Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna, #1) in BookSpark

Sep 03, 2011 Maja (The Nocturnal Library) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: male-pov, favorites, amazing-writing, reviewed-in-2011, never-saw-it-coming, young-adult, all-the-right-choices, cover-lust, horror, own-a-dtb

Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story.
4.5 stars

Not many authors can scare you to death by eliciting vivid, gruesome imagery and, at the same time, take your breath away with sheer beauty of their prose. I never expected Kendare Blake to be one of those authors – that’s why her book took me completely by surprise. It was very different from what I thought it would be. When I choose a book based on a beautiful cover and an intriguing title (and yes, I really AM that shallow Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story.
4.5 stars

Not many authors can scare you to death by eliciting vivid, gruesome imagery and, at the same time, take your breath away with sheer beauty of their prose. I never expected Kendare Blake to be one of those authors – that’s why her book took me completely by surprise. It was very different from what I thought it would be. When I choose a book based on a beautiful cover and an intriguing title (and yes, I really AM that shallow), especially one that none of my friends have read, I usually end up disappointed. Anna Dressed in Blood undoubtedly looks amazing and has a memorable title, but the most interesting part is right where it should be – between the covers.

Cassius Theseus Lowood grew up in an unconventional family. His mother is a white witch and his father was in the business of killing the dead for the second time, at least until one of the ghosts he was hunting murdered him in the most gruesome way. In Cas’s world, dead people often don’t want to leave the place where they died, especially if they were victims of a violent crime. Instead, they stay behind as monstrous echoes of their former selves – most of them seeking revenge for the horrors they experienced.
When Cas’s father died, Cas inherited his duties and his powerful athame. He’s been moving all over the country and killing ghosts since he was 14 years old. But he’s never run into a ghost as powerful as Anna nor did he ever try so hard to understand what drives a dead person to murder innocent people.
Anna is different in every way. She was killed in 1958. while walking to the prom in her beautiful white dress. When her throat was slit, blood covered her entirely, thus earning her the name Anna Dressed in Blood.
Someone cut her throat, but that’s an understatement. Someone nearly cut her head clean off. They say she was wearing a white party dress, and when they found her, the whole thing was stained red. That’s why they call her Anna Dressed in Blood.

Ever since her murder, Anna’s been tied to the house she grew up in. Twenty seven people have tried to enter, and none of them came out alive.

Nothing is black and white in Anna's story: she is both a killer and a victim, a horrible monster and an innocent girl – and just when you think you figured her out, she turns around and does something completely unexpected! Her entire personality changes as quickly as her appearance which forces Cas to doubt every single choice he made since the beginning of his hunt.

I don’t usually watch horror movies and I always do my best to avoid horror novels, (view spoiler), but black witches, white witches, people trapped in walls, Voodoo, athames, ghost hunting, cursed objects, a strong male protagonist and unexpected developments made me very happy that I decided to read this book. I really hope it gets the attention it deserves.
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Aug 02, 2011 MarytheBookLover rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed, 2011-favorites

My Opinion:
I absolutely LOVED this book. It has to be, by far, the best read for me for 2012. Kendare Blake is a writer to be watched. She spins an amazing tale of love, ghosts, horror and the OMG did that just happen? – novel that I have read in a very long time. In fact, when I was finished reading it, all I wanted to do was read it again. VERY few novels have ever done that. I love the cast of characters even the annoying ones did some good in this book. Cas and his mother are used to having ...more

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Apr 08, 2011 Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2012-reading-challenge-book

4.5 Stars

Anna Dressed in Blood happens to be my first read for the Ghostly Reading Challenge I choose to take part in this year.

I am not going to lie, I wanted to read this book since I first saw the synopsis on goodreads months before it even came out and was excited to read it but then, well some of the reviews for it made me pause.

I wasn't really expecting this to be too scary or bloody or any other negative things that I started reading in the reviews.

Don't get me wrong, I like a good myster 4.5 Stars

Anna Dressed in Blood happens to be my first read for the Ghostly Reading Challenge I choose to take part in this year.

I am not going to lie, I wanted to read this book since I first saw the synopsis on goodreads months before it even came out and was excited to read it but then, well some of the reviews for it made me pause.

I wasn't really expecting this to be too scary or bloody or any other negative things that I started reading in the reviews.

Don't get me wrong, I like a good mystery and I really do love reading about ghosts but bloody things and gore? Not so much.

Which is probably why it has taken me this long to finally stop being a chicken and pick up this book and read it.

Which I noticed first about this book? I will be honest, it wasn't the violence but more the language. I mean this is a YA book, I wasn't expecting to have already read two f bombs in the course of two chapters. But I am pretty open minded so it didn't stop me from reading further, well that and the fact that the storyline pretty much captured my attention, I think the fact too that, thanks to the many reviews I read, I wasn't expecting any real romance of sorts, really helped me keep an open mind and just enjoy the story.

It is a pretty unique storyline and I like the fact that this story is told through the eyes of Cas, a boy who hunts done the dead who are not exactly dead. A ghost hunter.

Lets face it, there really aren't that many paranormal stories out there right now with the main character being male some of the ones that are out, well, I don't care for them much. But I really liked Cas' voice and his dry sarcastic sense of humor throughout the story.

And I can't help it but I love Anna to. Is that strange of me to say? I really hope not because then I don't know what that says about me but truly, I loved her character. Her struggle to not be bad and to do good and I loved the good Anna that was inside of the Anna Dressed in Blood.

The underlying almost sneaky mystery that involved Cas and his father was also very well done. You knew something was going on but it was easy to be distracted by Anna's story to not always notice all the hints the author left for us.

I really loved Thomas and Carmel in this story too, such great side characters that really come to life as the story progresses.

Carey did a beautiful job with this book. It is so unique and intriguing and imaginative. I truly enjoyed it, gore and all. ...more

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Sep 08, 2011 Yiota rated it it was amazing

This book was never in my TBR. I thought it would be another ya love story which will be nothing like the cover or summary makes you believe. Then i won it. And then i read it. At the end i found out that it was just plain awesomeness!!

> Old idea, with hunters and ghosts but originally written. Even though the idea behind the story is not new, the story felt fresh and exciting. It made you forget every possible connection with other stories and just stay with it and only, and enjoy it.

>Bloody. Y ...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Tabitha Olson rated it really liked it

Shelves: recent-reviews, 4-to-5-stars

This is one of the best ghost stories I've read in a long time. The scenes are vivid, the tone is creepier than all-get-out, and the characters are fun. And the cover? Stunning.

I liked Cas's smart mouth and keen observations. Anna is a great character, too. Much more complex than your typical ghost. She does a fabulous job of putting Cas in his place. I absolutely *loved* how Anna’s and Cas’s stories intersect. Stories that twist around in unexpected ways are my favorite kind. :)

There is so m ...more

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Aug 29, 2011 Danielle rated it really liked it

from: http://www.mymercurialmusings.com

Part Supernatural, part Amityville Horror, this entry to the YA Horror genre is captivating and entertaining. As someone who loves Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Joe Hill and a multitude of other horror writers, I tend to be skeptical of YA horror, imagining it all like the Goosebumps series. Don’t get me wrong, Goosebumps was great, but not exactly the kind of spine-tingling, lock your doors and turn on all the lights scary as Pet Sematary or It. Anna Dressed from: http://www.mymercurialmusings.com

Part Supernatural, part Amityville Horror, this entry to the YA Horror genre is captivating and entertaining. As someone who loves Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Joe Hill and a multitude of other horror writers, I tend to be skeptical of YA horror, imagining it all like the Goosebumps series. Don’t get me wrong, Goosebumps was great, but not exactly the kind of spine-tingling, lock your doors and turn on all the lights scary as Pet Sematary or It. Anna Dressed in Blood is somewhere in between. While many will view some of the more violent scenes in the book as a bit much for YA, the tone of the book and the theme is definitely geared toward a younger audience. Despite that, horror fans of all ages will find something about this book to love.

Kendare Blake introduces us to the harrowing world of ghost hunting through the voice of the narrator Cas Lowood. Cas put aside any ideas of having a normal teenage life long ago when he inherited his father’s vocation. Readers are thrust into the action from the first sentence as we accompany Cas on a hunt. He is after the ghost of a hitchhiker murdered in the summer of 1970 who is now acting out his own death on any unlucky enough to give him a ride. Cas ends up disposing of this ghost and is now ready to move on to his next locale to take on the ghost of Anna. Things do not go as planned; however, and while Anna makes quick work of one of Cas’s new classmates, she spares him. The story progresses at break-neck speed, with twists and turns that kept me turning pages well into the night.

The novel’s cast of characters is both quirky and endearing. Kendare Blake has done a great job of piecing together Cas’s make-shift Scooby Gang. From the high school outcast to the reigning Queen Bee, none of the characters are as one-dimensional as they first seem. The same is true of Anna. Every ghost has a story, and Anna’s is as terrifying and heart-wrenching as they come. Her story really forces readers to look beyond the obvious parts of people and consider the why of their actions. Anna is angry and brutal without a doubt but she is also carrying around a tremendous amount of guilt and shame which makes her relatable and sympathetic. Even Tybalt, Cas’s ghost-detecting cat has a personality which makes him endearing. A book is truly only as good as its characters and in this sense, Anna Dressed in Blood is a complete success.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The tension and gore is broken up with hefty doses of humor. The characters are real and relatable despite being in fantastical situations. Fans of Supernatural will find themselves relating Cas’s desire to fight ghosts and avenge his father’s death to Sam and Dean’s adventures. Fans of Stephen King will find themselves happily lost in a ghost story. I recommend this for readers looking for a little something different—what you will find is a ghost story with heart.

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Mar 30, 2011 Jennifer rated it it was amazing

For starters, the cover art for Anna Dressed In Blood is a perfect representation of the story, and it’s totally awesome. The cover alone is a major selling point, but when you delve into Anna’s story you will definitely be amazed with the plot and characters. Blake really raised the bar for ghost stories as Anna is unlike any ghost I’ve read about to date. She’s like Yin and Yang; she has a dark sinister side and, at the same time, has a beauty about her. As far as creative characters of 2011 g ...more

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Sep 22, 2011 Chloe (Girl In The Woods Reviews) rated it really liked it

Detailed Review: Ok first off, this book was absolutely a fun and exciting read as well as unusual. I always loved ghost stories but this is totally new spin of ghost hunters/creepy killers. This story is told by 'Cas' who is known as Theseus Cassio Lowood. He is boy who avenges his father by taking his legacy of wielding a knife that is able to kill ghosts. Like the blurb says, his Mum is seriously a witch who brews stuff in the middle of the kitchen and a ghost sniffing cat. It starts off wher ...more

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