sunny_momster's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
lsvicente537's review against another edition
3.0
Good! It's been a few years since I've read the first two books in this series but I'm real glad I finally got around to finishing it. I love Annie and Win and Natty and everyone else in this chocolateless world. I think it's great that the series covered so much time (5 years) because you really got to see how all the characters matured and changed. If you've read the previous books, I would definitely recommend finishing the series.
sampena16's review against another edition
1.0
So disappointed in this series finale. The plot was thin at best, the dialogue was awful and unrefined, and it felt more like a half hearted attempt at tying up loose ends than a true series ending. I'm so surprised how much I dislike this book, as I've enjoyed all of Zevin's other novels.
sandraagee's review against another edition
4.0
Solid end to the series. The focus of this last volume is really in tying up the loose ends left over from the first two books and give us closure. The romantic tension was played up a bit more, and this book seemed paced differently since it covered events over the span of three years rather than a few months. Still, even this timing was very realistic if you consider everything that's going on.
I didn't think that this book stood out particularly well on its own, but it worked just fine for me. It was nice to see Anya finally get some happiness.
I didn't think that this book stood out particularly well on its own, but it worked just fine for me. It was nice to see Anya finally get some happiness.
nicolelin23's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the first two books in this series. But this book seems to be missing something. Also I not sure if this is the end of the series In the Age of Live and Chocolate was a bit disappointing. Although I really enjoyed some part of the book.
cupcakegirly's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you Ksenia Winnicki for providing me with a finished copy for review! Thank you Gabrielle Zevin for such a wonderful end to this series!!
What I Loved: I have to say that I was afraid of how this would end. Like, legit scared I would end up in a corner somewhere mumbling about chocolate and coffee, which is why, I did something I rarely do - I read the last chapter first. Once I saw how it all ends I was able to take a breath and start at the beginning.
This is one of the best final books I've read this year. The character development is so good you feel as if you've taken this journey right along with them, especially Anya. We've seen her grow and mature over the course of three books and this one spans several years making her story feel that much more real.
Her struggles to make the right choices (the first time, all the time) for both herself as well as her family was often difficult to watch. She's so stubborn but she's also selfless, regularly putting the best interest and wants of others before her own. Her relationship with Win Delacriox matures too, and even though they spend the majority of this book separated by distance and circumstances, their emotional connection is always there. Their text messages were some of my favorite parts. I literally "LOL'd". The scene with the strawberries was one of the most heart-achingly beautiful things I've read! *clutches chest*
Anya finally learns it's okay to ask for help and to let yourself be loved and the ending was perfect.
What Left Me Wanting More: The only thing that could've made me happier (which is not the same as making the book better) is if Win Delacroix had been worked into every single scene. ;)
Final Verdict: Great end this series!
Favorite quote(s): "Because if you love someone, you love them all the way. You love them even when they make mistakes. That's what I think."
"So I will wait, because I would rather wait for you than waste my time with someone who isn't you."
What I Loved: I have to say that I was afraid of how this would end. Like, legit scared I would end up in a corner somewhere mumbling about chocolate and coffee, which is why, I did something I rarely do - I read the last chapter first. Once I saw how it all ends I was able to take a breath and start at the beginning.
This is one of the best final books I've read this year. The character development is so good you feel as if you've taken this journey right along with them, especially Anya. We've seen her grow and mature over the course of three books and this one spans several years making her story feel that much more real.
Her struggles to make the right choices (the first time, all the time) for both herself as well as her family was often difficult to watch. She's so stubborn but she's also selfless, regularly putting the best interest and wants of others before her own. Her relationship with Win Delacriox matures too, and even though they spend the majority of this book separated by distance and circumstances, their emotional connection is always there. Their text messages were some of my favorite parts. I literally "LOL'd". The scene with the strawberries was one of the most heart-achingly beautiful things I've read! *clutches chest*
Anya finally learns it's okay to ask for help and to let yourself be loved and the ending was perfect.
What Left Me Wanting More: The only thing that could've made me happier (which is not the same as making the book better) is if Win Delacroix had been worked into every single scene. ;)
Final Verdict: Great end this series!
Favorite quote(s): "Because if you love someone, you love them all the way. You love them even when they make mistakes. That's what I think."
"So I will wait, because I would rather wait for you than waste my time with someone who isn't you."
honeybadger11492's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
missprint_'s review against another edition
5.0
Anya Balanchine knows about hardships and sacrifice. She also knows, better than most, that sometimes difficult choices have to be made.
Now eighteen and working closely with one of her former enemies, Anya is on the verge of opening a nightclub specializing in medicinal cacao--the first attempt to circumvent the laws that have made chocolate illegal in the United States for years. With that victory so close, Anya is also forced to accept the things she has lost in her efforts to legitimize the family business--namely the boy she loved, Win Delacroix.
Just as Anya begins to taste professional success, her personal life begins to fall apart. In order to make her way through, Anya will have to seek out old friends and enemies as she makes her way in this dangerous world where chocolate is illegal and family means everything in In the Age of Love and Chocolate (2013) by Gabrielle Zevin.
In the Age of Love and Chocolate is the final book in Gabrielle Zevin’s Birthright series which started with All These Things I’ve Done and Because It Is My Blood. The book itself is also broken into two parts: The Age of Chocolate and The Age of Love which, as you might have guessed, illustrate the shifting focuses of the story as well as Anya's shifting priorities.
It's hard to talk about the conclusion of a series without giving away too much about the story (or about the books that came before). What I can tell you is that while this ending wasn't always the one I expected or wanted for Anya, it is the only conclusion that makes sense for her as a character. It is the only one that could be truly satisfying after moving through the series.
Anya remains the smart, steady heroine she always was in In the Age of Love and Chocolate but her growth here is even more apparent as Anya negotiates the murky waters of adulthood and the chocolate business. Anya stumbles, she makes mistakes, but she always learns and she always tries again. She is a refreshingly strong, self-sufficient heroine and one that I am sad to leave behind as this wonderful series comes to an end.
Possible Pairings: White Cat by Holly Black, Strings Attached by Judy Blundell, Heist Society by Ally Carter, Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough, Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, Leverage (television series), White Collar (television series)
Now eighteen and working closely with one of her former enemies, Anya is on the verge of opening a nightclub specializing in medicinal cacao--the first attempt to circumvent the laws that have made chocolate illegal in the United States for years. With that victory so close, Anya is also forced to accept the things she has lost in her efforts to legitimize the family business--namely the boy she loved, Win Delacroix.
Just as Anya begins to taste professional success, her personal life begins to fall apart. In order to make her way through, Anya will have to seek out old friends and enemies as she makes her way in this dangerous world where chocolate is illegal and family means everything in In the Age of Love and Chocolate (2013) by Gabrielle Zevin.
In the Age of Love and Chocolate is the final book in Gabrielle Zevin’s Birthright series which started with All These Things I’ve Done and Because It Is My Blood. The book itself is also broken into two parts: The Age of Chocolate and The Age of Love which, as you might have guessed, illustrate the shifting focuses of the story as well as Anya's shifting priorities.
It's hard to talk about the conclusion of a series without giving away too much about the story (or about the books that came before). What I can tell you is that while this ending wasn't always the one I expected or wanted for Anya, it is the only conclusion that makes sense for her as a character. It is the only one that could be truly satisfying after moving through the series.
Anya remains the smart, steady heroine she always was in In the Age of Love and Chocolate but her growth here is even more apparent as Anya negotiates the murky waters of adulthood and the chocolate business. Anya stumbles, she makes mistakes, but she always learns and she always tries again. She is a refreshingly strong, self-sufficient heroine and one that I am sad to leave behind as this wonderful series comes to an end.
Possible Pairings: White Cat by Holly Black, Strings Attached by Judy Blundell, Heist Society by Ally Carter, Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough, Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, Leverage (television series), White Collar (television series)
annemtipton's review against another edition
5.0
I love this character. Final book, while covering a long time period, wrapped up her story in a beautiful way!