Her Name Looked Beautiful in Blood

I finally finished reading about a girl named Anna who is dressed in blood last night. We  all know what that means. *drum roll* It's review time! Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake.

So, overall this book was really good. 'Tis a breath of fresh air in the YA paranormal world of books, in my opinion. Anna put a different spin on the boy-meets-girl thing that is so common (and addicting) these days. I'll say more about this later.

First, though, I'm going to let out all my criticism. I really enjoyed this book, but that does not mean it is perfect. And that's a good thing. Perfect books would probably be boring because nothing in this world is perfect. It's just not possible. Anyways, I personally did not like the slow-moving beginning of the story. Now, there was a reason for the pacing of the story, I understand that. This was how Kendare painted the setting of the book so the rest of the story would make sense. This was how she made sure we understood the situation about what was happening to this boy named Cas (though I prefer to call him Cassio). Honestly, my little complaint is not a deal breaker on whether or not to read the book. Clearly it's not, because I finished it. And now I'm reviewing it. remember how I said that I would never review a book I haven;t finished? That still rings true.

And that was my only complaint on the book. That I had to read quite a bit to get past the exposition. I must admit that some of the back story given there was interesting, so that wouldn't even be a whole complaint. More like a half one. So, moving on. Back to the boy-meets-girl thing I was saying earlier. It seems that the boy-meets-girl story line is big within YA books these days. I personally love this type of story because I am a romance junkie. In Anna, though, it is not as simple as that. I knw what you're thinking: It never IS as simple as that. And I know, but this time it's more. . . complicated. Because the girl is dead and a murderer, and the boy is a ghostbuster (don't tell him that, though. he may punch you or something.) Because of this, there truly is no possible way for their emotions to work out. Now, I know what you're thinking AGAIN. (I'm just a little mind reader today, aren't I? Just call me Edward Cullen. I'M KIDDING. DON'T CALL ME THAT.) Right now you're thinking that somehow Cas and Anna are going to find a way for their love to conquer all, because that is what so commonly happens. Here is what I have to say to that: Don't count your chickens before they hatch. And in my no-spoiler fashion, that is all I shall say on that matter.

Quick character rundown. This time, I'm only going to tell you about the two most important characters. First off, the narrator- Cas. His real name? Theseus Cassio Lowood. Theseus Cassio. Yes, I am serious. Everyone just calls him Cas, though. I like to call him Cassio. It sounds so appealing that way. Back to the point, Cas is a ghost-killer. Or, as I said earlier, ghostbuster. He does not like to be called that, though. He makes a nice big point of that in the book which I found funny. You'll see when you read it, and you'll laugh too. So, Cas is a ghost-killer-dude and has come to this town called Thunder Bay where he plans to "kill" (he can't really kill her since she's, you know, dead) a ghost known as Anna Dressed in Blood. This plan, obviously, leads him to meet Anna, the second important character I'm going to tell you about. Anna. The girl who clothes herself in a dress covered in blood. I really like to play on words with her name. anna is such a wonderful ghost. She is self-aware, she is terrifying and strong yet not self-righteous, and she has a special vulnerable but still capable charm that WILL win you over. i mean, it even won over Cas, the boy who was so totally unattainable because of his traveling ghost-killing path in life. The career choice he was so set on. Until Anna came along... And that's it for my character rundown.

I'm going to jump back to the subject of LOVE again. I've already told you that I am a romance junkie, and I am. And by "romance" I mean the whole aspect of "love" that is given in books. Every book I read. Love in every form. And by "every form" I mean love between significant others, love between sblings, love between other family members, love between friends, etc. You get my point. If it makes me go "awwww!" at some point or another, that is what I'm talking about. Anna Dressed in Blood is wonderful with the aspect of love. It has a love that isn't in your face but is instead just. . . there. A love that is inevitable and the vharacters have no choice but to FEEL. A subtle love that is not over the top yet still fulfilling to a reader like me. This was another great facet within the book.

Okay, now I must comment on the ending. I'm not going to say what exactly happened, but it was one of those endings that was not super suspenseful, but makes you want to read the sequel, like, NOW to see what happens. There are so many possiblities. Will Cas figure it out? What will happen to him and Anna? How will their story continue? As far as I know, yes, there is supposed to be a sequel. Once you read the ending, you will understand that a sequel should definietly happen because with an ending like that, if there is not a sequel I may cry. (just kidding. Kind of.) The ending of this book will leave you hoping for the best for our two love birds and eager to cheer them on in the next book.

Wrapping this up, I rate Anna Dressed in Blood an 8 on a scale from 1 to 10. 8/10. I honestly enjoyed this book and suggest that anyone who wants a ghost story with a little more beef to it to read this book. Or anyone who is looking for a fresh new romance that will subtley beat at your heart as you read, in the most terrific way.

Okay, so that's it. Thank you all for reading my review! I'll review Sapphique by Catherine Fisher. . . sometime soon. (Ha.) I just started it last night, so I'll give your guys updates on that later!

Until next time, Friends!

♥Jessica(: