Title: Anna Dressed in Blood (ADiB #1)
Author: Kendare Blake
Publisher: Tor Teen 2011
Genre: YA Paranormal
Pages: 320
Rating: 5 / 5 stars
Reading Challenges: YA; Mount TBR
How I Got It: My first iBook purchase!
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.
I admit that I went into this book with trepidation. It's a paranormal young adult book. I thought it would be full of teenage angst and silly love triangles. Thankfully, it wasn't. I ended up reading a scary yet touching ghost story full of twists and turns. Anna is incredibly scary, even in her later incarnation. The Obeahman is out of my nightmares. Cas is badass (reminded me of the Winchester brothers). Carmel isn't the annoying queen. She's someone that I might have actually liked. And Thomas is a great witch in training. I must say that all of the characters (well, except for Mike and Chase) are stereotype free. This allows for real character and growth throughout the book. I found myself looking over my shoulder waiting for an inky haired girl to be staring back. Very creepy! But in a good way. Definitely a must read.
Somehow I didn't catch on that there is a sequel coming out this fall. I can't wait to read it.
Anna Dressed in Blood:
- #1 Anna Dressed in Blood
- #2 Girl of Nightmares