Because It Is My Blood - (Birthright) by Gabrielle Zevin (Paperback)

About the Book

The thrilling sequel to "All the Things I've Done." In 2083, 17-year-old Anya Balanchine seeks a way to make Balanchine Chocolate legitimate, and although a trip to Mexico gives her new insights and ideas, escaping her mobster family's legacy of violence may prove impossible.

Book Synopsis

From the New York Times best-selling author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry, this is the second stunning novel in Gabrielle Zevin's Birthright series. In this thrilling novel about a reluctant mobster, Anya tries to shatter the ties that bind--with deadly consequences.

"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.

Review Quotes

"An engaging heroine, lots of humor . . . in this Godfather for teens. B+" --EW.com

"Readers who enjoy mob stories and visions of future societies will be pleased. As in the first book, Zevin provokes thought about what we make illegal and why." --School Library Journal

"The idea of a world in which chocolate, coffee, and other stimulants have been outlawed is alluring, and Anya is a strong, smart protagonist. Fans will want to find out what happens to her." --VOYA

"Discerning characters' true motives will keep readers guessing, and the conflicting forces within Anya add an extra dimension of drama to this action-packed sequel." --Publishers Weekly

"This sequel to All These Things I've Done paints on such a broad canvas that readers will be amazed at Zevin's management abilities. . . . Zevin's strong suit is characterization, and it shines here. Whatever the nefarious plot, no one becomes a cartoon character--like chocolates, each is delicious in his or her own right." --Booklist

"Fans of the first will enjoy the author's inventive combination of chocolate, crime and politics, as well as finding out Anya's post-prison fate." --Kirkus Reviews

"Anya's flaws are what make her a complicated, thoroughly human character, one whom readers will enjoy continuing to try to understand. . . . Readers will love her, flawed as she is." --Teenreads.com

About the Author

Gabrielle Zevin is the New York Times and internationally best-selling author of several critically acclaimed novels, including The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, which is now a motion picture, and Young Jane Young. Her most recent novel is Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, one of the best books of the year, according to the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time, Entertainment Weekly, the Atlantic, Oprah Daily, Slate, NPR, the Hollywood Reporter, and many other outlets. Her novels have been translated into forty languages. She lives in Los Angeles.