Tons and tons of books for teens carry this message: Love is the bond that breaks all prejudices and fears. You know the kinds of books I mean. These tend to contains plots in which people of different races learn to love one another after undergoing some sort of a trial. Very few books, as a result, carry this message: Love your own kind. Oddly enough the incredibly popular (and oft banned) "Blood and Chocolate" carries this very lesson at its core. An alternative message might be: You can't deny your true self. Whether or not you agree with what the book says depends greatly on how engaging you find the story. And it is an interesting little bugger, no question.
Vivian's not happy. A tragic fire killed her father a year ago, and now her mother (partly out of grief) has started flirting with men half her age. The Five, a group of adolescent boys her age, are completely immature around her and she doesn't have any friends at school. And then there's that problem with being a werewolf. Normally it doesn't bother Vivian. After all, as a member of the loups-garoux, she and her tribe (including the aforementioned mother, Five, and even her dear departed father) keep mostly to themselves. They mingle with humans to some degree, but soon they'll have to find a place outside of civilization where they can be themselves. There's mutiny stirring amongst the pack, however. Without a strong leader factions are struggling to gain control, and no one knows where it will all end. And then Vivian falls in love with a human boy...
The book's a well written fantasy that makes the idea of werewolves just a touch less silly than usual. Vivian is an uncommonly self-assured young lady. Often thinking about sex (hence the book's clockwork banning by certain communities) and using her sexuality in a forthright manner, she comes off as someone who knows her own mind. Not to spoil anything, but Vivian never ACTUALLY makes love to anyone in this book. Anyone who wishes to ban it, therefore, wants to do so because "Blood and Chocolate" contains a woman who thinks about sex. An odd crime to condemn a book for.
Vivian's actually not all that sympathetic though. She begins the tale by acting superior to the humans around her, becomes smug when the object of her affections returns her admiration, and ends up whiny and incapable of a logical decision by the tale's climax. Otherwise, she's very interesting. Young adult books rarely contain beautiful self-assured female protagonists. Those that do tend to be fantasies (like "Hollow Kingdom" by Clare Dunkle, for example). So there's a lot to be said for a story in which the heroine isn't constantly fretting over whether or not she's pretty enough or if her boobs are too small. On the other hand, she kinda dislikable.
Good fantasy breaks barriers by speaking beyond the obvious message in the text. In this particular case, the message here is a bit odd. Vivian does the wrong thing, learns from her mistake, and is better for it. I personally found the ending to be a bit perplexing. Should I never fall in love with people different than myself because I'd never understand them and they'd never understand me? If you can overlook this somewhat archaic message, the book's a fun read. It certainly doesn't deserve to be banned. Mildly ignored from time to time, maybe. Banned, never. If you'd like a book that is, in my opinion, the best teen werewolf book ever conceived, this puppy's for you. It's fun and frolicsome and an enjoyable jaunt. Just don't read too closely into it.
