Anna Dressed In Blood-Inspired Outfit

Did you see my review from Monday on Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake?  It's a creepy supernatural/horror/mystery about a guy named Cas who's hunting down an intense ghost named Anna.  Anna was killed on her way to a high school dance in the 1950s and now slaughters anyone who comes near her...until she meets Cas.

Yeah, it's a creepy book but was a great read!  Today's inspiration is an outfit based off of Anna (because she is the most delicious character in the book!).  And I figured since Anna was murdered on her way to a dance, I should create a sophisticated night-out look.  But don't worry--I'm leaving out the gore!

So here's the look I designed:

Pretty, right?

So let me break it down--

• Even though Anna wears a white dress (the dress in which she was murdered), I think of her as a very dark character full of vengeance.  So I chose a sleek, black dress as the main part of the look.  Don't you just love this style dress?  It could be dressed up or down depending on the event, and I love the way the belt accents the waist.
• But of course, Anna is a gruesome, gory character, so I had to throw in pops of red.  I love a good red pump, so the high heel was an obvious choice.  A dangerous shoe indeed :)
• I thought a long, tassel necklace would look great with this style of the dress, so I added a silver tassel necklace.  But I couldn't resist adding a ruby pendant necklace, too!  Like a drop of blood, perhaps (ok, maybe I'm getting too literal here!)?  I love to layer necklaces, especially when they're dainty on their own, and these two necklaces paired together are great!
• To add some fun I threw in some silver bangle bracelets and a shimmery red nail polish (the Butter London brand is my favorite, even if it is rather pricey).  
• And to finish it off I added some black stud earrings.  These earrings keep the outfit together without taking away from the other accents.  I wanted the necklaces to draw in the eye rather than dangly earrings.

What do you think?  Could you see yourself wearing an outfit like this?  Does it remind you of a dangerous, secretive ghost like Anna?

Tomorrow I'm reviewing the second book in the Anna series, Girl of Nightmares.  See you then!

REVIEW--Anna Dressed In Blood

Happy Labor Day!  I hope you get to enjoy today with some fun and relaxation!

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!