Book Review: In the Age of Love and Chocolate by Gabrielle Zevin

In the Age of Love and Chocolate by Gabrielle Zevin
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication date: October 2013
Length: 8 hrs 28 min
Source: Audiobook from Library
For: Fun
Series: Birthright, Book 3

Summary (from goodreads): *Spoilers are inevitable for the first two books*

All These Things I’ve Done, the first novel in the Birthright series, introduced us to timeless heroine Anya Balanchine, a plucky sixteen year old with the heart of a girl and the responsibilities of a grown woman. Now eighteen, life has been more bitter than sweet for Anya. She has lost her parents and her grandmother, and has spent the better part of her high school years in trouble with the law. Perhaps hardest of all, her decision to open a nightclub with her old nemesis Charles Delacroix has cost Anya her relationship with Win.

Still, it is Anya’s nature to soldier on. She puts the loss of Win behind her and focuses on her work. Against the odds, the nightclub becomes an enormous success, and Anya feels like she is on her way and that nothing will ever go wrong for her again. But after a terrible misjudgment leaves Anya fighting for her life, she is forced to reckon with her choices and to let people help her for the first time in her life. 

Things I Liked:
I really enjoyed this series, though it's been so long since I read the other two I couldn't remember much of what happened, just broad stuff.  Still, this one seemed very different than the other two. I still really like Anya and how tough and unyielding she can be (which is also annoying at times).  This one covered a lot more time - several years.  I liked seeing her change her family and defy what she was supposed to have been.  Good story. Glad I finally got some endings for these characters.

Things I Didn't Like:
The more I think about banned chocolate, the more horrified I become.  Actually, I was thinking how implausible that idea is, even with the sort of legit explanations I recall from the first book.  Still, the story was good, even if I was a bit bored in places.  I listened on audio and Ilyana Kadushin's voice was quite good for Anya. 

Read-alikes:
Not really sure...maybe Curse Workers series by Holly Black?
Start with All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
maybe a few

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->
a bit

Overall rating: ***

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Book Review: Because it is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin

Because It Is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin
Publisher: Macmillan
Publication date: September 2012
Pages: 368
Source: ARC from ALA
For: Review
Series: Birthright, Book 2

*Spoilers possible for the first book*
Anya Balanchine just spent the summer in Liberty Children's Facility and is determined not to get tangled up in the family business. But she just can't get away from it, especially when she can't get back into school because of her past. When she ends up somewhere far from home, Anya begins to learn there's more to this illegal chocolate life than she ever knew.

Things I Liked:
I really love this series.  There's something so enticing about illegal chocolate, a mob daughter falling for a cop's son and all the futuristic details.  I really love the characters, though, particularly Anya.  She is very complicated, very human in her feelings.  Her life is anything but normal and she tries to cope with the problems sometimes in very stupid, very teenage ways.  I think one thing I especially enjoyed was just how unpredictable this one was for me.  I really wasn't sure what Anya would do and where she would end up.  I had some ideas about where she end up, but they didn't always happen.  Things are never easy for Anya and I like that Zevin doesn't mind giving her hard decisions and watching the consequences pan out.  I was entertained from beginning to end and once again, I'm interested to see what happens next.

Things I Didn't Like:
I was occasionally bored when the action would hit a lull and it became more about what Anya was feeling, though that was sometimes interesting too.  I know there are flaws to this book, but I just really enjoyed reading it and thus didn't care. :)

Read-alikes:
Start with All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
Reminds me a little of the Curse Workers series by Holly Black
Heist Society series by Ally Carter

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@
here and there, scattered

mrg-factor: XX
talked about, kind of implied, but no page action

v-factor: ->->
a couple of violent instances, some a little gory

Overall rating: ****

What appeals to you about this series, or what makes you not like it?

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Mini Reviews 8

Well, friends, it's about time for another set of minis - for some reason my audio reviews tend to be a little shorter (but not much). Enjoy!

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication date: September 2011
Length: 10 hrs, 11 min
Source: Audiobook sent by publisher
For: Review
Series: Birthright trilogy, Book 1

Anya Balanchine, despite her father the crime boss being deceased, is thrust into the world of illegal chocolate after her older brother becomes entangled in the family business.  Things are further complicated by the cute son of New York's top cop.

My thoughts:
I don't know why, but this is such a fascinating story for me (even on a reread or relisten or whatever).  Despite it's post-apocalyptic flavor, it feels like a contemporary story, as she deals with regular teen problems.  But I love the added details of her life as a crime boss' daughter and handler of illegal chocolate.  It didn't pale on a reread, and in fact improved thanks to the audio version I listened to this time.  Ilyana Kadushin did a fabulous job and I loved the emotion she infused to Anya.  Perfect for catching me up to speed for the sequel!  (See my first review here.)
(For more dystopian awesome, check out Presenting Lenore's Dystopian August celebration!)
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Dune by Frank Herbert
Publisher: Various
Publication date: 1965
Pages: 544 (in this edition)
Source: Library
For: Read-Along
Series: Dune Chronicles, Book 1

Honestly, I don't have the skill to summarize this book.  Just know there is space travel, a desert planet, crazy brain powers, giant worms, and lots of political machinations.  Read more about it at goodreads.

My thoughts:
After all those discussion questions, I figured I'd have not much else to say.  I enjoyed being so completely immersed in such a well-developed and complex world complete with a unique and believable culture.  I liked how the plot was twisted and complicated and just plain crazy at times; it was also convoluted and had numerous weird hallucinations.  The ending really surprised me, despite Paul seeing things so far in advance.  It sports tons of characters and cultures, many of which are very well-developed.  Definitely this was worth reading, even though I had a hard time liking it because it was long and boring and confusing and none of the characters were particularly likable.  Sometimes there were too many things going on and I lost track of what was happening.  When I was able to follow the double and triple meanings of every word spoken, I was impressed, but often I was just lost.  I think it might be better on a reread, since you can get something new out of it just because there's so much in there and it will hopefully be familiar.  Note: there is quite a lot of gory violence.
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Magyk by Angie Sage
Publisher: Harper Audio
Publication date: April 2005
Length: 12 hrs, 4 min
Source: Library
For: Fun
Series: Septimus Heap, Book 1

Septimus Heap was destined to be great, being a seventh son of a seventh son. But when he's pronounced dead and taken by the midwife, the Heap family is inconsolable. That same night, Septimus' father brings home a baby girl he found, one who doesn't quite fit in with the Heap family. But when people come to the Heaps, looking to take away that little girl, they begin to question just what happened back when these children were born.

My thoughts:
I loved the quirky cast of characters, fun plot, and great magic (magyk?) system in this book.  I'm sure this series has huge appeal for younger Harry Potter fans.  In fact, at the beginning I kept imagining it as fan fiction about the Weasleys  (it's not).  It was fun and unexpected and I truly enjoyed it.  I did get a bit bored in the middle, as the story seemed to drag a little, but it picked up near the end again.  I saw the twist at the end coming a mile off, but still enjoyed it.  The narration had some good points and some bad.   Allan Corduner did a lot of great voices, making the characters distinct, but the one major drawback I found was in his kids' voices - I had a hard time distinguishing between them, especially during dialog.  Otherwise, a bang up job.
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In the Belly of the Bloodhound: Being an Account of a Particularly Peculiar Adventure in the Life of Jacky Faber by L.A. Meyer
Publisher: Listen and Live Audio
Publication date: 2008
Length: 15 hrs, 24 min
Source: Library
For: Fun
Series: Bloody Jack, Book 4

When Jacky Faber and her classmates at the Lawson Peabody School for Young Girls are taken captive on a slave ship, she must gather all her strength and cunning to get them all off the ship and back home safely.

My thoughts:
It's no secret I love the Bloody Jack audio books, but this one took the unbelievable plot line just a little bit too far for me.  I kept being distracted enough to wonder if what was happening could ever realistically happen.  Still, I love Jacky's ingenuity and her interactions with the girls and was caught up when there was any action.  It got a bit too bawdy at times for my taste and some of the minor characters (of which there are a million - all those girls) were lacking in any kind of personality (exception: Clarissa).  Otherwise, with the delightful variations and color of Katherine Kellgren's narration, I would listen forever.

Any of these sound good to you?  Any you adored?

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Book Review: All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
Publisher: Macmillan Children's
Publication date: September 2011
ISBN: 9780374302108
Source: ARC provided by publicist

Anya Balanchine is no stranger to crime.  She's grown up the daughter of the head of an illegal chocolate empire.  But when her dad was murdered, she was left to care for her brother, sister, and sick grandmother.  At least she's kept them out of the business.  Until the new head of the DA comes to town, bringing his cute son with him, and Anya learns you can never escape from your family.

Things I Liked:
I was sucked into this book right away, and it wasn't necessarily the story.  It was the voice!  I adored Anya from the first - she is full of sarcasm, and strength, and smarts.  I love how she makes tough choices and how she accepts the consequences of them, no matter what.  She was the main reason I kept reading, to find out where she ends up and what happens to her.  I was also in love with the minor characters, Galina, Natty, Win, Scarlet - it was a great bunch of characters that made me care what happened.  Oh, and I really loved how Anya was religious, but it wasn't a big deal.  She just was.  And the story wasn't too bad either, it really had me thinking of hoarding my Snickers!  An awesome dystopian that isn't all about the action or the future world, but the characters.

Things I Didn't Like:
The middle dragged a bit for me, since not much happened, but because of my afore mentioned Anya-love, I was invested enough to keep reading.  I kind of wanted a little bit more about this future world too, since only tidbits and mentions fleshed it out, but I liked how it wasn't really revealed all at once in an info-dump. 

Read-alikes:
Curse Workers series by Holly Black
Heist Society series by Ally Carter

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@
some mild cussing here and there

mrg-factor: X
all talk and no page action

v-factor: ->->
unavoidable in the Mafiya business

Overall rating: ****

Does reading dystopian fiction ever make you take action (like hoarding chocolate or buying up canned goods)?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage