Narrator: Ilyana Kadushin
Published by: Macmillan Audio
Source: Library
Format: Audio
Rating:★★★★
Summary from Goodreads: 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.
Do you ever read reviews of a novel and think you are not going to like it, but actually end up really enjoying it?
That is exactly what happened with me for All These Things I've Done. I wasn't really sure what this novel was going to be abou,t but I got it from my library and thought I'd give it a try. I went on Goodreads to see what people were saying about this book and I almost returned it without listening to it. I'm glad I decided to give it a go anyway, despite the not so stellar review.
Apparently I learned something about myself while listening to this book that I never realized before. I love mafia or mafia-like stories. I seriously think I'm destined to be a mob wife...heck maybe I'll even run one someday. I love the scandal that goes along with the mafia and the crazy situation people get in when they have connections.
Poor Anya. She tries to live a good and religious life, but her family connections always come back to haunt her. I thought Anya was a great character. She thought through situations and always tried to do what was best for her family. She was a great judge of character and knew when she had to fight and when to back down. I do wish she would have gotten involved in the family business some more. I have a feeling that if she would have just stepped up and taken some initiative things would have worked out more smoothly.
The story itself was engaging with a new "situations" happening all the time. There were deaths, shootings, poisonings, backstabbing, deceitfulness and jail time. The romance, however, could have been a little more emphasized as I never really felt invested in it. I wanted more from it; I never really bought that they were in love. I wanted to feel the emotion more.
The narrator, Ilyana Kadushin, was fabulous. She has narrated many books, including the Twilight Series. She kept me entertained and engaged throughout the entire story. This is definitely a book to listen to!
I think you're right. If Anya had taken a more active role in the family business then she might have been able to avoid disaster, but then again, she didn't want that life.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious where book two will go.