The middle book of a trilogy is never quite as engaging as the first nor as exciting as the last. As the second book in the Birthright series, Because It Is My Blood does a good job of moving the story forward, but didn't quite grab me the way All These Things I've Done managed to do. 
 Because It Is My Blood continues the story of Anya Balanchine, 17-year-old crime family heiress in a world in which chocolate is outlawed. Anya is a worthy heroine -- smart, protective of her brother and sister, and determined to find a way to fulfill her parents' legacy while creating a new path of her own. 
 The romance developed in the first book, while still a factor, is mostly in the background in Because It Is My Blood... and that's not a bad thing. I appreciated that Anya makes decisions on her own, and that those decisions are not based on whether they'll suit her boyfriend, but on whether she's doing the right thing for the greatest number of people. 
 I enjoyed reading about New York in 2083. Gabrielle Zevin has put a fresh spin on the genre of futuristic YA novels, and I'm looking forward to seeing where she goes next with Anya's world.