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.
Overall Thoughts:
I loved this book! It scared the crap out of me so it did it's job!
Anna Dressed in Blood is about a 17 year old guy named Theseus Cassio Lowood (People just call him Cas, for obvious reasons). He is a ghost killer, and good at what he does with his trusty athame at his side. He gets a letter in the mail with the name Anna written in actual blood, which is the only clue he gets in his quest to find and kill the ghost people call, Anna Dressed in Blood. He lives and travels with his mother and her cat. When they receive the letter, they move to Thunder Bay, Ontario, which is where Anna Korlov is stationed and Cas starts attending Sir Winston Churchill, a high school located there. He starts associating with people just to find out more information about Anna and her whereabouts, and actually finds out where she
lives... exists.
The first time Cas goes to her house, a group of popular kids are there with him and they decide to play a mean trick on him to get him to go into her house. And by mean trick, I mean they knock him unconscious and drag him into the house, then run out. Legend has it, that anyone who steps foot in her house, will be brutally murdered. Cas sees Anna for the first time, and Anna sees him but for some reason... she doesn't attack him. But someone does die in that interaction... just saying. Cas returns to the haunted house repeated times, always with the same intention: To kill Anna. But after awhile, they both start to let down their guards and feelings start to turn into something more as time progresses.
This book is written in Cassio's point of view, which I liked a lot. But I was pretty curious as to how the book would've turn out if it was written in Anna's point of view. Cas was described as muscular yet lanky with a brooding countenance. He's not use to social activities and situations, what with his life revolving around death and all, but he knows how to handle himself. Anna is described as a pretty-looking 16 year old girl with pale skin and long dark hair. Cas thinks she's beautiful. She is, but when someone other than Cas steps foot in her house, she turns in a demon literally. She's no longer the sweet young woman she was with Cas. The more they talk and the closer they become, the harder it is for him to do his job.
Things I disliked about this book:
There wasn't really anything that I didn't like about this book, other than the fact that it was so short. There were only 316 pages, and I read through it much too soon for my liking. The book also ends on a HUGE cliffhanger, which makes me so mad because I want the next book right now!
Things I liked about this book:
Um... everything? I loved the characters, especially Cas. I loved the fact that even though he was a rough and tough, hardcore ghost hunter, he still had soft spots. For example, usually when he encounters ghosts, he's quickly in and out. Finds them, kills them, and moves on. He never gets attached to anyone in the area because he knows that it's just a matter of time before he has to keep on moving. But he ends up finding a group of extremely loyal friends that mean a lot to him.
Verdict:
This book was amazing! Easily 5 targets! It had nice pacing, there were never any dull moments. But I must tell you to heed my warning when I say this book is not for the faint hearted lol. Also, make sure to read it with the lights on! Hopefully, that will keep your imagination from wandering...
Girl of Nightmares is the next book in this series, and it comes out in August 2012! It's already on my to-be-read list!
5/5 TARGETS!
Excerpt:
"Anna is going to kill me, and I'm surprised to find that I would rather it be one like her, in her dress made of blood. I would rather succumb to whatever hell she has in mind for me than give up quietly in a hospital somewhere because someone hit me in the head with a piece of plank board. She's coming closer. My eyes are drifting shut, but I can hear her movements whisper through the air. I can hear each fat drop of blood strike the floor. I open my eyes. She's standing above me, the goddess of death, black lips and cold hands. "Anna." My mouth curls into a weak smile."
Hope you liked the review! P.S. As you can see, I'm experimenting with blockquotes. I'm a new blogger, and just now learning how to use html codes and whatnot. If you know anything about blockquotes or ways to improve it, let me know!
