Review – Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 264 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Release Date: August 14, 2007
ISBN-13: 978-0385734219
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars

I have heard excellent things about this book and have been meaning to read it for quite some time.  I really enjoyed The Silver Kiss by Klause.  Finally I got around to reading it and it was a very good book.

Vivian is loup-garou, a werewolf of sorts.  She lives with her mother and the rest of a pack who are struggling to survive.  Vivian’s father was the pack leader and when he was killed in an accident they were left leaderless.  It also appears that someone is killing humans, and the wounds look suspiciously wolf-like.  With all the tension over these issues the pack is a mess.  Vivian just wants to fit in somewhere and finds solace in a boy at school named Adrian.  But can he ever accept the real Vivian?  In the end Vivian may have to choose, does she want to embrace her human side?  Or stay true to her loup-garou roots?  Which will she decide ultimately tastes better blood or chocolate?

This was a very well done book.  As far as books done about werewolves it was one of the better young adult books out there.  The description throughout is beautiful; although Vivian isn’t the most likable heroine you end up really feeling her pain by the end of the book.  Klause did an excellent job in having events unfold in a way that they really would.

I loved how Klause brings a lot of mythology around the moon into this story and how when Vivian runs as wolf you can really feel the beauty of the night that she feels.

The above being said I did have one big problem with this book.  That problem is that almost all of the characters are complete jerks at one point or another.  I actually started reading this book last year and had to set it aside because I just disliked all of the characters so much.  I am glad I finally stuck with it though and read this book; in the end I did learn to sympathize with these characters, but I still didn’t like them much.

Overall this was a very good young adult werewolf book.  There are scenes of beauty and descriptions of the night that are very lyrical.  While I didn’t find the characters to be likable, there was a brutal honesty to them that was refreshing.  If you enjoyed Nightshade you would probably enjoy this book; if you loved this book I would recommend reading Nightshade.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
– 100+ Reading Challenge
– YA Reading Challenge List