Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha

Deal with the Devil (Mercenary Librarians #1) by Kit Rocha, 336 p.

CW: sibling loss, abuse

"Nina is an information broker with a mission--she and her team of mercenary librarians use their knowledge to save the hopeless in a crumbling America. Knox is the bitter, battle-weary captain of the Silver Devils. His squad of supersoldiers went AWOL to avoid slaughtering innocents, and now he's fighting to survive. 
They're on a deadly collision course, and the passion that flares between them only makes it more dangerous. They could burn down the world, destroying each other in the process...
Or they could do the impossible: team up. 
This is the first book in a near-future science fiction series with elements of romance."--Goodreads

This book was about "mercenary librarians," so I HAD to read it. Not exactly the type of librarian I had in mind, but the story was still great. The romance aspect was out of my usual genre, but the story was fun, but hard. Characters were interesting, and the friendship dynamic was well-written. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

Afterschool Charisma, v. 12 by Kumiko Suekane

Afterschool Charisma, v. 12 by Kumiko Suekane - 208 pages

This is the final volume of Afterschool Charisma.  I was disappointed in the ending.  It seemed that the series ended exactly where it started.  I expected there to be a resolution that never really came.

Afterschool Charisma, v. 9 by Kumiko Suekane

Afterschool Charisma, v. 9 by Kumiko Suekane - 208 pages

In this volume we get the back history of Kamiya, Kuroe, and Rockswell.  It was interesting to see their first interactions and how they came to be who they are now.

Afterschool Charisma, v. 8 by Kumiko Suekane

Afterschool Charisma, v. 8 by Kumiko Suekane - 208 pages

Shiro must deal with the aftermath of the attack on students during the media tour of St. Kleio's Academy.
This book really gets into the questions of whether clones are just copies, whether they can become their own people, and whether clones should have rights.

Afterschool Charisma, v. 7 by Kumiko Suekane

Afterschool Charisma, v. 7 by Kumiko Suekane - 208 pages

Shiro graduates from St. Klieo's Academy and joins Clone DaVinci in preparation of leading the clones.
I thought the departure of Shiro from St. Kleio's was sudden but it did advance the story line in a way that made sense.

Afterschool Charisma, v.6 by Kumiko Suekane

Afterschool Charisma, v. 6 by Kumiko Suekane - 208 pages

Kai has finished revealing what led to the clone terrorists, but there are still a few secrets to be revealed by him.  These secrets lead Elizabeth and Hitler to consider joining the terrorists.

Another great entry in the series.

Afterschool Charisma, v.3-5 by Kumiko Suekane

Afterschool Charisma, v.3 by Kumiko Suekane - 200 pages
Afterschool Charisma, v.4 by Kumiko Suekane - 208 pages
Afterschool Charisma, v.5 by Kumiko Suekane - 208 pages

It's time for the St. Kleio Academy's Expo where the clones all show off their school projects.  But right in the middle of a presentation, terrorists attack trying to kill all the clones.

After a first book that really didn't grab me, I am really getting into this series.  It is very quick to read with lots of action and character development.  I am definitely looking forward to reading the rest of the series and figuring out all the conspiracies and secrets.

Afterschool Charisma, v. 2 by Kumiko Suekane

Afterschool Charisma, v. 2 by Kumiko Suekane - 200 pages

Shiro discovers there is a secret "cult" at the school that believes the talisman of the "Amazing Dolly" will help them change their predestined futures.  Meanwhile, the school's director comes back to the school and determines to spend all his time with Shiro.

Well, after saying I wasn't sure I wanted to read any more of the series, I picked up volume 2 when I didn't have anything to read at dinnertime.  Volume two was definitely more engrossing than the first book.  Several conspiracies are starting to be revealed.  I believe I'll keep reading.

Afterschool Charisma, v. 1 by Kumiko Suekane

Afterschool Charisma, v.1 by Kumiko Suekane - 206 pages

St. Kleio Academy is a school for the clones of some of the most famous and notorious people from throughout history.  Shiro Kamiya is the sole human out of all of the students.  But is he truly all that different from the teen clones of Florence Nightingale, Sigmund Freud, Adolf Hitler and more?

This series was recommended to me so I decided to try it.  I'm not sure if I will continue to read the series or not.  While the idea is interesting, I'm not really sure I care enough about the characters to keep reading.

Masterminds by Gordon Korman

Masterminds by Gordon Korman - 323 pages

Serenity is the perfect town.  There's no crime.  Everyone is wealthy.  Life is wonderful.  Or is it?  When Eli finds a note from his best friend who was sent away from town saying some of the kids are special, he starts to wonder.  It will take him and four of his friends to discover what Serenity is truly like.

I listened to this book on audio and absolutely loved it.  It was a great adventure and suspense story for kids.  The audio was wonderful in that each of the five kids are narrated by a different person.  The stories weave together.  While the book could end with the ending given, I think it's obvious that there will be a second book dealing with the repercussions from the adventures in the first book.

Project Cain by Geoffrey Girard

Project Cain by Geoffrey Girard  341 pages

This dark, literary thriller is a story about blood: specifically, the DNA of the world's most notorious serial killers, captured and cloned by the Department of Defense to develop a new "breed" of bio-weapons. The program is now in Stage Three - with dozens of young male clones from age ten to eighteen kept and monitored at a private facility without any realization of who they really are. Some are treated like everyday kids. Others live prescribed lives to replicate the upbringing of their DNA donors. All wonder why they can't remember their lives before age ten.

When security is breached and the most dangerous boys are set free by the now-insane scientist who created them, only one young man can help find the clones before their true genetic nature grows even more horrific than the original models: a fifteen-year-old boy, an every-boy... who has just learned that he is the clone of Jeffrey Dahmer.