Reviewing Firestorm, I said I would probably pick up the sixth book in the Weather Wardens series if I could read to the second chapter. I managed to do that and, to some extent, Thin Air has restored my faith in the series.

The story opens with a woman awakening nude and freezing in a forest. A man she knows as Lewis comes to rescue her, but she doesn't know her own name or whether this man is a friend or the person who put her in her current predicament.

Ooooh, that's a very good start!

Unfortunately, we spend a lot of time in that forest with person after person showing up that the woman doesn't recognize between her bouts of near freezing.

Yes, our Mystery Girl is Joanna Baldwin and, to add to the confusion, she's now got Earth powers to add to Weather and Fire. Her friends have cleared up Jo's concern over her amnesia -- someone stole her memories, but where did she get the new gift?

The plot thickens pretty quickly. Someone killed her daughter, Imara. Joanna's got a demonic doppelganger fully equipped with her memories who's convinced the Weather Wardens she is the real Joanna and is setting them against her. Her sister Sarah and boyfriend Eamon come into the fray. Ultimately, Jo's got to stop her Evil Twin before something dire happens -- whatever that something is and her only ally is the djinn, Venna, a little girl who looks like Alice in Wonderland and is probably closer in reliability to the Mad Hatter.

Thin Air is an action-packed ride. The usual Jo Baldwin cross-country car chase epic moves from forest to desert to the East Coast. Of course, she's got a souped-up car and some interesting companions like always.

The format is the same as the other Weather Warden novels. A lot of readers have problems with varying story arcs within the text, which to some extent, you'll all agree is a lot like real life.

Thin Air is better than Firestorm in that it leaves fewer questions unresolved, but if you're looking for a fantasy series with stand-alone components -- this series is not it.

We also get to see some hope for a character I've been following with interest for a long time. That's one of the best things about Caine's novels -- you really have a chance to get involved with her people and you're wanting to see their lives come out all right.

While Thin Air isn't precisely my favorite or the best in the series, it's back on track with the original stories that I totally loved. I definitely will be anticipating the next book in the series.