Weather Warden series, by Rachel Caine

I've read the first three (and a half) books in this series over the past week: Ill Wind, Heat Stroke, Chill Factor; and Windfall (that's the half). Joanne Baldwin is a Weather Warden: one of a secret association that keeps the Earth from killing everyone on it with storms, earthquakes, fires... until she finds herself running from her own people, accused of murder, infected with a demon, and hanging out with Djinn....

The series opens into action, and it's just getting going: these are fast-paced books, they're definitely plot-driven, and they're fun; but...

They're *too* fast, I think. There's no time to engage; the characters (and the reader) are shoved from one crisis to the next, the stakes keep going up, and at the end of each book you don't get resolution: you get a cliffhanger and another upward jump in stakes. They're flashy and bright, grab your attention and entertain you; but there's no *depth* to them; nor any time for it. Jo, the good guys, the bad guys, and the ones who can't make up their mind and keep crossing over that good guy/bad guy line; they all have the potential to be far more interesting than they are - except the author keeps them locked into a repetitive loop bouncing from one dramatic denouement to the next, hit by emergency after crisis after disaster, until you seriously wonder why no one just throws up their hands and announces 'fine: solve the next one without me, guys, I'm getting some sleep.' (Or at the very least not dropping unconcsious from lack of sleep and malnutrition.)

I guess I'm mixed about this series. It's entertaining (if dark); the characters are generally well-drawn and only occasionally slip down into plot-devices; and it's a good series if you're looking for a few books you don't have to think too much about.

Just don't let the hints of depth that never materialise drive you crazy.