Review: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Anna Dressed in Blood
(Anna #1)

Author: Kendare Blake

Publication Date: August 30th, 2011

Publisher: Tor Teen

Genre: Urban Fantasy

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Synopsis:

Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story... Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder 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. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay. When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, 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, but now stained red and dripping 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. And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

My Thoughts: My Thoughts: Alright, so I had heard a lot of great things about Anna and yeah, it is an awesome read! This was my first ghost story that I've read and I had the hardest time putting it down. I actually read half of it one day AT work, during my training while I was supposed to be listening... whoops. I'm so glad I read this because there are not many books that I've read that have a male protagonist. I know, I need to read more. It's interesting seeing things from the male point of view. 

I am going to say that if you are an extremely queasy person, you probably aren't going to want to read Anna. Why? Clearly because there is a bit of gore in it. Well, maybe a lot, kind of. The first really gorey scene I read (Goodbye Mike) was while I was eating my supper. It didn't really help my appetite. There a few scenes that are a bit violent, but hey, it's a ghost story about a killer ghost! 

So, if you haven't read Anna, you're probably wondering what it's about. I don't like giving many details in my reviews that might give anything away. Soooo, basically it's about a boy (Cas) who kills ghosts for a living. When he goes to kill Anna, he realizes that she's a lot tougher than him and he's going to have some trouble with her. So he does something he's never done before, he asks for help.  Anna doesn't kill him when she gets the chance, and he wants to find out why. And that's all I'm going to tell you about the plot. 

 You might be wondering a little bit about Cas. Well, he is obviously brave since he kills ghosts, not all ghosts though, only the dangerous ones who kill people. It takes a lot to face that kind of job I would think. Especially when his father died doing it. So he is trying to get better at it so he can kill the ghost that killed his father. He is a bit of a loner, since he moves around from place to place hunting down ghosts, he doesn't have much time for friends and doesn't particularly want them. It makes leaving harder. Apparently he is attractive, as most of the girls like him, although it might be because he is "the new kid". I think he changes a lot throughout the book because he learns to care for others, it makes him more like able as a character, not that I wouldn't like him without the change.

Anna. Well, she was killed on her way to a school dance, and her murder was never solved. She brutally murders anyone who comes into her house, Cas being the exception. Anna is a different ghost from any Cas has ever come up against. But, under all that anger and murderous rage, is a girl that is kind and doesn't want to hurt people. She is ashamed of what she does, but she can't help herself. 

Overall, I really liked and enjoyed reading Anna. I can't wait for the second book to be released so I can give that a read. Kendare Blake is an awesome author, and I think we'll have to watch out for more from her in the future. I pretty much liked everything about this book and definitely recommend it! It's a great urban fantasy mixed with paranormal. If you're not an easily queasy person, you should read this book! It's awesome!