Because It Is My Blood, Gabrielle Zevin
Because It Is My Blood, Gabrielle Zevin
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Because It Is My Blood
A Novel

Author: Gabrielle Zevin

Narrator: Ilyana Kadushin

Unabridged: 10 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/18/2012

Synopsis

In this thrilling novel about a reluctant mobster, Anya tries to shatter the ties that bind--with deadly consequences. Because It Is My Blood is the second stunning novel in Gabrielle Zevin's Birthright series.

"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.

About Gabrielle Zevin

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.

About Ilyana Kadushin

Ilyana Kadushin is best known for her narration of the Twilight audiobook series, and has worked on other audiobooks, including The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, Post Grad and Dune, which won an Audie Award. Her other voice work includes national commercials, animation, and popular video games such as Lord of the Rings. Kadushin has performed as both an actor and a singer for companies including Nickelodeon, BBC America, Sesame Street Television, MTV, and Cartoon network. She sang on the soundtrack of HBO Best Documentary Film Award & Finalist Separate But Equal.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Megan on September 15, 2012

The mafia, chocolate, the near future, the pseudo-end of life as we know it. All these things were what drew me to ALL THESE THINGS I’VE DONE, book one in the Birthright Trilogy by Gabrielle Zevin. In the end, ATTID ended up being one of my top twenty books of 2011 for its well-crafted blend of fami......more

Goodreads review by Misty on October 03, 2012

INITIALLY:4.5 Maybe even a 5. And I couldn't even tell you why...Though of course, when I get around to reviewing it, I'm certainly going to try. ;D I ended up rounding up after consideration. Growth, my friends. Still can't quite put it all into something coherent, but I connect to Anya a lot for so......more

Goodreads review by Vivian on April 13, 2015

Book two in the Birthright series, Because It Is My Blood introduces a host of new characters and new intrigues in Anya Balanchine's life. Leo, Anya's older brother, has been safely hidden in Japan, with the help of Yuji Ono. Nataliya, or Nattie, has been sent to a summer camp for gifted children an......more

Goodreads review by Shaylee on October 22, 2012

This is going to be a long review, so if you want my overall consensus, skip the the very end. Lately, I've been growing a little tired of the current young adult books. While this book is not the kind of book that will become a classic ( in my opinion, I would probably have rated this book four an......more

Goodreads review by Heidi on March 31, 2024

The second book in the Birthright trilogy continues Anya Balanchine s journey as the prevailing daughter of the Balanchine chocolate crime syndicate. She must protect her younger sister, get out of town, negotiate her return to New York and determine a post high school path forward. Looking forward......more

Quotes

“Ilyana Kadushin dives right back in as the perfect Anya – seemingly emotionless and cool on the surface but a true teen in consciousness and delivery. Kadushin delivers the story's happiness, sorrow, and mob family suspense to make this follow-up just as fast paced as the original…Kadushin enhances the story's suspense, intrigue, and heart, raising anticipation for the next installment.” —AudioFile Magazine

“Character development reaches new levels, a quality made all the more evident through Ilyana Kadushin's interpretation of the text.” —School Library Journal

“[Ilyana Kadushin's] portrayal of Anya anchors this action packed story. Allowing Anya to maintain an aura of calmness when faced with the escalating tension created by corruption, politics and crime. Kadushin vividly portrays the teen, a self-proclaimed ‘spawn of the unscrupulous mobsters,' who strongly confronts the harsh realities of her perfidious family and their black-market dealings.” —Booklist

Awards

  • CCBC Choice (Univ. of WI)
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