Synopsis

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. They follow legends and local lore, destroy the murderous dead, and keep pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

Searching for a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas expects the usual: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

Yet she spares Cas’s life.

Anna Dressed in Blood

I didn’t really think that I was going to like Anna Dressed in Blood as I hate anything to do with horror and Anna screamed horror. I had heard so many great things about it though, that I just had to pick it up and let me tell you, well I was surprised.

The horror element of Anna Dressed in Blood scared me a lot actually, but I still wanted to keep on reading and reading. It was so intriguing and interesting. I couldn’t put the book down. I think what I might have done wrong was read this book at night.

The book starts off with a bang, and it just kept on getting better and better from there.

I really liked Cas, he is the main protagonist. It’s rare, well for me it is, that I read a book with a male as the main character it was a nice change. Cas is a really interesting character, his personality is really different and quirky. He is also pretty kick-ass if I say so myself. And to say that I didn’t develop a little crush on Cas, then I would be lying. After his father’s murder Cas, feels like it’s his duty to take on his father’s role that he left. The fact that he hunts down ghosts and wipes them out is just so damn cool but if that was me I would be running the other way. Cas is defiantly not your typical 17 year old boy.

The story line is brilliant. It just kept on pulling me in and in. It’s so different to what I am use to reading and what I am used to liking.

Anna, I was totally scared of her but then we find what happens to her, how she died, and I wanted to hold her. She is totally creepy and scared not only me but pretty much everyone else in the book. She has killed so many people that have tried to trespass into her house, we see some of these deaths and we heard about others and let me tell you to me they are pretty gruesome.

Kendare Blake’s writing is simply stunning. It’s is a stunning novel, full of atmospheric spookiness and unthinkable horrors that tears you apart with both emotion.

There was a few twists and turns throughout the novel and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I wanted to know what happened with Anna, I wanted to know how they were going to fix the whole situation that occurs.

I really like most of the secondary characters as well. Normally there are some characters in a novel that I seem to hate. I didn’t like all of them but the people that were somewhat important I really liked.

Again I thought Anna Dressed in Blood was scary and creepy and me reading it at night got totally scared, especially the scenes when Anna goes all crazy and the last few chapters as well.

I really enjoyed Anna and Cas’ relationship, okay yes it wasn’t the most believable relationship it was still very adorable and cute. They just seem to fit each other. Cas is the quirky, somewhat geeky guy and Anna is the girl next door. A murderous, killing rampage one but still.

The ending, gosh what an ending. I was in massive shock I just stared at the last page, I couldn’t believe it was over. I love and hated it. Loved it because it was just so awesome and what an ending to a first novel should be, but hated it because I wanted more and more.

Overall I enjoyed Anna Dressed in Blood a lot, it was written beautifully, the characters were enjoyable and interesting and the plot was so intriguing, everyone should read it even if you think it’s not your style as you can see it wasn’t my genre and I loved it.

Quotes I liked:

“You make me want things I can’t have.” – Anna