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creolelitbelle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Entertaining but not a "good" book. When I read off my list to my husband, he described this book as "we have Buffy at home." Ironically, the author more recently released a trilogy set in the Buffyverse, which leads me to believe this was her fanfiction before she got permission to write true Buffy stories instead of pulling from late 90s/early 2000s tv shows for inspiration in this fanfic mashup.
- MC named Cas, dad killed on a hunt, has special athame (SPN)
- kills ghosts
- has a source of information in New Orleans
- side character named WILL ROSENBERG
- references Buffy
- references the mystery machine from Scooby-Doo
- Gideon - father figure like SPN's Bobby who was friends with his dad, name from Elder on Charmed, is from London like Giles...
- Men of Power = Men of Letters (SPN)
- Thomas & Carmel = scoobies like Buffy
- Thomas = Willow (witch
- found Carmel's ex & his friend dead by a monster's hand
- Carmel = Cordelia
- Anna = Angel. Evil, saved, but still a ghost/supernatural creature
- Cas has prophetic dreams
- Cas hunts "the thing that killed dad"... SPN, anyone?
- Carmel calls Cas "Buffy" to Thomas
Read this for a nostalgic fun foray back into shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, and Supernatural. I listened to the audiobook, and it is a good time, enough to convince me to check the adventures in the sequel. Do not expect a serious story with good writing.
- kills ghosts
- has a source of information in New Orleans
- side character named WILL ROSENBERG
- references Buffy
- references the mystery machine from Scooby-Doo
- Gideon - father figure like SPN's Bobby who was friends with his dad, name from Elder on Charmed, is from London like Giles...
- Men of Power = Men of Letters (SPN)
- Thomas & Carmel = scoobies like Buffy
- Thomas = Willow (witch
- found Carmel's ex & his friend dead by a monster's hand
- Carmel = Cordelia
- Anna = Angel. Evil, saved, but still a ghost/supernatural creature
- Cas has prophetic dreams
- Cas hunts "the thing that killed dad"... SPN, anyone?
- Carmel calls Cas "Buffy" to Thomas
Read this for a nostalgic fun foray back into shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, and Supernatural. I listened to the audiobook, and it is a good time, enough to convince me to check the adventures in the sequel. Do not expect a serious story with good writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying
kimmiefmrcn's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
a ghost and a human has better chemistry than most book couples
phoenix2's review against another edition
3.0
It's been a while since I started this book, and it took me too long to finish it. Not because it's not fast paced and interesting, but probably because I never read much during the summer season. So here is my honest opinion of this book. It's a YA book taking place in the real world (it has been a while since I’ve read a book that wasn't a fantasy YA). Fortunately, it's not a teenage romance and it had lots of action and fighting scenes. What I really liked about this book was that while reading it, it felt like I was watching a movie, as the writing was really realistic and full of life, if that makes any sense. As for the horror part, thing is, I can't really stand the scary parts and that was the reason I was afraid to read this book. But I've read some reviews on Goodreads and my fellow readers were quite helpfully, assuring that it wasn't that scary. And truly, apart from one or two scenes, which were a bit creepy, this book is not horror at all. I don't know if that will be a problem for some, but for me, it was a relief, as it was as spooky as I can handle. Other than that, the romance was a little bleak, but that didn't really affect the story. Lastly, one thing that bothered me, but only a little bit, was the fact that the ending was a little too quick. I mean, will there be a second book? This one didn't imply that a sequel is on the way... Anyway, I liked that it wasn't the cliché happy ever after ending, at least.
c01's review against another edition
5.0
The book was AMAZING and could not put it down. Though I was sad that Anna died. Definitely going to read the next book.
yodamom's review against another edition
3.0
( audio and printed book) I'd give it 3.5 stars. I really loved Anna, her dress, her blood, her house, it was all so dark and ghoulish. I wanted more of the house and her. Her story was the only real interesting part for me. The first 1/2 of the story was just an everyday walk through life. Well, except for a brief encounter with a hitchhiker. The second 1/2 of the book took off down a dark and dangerous trail. Exciting.
I had some issues with the Main Character Cas, he was such a non emotional guy. Too calm under dire circumstances. The audio was read the same way which was disappointing, I was hoping it was just the narrator. Even his romantic parts where so short and ?!?!??! His actions, to his 'friends' their involvement into his stuff was confusing.
The side characters where a nice mix up of High School teenagers. I thought their drama was played a bit too much and did not seem to fit in the story. They acted like tweens to me, their interactions just seemed out of place.
Okay, even with all the things I griped about I enjoyed the story. I just didn't love it, nor the main character enough to continue the series.
I had some issues with the Main Character Cas, he was such a non emotional guy. Too calm under dire circumstances. The audio was read the same way which was disappointing, I was hoping it was just the narrator. Even his romantic parts where so short and ?!?!??! His actions, to his 'friends' their involvement into his stuff was confusing.
The side characters where a nice mix up of High School teenagers. I thought their drama was played a bit too much and did not seem to fit in the story. They acted like tweens to me, their interactions just seemed out of place.
Okay, even with all the things I griped about I enjoyed the story. I just didn't love it, nor the main character enough to continue the series.
reader4evr's review against another edition
5.0
I can't believe that I am saying this but I LOVED this book. I am not a fan of anything scary: books, haunted houses, being scared and especially movies (which I blame on my father). I thought I was going to have "nightmares" while reading this but it really wasn't that bad at all. Yah, there were some really freaky/scary parts in the book like the time you first meet Anna and also that weird "ghost" thing that was biting people but I think others scaredy cats like me will enjoy this. It kind of reminded me of the show Supernatural.
Cas was an excellent male main character. He is not your stereotypical teenager because he is nice to his mom, doesn't date girls and just leave them in the dust because he has never got anything of those things because his mom & him have been moving ever since his father died. He had a strong voice in the book and I think that helped to carry the story.
Lots of the times I didn't want to stop reading the story. There wasn't a lot of parts in the story that were just "fillers" and I think I just wanted to keep reading and wanting to find out more about Anna and Cas' story. I have to admit the whole romance between him and Anna was kind of weird but I guess love can find itself in any type of situation.
I can't wait to recommend this book to my students because I can actually say that I read a "scary" book. This book will appeal to both girls and boys.
I will most certainly will be reading on in the series!
Cas was an excellent male main character. He is not your stereotypical teenager because he is nice to his mom, doesn't date girls and just leave them in the dust because he has never got anything of those things because his mom & him have been moving ever since his father died. He had a strong voice in the book and I think that helped to carry the story.
Lots of the times I didn't want to stop reading the story. There wasn't a lot of parts in the story that were just "fillers" and I think I just wanted to keep reading and wanting to find out more about Anna and Cas' story. I have to admit the whole romance between him and Anna was kind of weird but I guess love can find itself in any type of situation.
I can't wait to recommend this book to my students because I can actually say that I read a "scary" book. This book will appeal to both girls and boys.
I will most certainly will be reading on in the series!
ranforingus's review
4.0
Happily surprised doesn't even begin to describe the feeling I had reading this book.
I literally hung onto every page, eager to know more, to experience the story with our hero(es).
Anna Dressed in Blood is an extremely engaging book that at no point felt slow or poorly executed in terms of plot.
It DID feel a lot like the 'Supernatural'-tv series, but I guess with ghost stories there's only so much originality you can expect as most have been done to death a million times before (no pun intended).
Favorite character: Will Rosenberg. Where do you find a smart jock? An ACTUALLY smart one that has an agenda of his own? I wasn't expecting a character like him to appear in a book like this and then suddenly... WHAM! I was completely obsessed.
And then the Big Bad killed him... And took bites out of him...
Well ding dong dang it!
I really wanted to know more about him, but alas, it was not to be.
Please give us more characters like him, and pretty please don't kill them so I don't have to spend the last third of the book cursing the author for this grievous mistake.
A close second would be Anna, the titular girl with a neat fashion trick (Tired of the same old white dress? Turn your veins black and let blood spill all over your clothes, new outfit like THAT!)
I really loved the way she tended to flip between the well-mannered, sweet innocent little girl with a sarcastic streak a mile wide. Into, as our MC Cass says it best 'a beautiful Goddess of death', who'll rip your limbs off and disembowel you just because...
All in all, this book was a lot better than even the short summary I read, and I'd already been impressed by that, so well done Kendare Blake, well done indeed.
Now give us another one!
I'm eagerly looking forward to the next book, so until then...
Over and Out!
I literally hung onto every page, eager to know more, to experience the story with our hero(es).
Anna Dressed in Blood is an extremely engaging book that at no point felt slow or poorly executed in terms of plot.
It DID feel a lot like the 'Supernatural'-tv series, but I guess with ghost stories there's only so much originality you can expect as most have been done to death a million times before (no pun intended).
Favorite character: Will Rosenberg. Where do you find a smart jock? An ACTUALLY smart one that has an agenda of his own? I wasn't expecting a character like him to appear in a book like this and then suddenly... WHAM! I was completely obsessed.
And then the Big Bad killed him... And took bites out of him...
Well ding dong dang it!
I really wanted to know more about him, but alas, it was not to be.
Please give us more characters like him, and pretty please don't kill them so I don't have to spend the last third of the book cursing the author for this grievous mistake.
A close second would be Anna, the titular girl with a neat fashion trick (Tired of the same old white dress? Turn your veins black and let blood spill all over your clothes, new outfit like THAT!)
I really loved the way she tended to flip between the well-mannered, sweet innocent little girl with a sarcastic streak a mile wide. Into, as our MC Cass says it best 'a beautiful Goddess of death', who'll rip your limbs off and disembowel you just because...
All in all, this book was a lot better than even the short summary I read, and I'd already been impressed by that, so well done Kendare Blake, well done indeed.
Now give us another one!
I'm eagerly looking forward to the next book, so until then...
Over and Out!
uutopicaa's review against another edition
4.0
Me gustó mucho más de lo que esperaba. No sé por qué, pero últimamente estoy muy enganchada con las novelas de acción/aventura sobre fantasmas. No son libros de terror.
Esta historia en particular tomó un rumbo que me sorprendió. Espero algún día leer la segunda parte.
Eso sí, no es la clase de libro que resulta sumamente original o que te cambia la vida, tiene muchísimos elementos que ya hemos leído millones de veces, pero eso no quita que me haya enganchado. La disfruté mucho.
Esta historia en particular tomó un rumbo que me sorprendió. Espero algún día leer la segunda parte.
Eso sí, no es la clase de libro que resulta sumamente original o que te cambia la vida, tiene muchísimos elementos que ya hemos leído millones de veces, pero eso no quita que me haya enganchado. La disfruté mucho.
mehsi's review
4.0
Anna Dressed in Blood, a paranormal love story. Ghost hunter falls in love with a dead girl.
It is not that intrusive, I am sure many wouldn't mind. But I can say it annoys me.
I really liked the story. The idea of a ghost hunter falling in love with a girl who is dead and who he needs to exorcise and how everything goes way different then planned is a nice one.
I like how Cas changed through the story, from I will do it all by myself, he learns to make friends and trust them. I am happy to see he makes friends (eventhough he wasn't really willing, but I am guessing that is probably because he is afraid he will have to move again and will lose them).
Though Cas had some stereotype behaviour that you would see in horror movies. The whole don't go in the house, it will kill you (or atleast will try to) stereotype. He kept going back to the house, sure it went ok every time (meaning he didn't get killed), but again, you would say he would stop, but apparently he really wanted to go there.
Mike and his friends annoyed me in the beginning, I don't tend to like that type of person.
Wacking someone with a board and then dragging them in an haunted house and leave them for dead/waiting for Anna to appear. Who does that? Really? Luckily Anna spares Cas and his life (for no apparent reasons by then). Though she kills Mike (really gruesome, it still gives me shivers knowing how he died).
The gore, some parts gave me goosebumps (reading some parts of it during the night isn't a good idea). But it fits the story.
The first time they saw Anna was quite scary, not knowing what she is, not knowing how she would look. The cover helped quite a bit with what she would look like but that is only the backside of her. Luckily the author describes everything, from the blood dripping of her dress to the black eyes, black veins. I could so imagine how Anna looked.
I never expected the last part to become that way. They freed Anna, saw her (really gruesome) past, and now she isn't a demon/vengeful spirit any more. But suddenly murders are happening, and the knife is gone.
I always had a feeling the rats on the attic were more then just rats, I thought it might be something bigger, especially with the cat acting the way he did when they first moved in. It always gave me shivers, and when Cas his mom told him there was something bigger I got goosebumps all over.
And yes, it turned out it was the same ghost/voodoo spirit that had killed Cas his father years ago.
The knife apparently was their link, he could follow Cas wherever he would go. And while Cas was out ghost killing and putting them to rest.. the voodoo spirit would eat the ghosts Cas killed.
In the end a big mighty fight happened and Anna sacrified herself to save Cas and their friends. Or atleast, she dragged him to some hole (probably hell) and disappeared.
I might try book 2, I am hoping that it contains less effing/fucking/curse words. I still have questions, like where did Anna go? What happened to the voodoo spirit? And many more. So I might just buy it when the paperback comes out next year. (Gah almost 1 year wait :().
Anyways, I would recommend this book to everyone who is in for a little twist to the ghost hunter stories that are around.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Spoiler
-1 star for the use of effing/fuck/fucking. I just don't think it is necessary. One occasion he called people assholes, why? Well they just nodded at him and didn't want to shake his hand.It is not that intrusive, I am sure many wouldn't mind. But I can say it annoys me.
I really liked the story. The idea of a ghost hunter falling in love with a girl who is dead and who he needs to exorcise and how everything goes way different then planned is a nice one.
I like how Cas changed through the story, from I will do it all by myself, he learns to make friends and trust them. I am happy to see he makes friends (eventhough he wasn't really willing, but I am guessing that is probably because he is afraid he will have to move again and will lose them).
Though Cas had some stereotype behaviour that you would see in horror movies. The whole don't go in the house, it will kill you (or atleast will try to) stereotype. He kept going back to the house, sure it went ok every time (meaning he didn't get killed), but again, you would say he would stop, but apparently he really wanted to go there.
Mike and his friends annoyed me in the beginning, I don't tend to like that type of person.
Wacking someone with a board and then dragging them in an haunted house and leave them for dead/waiting for Anna to appear. Who does that? Really? Luckily Anna spares Cas and his life (for no apparent reasons by then). Though she kills Mike (really gruesome, it still gives me shivers knowing how he died).
The gore, some parts gave me goosebumps (reading some parts of it during the night isn't a good idea). But it fits the story.
The first time they saw Anna was quite scary, not knowing what she is, not knowing how she would look. The cover helped quite a bit with what she would look like but that is only the backside of her. Luckily the author describes everything, from the blood dripping of her dress to the black eyes, black veins. I could so imagine how Anna looked.
I never expected the last part to become that way. They freed Anna, saw her (really gruesome) past, and now she isn't a demon/vengeful spirit any more. But suddenly murders are happening, and the knife is gone.
I always had a feeling the rats on the attic were more then just rats, I thought it might be something bigger, especially with the cat acting the way he did when they first moved in. It always gave me shivers, and when Cas his mom told him there was something bigger I got goosebumps all over.
And yes, it turned out it was the same ghost/voodoo spirit that had killed Cas his father years ago.
The knife apparently was their link, he could follow Cas wherever he would go. And while Cas was out ghost killing and putting them to rest.. the voodoo spirit would eat the ghosts Cas killed.
In the end a big mighty fight happened and Anna sacrified herself to save Cas and their friends. Or atleast, she dragged him to some hole (probably hell) and disappeared.
I might try book 2, I am hoping that it contains less effing/fucking/curse words. I still have questions, like where did Anna go? What happened to the voodoo spirit? And many more. So I might just buy it when the paperback comes out next year. (Gah almost 1 year wait :().
Anyways, I would recommend this book to everyone who is in for a little twist to the ghost hunter stories that are around.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
magencorrie's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
My Thoughts
Anna Dressed in Blood was beautifully written, extremely creepy, and completely consuming. I honestly didn't know what to expect when I picked up this one. Yes, a bunch of things that go bump in the night, but that was about all I expected. There were definitely a lot of things that go bump in the night in this book, but, oh, it was so much more than that.
Blake created a wonderful world filled with ghosts, ghouls, and magic. Her story was beautifully told that left a chill creeping up my spin. I’m going to be honest, this book did feel a lot like the TV series Supernatural (Amazing show by the way). But, I didn't really care about that, Blake definitely made it feel like her own. Once I picked up this book, I couldn't put it down!
Cas was the perfect male POV to read from. And being inside of his head was an experience I would love to do over and over again. He was just cocky enough without being annoying and also just the right amount of bad ass to make me fall in love with him. I also found that he would rather be around dead people than live ones, well, quite amusing. But despite the weight of all that Cas has to carry, I found him quite the endearing guy.
Now, Anna Dressed In Blood is not your typical love story. Oh no! So, when Anna came into the picture I knew this wasn't what I was expecting. Anna definitely turned a 180 in the book, and even though she doesn't come off as a typical love interest, she proves herself in the end. I enjoyed her because of what she went through and, despite it all, she was a good person. Dead or not. She’s smart and selfless.
There are very interesting characters in this book. Some I really did enjoy! But what made this book amazing was the creepy nonliving creatures in the book! It brought a very unique diversity to Blake’s world.
The action scenes were also really amazing. They kept me glued to the pages reading and soaking up each and every word. They were scary, creepy, and fun! The mystery is also well-played throughout the book. I honestly couldn't figure out what was going to happen. That brought in a very nice creepy factor. One I really enjoyed.
Anna Dressed In Blood completely took my breath away. It was an intense, gory, creepy, sad, fun, and emotional read. Filled to the brim with amazingness. Blake’s writing is intense as it is humorous. I never really thought I would love this book as much as I do. But I do love this book so much!
I'm so glad I picked this one up and I cannot wait to get lost in the next book! And I definitely recommend it for those who love a good, emotional, yet creepy read. One with an unexpected love twist.
My Thoughts
Anna Dressed in Blood was beautifully written, extremely creepy, and completely consuming. I honestly didn't know what to expect when I picked up this one. Yes, a bunch of things that go bump in the night, but that was about all I expected. There were definitely a lot of things that go bump in the night in this book, but, oh, it was so much more than that.
Blake created a wonderful world filled with ghosts, ghouls, and magic. Her story was beautifully told that left a chill creeping up my spin. I’m going to be honest, this book did feel a lot like the TV series Supernatural (Amazing show by the way). But, I didn't really care about that, Blake definitely made it feel like her own. Once I picked up this book, I couldn't put it down!
Cas was the perfect male POV to read from. And being inside of his head was an experience I would love to do over and over again. He was just cocky enough without being annoying and also just the right amount of bad ass to make me fall in love with him. I also found that he would rather be around dead people than live ones, well, quite amusing. But despite the weight of all that Cas has to carry, I found him quite the endearing guy.
Now, Anna Dressed In Blood is not your typical love story. Oh no! So, when Anna came into the picture I knew this wasn't what I was expecting. Anna definitely turned a 180 in the book, and even though she doesn't come off as a typical love interest, she proves herself in the end. I enjoyed her because of what she went through and, despite it all, she was a good person. Dead or not. She’s smart and selfless.
There are very interesting characters in this book. Some I really did enjoy! But what made this book amazing was the creepy nonliving creatures in the book! It brought a very unique diversity to Blake’s world.
The action scenes were also really amazing. They kept me glued to the pages reading and soaking up each and every word. They were scary, creepy, and fun! The mystery is also well-played throughout the book. I honestly couldn't figure out what was going to happen. That brought in a very nice creepy factor. One I really enjoyed.
Anna Dressed In Blood completely took my breath away. It was an intense, gory, creepy, sad, fun, and emotional read. Filled to the brim with amazingness. Blake’s writing is intense as it is humorous. I never really thought I would love this book as much as I do. But I do love this book so much!
I'm so glad I picked this one up and I cannot wait to get lost in the next book! And I definitely recommend it for those who love a good, emotional, yet creepy read. One with an unexpected love twist.