Skip to main content

Because It Is My Blood (Birthright #2) by Gabrielle Zevin

Because It Is My Blood (Birthright, #2)
Author: Gabrielle Zevin
Publication: September 18, 2012
By: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
3.5 Stars!

“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.

I have Jenn, from the YASisterhood to thank for this ARC because she was kind enough to grab it for me at this year's ALA.

A note about the cover changes - I know All These Things I've Done has a new cover and it coordinates with this one, but I actually prefer the original cover.

This was one read I was really looking forward to!  I thought the concept of coffee and chocolate being illegal was so interesting and entertaining in the first book and I fell in love with Anya and Win. This second installment in the Birthright series is good but I didn't enjoy it as much as the first book. There were times I experienced extreme frustration with these characters and other times they broke my heart. *cries*

Because It Is My Blood picks up with Anya's release from Liberty and her desire to move on with her life but not everyone around her is willing to let her do that. Her sister Natty doesn't want to see her, Scarlet, her BFF is now dating her archenemy, Win's father still seems hell-bent on making Anya's life miserable and then there's Win whose gone off and gotten himself another girlfriend. *sighs* Boys!

However, not everything is as it seems and try as she might to find a new normal, Anya ends up caught in the middle of a political scandal that sends her right back to jail. (No passing "Go" and no collecting $200 - poor girl)  But before she has a chance to get settled, her life is threatened, a chance to escape arises and an unexpected visitor shows up with the hopes of setting the record straight.  

Anya manages to get away and while she's gone not only learns a lot about the "family business" but a lot about herself too.  She knows what's important and what she's willing to fight for and who. When yet another life is threatened because of her, she'll be forced to return home and try to make sense of what's left of her life, again.  When Anya returns to NYC, she sees that the game may still be the same but the faces are all new.  Her family is all she has to depend on but when she experiences betrayal after betrayal Anya begins to wonder if the only person she can really trust is herself.

The pacing felt slower in this book than the first one and it seemed like each time Anya had a chance at happiness, it was ripped away. I found myself asking, "How many times does the girl need to be locked up?"  Granted, her life in general is pretty much a prison, but still. I did like that she seems to be able to share more of her feelings instead of keeping them bottled up inside.  She's doing the best she can with what she's been dealt but I really hope book 3 brings Anya some semblance of peace. 

Win, whose character I adore, confused me somewhat in this book.  He's always been torn between his feelings for Anya and his loyalty to his father but I've also felt it wouldn't hurt him to grow a backbone where his father is concerned.  He does accomplish this but seems to direct it at the wrong person. I've enjoyed that his character has loved Anya through so much which is why I didn't understand some of the decisions he makes. *shakes him*  

Potential Spoilers: 
*Throughout the book, Zevin intersperses the titles of her other works, All These Things I've Done, Elsewhere and part of Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac which I thought was rather creative.

*There was a point where I thought Win and Natty were going to get together and I guess they still could in book 3 but honestly, if that happens, I will be upset. (like, really upset.)  

Comments

  1. Throughout the book, Zevin intersperses the titles of her other works, All These Things I've Done, Elsewhere and part of Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac which I thought was rather creative.

    regards,
    charmaine of Burien Plumber

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Best Of 2012 Blog Hop

  Thanks for stopping by Jenuine Cupcakes! 2012 has been an epic reading year for me and wh ile h aving to choose the BEST of anything is never easy , I pre sent you with a sampling of my Best of 2012. (You'll notice, I've made up a few of the categories to fit my needs but all of these books are fantastic . ) Best Fantasy Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo Best Dystopian/Sequel/People Forgot The MC Was Grieving Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth Best Sci-Fi /A ction /Made Me Beat My Husband U p I n My Sl eep False Memory ( F alse Memory #1) by Dan Krokos  Best Dystopian/Sci-Fi Mashup /I Sa w The Other Hot Boy First Defiance by C.J. Redwine        Best P sychological Thriller /This Book Might Kill Me Be fore It Ends The Evolution of Mara Dyer (M ara Dyer #2) by Michelle Hodkin Best Scared T he Jelly Belly's Out of Me (Because it could happen) Ashen Winter (A shfall #2) by Mi ke Mullins Best Boo

Best Series Blog Hop hosted by Cuddlebuggery

Welcome to Jenuine Cupcakes Thank you Cuddlebuggery for organizing this Best Series Blog Hop! *cupcakes for everyone* I have quite a few series that I love but the one I chose to spotlight is The Sweet Series by Wendy Higgins.  Why? Because it's unique, entertaining and jammed packed full of awesome! Sweet Evil (Book 1) Author: Wendy Higgins Publication: May 1, 2012  Amazon | B&N  Embrace the Forbidden What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences? This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels. Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but Anna, the ultimate good girl, has always had the advantage of her angel side to balance the darkness within. It isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her te
Authors Are Rockstars Tour Stop Welcome to Jenuine Cupcakes!  *hands you a Batman cupcake*  I am so excited to be a part of the Authors Are Rockstars Tour hosted by Fiktshun & Two Chicks on Books . Thank you ladies for the opportunity to do this tour and to host... Dan Krokos, Author of False Memory When I found out that I would be hosting Dan this happened... And then this... Why, you ask? ________________________________________ (excuse me while I fangirl)   Dan is one of my FAVORITE debut authors of 2012 and it's not just because he was in The Avengers yes, THAT Avengers (lab guy #2--> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI40m0L7JRw&feature=youtu.be ) but his book False Memory , blew me away and inspired me to write a  poem. ROSES are red a warning to you False Memory; a sci-fi adrenaline rush and Dan Krokos, I *hearts* YOU! (in a purely, "you wrote an awesome book" kind of