I liked this more than the first book in the Birthright trilogy. It took me a long time to get on board with a future in which chocolate and caffeine are outlawed because it made no sense to me, especially since alcohol isn't against the law in this imagined future. I'm still not sure the pieces of this dystopian future fit perfectly together, but I like Anya's voice and her story enough, plus many of the supporting characters, that I can shrug through the discordant bits. And she did explain th...

395 stars

Looking at the synopsis it appears Win has a new girlfriend. I don't like that but I will see where this book leads.After reading:I like how the story progressed. Some of the things Anya had to go through were unfair but she made it work. Her trip to learn about cacao was a nice addition. I'm looking forward to the conclusion of the story.

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 realiz...

Some people's family problems come from money, power struggles, history. Anya's come from chocolate.Anya Balanchine's family's involvement in chocolate goes way back. But in a dystopian world where chocolate is an illegal substance, her family name is drenched in infamy. Anya is determined to have a chocolate-free future, to be a model citizen and avoid the conflicts of the year behind her. But like any chocolate lover knows, sooner or later you're back for more. And with Anya, it's in her blood...

Because It Is My Blood takes its name from a twist on a line from the Stephen Crane poem, In The Desert, which is also the epigraph to the novel.In the desertI saw a creature, naked, bestial,Who, squatting upon the ground,Held his heart in his hands,And ate of it.I said, "Is it good, friend?""It is bitter-bitter," he answered;"But I like it"Because it is bitter,"And because it is my heart."It's an almost perfect fit for the second book in Gabrielle Zevin's birthright trilogy, although the full e...

The mafia, chocolate, the near future, the pseudo-end of life as we know it. All these things were what drew me to ALL THESE THINGS I’VE DONE, book one in the Birthright Trilogy by Gabrielle Zevin. In the end, ATTID ended up being one of my top twenty books of 2011 for its well-crafted blend of family drama, romance, action, and chocolate. By the time BECAUSE IT IS MY BLOOD rolled around, I admit, I had forgotten some of the intricacies of book one (some important details from book one are not r...

INITIALLY:4.5 Maybe even a 5. And I couldn't even tell you why...Though of course, when I get around to reviewing it, I'm certainly going to try. ;DI ended up rounding up after consideration. Growth, my friends. Still can't quite put it all into something coherent, but I connect to Anya a lot for some reason.Review to come closer to the release. :)AND THEN:After being told about Gabrielle Zevin for years (after having her relentlessly pushed on me by certain people, and 1 in particular, who shal...

This is going to be a long review, so if you want my overall consensus, skip the the very end. Lately, I've been growing a little tired of the current young adult books. While this book is not the kind of book that will become a classic ( in my opinion, I would probably have rated this book four and a half stars, maybe even a four if it was for Anya's entertaining character), it's not some typical dystopian or vampire book. The ideas in the book seem realistic enough to me. Where you might read...

I will be reviewing this trilogy as a whole on my blog soon. The first two books I read pre-blogging, and I have a huge list of those early YA books which need to be reviewed. Thank goodness I read mostly series and I can review those early (most of the time library borrowed books) in groupings. I loved this trilogy so much I bought them in hardcover for my shelves! I first found out about this trilogy in a book club on a Harry Potter social site I belonged too. We affectionately called them the...

Gabrielle Zevin is master troll. It's like she read everything I wrote about the first book and deliberately structured this one to mess with me. Did you say you were hoping for Anya/Yuki Ono? Here you go! It's TERRIBLE. :DDDDDD Also I heard some whispers from you about wanting to see Anya grow into her own power as a mob boss. You can have exactly that with the end result of her sticking to her scruples and finding a way to legally sell chocolate outside the family business. You're welcome!I sh...

Because It Is My Blood ,written by Gabrielle Zevin, is the second book in a series of three. This book has a lot of action and keeps you on your toes. I really enjoyed getting to know the main character, Anya, along with her insanely weird family and friends. This book really intrigued me due to the cover of it actually giving a picture of what the author wants Anya to look like. This helped develop my idea of what all the characters look like.This day in age, I feel like a lot of girls could re...

4.5/5 stars.I'll start off the review by saying that I love this world, these characters, and this series. I really hope this isn't the last book within it. "Because It Is My Blood" is not for the dystopian crowd that demands constant action and ridiculous love triangles, but instead, I'd say it's a quieter, sneakier, and more thoughtful book than many of the YA dystopian books out there at the moment. This one will sneak up on you when you least expect it and hit you right in the feels. There w...

**As the second in a series, this book (and the review) may contain spoilers for All These Things I've Done. You have been warned.**Anya Balanchine knows firsthand that being the presumptive heir to an illegal chocolate empire comes with its fair share of complications. After a turbulent year filled with futile attempts to move beyond her criminal reputation and date a truly ill-advised boy--all while caring for her brother and sister--Anya is hoping that the start of autumn and her release from...

I loved "All These Things I've Done", so I was thrilled with the second installment in the "Birthright" trilogy! Anya really comes into her own in this book, accepting her family's history and embracing her dangerous inheritance. Teens and adults should check out this addictive series!

I went back to a time where chocolates are illegal and there’s a yummy mafioso I can’t wait to read more about. Because It Is My Blood is the sequel to All These Things I’ve Done and I must say one of my highly anticipated books of the year. Though I didn’t give it a full mark that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it nor it didn’t live up to my expectations (because it did!). Me little self is just a bit frustrated that I didn’t know what happened (or how he was characterized here) to my favo...

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,...

This book, it did not make me happy. In fact, it did the opposite - it made me mad. Also, irritated.(view spoiler)[If I heard right, though, Anya only has two years left to live so at least there will be an end. Hopefully. (hide spoiler)]I did enjoy the time in Mexico, specifically, the cacao. I would have liked more of that. Yet, I grew to hate the stupid machete so maybe less of Mexico would have been better? Man, that machete...ugh.I continue to wonder about the purpose of Mouse. She's going

What a disappointing sequel this book was. Although the first book had been far from perfect, it still kept me interested, while this one…not so much.The main problem seems to be how contrived the storyline feels. If it were a marionette show, you’d see the strings being pulled. Everything is too coincidental. The trip to Mexico Anya suddenly takes makes little, if any sense, and the reader can see it was written mainly to get her to the next point in the story. It’s not fun reading books that a...

I liked this better than the first book! I don't like all of Anya's decisions in this, and even less so, her best friend's taste in guys. It was a fun journey down to Mexico where she got a first hand look and some valuable experience into her family's business. Why is chocolate legal in Mexico but not the US?! I loved Theo's character. He became a fast favorite! This book starts off mild but be forewarned, tragedy will strike! And strike hard! I really felt I could relate more to Anya in this o...