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A review by aoife_k
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Easy & quick to read but honestly somewhat boring, and the main character was rather unlikeable. Honestly, he had a 'not like other girls boys' vibe. Also the way he sees Carmel as a prize for Thomas, yuck.
The titular Anna Dressed in Blood was disappointing, she barely did any ghostly things, and for all intents and purposes was just a human with super strength and a spooky transformation for most of the book. She was completely tangible and coherent, with no strong feelings.
The final boss was also bland and had no real motivations, with nothing interesting explored. His connection to the main character felt so weak, despite clear effort to establish something. It just felt short.
In addition, all the ghost hunting amounted to was 'stab them with the athame', with maybe a little physical toussel. Any rituals happened off screen, with no real interesting rules or weaknesses for ghosts.
As a lover of ghost stories, this was massively disappointing.
The titular Anna Dressed in Blood was disappointing, she barely did any ghostly things, and for all intents and purposes was just a human with super strength and a spooky transformation for most of the book. She was completely tangible and coherent, with no strong feelings.
The final boss was also bland and had no real motivations, with nothing interesting explored. His connection to the main character felt so weak, despite clear effort to establish something. It just felt short.
In addition, all the ghost hunting amounted to was 'stab them with the athame', with maybe a little physical toussel. Any rituals happened off screen, with no real interesting rules or weaknesses for ghosts.
As a lover of ghost stories, this was massively disappointing.
Content Warnings