Terror Tober Review (Becky): Anna Dressed in Blood

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Title: Anna Dressed in Blood
Author: Kendare Blake
Pages: 316
Genre: horror (ghost/paranormal)
Audience: Young Adult
Rating: 3 stars- I'd be cautious friends with this book, but always carry an athame.

Goodreads Summary:Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.  
So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder 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: move, 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, but now stained red and dripping 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.  And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

My Thoughts:

This was an engaging read but the writing feel a little short for me. If you like the show Supernatural, this story has a similar tone. Cas is a hunter of ghosts, following in his father's footsteps and trying to avenge his father's murder. Add a whiney brother and he's Dean. The book also makes references to Buffy and Ghostbusters, which it shares obvious similarities to. The horror aspect was fairly well done and I was a little freaked out at times. The motivation sadly (best part of ghost stories) was predictable and nothing new.

 I did find the romance in this book pretty disturbing but I won't say more for fear of spoilers.  There are some pretty typical sidekick characters, the queen bee and the dorky underdog (Xander and Cordie).  There were also lots of weak parts in the plot. Why, for instance, was Anna so much stronger than the voodoo ghost? Why did Cas think he was, and I quote "the only one in the world who could do this" but previously mention "there were a few other people who could do what I do"? Why did Cas get slapped for asking about the cross?. My hope is that some of these things are addressed more in book two.  I'll probably read it just for the freak-out factor.