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Hi! I'm Pam and this is my little book blog where I'll be posting YA books that I've read and what I honestly think of them. Enjoy!To follow my blog via GFC, click the "Follow" link at the top of this page.
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All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
Genre: Mystery
Release Date: September 6, 2011
Source: Publisher (Thanks!)
Format: Advance Reader's Copy
Pages: 354
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidently poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.
Thoughts
My rating:
This is the first book of Gabrielle Zevin that I've read, and I'm pretty sure this won't be the last.
The world in All These Things I've Done is cleverly constructed, although sometimes I feel that chocolate and caffeine being treated like drugs (and alcohol isn't banned) was a bit ridiculous. Still, it is the future, and nobody really knows what's possible to be illegal 72 years from now. Apart from that bit, the world in 2083 is pretty much convincing.
Romance between the two lead characters was sweet, but not too sweet. Still, it's there, and covered most part of the story (which I didn't mind), but I neither loved nor hated it.
My Review: A List!
What I liked in All These Things I've Done
- Anya She's a very interesting female character. I love how she handles things that she has to do and how much she's willing to do for her family.
- Portrayal of Anya's Family Well, not really the mafia part. I meant her immediate family. They're very supportive. I loved how they were so loyal to each other, especially Anya.
- Anya's friendship with Scarlet Scarlet didn't really strike me as a character, but I very much liked their friendship. Same goes with how I described Anya's immediate family: both of them are very supportive of each other.
- Not very dystopian Some important things (more on the WHY's) were left out and the author didn't explain them very much. I felt like this book was more focused on the problems of a 16 year old rather than the dystopian society so I kind of didn't feel the "dystopian" vibe. The only thing that reminds me that this book is dystopian is the banning of chocolate/caffeine part.
*** I received this book free of charge from the publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Macmillan), in exchange for an honest review.
Labels: 4, gabrielle zevin, what i've read
posted by Pam (jellylovesbooks) 
Sunday, December 18, 2011 
3 comments
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