I will say that Mondays are not my favorite day of the week. It's hard to get your mindset back on track after a relaxing weekend. I do, however, look forward to sharing my excitement reading manga with other bloggers and finding out new series to try. Thanks to Alison over at Alison Can Read for her meme of Manga Mondays.

 Description: Featured on the manga's cover -Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821) Leader of France during the first French Empire. Became known as a hero for his victories as a general and went on to seize absolute control of the state in a coup d'état. As emperor, Napoleon's rule spanned almost all of Europe, but opposition to his rule grew widespread after his army suffered a bitter defeat by the cruel Russian winter, leading to his eventual seizure and exile. Even then, Napoleon managed to return to power for a time, only to be exiled once again. He died on Saint Helena Island. 

Review: Volume 3 of Afterschool Charisma digs a little deeper into the psychological aspects of cloning. When clone President Kennedy was assassinated, clones began to seriously think about their own fates. A few dared to question their purpose while some tried to commit suicide because they couldn't handle the pressure and great expectations to be just like their clones. Unlike his clone friends, Shiro Kamiya, the sole human student at St Kleio's Academy, a private and heavily guarded boarding school attended by the clones of historical figures, he never thought twice about his identity. He was absolutely sure about his own humanity until he suddenly meets an older research assistant who looks like his doppelganger. Was Shiro a clone all along? If so, why was he raised as a human all along?  As you can tell, I had a zillion questions flying at me at once after this shocker, but things get much more complicated.
   While Shiro is having an identity crisis, the clones are working on their last minute preparations for their big presentations. The biggest show stopper is testing the power of the Almighty Dolly, by saving Joan of Arc from burning at the stake. The tension builds as Rasputin and his followers recreate Joan of Arc's death sentence and escalates as assassins burst onto the scene to kill all of St Kleio clones. While the assassins don't really talk much in this volume, you can't help but notice that they look really familiar. 
   Afterschool Charisma is a series that will give you brain cramps after you are done, which to me isn't a bad thing. My questions are usually an indication of how much I'm invested in the story and the characters. I enjoy being in the dark and not having all the answers as I try to come up with my own solution and then discover interesting twists that I didn't expect. This volume has definitely a lot more action and kept me flipping the pages.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: Rated T+ for mature themes, violence, some language, and brief nudity. Recommended for mature teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: Afterschool Charisma Vol. 4 by Kumiko Suekane, Unwind by Neal Shusterman, Hetalia: Axis Powers by Hidekaz Himaruya, Code Geass by Majiko

 Happy Friday, Everyone! I wanted to let you know about a great opportunity to meet Amy Lignor, the author of Until Next Time, and get a chance to win some awesome prizes! Amy is having a twitter party and below is the information that you need to know to join in the fun:

When and Where: It is taking place this coming Tuesday, May 8th at 8 p.m. EST on Twitter.

What's the hastag that I need to know? The hashtag is #UntilNextTime - and can be easily followed using this Twitter app.

Author Amy Lignor (@HelloWritersAmy) will answer your questions for 90 minutes.

Tribute Books are also giving away a vast assortment of prizes including:

1) $50 cash prize to the person who has a receipt confirming an ebook purchase of Until Next Time and tweets at least once during the Twitter Party. To purchase the ebook now, click here.

2) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern hardcover

3) Archon by Sabrina Benulis hardcover

4) Spectral by Shannon Duffy ebook

5) Knee Deep by Jolene Perry ebook


*** To RSVP to the #UntilNextTime Twitter party, click here.


 I hope you are able to join the party! I hope you all have a great weekend. 

  How does a girl choose between the one who steals her heart and the one who owns her soul?

Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the 'life' they've been assigned. What they don't realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache.
  
When the reason for their training is finally revealed, the angel/warrior team find themselves thrust into a world they know nothing about. Matt takes over the life of Daniel, a young man with a great deal of baggage. Emily becomes Liz, a girl living in a remote village who relies on nothing more than her own strength to survive. A violent storm erupts one night, and framed in the window of Liz's establishment is a frightening face. Let in by the soul of a Good Samaritan, the two visitors bring with them a past full of secrets that could literally change an angel's path and a warrior's plans.

From murder to redemption, this angel/warrior team must find a way to keep the faith they have in each other in a world that's ripping them apart. (Courtesy of Goodreads)

 The Mercy Thompson series is a great urban fantasy series written by Patrica Briggs. Out of the series so far, my favorite has been Silver Borne which I burned through in a night. River Marked, while enjoyable, didn't meet my expectations.

 Description (from Goodreads): Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shape-shifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She's never known any others of her kind. Until now.
  An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River-one that her father's people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate will need their help.

Review: Compared to the adrenaline rush of Silver Borne, River Marked is much more mellow and easy going. Mercy has taken a big step in her life, ready to settle down and marry her mate. Things are great with a lovely wedding and the start of a romantic honeymoon until a man is found in a boat on the Columbia River with a bitten-off leg and his sister is missing and presumed dead, that's when things get interesting and a bit weird.
  While there is not much character growth for Mercy, we do learn a lot about her Native American background which had been shrouded in mystery until now. I really enjoyed the Native American mythology and thought it was woven nicely into the story.  Though the usual cast in Mercy's world, which I love are missing after the wedding, the stand-in cast is funny and likable.
  The mystery surrounding the river creature was a bit ho hum for me. There wasn't intricate or dare I say complicated enough to resolve. I wasn't really excited and drawn into the story as much. After finishing the book, I thought River Marked might have worked better if it was a novella instead of an actual book. The pacing was a bit slow and the tone was different (not necessarily a bad thing) compared to the other books. Overall, I enjoyed River Marked but it's not my favorite book in the Mercy series.  

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language, strong violence, and a few non-descriptive sex scenes which take place off the page. Recommended for older teens and adults.

If you like this book try: Kate Daniel series by Ilona Andrews, Bitten by Kelley Armstrong, Stray by Rachel Vincent

 As part of the Teen Book Scene promotional tour, I have Em from The Summer My Life Began stopping by the blog today to share with us some of her preferences.

Salty Snacks or Desserts: A combo of both in one huge delicious bowl.

Suburbs or City: Neither. She’s on island time now!

Movie Theater or watching DVDs at home: DVD’s at home snuggled with Cade.

Ice cream sandwiches or Popsicles: Banana ice cream sandwich

Sandals or Flip Flops: Flip Flops

Mac or PC: PC

Facebook or Twitter: Facebook

Snow Patrol or The Shins: Snow Patrol

Reading-Poetry or Plays: Plays

Snickers or Reeses Buttercups: Reeses (mixed with popcorn)

Martial Arts Action Hero: Jackie Chan or Jet Li: Jackie Chan

Football or basketball: Neither. Beach volleyball for sure!

Would you rather be cold or hot?  Hot with an ocean breeze.

Worse actor: Pauly Shore or Rob Schneider? Pauly Shore.

 Thanks for stopping by and chatting with us, Em! I look forward to "meeting" you soon. :)

Elizabeth Margaret—better known as Em—has always known what life would contain: an internship at her father’s firm, a degree from Harvard and a career as a lawyer. The only problem is that it’s not what she wants. When she gets the opportunity to get away from it all and spend a month with the aunt she never knew, she jumps at the chance. While there, Em pursues her secret dream of being a chef, and she also learns that her family has kept some significant secrets from her, too. And then there’s Cade, the laid-back local surfer boy who seems to be everything Em isn't. Naturally, she can’t resist him, and as their romance blossoms, Em feels she is living on her own terms for the first time. (Cover and description courtsey of Goodreads)

   Fall From Grace is the latest book by Charles Benoit. I haven't read anything by the author before, but I've heard much about this book, You, which is based on Shakespeare's Othello. Benoit detours from the seriousness of his previous release and takes a chance on a romantic comedy caper.


Description (from Goodreads): Grace always has a plan. There’s her plan to get famous, her plan to get rich, and—above all—her plan to have fun. Sawyer has plenty of plans too. Plans made for him by his mother, his father, his girlfriend. Maybe they aren’t his plans, but they are plans.
  When Sawyer meets Grace, he wonders if he should come up with a few plans himself. Plans about what he actually wants to be, plans to speak his own mind for a change, plans to maybe help Grace with a little art theft.
Wait a minute—plans to what?

Review: It is hard to categorize Fall From Grace. It verges on the cusp of romantic comedy and film-noir that doesn't exactly reach a serious point. It did, however, really remind me of a YA version of the movie Yes Man featuring Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel, where a guy challenges himself to say "yes" to everything for a year.
   On the outside, Sawyer seems to have everything made for him. He's got good grades, a hot girlfriend and plans for college, courtesy of the decisions that his parents and girlfriend made for him. On the inside, however, he feels trapped by his parents' expectations and the tight leash his girlfriend keeps around his neck. Sawyer says he wants to assert himself, but is stuck in his passive ways until Grace Sherman enters his life and things get out of hand.
  Grace Sherman is the complete opposite of Sawyer. She is a smooth-talking, resourceful, quick-witted, quirky girl from another high school whose breathes life, excitement, and danger into Sawyer's mundane life. Unlike Sawyer who is still unsure of what he really wants to do with his life,  Grace knows what she wants: she wants to be famous. To achieve her goal, Grace is fixated on stealing a painting from the local library, and she needs Sawyer's help.
 Fall From Grace was a mixed bag for me. While I thought the characterizations were nicely done, I didn't really care much about them. Grace's heist seems like a prank and I couldn't really muster up any seriousness around it.  The librarian in me was irritated about stealing from a library. While the book had the right ingredients of a worthwhile read, there was something missing in the book, a hook, a sense of urgency or a thrill. The tension and the plot builds slowly; more than half of the novel is dedicated to building up Sawyer's relationship with Grace, which was nice to see but I didn't think their relationship progressed at all. The ending, which caught others by surprise, was a bit too gimmicky and tacked on for me. Despite these issues, I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy quirky characters and looking for an offbeat book.

Rating: 3 stars

Word of Caution: There is some language at times strong, underage drinking, and a few allusions to sex. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.


If you like this book try: I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak, You Killed Wesley Payne by Sean Beaduoin,