne Baldwin, David, and even Lewis do pop up in the beginning, but only long enough to introduce Cassiel (heroine of this series) and her new partner.  They might pop up somewhere in a future book, but so far these two series remain separate.  I would also say that even if you haven't read any of the Weather Warden series you can read Undone and not feel like you're missing a whole bunch of information.  You may not understand the job of a Warden as well, but you will see just what they are capable of.

Cassiel is a very, very old djinn, or at least she was until Ashan (leader of the Old Djinn) cast her out and into human form for denying his request.  She's never been one to play at being human like many of David's New Djinn so throughout this book, and probably future books, she is constantly learning and re-evaluating what it means to be human.  David, Joanne, and Lewis appear just long enough to get Cassiel on her feet and teamed up with Earth Warden Manny Rocha before getting back to business of their own.  Since Ashan cut her off from the aetheric along with trapping her in flesh she must now learn to trust and depend on Manny to be her link to power or she will die.

Life as a human may be hard, but as the attacks start it doesn't look like Cassiel or Manny will be around much longer anyway.  The first two attacks can be attributed to either djinn or Wardens, but since there is no clear signature there is no way to track it back to the culprit.  While Cassiel is chasing down lead after lead on who might want them dead she's also forming her first real human attachment to Manny's daughter, Ibby.  When Luis, Manny's younger brother, shows up Cassiel starts feeling things she barely has a name for, but the trouble Manny was worried about quickly follows Luis right to their house.  The attack that changes the Rocha family forever comes in the form of a drive-by.  Before those left behind can even mourn properly a sleeping Ibby is taken right out of her bed.  With all of these new and painful emotions still sitting on the surface can Luis and Cassiel keep it together long enough to find and rescue her before it's too late?

I loved this book!  Watching Cassiel's transformation from former, superior djinn to someone almost human was very believable.  I also think she will continue to evolve in future books.  It may be a cliche that it's children who bring her around to thinking humans may not be so bad after all, but it's also true.  If you were looking for a reason why the human race should exist it would surely be found among our children.  Unlike a lot of other first books in series this one was not all set-up and something you had to wade through so you would know what was happening in future books.  In fact, I barely perceived it as set-up because it's also doing the double duty of showing how Cassiel can change and even form important relationships with what she once thought of as just lower lifeforms.

Rachel Caine is truly a gifted author and she only seems to get better with every book, including this one.  If you haven't read anything of her's yet this is a great place to start.  I highly recommend this book whether you're a fan of the Weather Warden series, looking for books featuring djinn as main characters, or are just a general urban fantasy junkie.  Hurry up with that second book please!!

Zhye