-
Your next favorite book
is waiting.
"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.
"[F]ans of the first will enjoy the author’s inventive combination of chocolate, crime and politics, as well as finding out Anya’s post-prison fate." - Kirkus
"This sequel to All These Things I’ve Done (2011) paints on such a broad canvas that readers will be amazed at Zevin’s management abilities. They may get lost on occasion (especially if they haven’t read the first book), but they will never be bored." - Booklist
"Discerning characters’ true motives will keep readers guessing, and the conflicting forces within Anya add an extra dimension of drama to this action-packed sequel. Ages 12–up." - Publishers Weekly
This information about Because It Is My Blood was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Gabrielle Zevin is an internationally bestselling and critically acclaimed author, whose books have been translated into thirty-nine languages.
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry spent several months on the New York Times Best Seller List, reached #1 on the National Indie Best Seller List, was a USA Today Best Seller, and has been a best seller all around the world. A.J. Fikry was honored with the Southern California Independent Booksellers Award for Fiction and the Japan Booksellers' Prize, and was long listed for the International Dublin Literary Award, among other honors. The Toronto Globe and Mail called the book "a powerful novel about the power of novels."
Her debut, Margarettown, was a selection of the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers program and was long-listed for the ...
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to Gabrielle Zevin's Website
Name Pronunciation
Gabrielle Zevin: First syllable of first name rhymes with cab
If you liked Because It Is My Blood, try these:
by Emma Pattee
Published 2025
Set over the course of one day, a heart-racing debut about a woman facing the unimaginable, determined to find safety.
by Suzie Miller
Published 2025
Based on the Olivier and Tony Award-winning play, Suzie Miller's Prima Facie is an unforgettable story of what happens when a victim is asked to navigate a system that is not set up to accommodate the lived experience of sexual assault survivors.
by K J.. Reilly
Published 2023
The Perks of Being a Wallflower meets The End of the F***ing World in this dark young adult comedy about four unlikely friends dealing with the messy side of grief who embark on a road trip to Graceland.
L.A. Women by Ella Berman
Two ambitious writers in 1960s LA face betrayal when one writes a novel based on the other's life.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
