Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna, #1) in YA and Beyond

Dec 30, 2011 Erika rated it it was ok

Shelves: horror, ya, meh, wont-continue-series, supernatural

Oh God, what a great disappointment...

After reading so many reviews of how awesome this book is, i couldn't help but feel an urgency to go read it as soon as possible... This is what high expectations do, i guess.

This book started with a great premise, you had a ghost, Anna, who was murdering and dismembering everybody who entered to her house. And you had this kid, Cas, who was a ghost killer as his father once was. You start imagining what a bloody story you may have here, and it doesn't disap Oh God, what a great disappointment...

After reading so many reviews of how awesome this book is, i couldn't help but feel an urgency to go read it as soon as possible... This is what high expectations do, i guess.

This book started with a great premise, you had a ghost, Anna, who was murdering and dismembering everybody who entered to her house. And you had this kid, Cas, who was a ghost killer as his father once was. You start imagining what a bloody story you may have here, and it doesn't disappoint... in the beginning...

Now, i need to say something about the main character, Cas. When i started to read the book i had no idea he was a "he" i thought it was a "she". I just, for some reason, never figured out he was male, maybe i wasn't paying that much attention, but after i read here on goodreads someone saying something about Cas like he was a male, i couldn't believe it. I went to the first chapters and look for any evidence that Cas was male and couldn't find any. i don't know if there's something wrong with me, but if it wasn't for this site i would've gone all the way through the book thinking Cas was a girl, and would've been really "shocked"(shocked is not the word, I've been thinking for the word i want to use, but can't find it...) perhaps, later on in the book.

Ok back to the story. So, this book had potential. This male, Cas, traveled with his mother, to another city looking for Anna. He was looking for her because she is really dangerous, she's like the urban legend in that city, at parties, young people like to tell her stories to scare everyone else, and it is said that she's killed over 60 people already, in very gory ways. So it's Cas' duty to kill her, so she won't hurt anyone else.

**I think i should say now, here are possible **SPOILERS**, so continue at your own discretion.**

So this kid, immediately goes to school and makes friends with the queen bee and the popular ones, to gather all information he could from them, and help him with this Anna case.

There are some very bloody scenes, that make this book really interesting in the beginning but after that, starts what made me upset and made me start knocking stars off... Cas starts developing feelings for Anna...

This made me lose interest in the book and my enjoyment level dropped drastically. By the way, this is the reason why i say i would've been "shocked"(i still haven't found the right word to use here) of thinking Cas was female. a human-girl on ghost-girl story would be so... i don't know, strange?

Anyway, i don't think i would recommend this book, even though i seem to be in the minority of people who didn't like it. And I'm most likely not continuing this series. ...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Anna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, paranormal-romance, young-adult, death-grieve, adventure, series, men, ghost, urban-fantasy

I loved it! Now that's covered, I also thought this would have a different effect on me had I read it earlier. You know, more chills and thrills. I was surprised and slightly disappointed though that it kinda lacked the intensive scare and thorough macabre. But other than that I was very happy.

This was like Ghostbusters and Jennifer's body-ish offspring minus the sexy flesh eater.

I liked the whole concept where the portrayal of ghosts kills/eradicates people in their wake, because I know that ...more

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Sep 15, 2011 Evelyn Swift (Featherbrained Books) rated it it was ok

Shelves: paranormal-and-urban-fantasy, books-i-have-reviewed, horror, young-adult, ghosts, disappointing, set-in-canada, didnt-connect-with-couple

I wish I could explain exactly why I was underwhelmed with this book...it seems like most people LOVED it but it really didn't grab my attention. Some parts were darn right creepy (like describing dismembered bodies being pulled apart) which was very interesting but I felt like it was just a ruse for a very boring love story.
YES the romance is BORING even though it's between a ghost-killer and a ghost. AH why do the mismatched always fall in love! *insert something about the lion falling in lov ...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Janina rated it it was amazing

This book was about a boy named Cas, who takes over ghost hunting after his father dies from a bizarre attack. He an his mom move to a new city chasing the story of a ghost, Anna dressed in blood. From there on he is set on a quest to kill the ghost but comes to release he's in store for more than he thought he was.

This book was amazing! I loved the storyline and the plot. It was just written so well! The characters were great, every last one of them. Cas and Anna were probably my favorite. I li ...more

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May 06, 2012 Wendy rated it really liked it

A quick but entertaining and satisfying read with a couple of good twists and turns and a lot of blood and gore. I'm not sure if this is going to be the start of a series, but it stands up pretty well on its own.

Edit: Just saw that it's called Anna #1. (view spoiler) ...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Jolene Haley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: monsters-in-ya

Oh. My. God.

This book is amazing.

Here's what I loved:

Cas: I fell in love with him. It's nice to see a man who cares about protecting those around him and is tough. I love how Blake does an amazing job showing his vulnerable side to readers.

His parents: I love a YA novel with a parent present. It's a nice variation from absentee parents.

Thomas: I love Thomas' progression through the novel

Anna: is amazing. I love her style, compassion, and the strength she has both physical and mental.

This is a ...more

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