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Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna, #1)

Kendare Blake

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last updated Oct 18, 2012 10:49AM

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What Members Thought

Aug 02, 2011 MarytheBookLover rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed, 2011-favorites

My Opinion:
I absolutely LOVED this book. It has to be, by far, the best read for me for 2012. Kendare Blake is a writer to be watched. She spins an amazing tale of love, ghosts, horror and the OMG did that just happen? – novel that I have read in a very long time. In fact, when I was finished reading it, all I wanted to do was read it again. VERY few novels have ever done that. I love the cast of characters even the annoying ones did some good in this book. Cas and his mother are used to having ...more

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Apr 08, 2011 Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2012-reading-challenge-book

4.5 Stars

Anna Dressed in Blood happens to be my first read for the Ghostly Reading Challenge I choose to take part in this year.

I am not going to lie, I wanted to read this book since I first saw the synopsis on goodreads months before it even came out and was excited to read it but then, well some of the reviews for it made me pause.

I wasn't really expecting this to be too scary or bloody or any other negative things that I started reading in the reviews.

Don't get me wrong, I like a good myster 4.5 Stars

Anna Dressed in Blood happens to be my first read for the Ghostly Reading Challenge I choose to take part in this year.

I am not going to lie, I wanted to read this book since I first saw the synopsis on goodreads months before it even came out and was excited to read it but then, well some of the reviews for it made me pause.

I wasn't really expecting this to be too scary or bloody or any other negative things that I started reading in the reviews.

Don't get me wrong, I like a good mystery and I really do love reading about ghosts but bloody things and gore? Not so much.

Which is probably why it has taken me this long to finally stop being a chicken and pick up this book and read it.

Which I noticed first about this book? I will be honest, it wasn't the violence but more the language. I mean this is a YA book, I wasn't expecting to have already read two f bombs in the course of two chapters. But I am pretty open minded so it didn't stop me from reading further, well that and the fact that the storyline pretty much captured my attention, I think the fact too that, thanks to the many reviews I read, I wasn't expecting any real romance of sorts, really helped me keep an open mind and just enjoy the story.

It is a pretty unique storyline and I like the fact that this story is told through the eyes of Cas, a boy who hunts done the dead who are not exactly dead. A ghost hunter.

Lets face it, there really aren't that many paranormal stories out there right now with the main character being male some of the ones that are out, well, I don't care for them much. But I really liked Cas' voice and his dry sarcastic sense of humor throughout the story.

And I can't help it but I love Anna to. Is that strange of me to say? I really hope not because then I don't know what that says about me but truly, I loved her character. Her struggle to not be bad and to do good and I loved the good Anna that was inside of the Anna Dressed in Blood.

The underlying almost sneaky mystery that involved Cas and his father was also very well done. You knew something was going on but it was easy to be distracted by Anna's story to not always notice all the hints the author left for us.

I really loved Thomas and Carmel in this story too, such great side characters that really come to life as the story progresses.

Carey did a beautiful job with this book. It is so unique and intriguing and imaginative. I truly enjoyed it, gore and all. ...more

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Jan 26, 2011 BlebeTanja rated it it was amazing

You can read the whole review here: http://inklingsoftwobooklings.blogspot.com/2013/01/anna-dressed-in-blood-by-kendara-blake.html.

I must say Kendare Blake has has some seriously dazzling story telling skills.

The story has a Supernatural vibe, as if Cas is Sam and Dean's long lost younger brother. I kept expecting for Sam and Dean to show up.

I like the way the reality and supernatural are entangled, it's almost as it is completely normal in our world that some people kill ghosts, others are tel ...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Tabitha Olson rated it really liked it

Shelves: recent-reviews, 4-to-5-stars

This is one of the best ghost stories I've read in a long time. The scenes are vivid, the tone is creepier than all-get-out, and the characters are fun. And the cover? Stunning.

I liked Cas's smart mouth and keen observations. Anna is a great character, too. Much more complex than your typical ghost. She does a fabulous job of putting Cas in his place. I absolutely *loved* how Anna’s and Cas’s stories intersect. Stories that twist around in unexpected ways are my favorite kind. :)

There is so m ...more

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Oct 01, 2010 Catalina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

I was sold from the very first chapter. The action started early and wow. I am sorta speechless. I mean I grew up reading Stephen King, so the bar was set pretty high with horror stories. Anna Dressed in Blood just shot right on up there. It was creepy, but it was also beautiful. I mean when an author makes you show empathy for a ghost who has killed 27 people, now that is something. I loved Anna. You could tell she was struggling from the very first time she was introduced. And her and Cas toge ...more

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Mar 23, 2011 The Fairytale Nerd rated it liked it

Click HERE for more reviews from The Fairytale Nerd.

LOVE:
First of all, I love that this book is narrated by a boy. There isn't many books like this. More than that, Cas's voice is authentic. It really does feel like it is narrated by a teenage boy. His comments and internal monologue are real and honest. So yes, I guess one could say that I love Cas's character. He's actually one of my favorite story book "heros." He's smart, brave, witty and at times, hilarious! Another thing I loved about this Click HERE for more reviews from The Fairytale Nerd.

LOVE:
First of all, I love that this book is narrated by a boy. There isn't many books like this. More than that, Cas's voice is authentic. It really does feel like it is narrated by a teenage boy. His comments and internal monologue are real and honest. So yes, I guess one could say that I love Cas's character. He's actually one of my favorite story book "heros." He's smart, brave, witty and at times, hilarious! Another thing I loved about this book are the action/fight scenes. In those scenes, one can see how Cas transforms from being a normal teenage boy to a lean, mean ghost-fighting machine. He fights like a super hero, although he doesn't like to be called as one. Also, I love the Cas-Anna interactions. One could definitely say that there is tension between them, even from the moment they first saw (or tried to kill?) each other. I think it's beautiful the way Anna and Cas wanted to kill each other, but they just have this inexplicable inability to do so. Oh yeah, they went ahead and developed feelings for each other - very slowly, very gradual. No instalove here at all.

NO LOVE:
Honestly, I expected this book to be some sort of ghost romance book. I was very wrong. This isn't a YA paranormal romance at all. In this book, romance plays a very small role. (With this, I learned that I really shouldn't expect a book to be something I want it to be, or I will just end up disappointed.) I can even say that this is more of a horror book. I think that there are too few private interactions between Cas and Anna. And whenever they have a moment, a friend just ruins it for them. So, it can be safely said that, the only thing I disliked about this book is the romance - or the lack of it.

MUSINGS:
For the first half of the book, Anna was just a presence that works in the background. People are just talking about her. Fearing her. The reader will not meet her until about fifty per cent of the book. I wanted to meet Anna. Because of this, I became a bit restless, and even thought about setting the book aside. Now, don't get me wrong! This book is not boring. In fact, it is actually very entertaining and is the complete opposite of boring. And it is well-written. I have no problems about the writing and the writer's storytelling abilities. But I want books that are a complete package, meaning they have it all - action, romance, and suspense. And for me, this lacked that sweet romance for it to be a complete package. It is a horror book. In fact, there were some scenes that were just too creepy/scary for my taste. With that, I would say that, although there are a lot of people who loved this book, I am not one of them. Anna dressed in blood is just not my cup of tea. ...more

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Mar 30, 2011 Jennifer rated it it was amazing

For starters, the cover art for Anna Dressed In Blood is a perfect representation of the story, and it’s totally awesome. The cover alone is a major selling point, but when you delve into Anna’s story you will definitely be amazed with the plot and characters. Blake really raised the bar for ghost stories as Anna is unlike any ghost I’ve read about to date. She’s like Yin and Yang; she has a dark sinister side and, at the same time, has a beauty about her. As far as creative characters of 2011 g ...more

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