Book Review: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

It’s been a while since I’ve read a ghost story as good as Anna Dressed in Blood. The ghosts are creepy, and the characters are interesting. There’s some witchcraft, telepathy, a little voodoo, some romance, and really, the book is about friendship.

Cass Lowood kills ghosts. He inherited this job, as well as his athame, from his dad, after his dad was killed by a ghost. If you are wondering, an athame is a witch’s knife. (I had to look it up.) So, Cas travels from place to place, after he finds out about a bothersome ghost that won’t stay dead and has decided to kill people. It helps that Cas’s mom is a witch, who can help keep him safe. Cas is never in one place very long, and therefore doesn’t have any friends. When he gets summoned to Thunder Bay, in Canada, he tries to lay low and doesn’t attempt to make any contacts other than finding out about the ghost, Anna.

But, this time it’s different. First of all, there’s a girl, Carmel, who is very popular and has her sights on Cas. Then, there’s Thomas who can read Cas’s thoughts – sometimes – so he figures out what Cas is up to. And Thomas’s grandfather, Morfran, who is an experienced witch, will also become  a friend. 

The ghost, Anna Dressed in Blood, was murdered in 1958, and has been wreaking havoc ever since. Cas’s first encounter with Anna is violent and deadly. He realizes that she is unlike any ghost he has ever dealt with, and he will need lots of help to send her away. What Cas doesn’t realize is that Anna is only the beginning. Something else is after Cas, and it’s big, and bad, and might possibly be the end for Cas.

Cas grows up during the book and realizes he doesn’t have to be such a loner, that other people can care about him and will be willing to help him. Blake’s story is creepy, violent, scary, and tense. But she also writes great characters to identify with and there’s some personal growth by the end of the story.

I’ll recommend this to teens who like a creepy ghost story and can handle a little gore, but also like a story about teens working through problems, whatever they may be.

Published by Tor, August 30, 2011

ARC obtained from Banned Book Tours for review

316 pages

Rating: 4/5

Bonus:  Watch for my interview with Kendare Blake on the blog tomorrow!

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