House of the Rising Sun by Kristen Painter

House of the Rising Sun by Kristen Painter

Posted by Yuma County Library

Reviewed by: Andrew Zollman

What I Read: House of the Rising Sun by Kristen Painter

Find It @YCLD: Here! 

What It's About: Augustine comes back to live the perfect life in the Haven city of New Orleans.  He rarely works a real job, spends most of his nights with a different human woman, and resides in a spectacular Garden District mansion paid for by retired movie star Olivia Goodwin, who has come to think of him as an adopted son. But when Augustine returns home Olivia gets attacked by vampires, and he knows his idyllic life has comes to an end.  It's time for revenge -- and to take up the mantle as the city's Guardian. To complicate things further Olivia's estranged daughter, Harlow, arrives. She hates being fae, but her powers are exactly what Augustine needs to catch the vampires. Can he convince her to help him in time? Or will the sparks between them send her running again?

What I Thought: Great spin off series from Mrs. Painter. However, no need to read the House of Comarre (although you will want to) to get into this world. House of the Rising Sun has plenty of action, mystery and world-building balanced by character-driven plot that makes it a great start to new series. The story starts a little bit slowly and you do grow to hate Harlow’s character at the start. However at about the 30% to 40% mark in the book, the story begins to move at a steady pace and never stagnates, and not once did I feel like I encountered the information dumps that plague some paranormal/urban fantasy series. A few unexpected twists lay the groundwork for a promising overarching storyline that made me feel like the ending came too soon. I am still looking forward to the second book, City of Eternal Night (Crescent City, #2).

Readalikes: Allison Pang – A Brush of Darkness Here!

Or look this book up on NoveList!

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Posted by Yuma County Library

Reviewed by: Sherri Levek

What I Read: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Find It @YCLD: Here!

What It's About: The story of HeLa cells, which were derived from cancer patient  Henrietta Lacks without her knowledge or consent. This is the story of Henrietta’s tremendous contribution to science that has helped save countless lives throughout the world, yet created an emotional and physical toll on her surviving family.

What I Thought:  An honest, straight-forward account of Henrietta Lacks’ sacrifice. This work of nonfiction explores the damage caused to her family, both emotionally and physically, as well as the joy and pride they’ve experienced knowing the positive difference their mother's life has made to medical science. A triumphant story of loss, family, crisis, our country's difficult history with race, and ultimately, love. Author Rebecca Skloot explains the scientific aspects of the story with clarity and insight -- these sections throughout the book are never too complicated for even the unscientific population.

 Readalikes: The Emperor of All Maladies:  A Biography of Cancer  by Siddhartha Mukherjee; Notes from No Man’s Land: American Essays by Eula Biss

 Or look this book up on NoveList!

Wouldn't It Be Deadly by D.E. Ireland

Wouldn't It Be Deadly by D.E. Ireland

Posted by Yuma County Library

Reviewed by: Becky Brendel

What I Read: Wouldn't It Be Deadly by D.E. Ireland

Find It @YCLD: Here!

What It's About: Picking up not long after George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion left off, this homage/sequel finds Eliza Doolittle employed as a speech instructor by her former teacher Henry Higgins's chief rival. Higgins launches a smear campaign in retaliation - but he never expects the man to end up dead, with himself as the chief suspect. He and Eliza have to work together again in order to help the police crack the case.