Blood and Chocolate

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It's a hit!

I had trouble putting it down. I had to keep reminding myself that I had studying to do and papers to write. Very compelling and addictive. My only... (show more)

I had trouble putting it down. I had to keep reminding myself that I had studying to do and papers to write. Very compelling and addictive. My only problem is that the ending does not seem to encourage romantic interracial relations. You come to want Vivian and Aiden to be together, and Gabriel gets annoying; but the way the plot unfolds, you find that the social pressures to keep racial barriers are strong and the moral of the story is pretty much "stick to your own kind." Anyone who knows me and my current situation will know that I do not support that view in the least. Unfortunately, in the literal context of the story with the mythicalness of Vivian and her people, it made sense. I just wouldn't transpose the book's dilemma into our present-day reality. I have read "The Silver Kiss" by the same author, and I'm glad she has maintained her level of literary quality. Spellbinding! (show less)

 

 

by Sarah Maude Adams

No, it's a flop!

Extremely disappointing after so many good reviews. The 16 year old main character, a werewolf named Vivian, is difficult to like. Hard to read whe... (show more)

Extremely disappointing after so many good reviews. The 16 year old main character, a werewolf named Vivian, is difficult to like. Hard to read when you're rolling your eyes every time she laments over the curse of her beauty. Some readers admire her forthright sexuality. And even though she's the aggressor, she still leaves the responsibility of their sexual behavior to her human boyfriend. To me, she is no more sexually confident than a hungry 5 year old is a "foodie". By the way, there is sexual tension, but no actual sex scenes. Her regrets at people dying horrific deaths seemed fleeting reactions in the wake of her own problems. The families were terrible and shallow. At the conclusion, she suddenly ends up with a werewolf guy she's hated all along, 8 years her senior, who had accidentally killed his human lover while having sex. She would not have died if she had been a werewolf, so this is good news for Vivian. She won't die if he hits her during intimacy.

As far as the title goes, "blood" I get since quite a few people die. "Chocolate", well, she spends an afternoon consoling herself over a break-up by eating some. I guess that title is catchier than "Blood and a Pint of Ben and Jerrys". A dumb novel for adults to read, incredibly stupid for young adults. (show less)

 

 

by Bethany Conklin Bennett

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  i loved this book, i read it twice. i could not put it down. the characters were realistic and vivian was so confident and pretty yet still did not have a complete under staning of life. i enjoyed the fact that it did not have the happily ever after ending of riding of into the sunset, or any of that glass slipper crap. it gave the idea of 'love over lust'. personally Rafe was my favorite, he was honest and to the point even until his death, he was an intnse and complex character throughout ... (show more)

  i loved this book, i read it twice. i could not put it down. the characters were realistic and vivian was so confident and pretty yet still did not have a complete under staning of life. i enjoyed the fact that it did not have the happily ever after ending of riding of into the sunset, or any of that glass slipper crap. it gave the idea of 'love over lust'. personally Rafe was my favorite, he was honest and to the point even until his death, he was an intnse and complex character throughout the whole book in the end you did not really want him to die, but change his mind about it all and end up with vivian but unfortunately he was the antogonist and had to,in the end, be defeated. i love this book and plan to read many more times.klause is an amazing and skilled writer (show less)

   

  by Skyler Jade Oglesby on Aug 29, 2009 at 07:39AM

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  I read Blood and Chocolate when I was 14 but it's stayed with me since. It was the first time a seemingly simple plot with overdone fictional monsters actually dealt with what it was to be human.

  I hold much respect for Vivian, the protagonist. Yes, she does stupid things. But what teenager doesn't feel what she feels? Are we all not trying to hide a part of ourselves from the world? Do we not fight with our parents and try to rebel for no real reason? Do we not take simple comforts for all ... (show more)

  I read Blood and Chocolate when I was 14 but it's stayed with me since. It was the first time a seemingly simple plot with overdone fictional monsters actually dealt with what it was to be human.

  I hold much respect for Vivian, the protagonist. Yes, she does stupid things. But what teenager doesn't feel what she feels? Are we all not trying to hide a part of ourselves from the world? Do we not fight with our parents and try to rebel for no real reason? Do we not take simple comforts for all they can serve us? I loved that she wasn't skinny, awkward, or socially inept. She was a real beauty, curvaceous and more classically female. She lived by very clear, very original laws of animal conduct. She was flawed in her self-assurance, which made her careless, but she was still confident without being in denial of her situation.

  As for the writing itself, the book was a step up from Curtis Klause's The Silver Kiss. It had its own sense of internal dialogue, a way of connecting the protagonist's beliefs and the writing. Yes, it was awkward at times but it is not supposed to be our world. It's Vivian's. The thoughts of the characters were more easily identifiable also. Her previous work didn't have the same insight into the characters.

  As for the ending, why would she stay with someone that clearly couldn't handle her? Gabriel loved her and watched out for her. He forgave her for turning from the pack. He was like her and valued her after all was done. I think it's the instinct of the modern teen to go for the ill-fated romances but I believe she deserved a man, not a boy. [ (show less)

   

   

  by Gracie Padron on Oct 01, 2009 at 11:14PM

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