Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake [Review]

4.5 out of 5 Robots!

   

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Series: Anna #1

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Release: August 30, 2011
Hardcover: 316 Pages
Publisher: Tor Teen
My Copy: Purchased
Reviewer: Shannon
Buy the Book: Amazon

 Book Summary:
Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story...

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

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder 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: move, 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, but now stained red and dripping 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.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life. (Courtesy of the Publisher)

Shannon's Thoughts:

Part of me can’t quite put my finger on what I liked so much about Anna Dressed in Blood.  I just kind of dug it.  The premise caught my attention early on:  Cas Lowood, Teenage Professional Ghost Killer.  I really enjoyed Cas’ POV.  He is sarcastic and witty and smart.  It is also a nice change to have a male POV in a YA book.  

Cas comes to Thunder Bay, Ontario to kill Anna but finds she is unlike any other ghost he’s encountered before. He becomes intrigued with her after she saves his life and learns there is much more to her than just being a murderous ghost.  Anna was a very interesting character, full of rage but yet still innocent in a way.  The other characters were also a lot of fun: a popular girl who is more than meets the eye, Cas’ kitchen witch mother, a ghost detecting cat, a psychic nerd and a voodoo practicing grandfather all play important parts. 

I also liked the gruesome horror aspect.  These ghosts are not pretty and can do some pretty disturbing things. I liked that the author wasn’t afraid to go dark.  There is an abundance of gruesome images and supernatural violence.  (Side note: this is definitely an older YA book: gore, violence, and some swearing)

The story moves along at a good pace.  I wasn’t sure where the story was headed, so I didn’t see the ending before it happened.  But the ending did feel a little rushed. I was really intrigued by end events and would have liked to see it fleshed out more.

Also: the print verson text is printed in blood red.  Neat.     

The second book, Anna Girl Of Nightmares, is expected to come out in August. And I can't wait to get my hands on it!