| Blood and Chocolate | |
|---|---|
First edition cover |
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| Author(s) | Annette Curtis Klause |
| Cover artist | Cliff Nielsen |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Random House Inc. |
| Publication date | 1997 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 264 pp |
| ISBN | 0-440-22668-6 |
| OCLC Number | 42412510 |
Blood and Chocolate is a 1997 romantic supernatural werewolf novel for young adult readers by Annette Curtis Klause. It is set in the contemporary United States.
Contents |
In Klause's novel, the loups-garoux are a separate species from humans, referring to themselves as Homo lupus. Legend states that their ancestors were humans blessed by the moon goddess Selene with the power to shapeshift at will into wolf-like creatures, and the urge to transform becomes painfully irresistible with the coming of a full moon. Loups-garoux are portrayed as glorious beasts who revel in their dual nature, but do not reveal this truth to humans at the risk of violent backlash. In keeping with the traditional werewolf lore, silver is poisonous when introduced into the bloodstream, oftentimes proving fatal, and death is a real danger in that "anything that will sever the spine will do".
Loup-garou is the French word for "werewolf". Its plural form is loup-garous. A faux-French plural could be loups-garoux.
Vivian Gandillon relishes the change, the sweet, fierce ache that carries her from girl to wolf. At sixteen, she is beautiful and strong, and all the young wolves are on her tail. But Vivian still grieves for her dead father; her pack remains leaderless and in disarray, and she feels lost in the suburbs of Maryland. She longs for a normal life. But what is normal for a werewolf?
Then Vivian falls in love with a human, a "meat-boy". Aiden is kind and gentle, a welcome relief from the squabbling pack. He's fascinated by the supernatural or unknown, and Vivian longs to reveal herself to him. Surely he would understand her and delight in the wonder of her dual nature, not fear her as an ordinary human would.
Vivian's divided loyalties are strained further when a brutal murder threatens to expose the pack.
Blood and Chocolate won the 1998 YALSA Award for Best Books for Young Adults.[1]
The novel was adapted into a film in 2007.