Review: All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

Goodreads Summary:
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.




Release Date: September 6, 2011
Series? #1
Pages: 345
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

LONG STORY SHORT:

Now, that was interesting. Refreshing. A whole new concept. Intruiging. Heartbreaking. Funny. Honestly? One of my new favorites! This book is totally unique, a rather quick, enjoyable read and it happens so much that I consider rereading it a week after I've finished it for the first time. A really good book.

REVIEW:

I did not know what to expect from All These Things I've Done. I didn't think I'd like it all that much. Sounded a bit too futuristic for me. And a bit too much like your average dystopia. A bit too boring...

Well. It was not. First of all: the mafia idea? Awesome! I mean, the chocolate mafia? And then imagine you're the daughter of the once most powerful man in the chocolate mafia who is dead now? Gosh, how much I wanted to be Annie. You don't even understand. I used every free minute I got to pick this book up and continue reading and I was close to despair every time I noticed that the book is still just a story and not my real life - I did not want to leave that world again, you guys!

Apart from being so original and cool, All These Things I've Done was also quite heart wrenching. Annie's family was gorgeous - you must know. Lovely, lovable, caring, sweet, how Annie always acted all grown-up and took responsibility for her siblings, the conflicts she had with her older brother, the way she and her sister cared for each other and their grandma...I'd almost call it inspiring!

That's also why I loved the MC so much. She was a tough kick-ass girl - never afraid of the world and life in general. She knew what she had to do and she did it - without whining for months until her love interest of the moment came back to help her breathe again! I admired Annie for her strength and also for her cleverness and wit. Oh, and her honesty. That was actually a huge part of the  book - and what made it so unique. Annie herself tells the story and she talks to the reader as if he or she was sitting next to her. She adds comments and explanations and she has a really unique voice. Also, as a character in the story she was always very honest which - of course - led to some conflicts but...it caught my eye every single time because she just said things straight out as she thought them.

The only disadvantage about letting Annie tell the story was that she does not know a whole lot about her world so as a conclusion the reader is left in the dark, too. That annoyed me a tiny little bit from time to time because I still have so many - very basic - questions that weren't answered in the first book.

ANYWAY, I really, really enjoyed and loved this book and I want to recommend it to EVERY YA - lover out there :D

PS: Recognize this super - old review format? Yup, turns out I had this review stored on Blogger for more than half a year :) So, it's been a while since I read this book. I still recommend it, though!