Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna, #1) in Nothing But Reading Challenges

Sep 23, 2012 Trisha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

oh my holy hell. This is an amazing hair-raising book.
I'm not a big fan of ghost books. Sometimes I feel like I've seen it all, I've read it all - there is nothing new to tell here.

Well, Kendare Blake is proving me oh so so very wrong.
There is a new story here and it's Anna. And Anna is a little angry....

Cas is a pretty real 17 year old. He's sassy, sweet, smooth and quite the liar. But, he's also blind to what's directly in his face.

I loved the slow build up of the whole plot while we learned a ...more

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Jan 01, 2012 Kiri rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: z-read-2010-2019, reviewed, young_adult-children, paranormal

Well after reading Stephen's review I was intrigued and moved this to the top of my TBR stack. I was not disappointed - obviously since I devoured it pausing only for breakfast this morning. Have to love holiday mornings when you can do what you'd like!

For me this was a swift read but oh so savory. The characters are well *um* fleshed out and there is an interesting twist at the end. I enjoyed Anna very much, Cas as well. Although I did not detect the flaws Stephen mentioned - which might be ge ...more

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Oct 15, 2011 Netanella rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, witches, ghosts, young-adult

Kendare Blake can write a good story. And she can write well. That's a great combination that's not as common as it should be.

If you liked Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, you'll enjoy this book. Anna makes a great ghost, and Cas has got a great nerdy-loner-James-Dean thing going on. Add a great cast of cool side characters, and this is a 5-star book in my humble opinion. Ms. Blake, care to work on the movie script? This would make a hell of a movie - better than anything currently on SyFy. ...more

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Nov 19, 2011 Kristen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Want to spend some time with a creepy scary ghost story? Then check out Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. It’s not the creepiest or the scariest but it’s another for the faint of heart either.

We are introduced to Cas while he is out one night killing a ghost. How does one kill something that is already dead? Well, he has an athame that was his father’s, before his father was killed, and Cas believes it is a special knife. He also believes that setting the ghosts free so they can not harm o Want to spend some time with a creepy scary ghost story? Then check out Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. It’s not the creepiest or the scariest but it’s another for the faint of heart either.

We are introduced to Cas while he is out one night killing a ghost. How does one kill something that is already dead? Well, he has an athame that was his father’s, before his father was killed, and Cas believes it is a special knife. He also believes that setting the ghosts free so they can not harm others is his calling. He is meant to do it. Because of this, he doesn’t stay in any one place long. His mother moves them where ever they need to be. And where they need to be is looking into the ghost story of Anna.

Anna is a ghost who was killed in 1958 and now like all the ghosts that Cas releases is killing. She kills and leaves no trace of her victims.

What ensues is Cas’ introduction into the social minefield known as high school. He sets out to find the queen bee because he knows that the popular kids will know all the ghost stories. And while he knows a little about Anna, he needs to know more including where he ghost is likely to be. And as expected, by identifying the queen bee, he pisses off the queen bee’s court which includes an ex-boyfriend jealous jock and his goon friends. Fast forward to them tricking Cas and taking him exactly where he wants to go – Anna’s house. But things go terribly wrong. And for Cas Ina. Creepy sort of way they go right because he meets Anna. And over time he finds that he wants to save her as much as destroy her. We get some quick glimpses into voodoo and other magics. We get introduced to and (thankfully) well acquainted with both the mystery and the answers to what happened to Cas’ father too.

This book had a great balance of creepiness, scariness, gore, evil, ghosts, good guys, magic and fear. It had just a hint of a teenage love story too. Normally I would say that I want to see more of the relationship develop. But here, since we are talking about a really bloody murdering ghost and teenage boy, it was ok to see only a little. And it was the perfect amount of the right stuff to see. The author made Anna scary angry and vulnerable and sympathetic at the same time. It was easy to route for an ending where she doesn’t end up the big bad evil. And it was easy to route for her and Cas even while knowing that they really couldn’t be together. It was also really nice to see the author not find some wacky convoluted was to resurrect Anna.

My biggest disappointment was actually when I realized that there will be a sequel based on Anna. I think that Cas and his ghost hunting abilities/story have potential. But bringing Anna back, when things were so nicely tied up, will likely be a little bit of a stretch. I hope I am wrong and the author has found a way to do the second installment without making the whole thing crazy, because I don’twant to see my opinion of Anna spoiled. But this means that I need to get on putting some pages together dedicated to this series…

This book is a great read for those who enjoy the creepy goose bump inducing story with just enough realizing in it to scare the daylights out of you! ...more

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Mar 05, 2011 Melissa-The Book Addict rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I have read a lot of books so far this year, a lot of great books but I think this has been the best so far! This was pretty non stop and at times majorly creepy. I loved Cas from the very start, he reminded me of one of my favorite men, Dead Winchester. *swoon* The beginning with the hitchhiker really set the tone for the rest of the book. Dark, ominous, and fantastic. From the first mention of Anna I couldn't wait to meet her. And when I finally did meet her I loved her. She was so many things ...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Christal rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: magic, horror, male-lead, magical-or-paranormal, ya-and-na, witches-warlocks-and-mages, ghosts, death-as-a-character, reapers-and-ghost-whispers, voodoo

I would give Anna Dressed in Blood 3.5 stars if I could, but I can't quite justify 4 so it stands at 3 for now. There were some things I really enjoyed about this book and other things that I didn't like so much. Overall, I enjoyed the read enough to pick up the next book when it comes out later this year.

I liked Cas as a protagonist. He had his moments of smarminess, but they had almost disappeared by the end of the book. Ms. Blake wrote his character believably; the aloof, detached hero shtick I would give Anna Dressed in Blood 3.5 stars if I could, but I can't quite justify 4 so it stands at 3 for now. There were some things I really enjoyed about this book and other things that I didn't like so much. Overall, I enjoyed the read enough to pick up the next book when it comes out later this year.

I liked Cas as a protagonist. He had his moments of smarminess, but they had almost disappeared by the end of the book. Ms. Blake wrote his character believably; the aloof, detached hero shtick worked. I really liked Anna. She was the best part of the book. Crazy demon Anna was BA and sweet, controlled Anna was smart and selfless. I would have enjoyed seeing more of crazy demon Anna at the beginning, but she still made the book for me. Her back story was heartbreaking. Caramel and Thomas were great side characters. I was worried they would just be traditional stereotypes, but Ms. Blake developed them into characters that stood on their own merits. I did get a bit of a "Scooby Gang" feel, but I'll roll with it.

I liked the opening plot of Cas carrying on his family legacy of ghost slaying. The hitchhiker slaying set the tone for the book well. I liked the reasoning that was given for Cas and his mom moving so much and the brief introduction to the underground network that Cas uses.

What I didn't like very much were some of the less clear aspects in the story. The villain was creepy, but he seemed a villain of convenience. I wish we had learned more about him, what his true motivations were, and how exactly he came to be so powerful in the first place. I did not like what happened with Tybalt either. I didn't really like the romance so much. I just can't see how it can end well. The ending seemed a little lackluster to me. The action was impressive, but I felt like Cas' "rope-a-dope" was less of an actual plan and more along the lines of "let's get the villain where we want him and hope for the best." I also didn't really like what happened with Anna at the end, but I see how it is setting up the sequel. The mythology of the world was a little lacking for me. I hope we find out more about Cas' connection to the athame, why his bloodline is important, and how ghosts come to be in the next book. ...more

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