Audio Review; All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

Title: All These Things I've Done

Author: Gabrielle Zevin
Series: Birthright, Book 1

Narrator: Ilyana Kadushin

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Format: Unabridged Audio

Length: 10 hrs: 11 mins

Publication: September 6, 2011

Source: Purchased

Genre: Young Adult

Amazon|Barnes&Noble|Goodreads

Synopsis: 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 accidentally 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.

Engrossing and suspenseful, All These Things I've Done is an utterly unique, unputdownable read that blends both the familiar and the fantastic.

My Thoughts: This is a fast paced heart capturing read. Anya's story is one that is easy, yet horrifying, to imagine. A world where chocolate is illegal is one I would hate to live in. Anya Balanchine is the daughter of a fallen chocolate mob boss. All Anya wants to do is take care of her siblings, finish high school, and stay far away from her family's business. Everything changes for her when her ex-boyfriend is almost kill by tainted chocolate. Low and behold Anya is the one who gave him the chocolate. Anya's world is turned upside down and this is just the beginning of trouble for Anya Balanchine.

I picked this story for several reasons, the first is I loved Zevin's Elsewhere and have been itching to read another work by her. Secondly, I found the plot line intriguing. It was easy for me to connect to Anya. She is the type of character that I love. Family is number one for Anya, well not her crime family connections her immediate family. At the same time Anya struggles with wanting to be free of her family obligations. Anya's relationships are a enormous component of this story. These relationships will change her life and her future.

This work is appropriate for an audio adaptation. This is an unabridged, single-voiced production narrated by Ilyana Kadushin. Ilyana did a wonderful job with narrating this work. Each character is clearly differentiated. Ilyana accents, tone and inflection variations made it easy to identify and connect with each character. Her narration brought the story to life and made it more interesting. Pacing was good and maintained throughout the production.