Title: Anna Dressed in Blood
Author: Kendare Blake
Series: Anna Dressed in Blood (book #1)
Rating: 5/5 stars
Author: Kendare Blake
Series: Anna Dressed in Blood (book #1)
Rating: 5/5 stars
Author Bio:
Kendare Blake is an import from South Korea who was raised in the United States by caucasian parents. You know, that old chestnut. She received a Bachelor's degree in Business from Ithaca College and a Master's degree in Writing from Middlesex University in London. She brakes for animals, the largest of which was a deer, which sadly didn't make it, and the smallest of which was a mouse, which did, but it took forever. Amongst her likes are Greek Mythology, rare red meat and veganism. She also enjoys girls who can think with the boys like Ayn Rand, and boys who scare the morality into people, like Bret Easton Ellis.
If you would like the author to participate in a Q&A, or a writer's workshop, or anything else writing related, contact her via email: kendareblake(at)yahoo.com
If you would like the author to participate in a Q&A, or a writer's workshop, or anything else writing related, contact her via email: kendareblake(at)yahoo.com
Synopsis:
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.
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.
Review:
Because it’s October, I wanted to review a spookier book, preferably with some kind of ghost, murder, or mystery. Anna Dressed in Blood has all of those things. I give this book five stars all the way! It was even better than I expected it to be, which made me giddy since I was already positive that it would rock before picking it up! The entire book was just fabulous! The plot, characters, imagery, descriptiveness, Anna’s mystery, the spookiness; everything about Anna Dressed in Blood was marvelous!
The plot flowed naturally without any odd gaps or plot holes. The characters were all well developed. You can tell that the author took the time to get into their heads and find out what they’re really like, even the side characters.
The book just sucked me in. You can see everything playing out in your head like a movie, a really, really awesome movie. The entire book, I was wondering what happened to Anna? What was so traumatic that she couldn’t even remember it? It was just spooky enough for me (I’m not a big fan of super scary horror stuff) and got especially creepy towards the end.
The only complaint I have with Anna Dressed in Blood is that after the book was over, I was left with a couple questions that were never answered. But, I won’t tell you what they are because they would give away some very important plot twists.
Here's a little teaser that I picked out from Anna Dressed in Blood, just to get you hooked.
This city smells like smoke and things that rot in the summer. It’s more haunted than I thought it would be, an entire layer of activity just under the dirt: whispers behind peoples’ laughter, or movement that you shouldn’t see in the corner of your eye. Most of them are harmless – sad little cold spots or groans in the dark. Blurry patches of white that only show up in a Polaroid. I have no business with them.
But somewhere out there is one that matters. Somewhere out there is the one that I came for, one who is strong enough to squeeze the breath out of living throats.
I think of her again. Anna. Anna Dressed in Blood. I wonder what tricks she’ll try. I wonder if she’ll be clever. Will she float? Will she laugh or scream?
How will she try to kill me?
The plot flowed naturally without any odd gaps or plot holes. The characters were all well developed. You can tell that the author took the time to get into their heads and find out what they’re really like, even the side characters.
The book just sucked me in. You can see everything playing out in your head like a movie, a really, really awesome movie. The entire book, I was wondering what happened to Anna? What was so traumatic that she couldn’t even remember it? It was just spooky enough for me (I’m not a big fan of super scary horror stuff) and got especially creepy towards the end.
The only complaint I have with Anna Dressed in Blood is that after the book was over, I was left with a couple questions that were never answered. But, I won’t tell you what they are because they would give away some very important plot twists.
Here's a little teaser that I picked out from Anna Dressed in Blood, just to get you hooked.
This city smells like smoke and things that rot in the summer. It’s more haunted than I thought it would be, an entire layer of activity just under the dirt: whispers behind peoples’ laughter, or movement that you shouldn’t see in the corner of your eye. Most of them are harmless – sad little cold spots or groans in the dark. Blurry patches of white that only show up in a Polaroid. I have no business with them.
But somewhere out there is one that matters. Somewhere out there is the one that I came for, one who is strong enough to squeeze the breath out of living throats.
I think of her again. Anna. Anna Dressed in Blood. I wonder what tricks she’ll try. I wonder if she’ll be clever. Will she float? Will she laugh or scream?
How will she try to kill me?