And Happy September! Whenever September hits, I'm immediately in Autumn mode. I'm ready for all things Fall--the warm weather, deep colors, pumpkin and cinnamon scents, and spooky celebrations. So I decided to start off this month with some creepier, fall-appropriate reads. Today's review is Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake.
- First book in the Anna series
- Supernatural, horror, mystery
Summary provided by Goodreads:
Cas Lowood, armed with his late father's athame knife, kills ghosts. In Thunder Bay, Anna, forever 16, drips blood on her white dress from throat slit in 1958, and rips apart anyone who enters her house - except Cas. He makes new friends - high school queen Carmel, jock Will, admiring nerd Thomas and Tom's voodoo grandpa Morfran - to fight this demon.
The Gist
Cas Lowood's father was a ghosthunter. But he was murdered by a ghost, and now Cas has taken his father's knife and legacy to fight ghosts. All of Cas's hunts are basically training sessions for him, because he's really on the hunt to kill his father's murderer. He and his mother (a witch and online occult supplier) get called to Canada to find and kill Anna, a ghost who was murdered in the 1950s on her way to a school dance. Anna murders anyone who enters the house in which she once lived--that is, until Cas walks in the front door.
What I Loved
- Cas is an awesome protagonist! He is funny and sarcastic and has some fantastic one-liners.
- And as great as Cas is as the protagonist, Anna is a GREAT villain. She is definitely to be feared; however, she has a story that adds even more depth to her character.
- There are some great villain twists, like with the Obeahman. I love a good twist!
- The opening scene in the book with Cas and a hitchhiker ghost is awesome! A great way to open the book with its spooky undertones!
- An unpredictable story for sure!
- I liked the love story that evolved within the book...it's not creepy like I would have expected.
- The cover of the book is gorgeous! And the text in the book is red--a fun addition to the book!
What I Didn't Love
- The book is pretty gory (I'm not a huge horror fan), but I wasn't overly scared at any point.
- I had a hard time believing Thomas and Carmel's blooming relationship (especially on Carmel's end of it).
- So Cas enrolls in the local high school but basically skips every day with no consequences??? It must be the educator in me but this bothered me the whole way through the book!
My favorite quote--"Thomas is absolutely not naturally brave. Which makes his bravery all the more impressive."
Check back here on Wednesday for an outfit inspired by the spooky, unpredictable Anna!
And want to know what I thought about the sequel in this series? My review of Girl of Nightmares will be up on Thursday!
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