REVIEW--Girl of Nightmares

Today I'm reviewing Girl of Nightmares, the second book in the Anna series by Kendare Blake.  Don't you love how the cover looks so similar to Anna Dressed in Blood?

 

• Second book in Anna series
• Supernatural/Suspense 

*Possible spoilers ahead if you haven't read Anna Dressed in Blood! 

Summary from Goodreads:
It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on.
His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live—not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.
Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.
Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.

The Gist
Cas just can't move on since Anna Korlov disappeared into Hell.  He admits that he fell in love with a ghost and is now lost without her.  He continues to see her (both when he's awake and when he's asleep) and knows she is being tortured.  Unable to move on, Cas and his friends set off to find a way to save her.

What I Loved

• This book dives deeper into the characters, especially Cas and his feelings for Anna.  This added so much to the book and I really began to appreciate the characters more.
• There is a forest scene in this book that is SO CREEPY!  I can't even imagine seeing that scene on a big screen.  Creepy but so awesome!
• I liked the change in settings in this book.  Cas and his friend Thomas travel overseas to find a way to save Anna and it made the story more dangerous and thrilling.
• I loved the scene with Thomas' Aunt Riika...again, creepy.  Think I use the word "creepy" enough to describe this book?!  

What I Didn't Love

• The part of the plot revolving around the athame (Cas's knife)--which was a big part of the plot--was pretty confusing at times for me.  Felt like I had to think too much about how the athame worked, who it affected, etc.
• This book, like most sequels, seemed slower than the first in the series.  A lot of build-up.
• I also didn't think Girl of Nightmares was as scary as the first book.
• I missed Anna--she wasn't in this book as much as the first and I loved her character.  

My favorite quote--"But the mall is a thing that should not be suffered.  Except maybe for Cinnabon." 

I'll be back tomorrow with an outfit inspired by the book!  

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!