Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna, #1) in Pick-a-Shelf

Oct 13, 2010 Misty rated it it was amazing

Shelves: juvenile-ya, own, cover-appeal, excited-for, read-in-2011, horror-mystery-suspense-thriller, review-copy-solicited

I have to say, I've been on an awesome good-book streak lately. With one notable exception, nearly everything I've been reading has been really enjoyable and readable. Even those books that I'm almost a little hesitant to read because I'm looking forward to them so much that they may let me down, haven't been letting my down. That includes Anna Dressed in Blood, which I was so eager to read that I was a little afraid I was going to psych myself up and then be let down. And thank god that was I have to say, I've been on an awesome good-book streak lately. With one notable exception, nearly everything I've been reading has been really enjoyable and readable. Even those books that I'm almost a little hesitant to read because I'm looking forward to them so much that they may let me down, haven't been letting my down. That includes Anna Dressed in Blood, which I was so eager to read that I was a little afraid I was going to psych myself up and then be let down. And thank god that wasn't the case.

I know it's been said before, but it reminded me of Supernatural, and this is a very good thing. I want to be clear that it wasn't that it felt derivative or unoriginal. I mean, some comparison to the show is obvious because both are about hunting and killing ghosts (among other things, as the case may be). But both also just have this great energy and intelligence to them, and both pair humor with grimness. There is lightness and there is depth. That is crucial to me: you need dark to see the light and vice versa. I think this is especially true in horror. There are some books that can get away with being relentlessly grim, but they are few and far between; for the most part, a good horror book (or any book, for that matter) should have peaks and valleys, and Blake did this really.

I talked in my BC: Scary Reads video about how I loved horror growing up but kind of left it in my past and don't really read it anymore. I think Anna hit a lot of the notes that made me love horror, but blessedly avoided the pitfalls; there are thrills and shocks, but it wasn't too over the top or utterly predictable, and it wasn't just an excuse for a gore-fest. It had gory bits, there is no denying that, but there's so much more going on in this story, and the gore was parceled out so as to actually have some impact (judicious gore, if you will), and it just really worked. I think one of my favorite things about it, actually, is that it's the type of book that will work for a lot of different readers with different tastes. There is the horror factor, with the gore and the classic ghost story/urban legend vibe. But there is also humor and romance and action/adventure, blended together in what is just good storytelling. Blake's world is vivid and her characters likable, taking potentially stock characters and fleshing them out into people you care about and can root for.

And it just flowed really well. There weren't any of those rough patches for me that make me want to say "I liked everything but..." I didn't ever not like it. [Does that even make sense?] It was one of those books that I would squeeze in reading of, even when I didn't actually have time to read. I found myself actually a little angry at my workplace when my lunch break was over and I had to put it in my locker and get back to work. I wasn't finished. I needed to know. And I was willing to be late... I love a story that makes me late or steals my sleep. Those are the benchmarks for a good book. This was so very readable. I hated putting it down to sleep (or work), and every time I picked it up, I fell a little more in love with Cas and Anna. I don't want to go too into detail on them because I don't want to deprive anyone of the pleasure of meeting these two and falling for them, but I just need to state for the record that they may be one of my favorite duos I've read in a good long while. I loved everything about them. Every. Little. Thing.

And that's all I really want to say to you because I don't want to give anything away. I think you should read this, horror fan or no. There's a little something for everyone, and at the very least, it's worth it to meet Cas and Anna.
And I want to leave you with something a little silly. You may or may not know, but I take notes on a book when I finish it (and sometimes as I'm reading) so that I don't forget things I want to say in my review. This is the last line of the notes I wrote for Anna Dressed in Blood:

Gruesome! Bloody! Funny! Touching! Awesome!

Damn, I'm eloquent.
;P ...more

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Mar 27, 2019 Roseann rated it liked it

Boy meets girl, boy likes girl, only problem is, girl is dead.

Cas has always enjoyed using the gift he has for hunting ghosts. He finds them and he gets them gone. He’s never thought he could possibly fall for one. Will Cas be able to get rid of the ghost know as “Anna Dressed in Blood” or will he be able to keep her around?

An interesting switch on the ghost hunting teen story with interesting characters and some decent action make this a novel to take a look at. Fans of paranormal and contemp ...more

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Dec 18, 2011 Tara rated it really liked it

I enjoyed this little twist on the boy meets girl paranormal romance story. Cas is a ghost hunter who doesn't have time for friends, let alone a love interest... He moves around and kills dangerous ghosts like his father did. He has his mom and her cat and other long distance acquaintances, and he is fine with how his life is. On a tip, he is off to kill Anna, a ghost who kills anyone who comes into the house she haunts. He does not think it is going to be any different than any of his other job ...more

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Oct 25, 2020 Cora rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, kindle, american-author, fantasy, paranormal, horror, ghosts, canada, 1st-in-series, supernatural

This was a pretty typical example of the teen ghost hunter genre. If you are expecting a scary book, this is probably not the book for you. There are some gruesome scenes, but overall it is not the story of a haunting, but rather the type where a group of teenagers take on a big bad evil monster. I liked the characters and I liked that the grown ups were not non-existent in the story. I also liked how Cas developed throughout the story from a loner that doesn't need anyone to someone that learns ...more

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