In the Age of Love and Chocolate by Gabrielle Zevin

Summary:
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. 

In the Age of Love and Chocolate is the story of growing up and learning what love really is. It showcases the best of Gabrielle Zevin’s writing for young adults: the intricate characterization of Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac and the big-heartedness of Elsewhere. It will make you remember why you loved her writing in the first place. (from GoodReads)

Review:
First off, I can't get over the titles of this trilogy. All the titles together form one long sentence which I absolutely love. All These Things I've Done Because it is my Blood in the Age of Love and Chocolate. It has an awesome ring to it!!!

I feel like this trilogy is very understated. Not that many people talk about it and even the story isn't super flashy or thrilling. But it's such an interesting and fun trilogy. Anya is one of my favorite characters in YA literature because she's so strong and smart. For goodness sakes, she's practically the head of crime family and I just love that. YA needs more heroines that aren't afraid to get their hands dirty. Even though Anya isn't the most innocent person out there, she has a good heart and does things for the right reasons. She loves her family and it's so easy to see that in the book. Not because she says it a lot but because the author shows us through Anya's actions.

I also like that romance isn't the central point of the series. It's important and Anya's relationship with Win goes through many ups and downs but Anya doesn't need a guy in her life. She does great things alone and recognizes the fact that she needs to be single in order find herself and to do the things she wants to do. In many books the romance is the most compelling part because there's not much else going on. But in In the Age of Love and Chocolate, Anya setting up the chocolate clubs and dealing with her mob family take precedence and allows the story to actually develop.

I just really really enjoyed the Birthright trilogy and I hope everyone picks up this conclusion to an amazing series.

Rating: 9 out of 10.
FTC: borrowed from the library.

2013/Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux/286 pages.

Because It Is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin

Summary:
“Every time I think I’m out, they pull me back in.”- Michael Corleone, The Godfather

Since her release from Liberty Children's Facility, Anya Balanchine is determined to follow the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, her criminal record is making it hard for her to do that. No high school wants her with a gun possession charge on her rap sheet. Plus, all the people in her life have moved on: Natty has skipped two grades at Holy Trinity, Scarlet and Gable seem closer than ever, and even Win is in a new relationship. But when old friends return demanding that certain debts be paid, Anya is thrown right back into the criminal world that she had been determined to escape. It’s a journey that will take her across the ocean and straight into the heart of the birthplace of chocolate where her resolve--and her heart--will be tested as never before. (from GoodReads)

Review:
Can I just say that I love how the titles to this and All These Things I've Done form a sentence? "All these things I've done because it is my blood" has a really nice ring to it and I hope the author continues with the sentence for the next book.

I wasn't super enthralled with All These Things I've Done but I definitely enjoyed Because It Is My Blood. There was more back story as to how the United States got to where it is and the reasoning behind the chocolate, paper and caffeine prohibition. That was one of my problems with the first novel in this trilogy. I liked seeing Anya interact with her criminal family because that's the most compelling part of the series. Everyone loves a Mafia story and now we have a teenage heroine who is the heir apparent to a huge crime organization. It's pretty awesome.

New York City is always a great place for a book to be set, but it was nice for Anya to travel to Mexico for a change of pace and scenery. Seeing where the illegal chocolate is grown was very interesting and added depth to the overall story.

The romance with Win continues to occur even with the obstacles between the relationship. I thought the love between Win and Anya occurred a little too quickly in All These Things I've Done but now it didn't seem too unrealistic, especially since more time has passed. I liked Win well enough but it doesn't add too much to the story because I want to read about Anya and her crazy family.

Overall, I think this series is pretty good and I love reading about a strong heroine. There's a bit of twist in Because It Is My Blood and I can't wait to see what's next for Anya. I also can't wait to hear the title for the next book!

Rating: 8 out of 10.
FTC: borrowed from the library.

2012/Farrar. Straus and Giroux/350 pages.

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

Summary:
Anya Balachine has had a tough life growing up in crime-ridden New York City. The year is 2083, and the prohibition on chocolate and caffeine, along with rations on water, food, and paper, has made her Russian Mafiya family very influential in the city. But since both of Anya's parents are dead due to their Mob ties, Anya want nothing to do with the family business of selling black market chocolate. This is especially important when she becomes friends (and maybe something more) with Win, the son of the Assistant District Attorney and later when she is accused of poisoning her family's chocolate supply. Can Anya ever separate herself from her background, or is she destined to lead the Balachine regime like her father?

Review:
I really liked All These Thing I've Done. The novel was set in the future, but it wasn't quite a dystopian because it was very similar to today. In that sense, it definitely made the story more relatable.

Even though All These Things I've Done is set seventy years in the future, there weren't really any new technologies. It was kinda like time just stood still in that regard. The only difference between our world and this world is that there are a lot of rations and caffeine and chocolate are contraband. I was disappointed that All These Things I've Done did not explain why and how these things became illegal. And even though it was supposedly really hard to get certain items, like clothing and fruit, Anya and her friends had no trouble getting anything, which made the whole issue seem a little pointless.

I loved the fact that New York City is overrun by organized crime and corruptness (for the story, that is, not in real life). It reminded me a lot of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight because you have the DA who's trying to fix everything but it's not really working. It was very Al Capone-esque, which is pretty awesome. My favorite parts of the book was when Anya interacts with her crime family, in which her late father was the head of. Instead of alcohol, however, the family deals in black market chocolate. The front of the hardcover even looks like a chocolate bar with all the ridges, it's pretty cool.

Anya was a strong and capable heroine with a strict moral code. She would do anything to help her immediate family, which consists of her younger sister Natty, her older (and brain damaged) brother Leo and dying grandmother. Anya puts her family before herself so many times; it was nice to see such a caring and unselfish character. I know there's a sequel and I really hope that Anya takes over the family business. She's the heir apparent and would do such good job leading. Maybe she could add some ethics to the crime element?

The only thing Anya does for herself throughout All These Things I've Done is start a relationship with Win, who also happens to be the Assistant DA's son. They aren't supposed to be together, but the star-crossed lovers thing plays out for about two seconds and then they are a couple. I liked Win a lot, but the relationship felt pretty distant and even a bit rushed: they are "in love" fairly quickly and without the emotions I would like to see beforehand.

Even though I'm not dying to read the sequel, I would like to see what happens next. The crime family situation really appealed to me for some reason so I think I would pick up the book for that. Hopefully, Anya becomes the crime boss (which would be awesome) because that would really add a lot to the story and make it super interesting (a 17-year old girl a crime boss? Nothing could go wrong there).

By the way, does anyone else think of the song, "All These Things That I've Done" by The Killers when they see the title of this book? I couldn't stop singing it while reading.

Rating: 8 out of 10.
FTC: received copy from Flamingnet Review program

2011/Farrar, Straus and Giroux/354 pages.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Naomi has amnesia and can't remember any of the past four years. She can't remember picking heads on the coin toss. She can't remember losing the bet to go back into school to get the yearbook's camera. And she definitely can't remember falling down the stairs and busting her head open. But she can remember James, the new boy who found her and called the ambulance. Even though she has a boyfriend, Naomi can't help but feel drawn to this boy who wants to forget his past the same way she can't remember hers.

I actually really liked this book, despite some things within the book that I didn't like. Does that even make sense? I'll start with the things I did like: the characters of Naomi and her best friend Will. I felt bad for Naomi because she couldn't remember anything, but I found her journey to dicovering new things about her life very interesting. For example, she couldn't remember her parents' divorce, or the fact that her mom is remarried with a daughter and her father has a fiancee. As for my other favorite character, Will, he was a sweetheart. He was unconditionally loyal to Naomi and seemed to know everything about her. They were both co-editors of the yearbook and Will would make Naomi these cute little mix CDs. I loved him, haha. Now for things I didn't like: James. Actually that's the only thing I didn't like about Memoirs, but it's a big part. He was an odd character and supposed to be Naomi's love interest. He had some mental issues, like he spent time in mental facility, but he wasn't completely cured all the way. He just wasn't the right fit for Naomi, who I felt needed someone stable in her life after the head trauma and James was just an emotional mess. I also felt like the as the book progressed it was more about Naomi and James's relationship than about her losing her memory. Despite the things I didn't like (*cough*James*cough*), I was satisfied with the ending and overall enjoyed reading this book.

7 out of 10.