Unknown by Rachel Caine

Synopsis: 
Living among mortal, Cassiel has begun to develop a reluctant affection for them--especially the intriguing Warden Luis Rocha. As the mystery deepens around the kidnapping of innocent Warden children, Cassiel and Luis are the only ones who can investigate within both the human and the Djinn realms.
But the more Luis an Cassiel search, the more dangerous the trail becomes, reaching not only into a fanatical splinter group, but into the highest ranks of Cassiel's immortal kin. An outcast from her own kind, Cassiel must now rely on her own limited earthbound powers to save the young Wardens...if it's not already to late.

Review:
My vacation reading continues with the second book in the Outcast Season Series by Rachel Caine. I really enjoyed the first book, which was a nice set up for the big show downs that seem like they are going to continue throughout the short series.

Starting with Cassiel, she is becoming more and more human every day, although she is more than able to still act and think like a Djinn. There is a serious oh my God moment in this book where Cassiel just goes hard core Djinn, and it's really at this point that you understand that there are two Cassiels, the one who is learning to be human and love her fellow humans and the Djinn whose eons of existence can't be pushed aside by only a couple of months of humanity.

Luis and Cassiel together as characters are just awesome. They work so amazingly well together, they are both so single minded in their mission that they are able to have this short hand that you would think should take years to cultivate. I love how protective the two of them are of each other, even though they are each total powerhouses. I am really enjoying the evolution of their relationship, and the love that is really starting to grow between them. But I do also think that there is something looming on the horizon for them, some kind of hiccup in their road to happiness together, and it will be interesting to see if they are able to overcome whatever it ends up being.

I really thought the whole series was going to be able trying to get the one child back, Ibby, the one who they both have a personal connection to. Heads up, here comes a spoiler, Ibby is finally found in this book. And as I am sure everyone can totally understand, is not the child that was taken, gone is her innocence and blind trust. It is going to be really interesting to see how the adults cope with having this girl who has powers that she shouldn't have yet, and how Ibby copes with the new reality of her situation.

I also think that Caine should be given a lot of credit for coming up with this great villain. Pearl is really, in every sense of the word, a super villain. I also think that everyone except Cassiel totally underestimate her. I am not sure if that is because Cassiel is just not coming off as trustworthy to people, or if it's just simple denial that there really could be a problem of this magnitude on the horizon. It seems like everyone in any position of power think Cassiel is just crying wolf. Although the government agencies start getting into the mix in this book so it's going to be really interesting to see if the non-gifted humans can combat such a big bad when every other major player seems to have gone missing.

I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys urban fantasy or Rachel Caine, I think this is one of her stronger series. Also I think that if you like a good paranormal romance this book is a definite step up from the previous book in terms of romance, so you may wanna check it out.