Cas Lowood is not your typical high school student. He moves from place to place, hunting down murderous ghosts and banishing them with a magical knife left to him by his dead father. With quite a few kills under his belt, he feels almost ready to take on the ghost that murdered his father. He just wants to hone his skills with one more job: taking down Anna Dressed in Blood.
When he meets Anna, she’s as terrifying as everyone described her — wearing a dress dripping in blood, her eyes like black oil slicks, her hair writhing in the air like a living creature itself. But there’s something different about Anna. And even though Cas watches her murder someone in front of his eyes, he can’t help noticing that there are two Annas: the murderous beast and the lost girl trapped inside her.
With the help of new friends Carmel and Thomas, Cas seeks to unravel the mystery of Anna Dressed in Blood. The more time he spends with the ghost, the more he falls in love with her. Can he separate the girl he loves from the monster that consumes her?
There are so many things to love about this book. It’s a genuinely creepy ghost story full of humorous moments. It’s a love story. It’s a mystery. It has a strong emotional plot, compelling main characters and great side characters. Kendare Blake balances all these elements so well and creates a story that draws the reader in and keeps them hooked. If you’re looking for a scary read to recommend to your teens, keep this one in your Reader’s Advisory arsenal.
Check this book out or put it on hold.
– Amanda Coppedge Bosky
Crazy for YA 