Anna Dressed in Blood: Review
"Move, hunt, kill. Like lather, rinse, repeat." - Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
I will readily admit that I'm not a fan of horror. I've never been. When my friends wanted to watch scary movies during slumber parties, I would go into the other room and read a book or something, or I would miraculously convince them to watch something else.
However, something I've never really had a problem with was horror books. I think it's because I'm able to control the images I see in my head. If something is super freaky on screen, there's not much I can do about it. But a book? Suddenly it's up to me how scary it really is. So that probably explains why I was instantly attracted to Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake.
Young Theseus Cassio (who goes by Cas) follows in his deceased father's footsteps; he's a ghost killer. He follows the rumors, the whispers, the bumps in the night to malicious ghosts with murderous intent, and dispatches them to who-knows-where with a special athame he inherited from his dad after he was killed on a job. He and his kitchen-witch mother travel the world, only staying in one place long enough for Cas to do what his ancestors did before him, and then they move on to the next haunted place. Cas is quick, precise--he never makes friends and he never, ever lets a ghost live.
Until he does.
Okay, confession time? All I could think about while reading this book was Supernatural. I mean, the main character's name is Cas, and he hunts ghosts for a living? C'mon, who wouldn't think that? But as the book went on, I found it was easier for me to separate the two in my mind. I think it helped that Cas's friends, Thomas and Carmel, were so far from any Supernatural characters that it was easy to think of Cas as the exception. Also, obviously the SPN crew would never actually talk to a ghost and let it live, let alone fall in love with one, so it wasn't that hard.
The pros:
1. The romances: You all know I'm not big on romance in books. I really have to be invested in the characters for me to want them to end up together. I tend to get annoyed with books, especially SFF, that focus more on the romance than the actual conflict or plot. However, I really appreciated the two romances in this book. I know, I know, who am I? But its true. Let's talk about Thomas and Carmel first--I thought it was refreshing that the "queen bee" (as Cas called her) ended up with the goofy sidekick instead of the main protagonist. And I got some minor Teen Wolf feels from all of it, because Thomas basically acted like Stiles (aside from the witchcraft) and Carmel was definitely seen by others as the Lydia Martin of her school, despite her being much nicer than seasons 1-2 Lydia. And then we have Cas and Anna. Yeah, its weird that Cas falls in love with a ghost who's been dead since 1958...but they're cute okay! I have no idea what'll happen for them, if anything happens, but I appreciated the romance while it lasted.
2. Strong female characters: we have three main female cast in this book; Carmel, Anna, and Cas's mom whose name is escaping me at the moment. What I really liked was how they were all so different from each other, while all remaining strong and independent. Carmel readily admitted that she got scared, but that didn't stop her from helping her friends. Anna technically did need to be rescued from whatever demon was holding her hostage, but it wasn't a damsel-in-distress kind of rescue. It was more of a I-didn't-realize-this-was-out-of-my-control kind of rescue. And Cas's mom, don't get me started! She had to live with her husband being brutally murdered, and then her son taking on the same job that got the love of her life killed. Despite all of this, she didn't once falter or seem weak in any way.
3. Anna's redemption arc: Keeping with the whole "strong female character" thing, nothing surprised me more than when Anna literally opened a portal to Hell in her living room floor and dragged the Obeahman through it. Hot damn. Nothing says strong female character than literally sacrificing yourself to make sure everyone around didn't die. And yeah, she did it for Cas, but I don't find anything wrong with wanting to protect the person you love most in the world. Plus, she knew exactly what was going to happen. She was just freed from that awful curse her mother put on her, and she could've been free from the house, free to do whatever it is ghosts do in their downtime, and she sacrificed all of that to make sure that Cas wouldn't be consumed by the Obeahman.
The cons:
1. The romances: Okay, yes I'm cheating. But while I did really enjoy the romance in this book, I don't think it was necessary. More so the Anna/Cas arc than the Thomas/Carmel arc. I was actually super excited when Carmel had that epiphany that Thomas was actually a super awesome guy and he was totally in love with her. I appreciated that she didn't go after Cas the entire book. But again, Anna is dead? She's literally a ghost. Like, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think a relationship with a ghost would last. Just ask Casper. I feel like the book would've been just as impactful if Anna and Cas just developed a deep friendship.
2. The use of witchcraft: Again, I know that I'm kind of cheating with this. But I don't think I'm being unfair. I've realized that I have to be more careful with the witchy books I read, because more often than not I end up getting frustrated with the interpretations. Writing a book about witchcraft is the same as writing a book about Christianity, about another culture, about a chronic illness or disability. You need to do a lot of research, and #OwnVoices is always the best option. So many people brush over witchcraft as something make believe or something to joke about, but it's a real belief and a real practice for people, including myself. There were some things in this book that felt genuine, like Cas's mom's (seriously what is her name??) rituals of cleaning the athame in salt and oils, and her routines of cleansing the house whenever they move somewhere new. I don't know anything about Voodoo, so I can't tell you if those parts were accurate, but I did appreciate some of the kitchen-witchery in this book. But Thomas threw all realism out the window. Then again, this book is about a boy who can kill ghosts, so what was I supposed to expect?
3. The ending: I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, to be honest. I liked that the Obeahman was thwarted and all that, but I didn't like that he was in the book in the first place. At first I did, but that was when I thought this was a standalone horror book, and not a duology. I haven't read the second book yet, of course, but I feel like the ending was really rushed just to be a continuation. Also, the Obeahman ate Tybalt! I mean, how dare??? I was so upset when I read that part, like are you kidding me? And what exactly is Cas planning to get Anna back? How is he going to get her back? She literally descended into Hellfire. How exactly? I don't know, but I honestly am not sure if I want to continue on and read the second book. I feel like it'll just ruin it for me.
My favorite parts were probably the early parts of Cas and Anna, when she was showing him all of the horrible things she's done in the fifty years she's been trapped in her house. I just really liked Anna in general. As I said before, I do like horror books, and that's partially because of the scary stories the books surround. Anna really intrigued me. And I thought Thomas was funny, even though his use of the word "witch" bothered me some. I'm either going to have to learn to live with it, or just stop reading books dealing with witchcraft in general, but that's always been one of my favorite sub-genres. Hm. It's a struggle.
Truly, this was a five-star read for me, and a wonderful introduction into horror if you're looking to expand your reading tastes. I would definitely recommend starting with YA horror before jumping right into Stephen King or something.
Okay, I think that's all I have for now. Until next time!
I will readily admit that I'm not a fan of horror. I've never been. When my friends wanted to watch scary movies during slumber parties, I would go into the other room and read a book or something, or I would miraculously convince them to watch something else.
However, something I've never really had a problem with was horror books. I think it's because I'm able to control the images I see in my head. If something is super freaky on screen, there's not much I can do about it. But a book? Suddenly it's up to me how scary it really is. So that probably explains why I was instantly attracted to Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake.
Young Theseus Cassio (who goes by Cas) follows in his deceased father's footsteps; he's a ghost killer. He follows the rumors, the whispers, the bumps in the night to malicious ghosts with murderous intent, and dispatches them to who-knows-where with a special athame he inherited from his dad after he was killed on a job. He and his kitchen-witch mother travel the world, only staying in one place long enough for Cas to do what his ancestors did before him, and then they move on to the next haunted place. Cas is quick, precise--he never makes friends and he never, ever lets a ghost live.
Until he does.
Okay, confession time? All I could think about while reading this book was Supernatural. I mean, the main character's name is Cas, and he hunts ghosts for a living? C'mon, who wouldn't think that? But as the book went on, I found it was easier for me to separate the two in my mind. I think it helped that Cas's friends, Thomas and Carmel, were so far from any Supernatural characters that it was easy to think of Cas as the exception. Also, obviously the SPN crew would never actually talk to a ghost and let it live, let alone fall in love with one, so it wasn't that hard.
The pros:
1. The romances: You all know I'm not big on romance in books. I really have to be invested in the characters for me to want them to end up together. I tend to get annoyed with books, especially SFF, that focus more on the romance than the actual conflict or plot. However, I really appreciated the two romances in this book. I know, I know, who am I? But its true. Let's talk about Thomas and Carmel first--I thought it was refreshing that the "queen bee" (as Cas called her) ended up with the goofy sidekick instead of the main protagonist. And I got some minor Teen Wolf feels from all of it, because Thomas basically acted like Stiles (aside from the witchcraft) and Carmel was definitely seen by others as the Lydia Martin of her school, despite her being much nicer than seasons 1-2 Lydia. And then we have Cas and Anna. Yeah, its weird that Cas falls in love with a ghost who's been dead since 1958...but they're cute okay! I have no idea what'll happen for them, if anything happens, but I appreciated the romance while it lasted.
2. Strong female characters: we have three main female cast in this book; Carmel, Anna, and Cas's mom whose name is escaping me at the moment. What I really liked was how they were all so different from each other, while all remaining strong and independent. Carmel readily admitted that she got scared, but that didn't stop her from helping her friends. Anna technically did need to be rescued from whatever demon was holding her hostage, but it wasn't a damsel-in-distress kind of rescue. It was more of a I-didn't-realize-this-was-out-of-my-control kind of rescue. And Cas's mom, don't get me started! She had to live with her husband being brutally murdered, and then her son taking on the same job that got the love of her life killed. Despite all of this, she didn't once falter or seem weak in any way.
3. Anna's redemption arc: Keeping with the whole "strong female character" thing, nothing surprised me more than when Anna literally opened a portal to Hell in her living room floor and dragged the Obeahman through it. Hot damn. Nothing says strong female character than literally sacrificing yourself to make sure everyone around didn't die. And yeah, she did it for Cas, but I don't find anything wrong with wanting to protect the person you love most in the world. Plus, she knew exactly what was going to happen. She was just freed from that awful curse her mother put on her, and she could've been free from the house, free to do whatever it is ghosts do in their downtime, and she sacrificed all of that to make sure that Cas wouldn't be consumed by the Obeahman.
The cons:
1. The romances: Okay, yes I'm cheating. But while I did really enjoy the romance in this book, I don't think it was necessary. More so the Anna/Cas arc than the Thomas/Carmel arc. I was actually super excited when Carmel had that epiphany that Thomas was actually a super awesome guy and he was totally in love with her. I appreciated that she didn't go after Cas the entire book. But again, Anna is dead? She's literally a ghost. Like, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think a relationship with a ghost would last. Just ask Casper. I feel like the book would've been just as impactful if Anna and Cas just developed a deep friendship.
2. The use of witchcraft: Again, I know that I'm kind of cheating with this. But I don't think I'm being unfair. I've realized that I have to be more careful with the witchy books I read, because more often than not I end up getting frustrated with the interpretations. Writing a book about witchcraft is the same as writing a book about Christianity, about another culture, about a chronic illness or disability. You need to do a lot of research, and #OwnVoices is always the best option. So many people brush over witchcraft as something make believe or something to joke about, but it's a real belief and a real practice for people, including myself. There were some things in this book that felt genuine, like Cas's mom's (seriously what is her name??) rituals of cleaning the athame in salt and oils, and her routines of cleansing the house whenever they move somewhere new. I don't know anything about Voodoo, so I can't tell you if those parts were accurate, but I did appreciate some of the kitchen-witchery in this book. But Thomas threw all realism out the window. Then again, this book is about a boy who can kill ghosts, so what was I supposed to expect?
3. The ending: I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, to be honest. I liked that the Obeahman was thwarted and all that, but I didn't like that he was in the book in the first place. At first I did, but that was when I thought this was a standalone horror book, and not a duology. I haven't read the second book yet, of course, but I feel like the ending was really rushed just to be a continuation. Also, the Obeahman ate Tybalt! I mean, how dare??? I was so upset when I read that part, like are you kidding me? And what exactly is Cas planning to get Anna back? How is he going to get her back? She literally descended into Hellfire. How exactly? I don't know, but I honestly am not sure if I want to continue on and read the second book. I feel like it'll just ruin it for me.
My favorite parts were probably the early parts of Cas and Anna, when she was showing him all of the horrible things she's done in the fifty years she's been trapped in her house. I just really liked Anna in general. As I said before, I do like horror books, and that's partially because of the scary stories the books surround. Anna really intrigued me. And I thought Thomas was funny, even though his use of the word "witch" bothered me some. I'm either going to have to learn to live with it, or just stop reading books dealing with witchcraft in general, but that's always been one of my favorite sub-genres. Hm. It's a struggle.
Truly, this was a five-star read for me, and a wonderful introduction into horror if you're looking to expand your reading tastes. I would definitely recommend starting with YA horror before jumping right into Stephen King or something.
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