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Blood and Chocolate
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Blood and Chocolate
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Blood and Chocolate
Ebook255 pages3 hours

Blood and Chocolate

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this ebook

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?
LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 14, 2007
ISBN9780375843167

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Reviews for Blood and Chocolate

Rating: 3.7274774594594593 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

1,110 ratings78 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    You know how I feel about werewolf books. I hate the whole submissive female werewolf thing and I hate it even more when it strays into abusive territory as it so often does. (I'm looking at you, Carrie Vaughn.) I also really do not like the idea that werewolves are the same as wolves because, no, there are human bits in there, too. Obviously Klause has read my mind and given me this book to show me how she cares. Or maybe she just wrote it because she's awesome. Whatever.

    In this book there was no mistaking that Vivian and the other werewolves (loup garou, as they prefer to be called) are both human and werewolf. They walk a fine line of blending in and staying apart and that's obvious in everything they do. It's especially hard for Vivian who's a teenager in love with a human--or a "meat-boy" as her pack calls him. She wants what all the other human girls have, she doesn't want to give in and unquestioningly accept everything her family (pack) tells her, and she's trying to figure out who she is and where she belongs. I hate to be the one who says "anti-Twilight" but it kind of is--it's the desperation of teenaged love and hormones with an otherworldly edge, but when stalking comes up it's shown to be bad and dangerous, not loving and caring.

    I feel as if I should also mention that sex is not taboo in this book. Vivian embraces her own sexuality and accepts herself for what she is. I understand this sort of behavior got the book banned in places. I frown at those places.

    I have to admit to falling for Gabriel. I'm weak that way, but when someone has the superior power (strength, age, wisdom) and refuses to use it to dominate someone with lesser power I am right there. Gabriel is the new pack leader, Vivian is accidentally supposed to be his mate, she isn't sure, and he doesn't force her. He flirts, he teases, he makes it all very appealing, but he also talks to her like an equal, shares his own story, and does the right thing when it would have been easier to do the wrong one. Vivian learns those lessons, too.

    I loved this book. This was just what I needed to make me less averse to werewolves in love.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really ended up loving this book. I can't believe I stopped reading it for such long amounts of time but I am very happy with the way it ended.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is primarily a coming-of-age story. As werewolf Vivian’s pack struggles with the loss of their leader, Vivian herself struggles to figure out who she and what she wants. Her confusion is only increased when she falls for a human who she desperately wants to accept her for who – and what – she is. When a murder puts both her pack and her human friends in danger, Vivian is stuck in the middle of the conflict between them.This is definitely a book with some high school drama, as Vivian starts a new school, goes on dates, and tries to make friends. Through it all, Vivian has typical high school concerns, but also deals with the more challenging problems facing her pack plus her questions about her own identity as both a human and a wolf. Despite her teenage concerns, Vivian is never too angsty. She is ruled by her emotions and makes some extreme, sometimes even stupid decisions, but her heart is always in the right place.Because of the werewolf element, there’s a second dimension to this story that lifts it above and beyond the typical high school story. There is an element of sensuality, from Vivian’s confident character to the rich descriptions of places and feelings, which makes the book both a little more adult and a lot more fun. Finally, there’s a great twist at the end that just puts the finishing touch on this unusually sexy werewolf story. I loved this as a young adult and was extremely happy with how it held up to a re-read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Vivian is a 15-year-old werewolf living happily with her pack in the country when a horrible murder destroys the world she loves. In tragic disarray, her pack moves to the suburbs and tries to get reorganized. In the midst of this chaos, Vivian has an identity crisis and falls for a human "meat-boy." Her experiences trying to fit in with meat-people teaches her a lot about herself. Meanwhile, the grisly murders continue, and the pack must hunt down the killers before they, themselves, become hunted. This book was very engaging. It was interesting and suspenseful enough that I really wanted to know how it ended, despite the fact that I disliked all the characters. Vivian was manipulative and conceited. Her mother had little character other than expressing concern for her daughter and being obsessed with sex. Vivian's meat-boy boyfriend seemed likable enough at first (though not particularly alluring), but then his qualities took a nose-dive towards the end of the book. Honestly, I'm not sure why this book gets such good reviews, but I suppose it's simply because the narrative is so engaging.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    poorly written misogynistic trash. if you want to read it, prepare yourself for all the gross old men perving on young girls and no one having a problem with it, as well as the protagonist going on and on about how much better than other girls she is.

    i wish i didn't finish it
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    There is a lot of toxic stuff in this book--victim blaming, men-are-from-mars-women-are-from-venus mentalities, the idea that sexually active women (even your mother) are a threat, etc. Despite all that, I found myself falling past it because I recognized the main character, Vivian, on a bone-deep level. I recognized her anger, her pride and unwillingness to accept help, and her struggle to accept the ideas that everyone else in her life seems to have. Her thought patterns even seemed familiar.

    I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed it immensely, but it took more than a hundred pages before I could skate past the misogynistic bits without ripping myself out of the story.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Read the book; burn the movie
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    After falling in love with a human boy, a beautiful teenage werewolf must battle both her packmates and the fear of the townspeople to decide where she belongs.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Werewolves interacting in a human world is a wonderful premise. If there had been true growth on either side of the fence, I would have been happier. In the end, to the humans involved, werewolves remain monsters. To the werewolves, the humans are "meat" and best left alone. There's also a level of creepy in this book. The sexual "heat" is less than appropriate with a mid-20s guy hooking up with a girl in high school. The werewolf culture is different from human culture, but I'm not sure that I like the storyline, especially with the underlying message that it's okay to be groped and kissed when the subject doesn't want to be.I cannot recommend this book for its intended young adult audience.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Like I already said in some old reviews, I love reading about werevolves' packs dynamics. This book was full of them...so you can do the maths!!! Plus I always enjoy the bantering-type of love stories, and that's all I'm going to say...
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    To be honest, I knew about this book for a long time before I picked it up. I was first introduced to Annette Curtis Klause (who has the coolest name ever) when I read The Silver Kiss--which, at the time, I thought was excellent. I still do; it's not the greatest vampire book I've ever read, but it was worthy of attention. It was worthy enough that I wanted to investigate more of Klause's books. At the time I ran across Blood and Chocolate, I was not, not, NOT into werewolf books. Period. I thought that all such books were about people hiding in fear when a full moon came out. It took many vampire books that included werebeings as sub-characters to slowly draw me in. Eventually, I came around to that type of story and, one day while I was in the bookstore, I noticed that this book was still on the shelves from at least two years before when I'd first seen it. There had to be something to it for it to stick around that long, right?Well, ignoring a cover that I thought, at the time, was ugly (yes, I'm one of those heinous [but honest] people who judges a book by its cover [and actually admits it]), I picked up the book again and read this summary on the back:"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?"Since the moment I said "I do" and started to actually read it, I have never regretted it. This book was so amazing, so unique; how does one successfully take a genre that was spawned from "The Wolf Man" and mold it into Romeo and Juliet--and then shatter that mold!? I could not get over how Klause flipped the story and still kept me completely enthralled.This was the first book ever where I changed the person I was rooting for. The whole story, I was steadily supporting one and then BAM! What in the name of God had I been thinking!? How had I not seen the light sooner!?Towards the end, the plot got a little predictable--but only in one aspect. I was NOT expecting the other delicious twist tossed my way! Vivian's life is so enthralling; the end was COMPLETELY and TOTALLY exhilarating! I wanted to jump up and go for a "run" myself! What a way to bring the reader in! At the end, I also knew which Vivian thought was sweeter (blood or chocolate) and felt that I'd been given a divine taste of each--and I was craving more of both, trust me!On a final note, I must say that I did NOT go see the movie--I didn't even rent it for free from the library. I will not waste time OR money on something that I could tell, just from the preview, was WAY TOO DIFFERENT. Something about a prophecy? What!? I dunno. I DID get the movie poster from someone who works at a theater and, although I wish it was the book cover (which, now that I've read the story, I adore) it's hanging in my room--but only because the book is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES now.NOT becauseof thatRIDICULOUS EXCUSEfor a movieadaptation.This review is an entry on my blog.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved this book. Great story about accepting who you are and finding where you belong.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A young adult werewolf classic, I'm truly surprised it took me this long to read Blood and Chocolate. A quick, engaging read, Blood and Chocolate tells the story of Vivian Gandillon, a teenage girl who is part of a larger shifter pack that can change to wolves at will.

    I found Vivian a compelling enough character and Annette Curtis Klause's prose sets out a very clear difference between the wolf pack and ordinary humans.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A nice, semi-sweet but also a bit surprising story of a young werewolf woman torn between love of a human and duty to her pack. Not quite your typical romance, I really enjoyed this coming of age story that had a decent (but not over-the-top) amount of angst, and an enjoyable ending (without being utterly predictable).
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A surprisingly good YA werewolf novel. Vivian is a werewolf, like her parents and everyone she grew up with. After werewolves murder two people in their hometown, the pack must flee to another unsuspecting town. It's there that Vivian starts to struggle against the other werewolves in favor of a more human life. I was impressed with Vivian--she's beautiful and strong and knows it, but also socially awkward and unused to human ways. The mixture of disgust and desire that she feels toward the other werewolves also rings true, and is a good corrolary for her burgeoning sexuality.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I've bypassed this book quite a few times and it's been overlooked because of one thing....I didn't realise it was about werewolves. Had I known that, I'd have snapped it up long before now. How I missed this one I'll never know.

    I was drawn into this within a few pages and the story just grabbed me. It's a story about teen angst and love and decisions and betrayal and loyalty and just generally growing up and coming of age.... but with werewolves. I very easily got caught up with the story of Vivian, who has as many problems, if not more, then your average teen.

    This book may be geared towards a young adult audience, but it can definitely be enjoyed by those of us who are young at heart and can still remember their youth. Klause pulls off a sensual story about the supernatural without making it seem cheesy. The characters are believable, the shape shifter culture is well rounded and Vivian's world comes alive on the page.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I really didn't like Vivien at first, I thought she was a cold-hearted b*tch but she grew on me. It was the same with Gabriel, he was a cocky SOB but he started to melt towards the end and then he was mush, putty in Vivien's hands.

    I could understand Vivien's rebellion and her abhorrence of violence after they had lost so many of their pack. Her actions were mostly those of a typical teenager though at the beginning she was very cocky and alpha-ish but also a extremely vulnerable at the same time. It was a bit strange how she switched between one and the other so quickly but this evened out and I began to sympathise with her. I was glad that she was sure of herself and had a sense of self-worth, and the courage to go after what she wanted rather than sitting back and taking orders.

    Some would be disappointed that she stayed with Gabriel especially as he's 8 years older than her sixteen years but it seemed like the right thing. She was very mature for her age, very sexual and could obviously take care of herself. She needed people who shared her nature, Aiden was just too soft for her.

    Overall, a fast, light and easy read.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I watched the film first then heard there was a book so it peaked my curiosity. That's usually the way I find a lot of books. I read it and all I can say is I was shocked at the amount of foul language in this book. Even as a teenager- who hears swearing probably much more than most people- I was stunned. It put me off liking the book.

    Some parts of it were good, the bad language unnecessary and the pumped up testosterone of the boys made it really uncomfortable to read.
    It was basically an uneasy book to read but the story was ok.

    The ending was very dodgy too, because her choices were too quick to seem realistic and it seemed like it had been rushed.

    The writing is poor and immature, I'm sorry to say and I really don't know how it got published AND had a film made from it. It just wasn't worth the hassle.

    If I'm honest, I preferred the film much more and that wasn't something I'd have put up for an Oscar. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. Okay it was pretty poor. When I first reviewed it I gave it 2 stars but that I think was overally generous of me. I'm changing it now to 1 out of 5 stars. Sorry Annette. :s
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book was very good. I do wish the ending was better.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5

    I'm really glad that I was able to reread this book after so many years. Even on my third read-through, it's funny how some parts I remembered in their entirety over the years and how others got fuzzy and had long slipped my mind. But overall, my interest in this book has not subsided over the years. Reading it then I really was fascinated by it. Reading it now, I realized how strong and liberated a message it sent through the main character, Vivian, and how much strength there was in Gabriel's character even though he became a larger factor in the book only steadily.


    Perhaps that's what elated me the most about this book: the strength of the characters.


    I love that Vivian has such confidence. I love that she has to face situations of maturity and that she does so knowing clearly what's appropriate and what's not. She knows her body, she knows what it means to be a woman, and she knows the weight of responsibility, even though it doesn't get cast onto her shoulders until much later on. I really loved seeing the way that she went through everything. Considering she was in high school, I love the fact that a lot of the situations and characters handled things almost as though they were in or past college age, something that I never noticed until this most recent reread of the book.


    With that being said, there's still growing up that needs to be done, but I feel this isn't your typical story of "growing up" or "finding yourself". In contrast, it's more a story of coming to grips with your own reality and trying to bring a haphazard life together into a concrete direction. I quite like that. I love stories that involve character development, but I feel that reading a story where a character is already strong enough to carry themselves is also interesting, especially when it's thrown into a well-written situation like the one Annette Curtis Klause brought to us here.


    I love the realism of everything, even the mythology involved with werewolves here. Even though the book is short and doesn't go into a great deal of detail on myths here, enough information was supplanted that you knew the basics and could run with that. It grounded the facts and kept this from spiraling out of control in terms of "superhuman abilities". Mortality was made very clear from the get-go even for the werewolf-kind. I love realistic things like that which can root down magical or fantastical elements in a story. Fantasy is great, as is magic. I'm a big lover of it and always have been. But magic and fancy have to have their laws and rules as well. It's what makes things more believable, and in the end, more enjoyable as well.


    This is a great deal of why this book succeeds in my eyes. It can range in appreciation value throughout the pre-to-teen years and even onwards into college age, because I'm out of college and still love this book. If it wasn't for the realistic portrayal of situations, and the maturity of the way situations are handled-- yes, even some of the scenes that are completely sassy or immature-- then I doubt I'd have enjoyed this book 80% as much. A great deal goes into the way that eventually the characters go about picking themselves up, coming to terms with what they've done, and taking responsibility for it.


    Overall, I'd highly recommend this book to others with a love of fantasy or werewolves. It's got solid characters who have their moments of trial, but that eventually find their way through it. You'll enjoy the plot and issues that arise, and hopefully will find the characters as enjoyable as I did. This is a definite read, and since the book has been around for a while, I'm going to say that you can probably also pick it up somewhere online for probably a cheap price. So invest in it, especially if werewolves are a staple on your bookshelves. I think it'll definitely be worth your read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Vivian Gandillon is teenage Rougarou (or werewolf, although Klause doesn't use the name). She is trying desperately to fit in with other kids at her school when she meets Aiden. Convinced Aiden is a fellow Rougarou based on a poem he wrote, she befriends him only to find he is a sensitive human fascinating with witches and the like. Vivian falls for him even though he is what her kind call a "meat-boy.". While trying to balance her social life as a human Vivian is also dealing with conflict in her "fur" world. The pack has fallen apart after the death of their leader, Vivian's father. They are out of control and in need a new leader. The story escalates when Vivian decides to reveal her true identity to Aiden at the same time she is chosen to be the new pack leader's mate. There are two things that struck me as I read Klause's werewolf story. One, there is an adult sexual tension with all the characters within this story. Second, Klause does an outstanding job describing the mannerisms of a canine.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Blood and Chocolate is a well-loved YA werewolf novel, and I've been meaning to read it for the last decade. Now that I have, I'm really disappointed. Vivian is a 16-year-old werewolf who's torn between her pack and fitting in with the human world (and a human boy). Vivian is also selfish, arrogant, dramatic, and stupid. Over and over we hear her thoughts on how beeeeaaaaauuuuutiful she is and how all the boys want her. Every action she takes endangers someone and she only ever focuses on her own needs, despite the other characters cooing over how she shows such concern for the pack. I was ready to rip off her "tawny" hair before I was halfway through the book. The writing is painful too; Annette Curtis Klause writes like some of the teenage fanfiction writers I've encountered. The dialogue is unnatural, and people act in ways that they just wouldn't in real life. She uses awkward terminology (such as referring to a gift from Vivian's boyfriend as a "love gift"). And for the coup de grâce of stupidity, when Vivian is accused by the police of vandalism, a 24-year-old pack member provides an alibi - he tells the cops that they were having sex all night. A 24-year old...tells the cops...that he was screwing an underage high schooler. And the cops thank him and leave. Huh? What? YA novels can be written much, much better than this. Werewolf novels can be written much, much better than this (see Kelley Armstrong's Bitten). Don't waste your time.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5


    WAY better than I expected. A refreshing change from the typical YA formula.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was one of the books that the movie was better. I don't know about you but I just couldn't see her ending up with a jerk.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One of my all-time favorite YA novels.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    You may have noticed that I don't actually like young adult romances involving supernatural creatures. So why do I love this book so much that I've read it no less than five times?

    For one thing, it's full of great details: the werewolf slang which peppers the story is my favorite touch. It sounds awesome and organic and exactly how teenage werewolves would talk, without sounding contrived.

    More compellingly, it's the most unabashed celebration of female sexuality I've yet seen in a young adult book. The werewolf heroine is strong and brave and sexy. Her sexuality and her strength frequently make regular people nervous, but she doesn't waste time feeling ashamed or guilty, because how people react to her is not her problem. She won't even tone it down for the chicken guy she falls for, who is clearly terrified by her athleticism and her poise. She is a young woman who enjoys her strengths and enjoys her sexuality, and meets the men in her life on her own terms. It's sort of sad that this is such a rare quality in YA books.

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It’s not about vampires but about werewolves and that makes it a bit different, vampires are smooth beautiful and eternal people but werewolves, as Maya pointed out, are monsters, the kind that looks monstrous. Not to Vivian, the teenager werewolf who’s just moved to town, who feels her transformations and her wolf form are the incarnation of powerful animal beauty. And not to Aiden, the sensitive (meat)boy who writes a poem about the transformation so good that it makes Viv wonder if he knows. He doesn’t, actually, but this doesn’t stop Vivian from believing he would find her double-nature as marvelous as she does. Meanwhile, a series of killings put the pack, Viv’s family, in danger of being discovered yet again. The movie, to put it simply, totally sucks, if that wasn't enough, it sucks ripping the book apart.

    First read: 2005.

    Second read: 07.03.2011 (still quite nice!)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Vivian Gandillon is a werewolf. She loves the exhilaration that comes from the pack and the change – the carefree bliss of an evening run. But mourning the death of her father, her pack in leaderless disarray, and a general teenage sense of not belonging (especially following their relocation to the suburbs of Maryland), Vivian struggles to find her niche.When she falls in love with a human – a meat-boy – she further alienates herself from the pack, but it is her desire to reveal her true self to the magic-loving boy that thrusts them all into danger. He’s human. He can’t be trusted. On top of which, the pack has selected a mate for her, and it is her duty to accept.Vivian’s struggle to define herself is not a novelty, but her attempts to make herself fit perfectly into one world – the human one, or the animal one – gives an entertaining spin to it. The result is a full out battle between what she truly is and what society expects of its inhabitants, and she finds herself questioning what it is she’s really searching for.An excellent book! The way werewolves SHOULD be.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Let me start off by saying this is not a bad book but I do not think that it is teen fiction. The main character is to sexual and cruely calculating to be a character for kids to read mature or not.As for the story its self i like the over all theme and concept of the book. I enjoyed seeing what the character would do faced with each new hurdle. The end being my favorite part. Had I reviewed the book before reading the whole thing I would not have rated it as high as I did. But as with many good stories the beginnings are rough but only better the ending.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    very good ,well written book. I loved it!!!!!