Review: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Title:  Anna Dressed in Blood
Author:  Kendare Blake
Series:  Anna Dressed in Blood
Publisher:  Tor Teen
Publication Date:  August 30, 2011
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Rating: 

From Goodreads:

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.

Review:

I'm sure I've said this before, but I'm going to say it again: We need more male narrators in our YA novels. It seems that I always connect better with the books where I'm seeing the world from a guy's perspective, and Anna Dressed in Blood was no different.

I adored Cas, the main character, from page one. He's completely self-aware, but not to the point that he's egocentric. And considering he's a professional ghost hunter, he's got quite the cheery disposition. His wise-cracking inner monologue had me laughing throughout the novel. I think his character truly shines, though, in the way he interacts with others, forming friendships...something he's never really had the time or need for.

Kendare Blake is a fabulous storyteller. She's written a bad guy that will haunt your dreams and make you pull the covers over your head to keep from seeing the bogeyman stalking the foot of your bed. (Yes, the two nights I spent reading this book were full of nightmares. Don't laugh.) It's a real demonstration of her talent that she can create characters that not only warm your heart but also spring from the pages of the book and invade your dreams.

This story was fantastically spooky, eerie, and just plain ole gave me the chills. I've already admitted that it gave me nightmares. But it was more than just a ghost story. It's a story about loss, friendship, young love, and most importantly, revenge. If you're not too afraid, I'd definitely recommend you pick this book up when it's released on August 30th.

*I won a SIGNED ARC of this book through a giveaway from Jill Scribbles.*


 
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