Monday, October 17, 2011

Review #77: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Hey everyone! Hope your weekends were good :). Have another book review for y'all tonight, so lets get started :)

Anna Dressed in Blood is the first in a series by Kendare Blake.
Another book that needs the Goodreads description on here:

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.

Honestly? This book was meh. It wasn't the greatest, but definitely not the worst. I commend Kendare Blake for going with a male perspective and an interesting concept. However, at least to me, it felt mediocre. I just didn't get super into it. I give credit to Ms. Blake for going with a male protagonist and an interesting concept. It felt like the only saving grace was the romance. I know that was not the main/central plot line of the book, but it was the only thing that truly struck a chord with me. Although even the romance felt meh at times.

Cas, I don't know how to feel about him. I like that he was the main protagonist. I did feel like he over-analyzed and over thought everything. But I think that's part of his character, so it's sort of forgiven. Anna was not that great. I felt like she only became a real character near/at the the ending. Before it seemed like she was only on the peripheral. That's not a bad thing, but the book is named after her, so she should have been more prominent. Characters like Thomas were cool. I loved his snark and just him in general, despite being fairly one-note. Cas' mother was alright. Most of the side characters didn't feel all that developed.

I was not attached to Ms. Blake's writing style at all. Frankly, it was boring. The imagery was not good, not even the world building. I'm hoping she gets better as she goes along.

With all that being said, I will consider reading the second book, because the ending was pulling at my heartstrings a little bit. I do want to see where it goes, and if Kendare improves her writing style. *Crosses fingers*

I'll next be reviewing Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev.

Until next time, viva la literature!

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