It is one thing to have a book that fails on multiple levels. It is an entirely different matter when the first book of a series is really good, and then the second book completely falls flat on its face. This isn’t the first time I’ve experienced something like this, as Delirium by Lauren Oliver was incredible while its sequel Pandemonium made me want to punch a wall. I’d like to know what the heck was going on in Kendare Blake’s head when she wrote Girl of Nightmares. Seriously. However, I do think the first book is enjoyable, so how does the series hold up as a whole? Sit back, relax, and read on as I review the Anna Dressed in Blood series.
The Setup:
These books take place in multiple settings, but the main setting is in Thunder Bay in Canada (I think). Meet Theseus Cassius Lowood, or Cas for short. He’s a ghost hunter, using a special knife known as Athame that totally won’t become a vital plot point throughout the entire book,*cough cough*. Excuse me. He’s been given a job to kill a ghost known as Anna Dressed In Blood (who would’ve guessed?), a murderous ghost who brutally kills anyone who steps foot into her old house. So, the plot takes off from there. I’m not going to go into detail about the setup for the second book due to spoilers. So, concerning this setup, I’m pretty sure you can tell where the emotional development goes from here, but to be honest, this is an intriguing setup. It sounds more like a classic ghost story than most, and it’s kind of refreshing to see a boy as the main character of a YA book. Speaking of characters…
The Characters:
This is where the first book really shines. All of the characters, while not necessarily unique, were interesting and likable, and I enjoyed reading about pretty much all of them. First off, Cas is a fantastic main character. He starts off as kind of a loner, not wanting to associate with others, but as he grows closer to a few people within the town, he starts to realize that he shouldn’t just rely on himself anymore. This development was subtle, but not subtle enough that you wouldn’t be able to easily pick it out. Thomas, Cas’s eventual best friend, is a self-reserved mind reader, and acts as the geek of the group. Despite his clichéd role, though, he was still rather likable and memorable, being considerate of others and good-natured. Next is Carmel, who, in my opinion, is one of the better female characters of YA books. When I first read that she was the popular and beautiful girl, I rolled my eyes, thinking she would be the spoiled brat and damsel in distress of the group. Surprisingly enough, though, she’s pretty much the exact opposite, being caring and kind-hearted while being independent enough to not be reliant on anyone else. I mean seriously, she saves everyone some time by hitting an enemy ghost with a baseball bat after saying that she wasn’t cut out for stuff like that. That’s awesome. However, my favorite character was Anna. She was the most interesting, and her backstory doesn’t disappoint. However, as much as I love this character, I can’t talk about her without spoiling anything, so just read the book. All of the other side characters were memorable but didn’t overshadow the mains, which is the job of side characters, so they receive praise from me.
However, I have to take all of this back when it comes to the next book, Girl of Nightmares. I don’t know how Kendare Blake took such a strong character cast and made them so dull and repetitive, along with not making their actions make sense. For example, there’s a scene where Carmel decides to leave the whole ghost-slaying life because it was affecting her psychologically. Now, I do believe that this was good development, up until she drops everything and joins the group after they’ve traveled to London, and Cas and Thomas just kind of accept it. What? That’s sporadic behavior, guys, and wasn’t convincing in the slightest. Then there’s the ending. I already ranted about that in another post (to see that, click here), so check that out to get my full feelings towards this ending. It just flat-out doesn’t work. Another reason that Girl of Nightmares failed when it came to characters is that Anna is barely even present enough to even consider her to be a true character. She just turned into a plot device, and there was nothing more to her. The author basically just wasted her potential, which sucks because she was the most unique and interesting character in the first book. Finally, Cas, the main character with snarky dialogue, a no-nonsense attitude, and was one of the best main characters I’ve seen in a while in terms of being fun to read about, turned into a boring and obsessive-over-the-past guy who almost put me to sleep multiple times. How? I mean, it takes some special anti-talent to do something like that. He doesn’t develop at all, his dialogue became repetitive and boring, his interior monologues just felt pretentious, how do you do something like that?!
The Story:
In Anna Dressed in Blood, the story kind of played out like your classic ghost-love story, with Cas and company learning more about Anna’s past, and a developing romance between Cas and Anna. As for the first part, the story managed to keep enough mystery and intrigue to keep the story interesting, with great pacing and satisfying answers to questions that didn’t keep building up to an excessive point. As for the romance, it was okay. I felt it could have been stronger, but every other aspect of the story was so well-done that I could ignore it…until the next book.
In Girl of Nightmares, the entire story is focused on said romance, which wasn’t even that convincing to begin with. Its story was also so slow, and the final climax felt so rushed and unsatisfying. Seriously, it isn’t until the 50% mark until the characters really begin to actually act, with the exception of one piece of information, but if you only give the audience one piece of information within the first half, it is not going to keep them interested. Every other aspect of the second book was either boring, uninteresting, or both, and I didn’t feel one ounce of enjoyment from it period. Okay, maybe in the beginning, but once I got to around 20% into it I was just waiting for something to happen.
The Writing Style/Grammatical Errors:
In the first book, I really enjoyed the writing style. It was quick and straight-to-the-point while still retaining descriptive imagery. I should also mention that this book is rather gory, but unlike a book like Angelfall, it matches the tone of the book rather well, as Anna Dressed in Blood is a darker ghost story and horror elements are to be expected.
In the second book, however, due to the lack of an interesting story and the characters somehow degenerating into being stale cardboard cutouts, I felt like the writing style also took a backseat because there are a lot of pretentious interior monologues about how Cas apparently really cares about his friends and family, but oh gosh darn it he loves Anna so much. The writing also decided to take the Angelfall route and tries to be dark and gloomy while it really just feels edgy and unconvincing because you’re questioning just how it’s possible that these events could happen. For a ghost story, you pretty much have to suspend disbelief, but that is impossible when you’re questioning everything that’s happening. You see, the main thing that made the first book work in terms of disturbing imagery is because Anna herself is a very threatening character, and all the dark stuff surrounding her made sense. With the villains in the second book, I didn’t get the sense that they were threatening as much as they were just jerks with superiority complexes. So, while in Anna Dressed In Blood, the writing style worked to the book’s advantage, in Girl of Nightmares it just feels gratuitous.
Final Judgment:
I’m just going to be quick with this conclusion; I give Anna Dressed in Blood an above-average 3.5 out of 5, and a recommendation to read it. It’s a fun book, with some exciting moments, a creative story, fantastic characters, and is worth your time. I give Girl of Nightmares a very low 1.5 out of 5, and a recommendation to imagine your own ending. It’s really not worth your time due to boring and pretentious writing, somehow stale and boring characters, and it all culminates into an ending that will probably make you want to burn the damn book. Overall, I give the entire series a below-average 2.5 out of 5, and to read only the first book if you’d like an entertaining read. Also, and this is entirely off track, but does this remind anyone else of Sword Art Online, in the sense that the first half was enjoyable and the second half was just awful? Just wondering. Anyway, like always, it is always your own opinion that matters, and you have to decide that for yourself.
ScoreCard:
Anna Dressed In Blood on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Anna-Dressed-Blood-Kendare-Blake-ebook/dp/B004V9O52U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390349156&sr=8-1&keywords=anna+dressed+in+bloodScoreCard:
Further Recommendations:
Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Childrenby Ransom Riggs
One of my personal favorite books, this book is creepy, outlandish, unique, and is genuinely enjoyable. It isn’t nearly as violent as Anna Dressed In Blood, but if you’re looking for a book that captures the same unsettling atmosphere as Anna Dressed In Blood, read it.
Angelfall by Susan Ee
I’m not sure why this book keeps appearing within my recommendations, but the reason this time is because of its gore factor, strangely enough. If you liked Anna Dressed In Blood just for the gore factor (you strangely twisted person), you’ll enjoy this series (if it doesn’t depress the heck out of you first).
See you guys in my next review, which should be out tomorrow!
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