I think maybe Caine hates Joanne... because I can't imagine an author who loves their character putting her through so much pain and agony! :P
It's absolutely amazing the beating that Joanne takes in this novel. In reality, I can't imagine anyone going through that and not wanting to curl up and die. I suppose that's meant to be a testament to how strong she is... but I'm just too caught up in how ridiculous it is!
But the story itself is good. There's quite a bit of background in here and we learn a little more about Joanne's principles. It's interesting to see how she handles everything while being betrayed by people she cares so much about. Her integrity is also questioned quite a few times in the story and we really get a sense of how important Joanne feels her work is.
It builds up nicely and I really like that the Weather Warden universe continues to evolve. Though you wonder how many times they can really save the world from total annihilation, the characters themselves and the world they live in is constantly changing. That's refreshing and probably really helps the series from becoming too stale.