Title: Anna Dressed in Blood
Author: Kendare Blake
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: August 30, 2011
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Rating: Acquire
My Review
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.
What grabbed my attention about this book? The beautiful cover of course! Then I read the synopsis and just knew I had to read this book! Believe it or not, but I'm not a huge fan of horror. I can't even watch a scary movie! So starting this book was a BIG step for me! And this book was horror filled, along with blood, murders, ripping people in half, and just more crazy-ness.
This books started out a little slow for me. As you read on things start to pick up, but still not a good pace. Then Anna is introduced! And BAM! Everything is happening and going on, its madness. Ann really is what gets the story moving.
I loved the characters! :) Cas has this attitude that you just have to love and admire. He goes around killing ghosts to avenge his father's death and he acts like it's nothing! Cas was a very interesting main character. Along with the honorable qualities he sounded quite handsome. ^-^Anna was a pretty amazing too. Even though she scared me so many times, I still loved her!
Lets talk about the physical look of the book.. I flippin love the cover! It is really beautiful and terrifying. What makes things even better is the red tinted font in the book. This book and the Shiver series are the only book,s that I know of, that have the tinted font, and I think it''s pretty darn awesome!
I applaud Kendare! She took the ghost human story and totally mixed it up. This is not a book that you can guess whats going to happen next, it's impossible. Kendare has a unique way of weaving a story that the reader will find irresistible! Also she isn't afraid to have her characters cuss. She doesn't have cuss words covering the pages, but she has just enough to show that the teenagers in her book are just that...teenagers.
Key Points
- This books is filled with horror, blood, and violence. Not for the squeamish.
- I loved Cas and Anna.
- Has a slow start but picks right up!
- Kendare has a unique way of weaving a story that the reader will find irresistible!
Posts
I'm torn about this one. I thought this book would have too many horror elements for me but the more reviews that I read the more tame that the book sounds. I might actually have to get this one because many people are raving about it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great review.