Book Review: BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE by Annette Curtis Klause

Blood and Chocolate 

by Annette Curtis Klause

Release Date: Sept 7, 1999
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Format: Paperback
Source: Personal Collection

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?

 

Fictitious Delicious Rating: 5

On a whim, I picked this book up at Half Price Books this week. I browsed through parts of it and was immediately impressed by the writing style. It is dark and intense and more sophisticated than a lot of other werewolf books I've read. I finished it in one day!

What's funny is, I usually have a hard time reading a book when I know what happens. I've seen the movie (with the HOT Hugh Dancy) and although it's been a while, this story is very different than the movie. And, like most book-to-movie adaptations, the book was way better.

Hugh Dancy as Aiden in Blood and Chocolate (2007)

One of my favorite things is that the protagonist, Vivian, was confident, strong, a fighter, and goes after what she wants. This was all portrayed directly, unlike that other she-wolf book, which I felt did a lot of telling-how-strong instead of showing-how-strong. It didn't feel forced, nor did I feel persuaded to believe Vivian was strong because the other characters, the author, or other readers told me to.

Thankfully, the opposite nature of BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE versus the other book also pertains to each of their conclusions. Perhaps I felt BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE made up for my disappointment in said other book. Those of you who where Team Other Guy in that book should most definitely read BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE.

I was pleasantly surprised and would definitely recommend this to lovers of the YA paranormal genre who are looking for something a little bit more. That "more," however, does include strong language and steamy scenes, so readers with more age behind them would be a good fit.