Title: Anna Dressed in Blood
Author: Kendare Blake
Pub Date: October 17th, 2011
Publisher: Tor Teen
Page Count: 316
With a very distinct voice, Kendare is to be applauded for her storytelling skills making [Anna Dressed in Blood] a great read, especially during Halloween! - Nova @ Out of Time
I read this for the spirit of Halloween, but I really enjoyed it and I'm pretty sure I'd like it no matter what time! The first chapter started off with a bang, that drew me in very quickly. I realize how much I love Blake's descriptive skills. I felt like I was part of this story. Because it's got so much to do with supernatural, descriptive writing is a must. How are readers supposed to know what the ghosts look like? And Blake nailed it! That was great!
I also really enjoyed Cas' voice. It's narrated by him. To be completely honest, I don't read many books from a male perspective. It's not because I deliberately seek out reads that are female POVs, it's just how things go when I get review copies or when I buy. So, this was definitely pretty refreshing. Also, this one line, Cas goes: "You f___- you ate my cat!" and I was laughing for like five minutes because it's totally something I would say. My God.
Her comes the bad news. What's above pretty much sums up all the good about this book. The sad part was that I was really split halfway with this book. Because while Cas was so dynic, everyone else seemed quite static. I didn't really like the other characters because as Cas said, after he was done with his job, he'd be moving on, leaving no space for development in the other characters.
This leads me into the instalove. Anna and Cas are a couple? What? I read the first bit during the conclusion and I didn't get it at all. It seemed so random. Like the two haven't even been on a date or anything! Like what? He literally declared his love to her and she's like "okay." This was one of the things that were rushed. Heck, the entire ending seemed so rushed. So much of the book was focused on Anna, and that was fine, but then there was a shift in the plot. Suddenly it became about something that I can't even remember because it was that random. All I know is that I heavily disliked the ending. It didn't feel well thought out at all.
Because I'm split down the middle, you can predict the rating.
Author: Kendare Blake
Pub Date: October 17th, 2011
Publisher: Tor Teen
Page Count: 316
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. They follow legends and local lore, destroy the murderous dead, and keep pesky things like the future and friends at bay.
Searching for a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas expects the usual: 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.
Yet she spares Cas's life.
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With a very distinct voice, Kendare is to be applauded for her storytelling skills making [Anna Dressed in Blood] a great read, especially during Halloween! - Nova @ Out of Time
I read this for the spirit of Halloween, but I really enjoyed it and I'm pretty sure I'd like it no matter what time! The first chapter started off with a bang, that drew me in very quickly. I realize how much I love Blake's descriptive skills. I felt like I was part of this story. Because it's got so much to do with supernatural, descriptive writing is a must. How are readers supposed to know what the ghosts look like? And Blake nailed it! That was great!
I also really enjoyed Cas' voice. It's narrated by him. To be completely honest, I don't read many books from a male perspective. It's not because I deliberately seek out reads that are female POVs, it's just how things go when I get review copies or when I buy. So, this was definitely pretty refreshing. Also, this one line, Cas goes: "You f___- you ate my cat!" and I was laughing for like five minutes because it's totally something I would say. My God.
Her comes the bad news. What's above pretty much sums up all the good about this book. The sad part was that I was really split halfway with this book. Because while Cas was so dynic, everyone else seemed quite static. I didn't really like the other characters because as Cas said, after he was done with his job, he'd be moving on, leaving no space for development in the other characters.
This leads me into the instalove. Anna and Cas are a couple? What? I read the first bit during the conclusion and I didn't get it at all. It seemed so random. Like the two haven't even been on a date or anything! Like what? He literally declared his love to her and she's like "okay." This was one of the things that were rushed. Heck, the entire ending seemed so rushed. So much of the book was focused on Anna, and that was fine, but then there was a shift in the plot. Suddenly it became about something that I can't even remember because it was that random. All I know is that I heavily disliked the ending. It didn't feel well thought out at all.
Because I'm split down the middle, you can predict the rating.
Kendare's
So, I write books. Anna Dressed in Blood and Girl of Nightmares are horror, The Goddess War books are mythology, and Sleepwalk Society is contemporary. Different genres, because the world don't move to the beat of just one drum. Love to read, too. Fiction, philosophy, good books, bad books, because you take the good you take the bad you take them both and there you have a stack of books and stuff. I mean, you've got to be adventurous. There's more to life that what you're living, so take a chance and face the wind.
There's more coming soon like Slasher Girls and Monster Boys and Ungodly in 2015, so don't waste another minute on your cryin. We're nowhere near the end.
My likes include animals, food, and nostalgia. I mean, whatever happened to predictability? The milkman, the paperboy, the evening TV? Used to be everywhere you look, there's a heart, a hand to hold on to.
Anyway, I love to hear from readers so drop me a line here or at my website and we'll talk about friends to know, and ways to grow, and great authors to be in charge of our days, and our nights.
We can also talk about all the sitcom theme songs in this bio. Sha la la la.
Ooh this looks haunting... come to think of it, I haven't read many books from a male point of view at all! Also, can I ask a question? How do you manage to post book reviews so often, I find that my blog often goes unloved on the booky side while I finish a book! Do you read more than one book at a time, or are you just a quick reader? Thanks! xx
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