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    Because It Is My Blood: A Novel
    Because It Is My Blood: A Novel
    Because It Is My Blood: A Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    Because It Is My Blood: A Novel

    Written by Gabrielle Zevin

    Narrated by Ilyana Kadushin

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    In this thrilling novel about a reluctant mobster, Anya tries to shatter the ties that bind--with deadly consequences. Because It Is My Blood is the second stunning novel in Gabrielle Zevin's Birthright series.

    "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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateSep 18, 2012
    ISBN9781427226310
    Because It Is My Blood: A Novel
    Author

    Gabrielle Zevin

    Gabrielle Zevin is the bestselling author of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow as well as Elsewhere and the Birthright trilogy. In addition to writing fiction for adults and teenagers, she is also a screenwriter. Her books have been translated into eighteen languages. Gabrielle Zevin lives in New York.

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    Reviews for Because It Is My Blood

    4/5

    106 ratings20 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Set in 2083, New York, Anya is determined to turn her life around upon her release from reform school. Anya's family runs an illegal chocolate business - a business that has filled her life with violence and betrayal. Anya has some choices a head of her: whether to follow her father in the family business, how to keep her family safe, and ultimately who to trust. This is Zevin's second book in the series.
    • 3/5
      I wasn't so sure in the beginning of this book, but it redeemed itself by the end. I'm still eyerolling at Anya's insistence on trying to hold onto her highschool sweetheart, but watching the rise of a 17yo mob boss is undeniably enjoyable.
    • 2/5
      This was a better read than the first book. Don't know why.
    • 4/5
      Anya Balanchine has a lot to deal with for a seventeen-year-old. She is the daughter of a chocolate mafioso who ran Balanchine Chocolate before his death. When the story begins, Anya is just getting out of Liberty Children's Facility where she was sent after shooting someone. All the details can be found in the first book in this series - All These Things I've Done.Anya faces a number of problems. She needs to find a school to accept her so that she can graduate. She has to get over her boyfriend and love of her life - Win - because that was the deal she made with his father who is running for District Attorney. She needs to figure out her role in Balanchine Chocolate when she doesn't really trust any of her relatives. Just as she is starting to get settled problems arise when photos of her and Win are leaked to the press which makes Win's father decide to sent her back to Liberty. Her lawyers help her escape and send her to a cacao plantation in Mexico.Anya had developed strong negative feeling for chocolate after the happenings in the first book in this series. But learning about it and seeing the attitude toward it in Mexico change her mind. She makes friends on the plantation and learns a lot about chocolate production. And, while she is lonely, she is content to learn and wait. That is, she is content until a masked gunman invades the plantation and tries to kill her. She learns that an attempt has also been made on her sister's life in New York and a successful attempt has been made on her brother's life in Japan. Anya has to come back to New York to find out who is targeting her family and to do something about it. I liked Anya very much in this story. She has grown up quite a bit since the first book. While she still asks herself what her father would do when she is in trying situations, she is more likely to find and take her own path than do what he would have done. I liked her relationship with Win. She wants to protect him even if it means not being part of his life. He is the one who has to make most of the accommodations in their relationship because she is determined to follow her own path. I liked Anya's love and loyalty to her family. I liked the world that Zevin built here. A future where chocolate and caffeine are both banned substances is a foreseeable future. Following from that leads quite naturally to a criminal organization determined to supply the banned substances. I liked the first person narration of this story and even enjoyed Anya's occasional asides to the reader. (But I would also have liked to see the story from Win's point of view.) I think readers will empathize with Anya's situation and will be interested in her story.
    • 5/5
      There is something about mafia stories along with the famine of chocolate that gets my heart going. I truly loved this book. It had all that I wanted. A character facing hard times along with action.What I loved most about this book is Anya. She is out of serving her time and trying ti get her life together. I loved how Anya grows wise. Though her wiseness comes through lots of mistakes she made. She learns from it quickly from it and becomes stronger. I like how she faced things head on at the end of the book. Seriously, it surprised me that grew some major guts with the last few chapter, stop beating around the bush and come straight out with it. Bravo!The love interest failed me! I didn't want it to go that way but ugh! I understand. Anya made some hard decisions and need to learn to play mafia game before she gets killed. She took too many risks and now must pay the price. I can only hope that their love will come around for them once again. I'll just have to wait and see...Because It Is My Blood gives the reader a front row seat to a confident and exciting read. Because It Is My Blood practically fills the reader with mind blowing emotions! Towards the end of the book, I felt Anya come into power through my fingertips finally playing the game she us meant to learn. Deliciously filled with bitter chocolate that will leave your mouth watering for more, Because It Is My Blood is AWESOME!
    • 5/5
      I love this series. I had forgotten just how much I loved it until I picked up the second book (which I've had for nearly a year) and started reading it. Once I started reading it, I absolutely refused to be interrupted until I finished reading the book a couple of hours later. First off, the idea of chocolate being illegal breaks my heart. It my favorite food and I can't imagine living in a world where I couldn't have it. But I just love Anya. She's such a strong character and refuses to let anyone push her around, makes her own decisions and doesn't let love for a guy influence her decisions in any form or fashion. She always does what she thinks is best for her and her family. This is just such a great series. I highly recommend these books.
      I love this series. I had forgotten just how much I loved it until I picked up the second book (which I've had for nearly a year) and started reading it. Once I started reading it, I absolutely refused to be interrupted until I finished reading the book a couple of hours later. First off, the idea of chocolate being illegal breaks my heart. It my favorite food and I can't imagine living in a world where I couldn't have it. But I just love Anya. She's such a strong character and refuses to let anyone push her around, makes her own decisions and doesn't let love for a guy influence her decisions in any form or fashion. She always does what she thinks is best for her and her family. This is just such a great series. I highly recommend these books.
    • 1/5
      Should every book become a series? NO!
      In the case of the Birthright series by Gabrielle Zevin, we are talking about a trilogy. A trilogy that should have never been more than a single story or duology at most.
      There is a really interesting premise to this series that is dystopian (yr 2080's) with traces of The Godfather. Living in the time that we are, it is easy to buy into a story where things like chocolate are illegal. While the government claims that the numerous laws are for society's own good, it is really about lining someone's pockets. Anya's family have been chocolatiers for a number of years, and when chocolate became illegal, the family turned to organized crime.
      The setup is all done in book one, All These Things I've Done, in which we learn a lot of strange, but imaginable laws are in effect. I really enjoyed the first book, but there were a few slow parts that should have ended up on the cutting room floor...
      Which brings me to the the second book, Because It Is My Blood. This book hardly need exist at all. It is almost entirely slow paced filler. The romance is dull, little happens, what does happen circles back around so it turns out to be nothing at all, and there is pages upon pages of Anya working in the cocoa fields. At some point I just kind of figured that the author researched the hell out of growing cocoa beans and got overzealous in sharing the things that she learned. *snooze
      I have heard that the third and final book, In the Age of Love and Chocolate, delivers a good ending to the trilogy, but it still leaves me wondering why this couldn't have been a duology, maybe even a single book, although the jury is still out on that one, since I haven't read the final book.
      If you read and enjoyed the first book and still have not continued with the series, it is safe to say that you can skip this book and move on to the third. Really.
    • 5/5
      The second book to All These Things I've Done in the Birthright series. I loved this book. It is better than the first book, but I still gave them both the same five star rating for being one of the best series I've read to date. Anya is growing to be one amazing and strong young woman who is no longer letting the world get in her way. Instead, she's putting her foot down and making choices that will have you cheer her on.
    • 5/5
      Wow! I am so in love with this series! This book was even better than the first! The story took a GREAT twist! I am so glad I have the third and final book because I don't want to wait to finish this series! Gabrielle Zevin has an amazing mind and is a pure genius! I have a new favorite author!
    • 4/5
      I still can't wrap my mind around a time where chocolate is illegal in the United States--I'd definitely have to move out of the country! Anya is still having trouble with the law, with her family, and with her love life. At least in this book we see her starting to take charge rather than just letting things happen to her. Can't wait to read book three to see how it all ends.
    • 4/5
      This is Book Two of the trilogy that began with All These Things I’ve Done set in a future New York in which alcohol is legal but chocolate is banned, except for medicinal uses.In this book, Anya, now 17, escapes from yet another stint at the Liberty Children’s Facility and hides out in Chiapas, Mexico, learning the chocolate trade of her family. She stays at a ranch where cacao is raised and where charming 19-year-old Theo Marquez teaches her all about its growth and cultivation. And of course, the process is a metaphor for Anya’s life. As Theo explains about cacao:“Attempts to genetically modify her beans have all been complete failures. She needs to struggle or the cacao produced will not be the richest. She needs to face certain death over and over again. ... But ... everything worth loving in this world is difficult.”Anya works in the fields with Theo, and also learns to use a machete, a skill that will come in handy.When she returns to New York, she comes up with a plan to capitalize on her new knowledge, and help get herself and her family out of their legal problems. It may not be good for her love life, but it is chocolate that is in her blood.
    • 5/5
      I worry sometimes that I'm too enthusiastic about the books I review. There are some books that I skim over and am not that fond of - I often opt not to review them as I'd much prefer to spread the word about books that I believe give a good return on the time spent. I've been told that I should write a bit more about these books, if only to show that I am able to discern the good from the bad.But this time, yet again, I have to enthusiastically recommend the second book in the Balachine novels, Because It Is My Blood. The book is set in the future and it follows the story of Anya Balanchine and her family after her brother has escaped to Japan to avoid incarceration. Anya has survived her stint the NY juvenile facility but finds her future uncertain. She has been expelled from her old school before her senior year. Her best friend is pregnant with her ex-boyfriend's child. Her love and other ex-boyfriend has moved on despite his vows of eternal love. Anya faces these heartbreaking problems with humor and spirit. Her resilience and grit -those characteristics that had us cheering for her in the earlier novel All These Things I've Done - are back in spades and we find ourselves hoping that Anya beats the odds yet again. This time, she faces larger grown up problems - the loss of her guardian, the threat of assassination, the possible loss of whatever is left of her family. ISBN-10: 9780374380748 - Hardcover $14.00Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (September 18, 2012), 368 pages. Review copy courtesy of the publisher.
    • 4/5
      Although it suffers from the dreaded middle book syndrome (exists in the trilogy to move the story toward conclusion in book 3) it handles the awkwardness better than most. I still love Anya and her story. She's an amazingly complex and unique character. I like that Zevin uses Anya's faith to show her growth during the story. I thought the mob storyline was a little muddled and didn't have the tension it did in book 1. Also, Leo. That's all I'm going to say about that. But this book did accomplish the goal that I am now dying for book 3. Jerk.
    • 4/5
      Who would have thought that chocolate and the mafia could combine to become such a wonderful series? Anya is back and her life is as exciting as ever. There are some surprises here, and some mystery, and many revelations. Finally, a second book that is a worthy follower of the first! Can't wait to read the next one!
    • 4/5
      A worthy follow-up to All These Things I've Done. The mob thriller element is well done, though that's not so much my thing. I'm in it for the political allegory and the characters. Zevin's future-Prohibition allegory is original and continues to be effective, especially as we get a chance to see the cacao trade from countries where it's legal, and get an amusingly skewering glimpse of the pro-legalization "Cacao Now" movement.

      My main gripe is that I don't buy that no one would have explored the "medicinal cacao" loophole before Anya thought of it. We just legalized medical marijuana in MA a few weeks ago and I'm sure it will not take long for shops to open. It would have been more believable if it had been new legislation.

      I continue to love Anya, Natty, Win, and Scarlet, as well as a few new characters, and Win and Anya's break-up was pitch-perfect. It never feels forced; they are who they are and are from the families they're from, and this is the eventual result. My only character complaint is that Scarlet's pregnancy seemed a little off the wall. What storytelling purpose did that serve, really?

      I received a review copy of the audiobook from the publisher. The reader's inflections are occasionally odd, but she's very clear and her voice never gets in the way of the story. (I find most audiobook readers unlistenable, so this is higher praise than it sounds.)
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed Because It Is My Blood but thought it took much longer to capture my interest than the first installment in the series. This book less about the Balanchine family and more about Anya's personal growth and struggles. I was disappointed that Leo and Natty were absent for most of the book because I like their characters especially Leo. There are many plot twists and turns in this book which will keep the reader looking forward to the next book. Well written but slow starting so I give it a solid 3 stars.
    • 5/5
      Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: A girl tries hard to get out of the family business, but it keeps pulling her family back in. For fans of Ally Carter’s Heist Society.Opening Sentence: “Come in Anya, have a seat. We find ourselves in the midst of a situation,” Evelyn Cobrawick greeted me, parting her painted red lips to reveal a cheerful sliver of yellow tooth.The Review: Anya thought that once she got out of Liberty Children’s Facility she would be able to put the past behind her and move on with her life – separate from the Balanchine family business…and Win. But really, it’s for the better, or at least that’s what she keeps telling herself. But when a picture of Win and her holding hands hits the newspaper, Win’s father’s wrath comes down, especially with the election for the new DA growing closer. But Win’s father isn’t the only one after her. A new force is taking hold of the chocolate company – and they have set their sights on Anya. Fleeing to the birthplace of chocolate, Anya creates a new life in the country, but her old life is still waiting for her to come back. New events twist her arm behind her back until the only thing left to do is face the enemy. As if graduating high school is hard enough.I’m not quite sure what to think of this book. Don’t get me wrong – I loved the plot and the characters to death – but was it as good as the first? I think the jury’s still out. As far as writing goes, Zevin’s voice is still utterly hilarious and witty. Just not as creative and witty as the first book. There weren’t as many scenes with witty banter as the first, and “Daddy’s sayings” were scarce. But I see why. Anya is growing and learning on her own throughout this book, and Daddy’s sayings wouldn’t help in her situations. But I still miss them.While the first book was mainly an introduction to the chocolate family arc and the romance arc between Win and Anya, the second book is all about Anya and her family. Anya develops so much through this book as she learns more and more about chocolate and her family. She’s a very strong-headed girl with a concrete back-bone and witty remarks. She’s similar to Kat from Heist Society by Ally Carter – she’s trying to escape her family business, but it keeps pulling her back in. Anya’s relationships with her friends and family are dynamic and complex. In this book, the romance isn’t the number one arc, but don’t worry there’s enough to satisfy. I appreciate Zevin for not using the “misunderstanding” arc throughout the whole book. And the creation of a new arc between Win and Anya will throw you…It definitely threw me across the country and back.If you loved the first book, I’m positive you will love the second. It is full of character development and action scenes (and even a scene where someone’s hand is cut off!) but beware! MAJOR cliffhanger alert! Only another year to wait for the next one…Notable Scene:Natty and I got on the bus with our parcels. “Why Alison Wheeler?” Natty asked after we’d been on the bus a couple of minutes. “He loves you.”“I broke up with him, Natty.”“Yes, but–”“And I got him shot.”“But–”“And maybe he’s tired of me. Of our family. Of how difficult it all is. Sometimes I get tired of me, too.”“Not Win, no,” Natty said in a soft but resolute voice. “It doesn’t make sense.”I sighed. Natty might have looked twenty-five, but her heart was still so very twelve (thirteen!) and this was comforting to me. “I can’t think about him anymore. I have to find a school to go to. I have to see Cousin Mickey. I have to call Yuji Ono. But from now on, we’re going to the market at Columbus Circle,” I said. “I don’t care if we do have to cross the park!”FTC Advisory: Farrar Straus Giroux / Macmillan provided me with a copy of Because It Is My Blood. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
    • 3/5
      Sequel to All These Things I've Done. Anya's release from the detention center is short-lived. When she's sent there again, she escapes and goes to Mexico to learn about how chocolate is grown. But an attempt on her life forces her backt o New York, where she must decide how involved, if at all, she wants to be in the family business.
    • 5/5
      Anya is released from Liberty at the beginning of the second story in this series, but election worries have her friend Win's father sending her back. A daring escape, set up by her lawyers and chocolate 'family' member Yuji Ono send Anya south for much of the story, bringing a certain amount of history and different look as to how and why chocolate has even become illegal. I have to hand it to Zevin, the futuristic world of 2083 that she has created in this series rings just true enough to keep me reading faster and faster to find out more about Anya's story.
    • 4/5
      Book two in the Birthright series, Because It Is My Blood introduces a host of new characters and new intrigues in Anya Balanchine's life. Leo, Anya's older brother, has been safely hidden in Japan, with the help of Yuji Ono. Nataliya, or Nattie, has been sent to a summer camp for gifted children and returns a young woman. Scarlet, Anya's best friend is in a relationship with Gable, much to Anya's dismay. Anya, Leo and Nattie are still grieving the death of their grandmother Galina. Anya realizes that her continued relationship with Win is on dangerously shaky ground as a result of his father's campaign to become District Attorney. Imogen Goodfellow is currently functioning as Anya and Nattie's nanny, and is the only constant adult presence in their lives except for the family lawyer, Mr. Kipling.As Anya struggles to keep herself and Nattie safe from Balanchine family machinations, she must also find a school willing to accept her for her senior year. Unbelievably, the latter is much harder than the former. Anya also finds herself embroiled in Balanchine family squabbles as a result of Mikhail "Mickey" Balanchine taking over the business now that his father, Yuri, is incapacitated. If that wasn't enough to deal with, Anya is used as a tool in the district attorney campaign race (the opponent constantly uses Anya's familial criminal ties, not to mention Anya's crimes, and her relationship with Win, to detract from the campaign of Charles Delacroix) and is constantly besieged by various adults with ulterior motives.Just when it seems like Anya's life might be gradually turning around, she is arrested again, charged with violating the terms of her release, and then poisoned while in custody at Liberty. It is then decided that she should leave the country and arrangements are made for her to travel to Mexico and live with Sophia Bitter (Mickey's wife) Balanchine's family, the Marquez family. While in exile as an escapee from Liberty, Anya learns about the growing and production of cacao from this family. Again, just when it appears that things are going well for Anya an attempt is made on her life and the youngest son of the Marquez family is caught in the crossfire. This attempt ends with Anya returning to the US, making a deal with the new district attorney, a return trip to Liberty, and a brief home confinement.To say that Anya is living a difficult life is a massive understatement, but even though she has moments of despair, she perseveres. Because It Is My Blood features political machinations, familial machinations, numerous attempts at murder, strange business plans and partnerships, and routine teenage angst. Once again, Ms. Zevin pulls the reader into Anya's world and it isn't possible to feel Anya's pain, fear, love and confusion as she attempts to make sense of everything that is happening. Nattie, Mr. Kipling, and even Simon Green are more prominently featured, as are Yuji Ono, Scarlet, and Gable. This was a fast read that held my attention from the first page until the very last. My only disappointment is that I have to wait for book three to find out what will happen to everyone. As I stated with All These Things I've Done, Because It Is My Blood may be classified as a YA book but it can truly be enjoyed by readers of all ages. If you read book one in this series, run and get book two (if you haven't read book one, add it and Because It Is My Blood to your to-be-read list ASAP) . . . you won't be disappointed.