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briebing's review against another edition
I just couldn't finish it. Perhaps I didn't give it enough of a try, but I needed to be finished, even if I didn't reach the end.
jaymoosethegoose's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Was creative, but wouldn't recommend it to new readers.
alysses's review against another edition
2.0
I partly read this and partly heard this on audio books.
I mentioned before on another review that I really have not read books where Werewolves were the focus other than Twilight. I don't think Twilight really counts because there was so many other things going on and I recently read the Iron Druid Chronicles where there were Werewolves but again only a little, too much going on in them too.
GOODREADS: Vivian Gandillon relishes the change, the sweet, fierce ache that carries her from girl to wolf. At sixteen, she is beautiful and strong, and all the young wolves are on her tail. But Vivian still grieves for her dead father; her pack remains leaderless and in disarray, and she feels lost in the suburbs of Maryland. She longs for a normal life. But what is normal for a werewolf?
Then Vivian falls in love with a human, a meat-boy. Aiden is kind and gentle, a welcome relief from the squabbling pack. He's fascinated by magic, and Vivian longs to reveal herself to him. Surely he would understand her and delight in the wonder of her dual nature, not fear her as an ordinary human would.
Vivian's divided loyalties are strained further when a brutal murder threatens to expose the pack. Moving between two worlds, she does not seem to belong in either. What is she really--human or beast? Which tastes sweeter--blood or chocolate?
ME: I'm dying to read a few books straight that leave me in lala land. It's just not happening before the end of the year. This book is definitely looking at the Werewolf life in a whole other light. This book heavily reminded me of West Side Story only I really really loved West Side Story. So far in the books I've read where there are Werewolves, the Werewolves tend to want to be more human than animal. This is not the case in this book at all. This book is definitely beastly. Vivian is 16 years old and is in a new suburban town, new school, new everything. She is basically struggling with being a human teenage girl with a very grown up Werewolf lifestyle. Vivian is aggressive, she's mean, wicked and very very in tuned with her sexuality. EVERYONE, and I mean EVERYONE has SEX on the brain. Vivian is trying to bed Aiden, a human boy from school while everyone from her pack that's not mated wants to bed her. We also have her very promiscuous mom wanting to bed the pack leader and is literally fighting over him with another pack member, Astrid. Oh and this Astrid chick... yeah, she's going at it with one of her son's friend, the very teenager Rafe. Right in the pack is often twisted and fine lines are often crossed over to the wrong. CRAZY! This book kind of read like trailer trash...UGH!
Something else that bugged me a whole bunch was the language these teens in the late 90's used... IT TOTALLY WASN'T IN THE LATE 90's! I was a teen in the 90's and we didn't say "let's go to that party tonight, it's going to be wild!" Nope didn't say that. There were other things that kept me thinking this was written in the 70's or early 80's...
On the positive: If I had to find a positive about this book it has to be the very real feelings I felt meant to be a Werewolf. Through Vivian, and of course the author, I felt how right and how amazing it felt to be a Werewolf. If nothing else it is the equivalent to just feeling free and all is right with the world.
Yeah, I didn't like it so much but my son was listening in parts and he liked it, the action parts. So as usual, read it, you might like it.
Peace!
I mentioned before on another review that I really have not read books where Werewolves were the focus other than Twilight. I don't think Twilight really counts because there was so many other things going on and I recently read the Iron Druid Chronicles where there were Werewolves but again only a little, too much going on in them too.
GOODREADS: Vivian Gandillon relishes the change, the sweet, fierce ache that carries her from girl to wolf. At sixteen, she is beautiful and strong, and all the young wolves are on her tail. But Vivian still grieves for her dead father; her pack remains leaderless and in disarray, and she feels lost in the suburbs of Maryland. She longs for a normal life. But what is normal for a werewolf?
Then Vivian falls in love with a human, a meat-boy. Aiden is kind and gentle, a welcome relief from the squabbling pack. He's fascinated by magic, and Vivian longs to reveal herself to him. Surely he would understand her and delight in the wonder of her dual nature, not fear her as an ordinary human would.
Vivian's divided loyalties are strained further when a brutal murder threatens to expose the pack. Moving between two worlds, she does not seem to belong in either. What is she really--human or beast? Which tastes sweeter--blood or chocolate?
ME: I'm dying to read a few books straight that leave me in lala land. It's just not happening before the end of the year. This book is definitely looking at the Werewolf life in a whole other light. This book heavily reminded me of West Side Story only I really really loved West Side Story. So far in the books I've read where there are Werewolves, the Werewolves tend to want to be more human than animal. This is not the case in this book at all. This book is definitely beastly. Vivian is 16 years old and is in a new suburban town, new school, new everything. She is basically struggling with being a human teenage girl with a very grown up Werewolf lifestyle. Vivian is aggressive, she's mean, wicked and very very in tuned with her sexuality. EVERYONE, and I mean EVERYONE has SEX on the brain. Vivian is trying to bed Aiden, a human boy from school while everyone from her pack that's not mated wants to bed her. We also have her very promiscuous mom wanting to bed the pack leader and is literally fighting over him with another pack member, Astrid. Oh and this Astrid chick... yeah, she's going at it with one of her son's friend, the very teenager Rafe. Right in the pack is often twisted and fine lines are often crossed over to the wrong. CRAZY! This book kind of read like trailer trash...UGH!
Something else that bugged me a whole bunch was the language these teens in the late 90's used... IT TOTALLY WASN'T IN THE LATE 90's! I was a teen in the 90's and we didn't say "let's go to that party tonight, it's going to be wild!" Nope didn't say that. There were other things that kept me thinking this was written in the 70's or early 80's...
On the positive: If I had to find a positive about this book it has to be the very real feelings I felt meant to be a Werewolf. Through Vivian, and of course the author, I felt how right and how amazing it felt to be a Werewolf. If nothing else it is the equivalent to just feeling free and all is right with the world.
Yeah, I didn't like it so much but my son was listening in parts and he liked it, the action parts. So as usual, read it, you might like it.
Peace!
bookishlybeth's review against another edition
5.0
Reread. I first read this book when I was about 13, and once more in my early 20s. Now I’m reading it at 32 and I still really enjoying the book. I usually don’t date rereads from my youth but my opinion has never changed with this book. I always enjoy it.
shewriteswithknives's review against another edition
5.0
This is probably my fifth time reading this book and it never gets old. I absolutely love Vivian's story and he struggle with temptation of the human world and accepting who she really is. I was supposed to be reading this daily for the month of November for a book club, but I couldn't put it down.
Blood and Chocolate will forever be one of my favorite books.
Blood and Chocolate will forever be one of my favorite books.
jrosenstein's review against another edition
4.0
There seems to be a trend among young adult authors to re-work classic horror stories. In Peeps Scott Westerfeld puts a new spin on vampire stories, and Annette Curtis Klause offers her take on werewolves in Blood and Chocolate. The werewolves in Blood and Chocolate are not blood-thirsty animals; they are a tight-knit extended family with strict rules about not hunting humans. Vivian, the main character, is a teenage girl who loves being loup-garou, or werewolf. To her and her pack being a werewolf is not a curse but a gift, and they pity humans for only having one form.
However, occasionally werewolves do get out of control. The pack's home, a remote inn in the mountains of West Virginia, is burned down by suspicious neighbors when one of the pack kills a human in town. Vivian's father, the pack leader, is killed in the blaze. After the fire the pack moves to the Maryland suburbs, where Vivian starts dating a meat-boy (a human), Aiden despite the disapproval of the rest of her pack. Vivian longs to reveal herself to Aiden, but fears she would be endangering the rest of the pack. Meanwhile, the werewolves struggle to hold together in the aftermath of the fire and find a new leader strong enough to shepherd them into a new life.
The book has plenty of action and is likely to appeal to teenagers. Despite the magical elements, in some ways this is a coming of age story. Teenagers will be able to identify with Vivian's struggles with her mother, her fight to decide who and what she wants to be, and the many fears and challenges that characterize the transition between child and adult. A word to the wise- this is not really a book for middle school. Though it's not explicit, the entire book absolutely reeks of sex. I have never read a book so drenched in sexual energy. The werewolves are more open about sex and Vivian's decisions about sex form many of the major plot points.
I definitely recommend this book for 9th grade and up. The unique premise and fast-moving storyline (not to mention the sex-soaked atmosphere) are sure to capture and keep their attention
However, occasionally werewolves do get out of control. The pack's home, a remote inn in the mountains of West Virginia, is burned down by suspicious neighbors when one of the pack kills a human in town. Vivian's father, the pack leader, is killed in the blaze. After the fire the pack moves to the Maryland suburbs, where Vivian starts dating a meat-boy (a human), Aiden despite the disapproval of the rest of her pack. Vivian longs to reveal herself to Aiden, but fears she would be endangering the rest of the pack. Meanwhile, the werewolves struggle to hold together in the aftermath of the fire and find a new leader strong enough to shepherd them into a new life.
The book has plenty of action and is likely to appeal to teenagers. Despite the magical elements, in some ways this is a coming of age story. Teenagers will be able to identify with Vivian's struggles with her mother, her fight to decide who and what she wants to be, and the many fears and challenges that characterize the transition between child and adult. A word to the wise- this is not really a book for middle school. Though it's not explicit, the entire book absolutely reeks of sex. I have never read a book so drenched in sexual energy. The werewolves are more open about sex and Vivian's decisions about sex form many of the major plot points.
I definitely recommend this book for 9th grade and up. The unique premise and fast-moving storyline (not to mention the sex-soaked atmosphere) are sure to capture and keep their attention
gothamvorona's review against another edition
5.0
Reread! This was a childhood favorite and it still is. I loved how it was disturbing and more realistic even if it dealt with werewolves. Vivian helped me through some really tough times and the story has always stuck with me.
My best friends and I decided to start a book club with each other and this was the first one we started. I can’t wait to see what others we read together
My best friends and I decided to start a book club with each other and this was the first one we started. I can’t wait to see what others we read together
kpinzon's review against another edition
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
emilyb_chicago's review against another edition
1.0
This book was so disappointing. For today's standards of young adult it falls far short. The characters are very black and white throughout the book, with a vain yet insecure main character whom no one understands. If the book was told from her perspective the lack of depth in everyone else would almost make sense. The ending is ridiculous and completely out of character for every person based on what we have seen. We are introduced to "important" best-friend-type people and then their story is just dropped with no one really seeming to care. Best thing about the book is that it's a super quick read.
Pass on this book and choose one of the myriad of other wonderful young adult books out there. I'll give you a recommendation if you need one!
Pass on this book and choose one of the myriad of other wonderful young adult books out there. I'll give you a recommendation if you need one!