Anna Dressed in Blood - A Book Review

   I have been remiss in regards to the blog lately, due to revisions of my current manuscript. Like so many writers, I tend to have really excellent intentions, and then get distracted by facebook, twitter and email. Oh, and all the talk on the news about zombie apocalypses, can’t forget that. Apparently we’re having one, if you weren’t aware. Time to stock up on canned ham and baseball bats!

    Anyways, while we’re all waiting for the zombies, you can form an opinion about Anna Dressed in Blood, and decide if you’ll give it a read, you know, before we all get eaten. Kendare Blake has received a ton of praise for this paranormal/horror/romance, and in my opinion, it’s well deserved. But will YOU like it? Let’s get right into this:

What’s to love:

-You cannot deny that Blake is a terrific writer. Well, you could, but I’d smack you. I always scan the first page and see if the writer can draw me in immediately, because if they do I’m sold. I was hooked on Anna from page one. Blake’s descriptions are vivid and at times blood chilling. Also, the narrator – Cas Lowood the ghost hunter – has a very real voice. At times I was laughing, other times I was wide-eyed, clutching the book tightly. At all times, I refused to put it down.

-The concept is intriguing: A ghost hunter comes up against an almost impossibly strong ghost with a tragic and terrible history. And instead of killing him, Anna spares him.

-The cover. It’s beautiful. Soooo beautiful. I may or may not be stroking it right now.

What’s not to love:

It’s red. No, I did not misspell “read”. I’m quite serious. When you open the book you’ll find the print is all done in red ink. I suppose it’s meant to go with the theme of Anna Dressed in Blood, but at first I found it off-putting. I did get used to it though, and after the first page or two you don’t even notice it.

In conclusion:

I thoroughly enjoyed Anna Dressed in Blood, and can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel. Girl of Nightmares is reportedly just as good, and some are saying it’s better.

   I give this book nine out of ten on my bookshelf and recommend it to anyone within earshot. I hear it makes good reading while waiting out a zombie apocalypse.