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antonia_delarose's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
exorcismemily's review against another edition
4.0
"This house is wrong. Once we're here we never leave. You shouldn't have come back."
Anna Dressed in Blood was my introduction to Kendare Blake's books, and I really enjoyed reading this one! A couple friends had said it was reminiscent of the early episodes of Supernatural, and I totally agree.
This book has a great opening, and it caught my attention right away. It did sort of lose steam for a bit in the middle, but it picked back up by the end. There were some good haunted house scenes. I had a lot of fun reading this one, and can't wait to read book 2!
CW - rape (off-page), abuse, animal cruelty
Anna Dressed in Blood was my introduction to Kendare Blake's books, and I really enjoyed reading this one! A couple friends had said it was reminiscent of the early episodes of Supernatural, and I totally agree.
This book has a great opening, and it caught my attention right away. It did sort of lose steam for a bit in the middle, but it picked back up by the end. There were some good haunted house scenes. I had a lot of fun reading this one, and can't wait to read book 2!
CW - rape (off-page), abuse, animal cruelty
slowpoke's review against another edition
4.0
Woot woot~
This book was really great~ !
I am TO lazy to write a review.
This book was really great~ !
I am TO lazy to write a review.
catynatt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jmariecapdem's review against another edition
4.0
While there's Buffy The Vampire Slayer for vampires and Ghostbusters for ghosts (in a funny way) then there's Cas (Cassius Lowood) for serious ghost hunting and killing, only 17 y/o but continues the legacy of his father after his father's death from a ghost murder.
You might think what the heck? Can a ghost kill? Unfortunately I do believe bad souls might kill even in reality through hallucinations and accidents that will eventually happen to people because of their fears. I may not be so sure if there are ghost hunters ever around the world but stories behind the ghosts, their death and why they revenged so much that made them take other people's lives seemed legit. But then again, the ghosts lingering around and doing that is never right and that's the reason Cas is here to defeat them.
Cas was only 7 years old when his father died and since then, he made the decision to take over and even hunt more ghosts than his father did to prove the ghosts that he's come to be their better enemy.
Anna Dressed In Blood is written in first person where Cas narrates the whole thing. His points of view are almost all agreeable and I felt both his anger and grief of hunting ghosts for the sake of his dad and the rest of living.
Cas kills the vengeful ghosts through his father's athame (a magical knife with spells to kill these ghosts and send them outside the earth) - I know killing souls seemed weird but I was touched by the way Cas fearlessly slayed numerous of ghosts to stop them from killing more innocent people. Cas cares for humanity and the last thing he'll expect himself to suffer is seeing his own mother die from these ghosts and he'll never let that happen. I loved his integrity of having to sacrifice friends and building relationships because of this job and I'm sure wherever his father is, he made him proud. I also admired him by how he studied the ghost Anna Dressed In Blood in their first encounter and since then he found a way to bring peace in her and her home.
In fact, this made me want to hire Cas to kill the ghost from the worst movie I watched to date called Apartment 1303 which was about a lady ghost who killed other ladies of her age by pushing them from the balcony. There's no justice in that movie so if Cas could kill that thing then it'll be great. LOL.
The supporting characters in Thunder Bay namely Carmel, Will, Thomas (the psychic) and Morfran (Thomas' grandfather and a witch as well) are satisfactory - friendship and family themes are solid.
4 stars for quite a creative graphic depiction of Anna and her killings. Scare-wise, it's around 3. :) No need for the love story.
You might think what the heck? Can a ghost kill? Unfortunately I do believe bad souls might kill even in reality through hallucinations and accidents that will eventually happen to people because of their fears. I may not be so sure if there are ghost hunters ever around the world but stories behind the ghosts, their death and why they revenged so much that made them take other people's lives seemed legit. But then again, the ghosts lingering around and doing that is never right and that's the reason Cas is here to defeat them.
Cas was only 7 years old when his father died and since then, he made the decision to take over and even hunt more ghosts than his father did to prove the ghosts that he's come to be their better enemy.
Anna Dressed In Blood is written in first person where Cas narrates the whole thing. His points of view are almost all agreeable and I felt both his anger and grief of hunting ghosts for the sake of his dad and the rest of living.
Cas kills the vengeful ghosts through his father's athame (a magical knife with spells to kill these ghosts and send them outside the earth) - I know killing souls seemed weird but I was touched by the way Cas fearlessly slayed numerous of ghosts to stop them from killing more innocent people. Cas cares for humanity and the last thing he'll expect himself to suffer is seeing his own mother die from these ghosts and he'll never let that happen. I loved his integrity of having to sacrifice friends and building relationships because of this job and I'm sure wherever his father is, he made him proud. I also admired him by how he studied the ghost Anna Dressed In Blood in their first encounter and since then he found a way to bring peace in her and her home
Spoiler
without killing her - yes, Anna was the first ghost he didn't kill that also made them face the greatest, toughest ghost of an Obeahman whom Cas discovered was the one who possibly killed his fatherIn fact, this made me want to hire Cas to kill the ghost from the worst movie I watched to date called Apartment 1303 which was about a lady ghost who killed other ladies of her age by pushing them from the balcony. There's no justice in that movie so if Cas could kill that thing then it'll be great. LOL.
The supporting characters in Thunder Bay namely Carmel, Will, Thomas (the psychic) and Morfran (Thomas' grandfather and a witch as well) are satisfactory - friendship and family themes are solid.
4 stars for quite a creative graphic depiction of Anna and her killings. Scare-wise, it's around 3. :) No need for the love story.
crystalstarrlight's review against another edition
4.0
Somewhere out there is the one that I came for, one who is strong enough to squeeze the breath out of living throats...Anna Dressed in Blood.
Thesues Cassio 'Cas' Lowood is 17 and a ghost hunter like his father. He and his mother moved to Thunder Bay to eradicate, Anna Dressed in Blood, the local ghost who has killed many who dare enter her house. From the moment Cas steps into Thunder Bay, however, nothing goes as planned.
This is the book I was hoping [b:Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children|9460487|Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children|Ransom Riggs|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1311634099s/9460487.jpg|14345371] would be: scary, chilling, and exciting. The characters are well-written and, for the most part, not cliched, the story is interesting, and the pace is pretty brisk.
Our cast is led by Cas. I was really excited to read a novel from a male's point of view (so many YA novels are from a female's), but I was also nervous, seeing as the author is a female. Perhaps she writes her boys too feminine. Ha! Cas is truly a young man; he is arrogant at times, bold, daring, determined, and loving to his mother (this is a HUGE plus for me--I really hate it when books feature disposable parents). Sure, he also drove me bonkers (for someone supposedly so skilled at ghostbusting, he seems to do a real shoddy job of it most of the time), but I actually found that made him more realistic and relatable. Cas isn't perfect; he isn't a god to the female sector of his high school (in fact, he is rather callous to them and/or inept); he makes mistakes, underestimates his enemies, and misunderstands circumstances. And that is what makes a good character, in my book: a character whose actions you can understand and possibly relate to (also liking the character helps, but is not mandatory).
Side characters were surprisingly vibrant. Carmel totally blew me away; I thought she would be a stereotypical vapid popular girl, but she was really smart, clever, and actually contributed to the mystery and end showdown. I also totally loved how Cas was not paired up with her. Thomas started out kinda cliched (nerdy/geeky psychic), but his friendship to Cas really elevated him out of Dorky Side-kick. Anna, the titular girl, was great. I really liked how the author chose not to give her a point of view; I thought seeing her through Cas' eyes was great and I don't think giving her a POV would have contributed anything to the story. I did think, however, how she became a ghost was goofy (including stereotypically EVUL step-parent and ridiculously and unexplained EVUL mother), but it was interesting how she wasn't a typical ghost.
I think what really impressed me was the story. I like the idea of ghost hunting (so funny with all the Ghostbuster references too!), and I thought the idea of Cas hunting this eerie girl dressed in blood was cool. Also, don't know if you know, but there is this trend in YA to add a romance or a Romantic Triangle. I have great news for you: THERE IS NO ROMANTIC TRIANGLE AND ANY ROMANCE IS PURELY INCIDENTAL! Yes, DO NOT FAINT! It has been done, and I think quite well.
However, in the middle, the story seemed to have forgotten where it was going. I would read several pages, but when I thought back to those pages, I would be like, "What was the point of the last 20 pages?" How Cas loses the athame was COMPLETELY stupid and could have been avoided. I felt there were two plots that could have been intertwined a bit better. Some of Anna's backstory was silly. There was even a point where I was about to give this book 3 stars: Cas was grating on me, the story seemed to have stopped, the writing seemed sloppy at times (consistency flies out the window, Cas has no problem dropping f-bombs and suddenly censors himself, etc.), and the characters seemed to be morons.
Fortunately, at this point, the author pulls in a GREAT comeback, where something unexpected happens to the characters (and heck, even to me!). Honestly, I love it when characters come up with a plan, and it totally goes out the window. (I hate it when characters perfectly assess the future, come up with a plan, and the plan goes off without a hitch and without them having to think on the fly or show any of the "majr skilz" they supposedly have.)
And the final showdown...well, I'm trying to keep this review spoiler-free! Let's just say: WOW! It's big, it's great, and it's SCARY! The baddie is someone who can actually do some damage and makes you wonder how the characters will come out. And don't worry about cliffhangers; there is a wee bit of one, but this book is definitely a stand-alone.
My feelings about this book are almost 180 from how I felt about [b:Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children|9460487|Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children|Ransom Riggs|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1311634099s/9460487.jpg|14345371]. I thought this was a pretty scary book (though still not enough to keep me awake at nights, eyeing the door for intruders) with good characters and a good story. I am definitely keeping my eye open for book 2, and I heartily recommend this book for a good Halloween scare.
Thesues Cassio 'Cas' Lowood is 17 and a ghost hunter like his father. He and his mother moved to Thunder Bay to eradicate, Anna Dressed in Blood, the local ghost who has killed many who dare enter her house. From the moment Cas steps into Thunder Bay, however, nothing goes as planned.
This is the book I was hoping [b:Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children|9460487|Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children|Ransom Riggs|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1311634099s/9460487.jpg|14345371] would be: scary, chilling, and exciting. The characters are well-written and, for the most part, not cliched, the story is interesting, and the pace is pretty brisk.
Our cast is led by Cas. I was really excited to read a novel from a male's point of view (so many YA novels are from a female's), but I was also nervous, seeing as the author is a female. Perhaps she writes her boys too feminine. Ha! Cas is truly a young man; he is arrogant at times, bold, daring, determined, and loving to his mother (this is a HUGE plus for me--I really hate it when books feature disposable parents). Sure, he also drove me bonkers (for someone supposedly so skilled at ghostbusting, he seems to do a real shoddy job of it most of the time), but I actually found that made him more realistic and relatable. Cas isn't perfect; he isn't a god to the female sector of his high school (in fact, he is rather callous to them and/or inept); he makes mistakes, underestimates his enemies, and misunderstands circumstances. And that is what makes a good character, in my book: a character whose actions you can understand and possibly relate to (also liking the character helps, but is not mandatory).
Side characters were surprisingly vibrant. Carmel totally blew me away; I thought she would be a stereotypical vapid popular girl, but she was really smart, clever, and actually contributed to the mystery and end showdown. I also totally loved how Cas was not paired up with her. Thomas started out kinda cliched (nerdy/geeky psychic), but his friendship to Cas really elevated him out of Dorky Side-kick. Anna, the titular girl, was great. I really liked how the author chose not to give her a point of view; I thought seeing her through Cas' eyes was great and I don't think giving her a POV would have contributed anything to the story. I did think, however, how she became a ghost was goofy (including stereotypically EVUL step-parent and ridiculously and unexplained EVUL mother), but it was interesting how she wasn't a typical ghost.
I think what really impressed me was the story. I like the idea of ghost hunting (so funny with all the Ghostbuster references too!), and I thought the idea of Cas hunting this eerie girl dressed in blood was cool. Also, don't know if you know, but there is this trend in YA to add a romance or a Romantic Triangle. I have great news for you: THERE IS NO ROMANTIC TRIANGLE AND ANY ROMANCE IS PURELY INCIDENTAL! Yes, DO NOT FAINT! It has been done, and I think quite well.
However, in the middle, the story seemed to have forgotten where it was going. I would read several pages, but when I thought back to those pages, I would be like, "What was the point of the last 20 pages?" How Cas loses the athame was COMPLETELY stupid and could have been avoided. I felt there were two plots that could have been intertwined a bit better. Some of Anna's backstory was silly. There was even a point where I was about to give this book 3 stars: Cas was grating on me, the story seemed to have stopped, the writing seemed sloppy at times (consistency flies out the window, Cas has no problem dropping f-bombs and suddenly censors himself, etc.), and the characters seemed to be morons.
Fortunately, at this point, the author pulls in a GREAT comeback, where something unexpected happens to the characters (and heck, even to me!). Honestly, I love it when characters come up with a plan, and it totally goes out the window. (I hate it when characters perfectly assess the future, come up with a plan, and the plan goes off without a hitch and without them having to think on the fly or show any of the "majr skilz" they supposedly have.)
And the final showdown...well, I'm trying to keep this review spoiler-free! Let's just say: WOW! It's big, it's great, and it's SCARY! The baddie is someone who can actually do some damage and makes you wonder how the characters will come out. And don't worry about cliffhangers; there is a wee bit of one, but this book is definitely a stand-alone.
My feelings about this book are almost 180 from how I felt about [b:Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children|9460487|Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children|Ransom Riggs|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1311634099s/9460487.jpg|14345371]. I thought this was a pretty scary book (though still not enough to keep me awake at nights, eyeing the door for intruders) with good characters and a good story. I am definitely keeping my eye open for book 2, and I heartily recommend this book for a good Halloween scare.
reading_yarn's review against another edition
4.0
This was a new experience for me. I'm a chicken, I admit it. I hate to be scared so I never pick up scary-looking books. I avoid them as much as I can! However, when I saw this beautiful cover I couldn't walk away from it. I had to buy it. I'm so glad I did!! The story was good and I really liked the protagonist but I do wish there was more action. There was action but the spaces in between each big event made me bored and I wanted to put it down. Then something exciting would happen and I found myself reading nonstop. Great book!! (Thanks to my little flashlight I didn't get any nightmares. :p)
ohtrisarahtops's review against another edition
5.0
This review can also be found here
This book has one of the creepiest covers ever. I absolutely love it. This story sounds like it would be pretty creepy right? Well it is, in some parts at least but it's also very sweet and romantic as well. This is one of those books that I had to put down at night, solely due to the fact that reading ghost stories at night bothers me. I would however rush to pick it back up in the morning. This is a book that I won't be able to get out of my head for a while.
Just the first like of the description "Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story" was enough to draw my attention. I knew going in that this would probably end up being somewhat of a romance and it really did a great job of that by not taking over the entire storyline.
The ghost aspect was really refreshing, instead of the main character being afraid of ghosts or just being haunted by one, he actually sought them out to "kill" them. This really made the story interesting and the whole time I was wondering whether or not Cas would really be able to "kill" Anna.
The characters really helped make this book for me. Cas was an independent guy who wasn't part of mainstream society. He worked in the dark and kept himself distanced from people mainly because of what he did every night. He's actually a pretty sweet and caring person once Thomas and Carmel managed to get past his anti-social shell. Thomas was an interesting one. He was so shy and withdrawn yet he had this personality that just made me like him. Carmel seemed like such a snob in the beginning but as the story goes on we find out that she's actually much deeper than that. I loved Anna. Her story is so tragic and the things that she does are horrible. Yet there is so much humanity left inside of this girl who had everything taken away, she actually feels regret.
The story is emotional as well. There is the one scene where we finally learn Anna's whole story and believe me it's a sad one. I found myself getting upset and angry over the fate that she met and I kept rooting for her as the story progressed. The story had a shocking twist as well, I didn't see a lot of the things coming that happened and for that I was really happy, who wants a predictable ghost story anyway?
I absolutely loved Anna Dressed in Blood and I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel. If you like ghost stories then I definitely recommend checking this one out. Even if you aren't that big of a fan of ghost stories, I still recommend this, there are plenty of other aspects to this story like romance, mystery and suspense.
This book has one of the creepiest covers ever. I absolutely love it. This story sounds like it would be pretty creepy right? Well it is, in some parts at least but it's also very sweet and romantic as well. This is one of those books that I had to put down at night, solely due to the fact that reading ghost stories at night bothers me. I would however rush to pick it back up in the morning. This is a book that I won't be able to get out of my head for a while.
Just the first like of the description "Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story" was enough to draw my attention. I knew going in that this would probably end up being somewhat of a romance and it really did a great job of that by not taking over the entire storyline.
The ghost aspect was really refreshing, instead of the main character being afraid of ghosts or just being haunted by one, he actually sought them out to "kill" them. This really made the story interesting and the whole time I was wondering whether or not Cas would really be able to "kill" Anna.
The characters really helped make this book for me. Cas was an independent guy who wasn't part of mainstream society. He worked in the dark and kept himself distanced from people mainly because of what he did every night. He's actually a pretty sweet and caring person once Thomas and Carmel managed to get past his anti-social shell. Thomas was an interesting one. He was so shy and withdrawn yet he had this personality that just made me like him. Carmel seemed like such a snob in the beginning but as the story goes on we find out that she's actually much deeper than that. I loved Anna. Her story is so tragic and the things that she does are horrible. Yet there is so much humanity left inside of this girl who had everything taken away, she actually feels regret.
The story is emotional as well. There is the one scene where we finally learn Anna's whole story and believe me it's a sad one. I found myself getting upset and angry over the fate that she met and I kept rooting for her as the story progressed. The story had a shocking twist as well, I didn't see a lot of the things coming that happened and for that I was really happy, who wants a predictable ghost story anyway?
I absolutely loved Anna Dressed in Blood and I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel. If you like ghost stories then I definitely recommend checking this one out. Even if you aren't that big of a fan of ghost stories, I still recommend this, there are plenty of other aspects to this story like romance, mystery and suspense.
shio_27's review against another edition
5.0
Un libro verdaderamente atrapante desde el principio no pude parar de leerlo hasta terminarlo. Todos deberían leerlo ✨