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Kendare Blake
Hardcover, 320 Pages
Tor Teen
August 30, 2011
"Thunder Bay, Ontario, is our destination. I'm going there to kill her. Anna Korlov. Anna Dressed in Blood."
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. 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: 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.
But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life.
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Kendare Blake has created a world that has left me craving more. From the very first page, I was hooked. Anna Dressed in Blood is a beautifully written horror story with everything you would want rolled into one book. If you like a gruesome horror story, this book is for you. If your into a good Murder Mystery, Anna Dressed in Blood is right up your ally. If you want a uniquely written story with humor, love, loss and characters that will blow you away, Then Anna Dressed in Blood is your book.
Cas is no ordinary teenager... He is a bad ass ghost killer. Cas along with his mother, travel the world in search of ghosts who need to be sent from this world. After receiving a tip, Cas travels to Thunder Bay, Ontario in search of her, Anna Korlov, Anna Dressed in Blood. Blake has captured Cas's character perfectly. She has turned him in to a real person, from his laid back; carefree attitude, to his use of teenage slang, he definitely reminds me of my younger brother. It is not very often when you find the main character to be male, and it brings a new freshness to YA books.
Anna was such an amazing character to read. She was genuinely scary and yet had a softer side that made her one of my favorite characters in YA to date. Anna is constantly struggling to find herself which gives you such a diverse and interesting perspective to read. I love constantly wondering what she will do next. Anna Dressed in Blood was by far my favorite read of 2011. I loved the dark humor and the gruesome details that Blake has introduced in her story. She has truly captured the essence of a teenage boy in today's society and the more reserved side of a girl who grew up in the 1950's. The way Blake was able to tap into the mind of each character and made them feel so real was mind-blowing and I have truly enjoyed every word she has written. Overall I give Anna Dressed in blood 5+ Hoots. It was exceptionally written and laugh out loud funny. I can not wait to revisit this wonderful world in the sequel.
