I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Unseen
by
Rachel Caine
urban fantasy in Paperback edition that was published by ROC on February 1, 2011 and has 304 pages.
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Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Undone, Unknown, Ghost Town, Rachel Caine, Bite Club, Dark and Stormy Knights, Devil's Bargain, Devil's Due, Last Breath, Hex Appeal, Unbroken, Black Dawn, Working Stiff, Two Weeks' Notice, Bitter Blood, Kiss of Death, Fall of Night, Daylighters, Kicking It, Prince of Shadows, Ink and Bone, Paper and Fire, Ash and Quill, Killman Creek, Honor Among Thieves, Smoke and Iron, Honor Bound, Honor Lost
Third in the Outcast urban fantasy series revolving around Cassiel, a former Djinn. The series feeds off the Weather Wardens series which starts with Ill Wind.
My Take
Ah, well, a mistake on Ashan’s part. Turning Cassiel human. It means that she learns what being human means. The emotions. The need. The desire. Part of that desire is for Luis. A greater part is the need to protect the children.
When Cardenas delivers the message that they are to hand Ibby off to Bearheart, he gives them a map to her location. By the next page, that map has suddenly morphed into a map from the FBI as to where they want to meet with the threesome. So…I’m confused…
Oh, I did enjoy Cassiel “persuading” the New Jersey agents into helping her out!
Okay, Bearheart doesn’t want Luis or Cassiel at the camp, to see what is happening with the other children. Yet, once they are there, she doesn’t want them to leave. Nor did she put up much of a fight to keep them away.
Overall, I don’t think Caine had her heart in this one. Oh, sure, it was dramatic and there was lots of tension, but that last attack at the Wyoming compound was rather tame. Why didn’t Pearl have more people there? Then when Caine has the Mother awakening so angry…it just sits there. Caine has provided us with some major teases: Ashan’s experience with Cassiel’s humanity, the realization about the children, and then the Mother coming awake…maybe this is a bridge novel getting us to the next level of atrocities??
The Story
Joanna Baldwin and David, the leader of the New Djinn, are still missing at sea with most of the more powerful Wardens and Pearl is wreaking havoc, kidnapping children with the potential of power, forcing that power to develop before the children are ready. Indoctrinating them against the Wardens.
Now Ibby is in great demand. After rescuing people in a fire, the FBI wants Cassiel, Ibby, and Luis to come in for talks. Marion Bearheart wants Ibby at her camp. Ibby. Well, Ibby trusts no one except Tio Luis. You don’t want a child angry or petulant who is as powerful as Ibby. And Ibby is in no mood to surrender to anyone. Until she meets Snake Girl…
The Characters
Cassiel is a former Djinn. Ashan, the leader of the Old Djinn, is angry with her and has turned her into a human. Albeit, she can still visit the aetheric and draw power from any Weather Warden. And she gets to ride Victory. Luis Rocha is an Earth Warden. He and Cassiel rescued his orphaned niece from Pearl, Cassiel’s sister. Isabel “Ibby” is not quite six-years-old and she has been through more torment than any adult human should ever have to know.
Mabel is a former Warden and now runs an exotic pet shop and cares for Snake Girl — Esmeralda, a witch who went bad. Marion Bearheart is an Earth Warden. Very powerful. Other Wardens associated with Bearheart’s compound in Wyoming are Janice Worthing (Earth), Ben Samms (Weather), Shasa (Fire), and Gayle. The children include Mike Holloway (Fire), Gillian (Weather), Elijah, and Sanjay.
Rashid is a bottled djinn who makes a deal with Cassiel, using her, yet warning her to trust no one. Rick Harley is a Weather Warden who is part of Rashid’s deal with Cassiel that she must complete before he fulfills his side.
The Church of the New World has been corrupted by Pearl into kidnapping the children. Torturing, brainwashing, programming them into the monsters Pearl wants. Will seems to be one of the leaders in the compound. Zedala is one of the children being tormented, begging Cassiel to help her. FBI Agent Turner is not one of Cassiel’s admirers but he does warn her off. Special Agent in Charge Rostow makes a deal with Cassiel to get her into the Church’s compound along with his other undercover agent Merle.
The Cover and Title
The cover is green and charcoal with touches of red in Cassiel’s motorcycle. A dark green upper border highlights the author’s name and the title while a much lighter yellow-green recreates the sun shining into the trees where Cassiel is resting up against her parked bike. Casually dressed in dark jeans and a tank top, she’s on the ground sitting sideways to us with her white-blonde head turned to check us out .
I don’t understand the choice of title since nothing is Unseen.
