Mundie Moms

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Book Review: Anna Dressed In Blood

Published by: Tor Teen
Released on: August 30th, 2011
Source: ARC from publisher to review
4.5 stars- I enjoyed it
Purchase from: Amazon| Barnes & Noble

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life.

Anna Dressed In Blood is intense, exciting, horrifying, and definitely a bit creepy. I don't know what I was thinking when I sat down to read this book one night, because I couldn't stop. Even though I jumped at stupid little noises (yes I'm a wuss when it comes to well told, or in this case a well written ghost story), I couldn't put the book down. Kendare Blake takes telling ghost stories to a whole never level. Kendare's writing is amazing, because in the midst of all the creepiness that happens, there were times that Kendare had me sighing and emotionally connected with not only to her main character Cas, but to Anna, the killer ghost.

I really like Cas, who's the story's main character. He's a well written character who's voice really captured my attention. He's fearless and has this unique ability to send ghosts on to where ever it is they go after he kills them. This ability becomes more like a sense of duty for him and it's something that's been passed on to him from his father and something his father inherited from his dad and so on. The character that surprised me the most was Anna. She's the most complex character, and the one that surprisingly changes the most by the end of the story. Without giving away anything that happens with her, I'll just say that her story is layered and I liked the way Kendare revealed little bits of it through out the story.

Anna Dressed In Blood is full of complex twists that add a surprising element to this hair raising story line. There's murder, witchcraft, uncovering Anna's murder, and the surprising paranormal romance. Then there's the unexpected twist with the knife that Cas uses to essentially kill ghosts. Holy crap I didn't see that one coming. This surprisingly dark twist adds a new layer of evil to the book and not only ties the end of Anna Dressed In Blood up nicely, it leads right into the sequel, Girl of Nightmares.

This story is dark, a little horrifying, at times totally gruesome and not something I'd normally read, but Kendare's writing is rich, captivating and intriguing. She created in-depth characters who's story's I want to know more about. This story is really a WOW read. It's one that once I started it I really didn't know what I was getting myself into, and now that I finished it I really want to know where Anna is and what Cas is going to do now. I'm anxiously waiting for Girl of Nightmares to be released. This book definitely lives up to it's hype! There is violence, gruesome scenes and uses of the f-word, making this a book that I'd definitely recommend to mature YA readers.

12 comments:

  1. Wow! This book sounds scary good and reminds me a little of Sam and Dean during the first couple of seasons on Supernatural. Definitely going to buy this one; it sounds like a great read.

    Thanks for the awesome review! :)

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  2. CrimsonInk- Thank you so much! Oh I hadn't even thought of the similarities. If you enjoyed that series, I think you'll really like this read!

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  3. I so agree with your review :) I really enjoyed this book!

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  4. Dawn- Thank you so much. :) This book really surprised me with how much I enjoyed it and the story itself. Kendare is a fabulous story teller.

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  5. Great review! This book is on my TBR list-sounds great! I also love the cover :-)

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  6. Amber- Thank you so much! The cover is fabulous. I hope you enjoy Anna's story.

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  7. I will read this during the day. LOL. Great review, MMs; I'm looking forward to reading it myself.

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  8. I love books that are creepy enough to make me jump at noises! I knew from the moment I saw the cover and heard the title I'd have to read this one. Thanks for the great review!

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  9. I will be reading this late, late, at night! I'm a sucker for chills! Great review!

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  10. Sophie- Thank you so much!! I think you'll really enjoy it. We'll definitely have to chat about it after you read it.

    Heather- Thank you! This is one you'll enjoy!

    Benj- Thank you. You'll definitely like this read, it's creepy.

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  11. This sounds so good! I think it would make the perfect Halloween reading :) Thanks for the great review!

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  12. Jessi- Thank you! Yes, this is a perfect Halloween read!!

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