Bobby Book Review: "Anna Dressed in Blood"

Anna Dressed in Blood
by Kendare Blake

What is it about?

Ever since a ghost killed his father, Cas Lowood, a 17 year old who moves from town to town with his witch mother, uses his special supernatural knife that can kill spirits who harm people. Finally, he meets an incredibly powerful ghost who chooses to spare his life, and he can't figure out why.

You're a 28 year old grown man. Defend yourself for reading a book intended for 12 year old girls, you sniveling little bitch.

Listen, that's harsh. Yes, the book is considered "Young Adult". Yes, it has a certain element of romance to it (what doesn't? Fucking Rocky has a romance in it.) But these young adult books really do have a bad name stained by Twilight. I've read several of these books now since The Hunger Games and many of them are stunningly well-written and original. Also, this book drops more F-bombs than a typical Die Hard movie and is gory enough to satisfy horror fanatics. The "young adult" moniker is simply because the characters are at High School age. It stands up to adult fiction.

What's any good about it?

The book pulls you in from literally page one ("How do people not realize this guy is actually dead?") and doesn't let go. I read the thing in like 3 nights.


After killing several "evil" ghosts (fantastic line: "It's funny, the ghosts were always the victims in real life. I guess the killers got out their aggression while living, and the victims never could"), Cas finally comes across a ghost in a small town who supposedly murders anyone who steps into her house.


She's a beautiful 16 year old girl who died in the 1950's. She had her throat slit and the blood stained her gorgeous white dress blood-red. So when you see Anna, she appears as a young girl who's dress is constantly dripping blood (thus the title).


The characters are sensational. Cas Lowood is a fantastic protagonist. He's a very likable outcast with sensational abilities who likes to keep a distance.


Anna herself is a deeply intriguing character. Her innocent ghostly appearance turning into a terrifying monster with black eyes is very fun to read. She keeps us guessing throughout until we finally hear her backstory.


The supporting characters are lots of fun. Sure, you have cookie-cutter generic types like the douchebag jock boyfriend, but the rest are three-dimensional and lots of fun to have around. You have Carmel, the beautiful prom queen who is much smarter than she looks. There's the creepy goth kid who latches onto Cas and also can read minds. Even Cas' mother is pretty funny as the hippie witch who constantly has spells at the ready.


What I liked most about the book is that it goes all-in. The story is ridiculous, so why hold back? The book isn't afraid to get into a complicated web of sorcery, magic potions, voo-doo, ghost legends and supernatural spells.

Make this into a movie now.

Do you have any complaints, you whiny bitch who complains about everything?

The end battle feels a bit rushed, almost as if new author Kendare Blake had a page limit.

Also, the biggest stretch (but if you're already accepting ghost-killing and magic spells, what isn't off limits?) is that Cas' mother would be so supporting of her only son fighting evil ghosts who are trying to kill him. Yet that's part of the book's charm.

Best Scene?

I loved the ending. But also the discovery of how innocent teenager Anna became the monstrous ghost "Anna Dressed in Blood" is wonderful reading.

Final Thoughts

My highest recommendation for arguably my favorite book I've read in the last 3 years.

The book is interesting and funny, creating a world of originality that feels refreshing with each page-turn. The characters are easy to root for, the story is exciting, and it's just the Young Adult book to make you say Hey, fuck off, Young Adult books are cool.

So hey, fuck off. Young Adult books are cool.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go pre-order the sequel Girl of Nightmares now. Why is Amazon also recommending me Justin Bieber: Never Say Never?

Bobby Grade: A

Great Quote

"You see this jacket? You like it? Because, see, I don't really need it. Because I'm cloaked in failure!"

---Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise), Jerry Maguire