Blood and Chocolate

Review

Common Sense Media says

Sensual and suspenseful werewolf fantasy for mature teens.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

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Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this lauded werewolf novel, published in 1997, has been banned by a number of libraries in the past for its sexual content. At the book's center are great messages about taking pride in who you are and embracing your place in the world, but yes, there's definitely a lot of sensuality to go with it. The werewolf pack strips in front of each other to change into wolves, sleeps around, and there's talk about how sex is better rough, and when you're partially changed into animals. The main character, teenage Vivian, is dating a human boy and frustrated that he's taking things slowly. But there are no graphic sex scenes, just plenty of talk and some kissing. There are a few graphic violent moments, though, where werewolves fight each other (the word "entrails" comes up), human bodies are discovered, and a severed hand drops out of someone's bed. Language can get a little rough too, with a few instances of "f--k" and a fair amount of everything else. Vivian drinks heavily in one scene and blacks out.

  • Educational value1
    There's werewolf lore here to compare with other werewolf tales. Readers can explore what's different and the same.
  • Positive messages4
    Great messages include taking pride in who you are and finding where you belong in the world. There's also this nugget of wisdom toward the end when the werewolf Gabriel says that humans can't change into werewolves but "I do believe that they have a beast within.... If a person can't give it a safe voice it warps and rots and breaks out in evil ways."
  • Positive role models3
    Vivian flirts with exploring another culture -- human culture -- and trying to fit in, but doesn't want to be fully human; she takes pride in her heritage and doesn't understand those that wouldn't find her beautiful. Her biggest fault is not owning up to mistakes she's made. Vivian's werewolf peers -- five teen boys -- can be quite possessive of her, saying jarring things like "wait too long and we'll take what we want" and calling her "our woman." In contrast, Vivian's human beau, Adrian, is the epitome of good boyfriend material: thoughtful and romantic.
  • Violence3
    Vivian's father dies in a fire and he is mourned throughout the book. A few humans are found dead -- the work of rogue werewolves. A human hand falls out of someone's bed and is buried. A big werewolf battle decides who becomes leader -- there's a death and some descriptions of injuries, including visible entrails. A girl's room is vandalized.
  • Sex3
    This werewolf pack is a pretty sensual group. There's talk about swapping partners, trying to make "head bitch," and how sex is better (rougher) when one is partially changed into a wolf. They strip down in front of each other as they change into wolves. Vivian tries to get her human boyfriend to move a little faster, but they never make it past kissing and groping. Vivian is propositioned repeatedly by members of the pack and kisses one werewolf passionately.
  • Language3
    A few instances of "f--k" and just about everything else here and there, from "damn" and "bastard" and "bitch" to slurs like "douchebag," "balls," and "slut."
  • Consumerism1
    A few mentions of Coke, plus brands like Jack Daniels, Victoria's Secret, and VW Beetle.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking3
    Vivian blacks out after drinking heavily and assumes she did something terrible. Plus mentions of other teen werewolves drinking from flasks and mixing rum and Coke and kids at a concert drinking and smoking marijuana.
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What's the story?

When a rogue werewolf makes a forbidden human kill it puts a whole pack in jeopardy. They're burned out of their reclusive home and forced into the suburbs, where they try to quietly assimilate. Sixteen-year-old Vivian's adjustment is the hardest, having lost her father, the head of the pack, in the fire and suddenly finding herself in high school and attracted to Adrian, a fully human boy. Despite her mother's reservations and the acting out of some possessive "cousins," she falls for him and starts hanging out with his crowd. Just as she gets brave enough to even think about revealing her big secret to him, a rogue wolf kills again. And Vivian fears that what she doesn't remember about the night before could put her at the scene of the crime.

Is it any good?

 

It's funny how a 264-page stand-alone fantasy read is such a novelty now. Let's hope mature fantasy fans don't pass this one over because there's no tantalizing follow-up. BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE will draw in readers who like suspense, a bit of mystery, and a little bit of voyeurism to go with it. The author makes no apologies for the animal instincts of the pack and even shows the beauty in this more sensually charged culture. It's actually what makes Vivian and Adrian's relationship woes humorously refreshing; sweet, perfect boyfriend meets a girl who wishes he'd stop lighting candles around his room and bite her neck already.

While readers are hoping they can possibly work out their cultural divide, Vivian and the pack's troubles mount, the mystery heats up, and Adrian ends up in mortal danger. Yes, all that's wrapped up beautifully and economically in 264 pages. Ah, the good old days.

Explore, discuss, enjoy

  • Families can talk about why Blood and Chocolate has been challenged. Do you think the sexual content is too much? Do you think it could have anything to do with the teen girl being the sexually assertive one instead of the boy? Why or why not?

  • Blood and Chocolate, published in 1997, is two things most fantasy books aren't anymore: stand-alone novels and under 300 pages. Why do you think books are so much longer now and always come in groups of three or more? What influential fantasy series have come out since this novel was published?

  • What does Gabriel means when he says humans can't change into werewolves but believes "that they have a beast within.... If a person can't give it a safe voice it warps and rots and breaks out in evil ways"?

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This review of Blood and Chocolate was written by
Topics:monsters, ghosts, and vampires
Author:Annette Curtis Klause
Book type:Fiction
Genre:Fantasy
Publisher:Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication date:January 1, 1997
Number of pages:264
Publisher's recommended age(s):14 - 17
This review of Blood and Chocolate was written by
 
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