REVIEW: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Author: Kendare Blake

Pages: 316

Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal

Publisher: Tor Teen

AMAZON: Anna Dressed in Blood

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life. 

REVIEW: 5 out of 5 stars

Theseus Cassio Lowood has been hunting ghosts since he was 14years old, a gift he inherited from his father along with his weapon of choice, a powerful athame.

Cas travels the country with his white witch mother killing ghosts, receiving tips from well trusted sources and following their leads is his sole purpose. Cas considers the kills he has made of evil murderers to date part of his ‘training’ which will eventually lead him to the big kill, the ghost who brutally murdered his father.

On arrival in Thunderbay, Ontario, Cas’s latest quest is the ghost of Anna Korlov who was murdered in 1958 and has made approx. 27 kills since her death. After a prank gone wrong leaves Cas thrown in Anna’s house and a school friend murdered at her hands, Cas begins to realize Anna is no ordinary ghost but she has spared him his life which is a first and he is determined to find out why.

Anna’s story is horrific and heart-breaking, as she begins to reveal more of her past you get sucked into her story and understand the two sides of her, the sweet endearing Anna and the horrifyingly gruesome Anna.

As the story progresses, so too does the friendship between Cas and Anna, they have a connection which enables them to both open up but there is still the ‘she wants to kill me/he wants to kill her’ which holds them back.

Anna Dressed in Blood is the first YA novel I have read narrated by a male and I must admit it worked really well, Cas has a distinct voice, he is strong, sarcastic, serious and dedicated to sending the deathly spooks away. He is a character I really enjoyed reading about.

I liked the secondary characters, popular school friend Carmel and knowledgeable, psychic, nerdy Thomas – other characters such as Will, Morfran and Cas’s mother I also found to be quite interesting.

I absolutely loved the fascinating and truly unique plot, the characterizations were spot-on and the story flowed nicely. There was never a dull moment from the start through to the end and I found Ms Blake’s writing to be solid and engrossing.

This story is dark and the imagery detailed and at times terrifying, I was riveted by Anna’s story, she is both a victim and a murderer. I look forward to seeing what Ms Blake comes up with for us next.

I would definitely recommend this book to the more mature teen, there is detailed violence and some language more suited to the older age group.