Kendare Blakes debut, ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD, came highly recommended by lots of different readers. Unfortunately, this strange tale of horror and romance between a human boy and the ghost girl hes supposed to get rid of was decent, but didnt blow me away.
Good things first. Cas was a great narrator. He goes about his business in a no-nonsense yet wry manner, which not only makes his narration and adventures enjoyable to read, but also delights readers when his dealings with Anna unexpectedly trip him up.
Unfortunately, Cas genuineness was not enough to offset the tired stereotypes and underdeveloped supporting characters. ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD contained too much awesome to be stuffed into a generic high school setting, and yet it was, with the result that there were awkwardly dramatic confrontations with too-idiotic-to-be-real jocks and underwhelmingly catty girls. Blake makes an attempt to add uniqueness and depth to Cas friends, but I never felt like they could have had life beyond the page: there was just something off about the way they spoke, kind of like aliens trying to act like real teenagers or something.
Horror is not my favorite genre, so Im far from the best person to appreciate and judge it; however, I wanted more from this story. I was confused about the mythological and historical basis for Annas violent haunting: what cultures or stories was ANNA drawing from to create its version of ghosts and voodoo? What made Cas and his friends so special that they were able to achieve what no one had done before them? The books explanations for these and other similar questions I had left me dissatisfied and, ultimately, dispassionate about the story.
Not every book is for every reader, and ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD wasnt one for me, though it certainly was for a lot of people. If youre a fan of ghost and horror stories with a tinge of myth-based supernatural concepts, a la Lee Nichols or Laura Faria Stolarz, give this a whirl. It might be just your thing, though it wasnt mine.
Good things first. Cas was a great narrator. He goes about his business in a no-nonsense yet wry manner, which not only makes his narration and adventures enjoyable to read, but also delights readers when his dealings with Anna unexpectedly trip him up.
Unfortunately, Cas genuineness was not enough to offset the tired stereotypes and underdeveloped supporting characters. ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD contained too much awesome to be stuffed into a generic high school setting, and yet it was, with the result that there were awkwardly dramatic confrontations with too-idiotic-to-be-real jocks and underwhelmingly catty girls. Blake makes an attempt to add uniqueness and depth to Cas friends, but I never felt like they could have had life beyond the page: there was just something off about the way they spoke, kind of like aliens trying to act like real teenagers or something.
Horror is not my favorite genre, so Im far from the best person to appreciate and judge it; however, I wanted more from this story. I was confused about the mythological and historical basis for Annas violent haunting: what cultures or stories was ANNA drawing from to create its version of ghosts and voodoo? What made Cas and his friends so special that they were able to achieve what no one had done before them? The books explanations for these and other similar questions I had left me dissatisfied and, ultimately, dispassionate about the story.
Not every book is for every reader, and ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD wasnt one for me, though it certainly was for a lot of people. If youre a fan of ghost and horror stories with a tinge of myth-based supernatural concepts, a la Lee Nichols or Laura Faria Stolarz, give this a whirl. It might be just your thing, though it wasnt mine.
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