Gold Star Review: In The Age of Love and Chocolate

In the Age of Love and Chocolate
by Gabrielle Zevin
Birthright trilogy, book three

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. (Description from Goodreads.com)

What a stellar ending to a great trilogy.  I really felt like Zevin stayed true to Anya's character. Her life isn't easy and she doesn't make easy choices, but she makes the right choices for herself, even when they aren't popular.  

Though Anya doesn't often show her emotion easily, she feels deeply, and this book really struck that point home.  The trials she must endure both emotionally and physically left me drained as I listened to the book and I found myself crying several times.  (The audio book narration is stellar, by the way - Highly recommended) For all that Anya's life is tough, and she truly endures some horrific moments along the way, there is hope there as well, and the knowledge that she loves and is loved by others in return... 

It's hard to tell you much more without spoiling the end of the series, but I will say that I was not at all disappointed.  I really loved this entire series and I was very, very happy with how things turned out in the end.  

Full disclosure: eBook purchased on my Nook, audio book borrowed from Library

Because It Is My Blood

Because It Is My Blood
by Gabrielle Zevin
Birthright series, book two

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. (Description from Amazon.com) 

Another fabulously enjoyable vacation read.  I loved diving back into Anya's version of our future.  (I still can't quite wrap my head around chocolate and COFFEE being illegal, LOL!) 

Since this is the second book in the series, I don't want to give too much away... but I will say that what I really enjoyed the most about this book was seeing Anya really define herself and the place she wanted to be in her world.  She goes on a sort of emotional journey along with her physical one and I definitely found myself cheering her on as she made some BIG decisions about how she wanted to present herself and what role she wanted to play in chocolate's future.  

The book took some surprising turns, and I loved it.  I cannot wait to see how things go In the Age of Love and Chocolate, which comes out this October... 

Full disclosure: Book purchased on my Nook