Author: Kendare Blake
Series: Anna #2
Publisher: Tor Teen
Publication Date: August 7, 2012
Source: Publisher
Synopsis:
It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on.
His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live--not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.
Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.
Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.
Anna Dressed in Blood enthralled me with its lovable characters, exhilarating plot, and creepy factor, and Girl of Nightmares is no different. At first, I thought it wouldn’t be as scary without Anna, but I was completely wrong. Kendare Blake is a writer that makes the scariness comes to life on the pages. If this was a movie I’d have screamed my head off at some parts. Anna also shows up a lot, so I’m so happy to get my fill of Anna, both as the creepy ghost and as an innocent girl that Cas wants to save.
Cas is still the same wry character whose humor makes me laugh at the weirdest times. When something serious is happening, he’d say or think something that just make the entire situation even more enjoyable! I might not have agreed with his stubbornness sometimes, but I admire it and his conviction. He’s not easily swayed and stick the path that he’s chosen. There’s definitely no back and forth with him. Once he decides on something, he’s going to do it.
Carmel and Thomas are as adorable as ever. I really enjoyed reading about the two of them. There’s a little bit of romance going on, but not so much to overpower the rest of the book. It’s even better because their relationship is tied intricately to Cas’s character growth. Through them, we slowly appreciate how Cas has changed from the loner that we saw in Anna Dressed in Blood, how their friendship with each other have all made all of them stronger in each of their own ways.
The plot is full of action and twists and turns. Every time I think there’s a lull in the story something happens to drag me back. I’d think I was safe from ghosts or hauntings for a while, then bam! *heart attack* j/k. The best part of this is that I really had no idea where Ms. Blake was going with this. I sat my butt down and thoroughly enjoyed the rollercoaster ride she took me on, even if I’m going to be scared of ghosts popping up in my room for the next few weeks.
Lastly, the ENDING! Ahhhh!! I have a love/hate relationship with it. On the one hand it’s perfect; on the other hand it makes me want to cry! Why oh why must you do this to me, Kendare? I almost took away half a heart, but because of how much I love this book, the .5 heart really doesn’t matter, so it’s still a 5. Also, after musing on it for a few hours, I like the ending more and more. It suits the tone of the book perfectly, so 5 it is!
In short, this book is freaking FANTASTIC!! I can’t sing enough of its praises, so you’re just going to have to read it yourself!
*Caution: do not read this when you’re alone in your room and the rest of the house is sound asleep (speaking from experience here). Read this under the bright sunshine, preferably with other people around, unless of course you enjoy scaring yourself to death.
**Disclaimer: Huge thanks to Tor Teen for providing a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own and I was not compensated for my review.
Books in this series:
1. Anna Dressed in Blood - Review
2. Girl of Nightmares
12 comments:
I'm still undecided about this, is it too YA?
I literally feel like the last person on earth to read the first book in this series. The sequel sounds so good, but I need to read the first book first!
I agree with Roxy, I still haven't read Anna Dressed in Blood >.< But I'm def picking it up soon. Love your review Ning, glad you enjoyed the book :P
I know what you mean. there're some books where it's like everyone has read them. I highly highly recommend this! I was so surprised by how much I loved Anna and now this sequel!
Honestly I had my doubts, because sequel never seem to hold up to the original, but Kendare Blake really delivered!! and yay!! I hope you get it soon.
PS I'm finding every minute I have to read Pushing the Limit!
I literally just read the first paragraph of your review because I can't wait to read Girl of Nightmares. I'm glad to see you loved it so much because I did see some reviews that weren't great.
I did too. I was a bit worried at first, but I still loved it. It doesn't focus on Anna and Cas all the time but we get some more answers concerning the voodoo stuff. For me it was just as scary if not more on some parts
Sounds so good! I can 't wait to start the series :-)
OOoh awesome! I preordered this so when I do that to save money I end up waiting four days or so until the book comes! Of course I have tons to read, but I do want to read this one soon! Read Anna not that long ago and LOVED it!
Kind of scared about this one's ending now though!
Excellent review!
don't worry about the ending lol! It's a good ending but just when I immediately finished the book I disagreed w/ it a bit, but you'll just have to read to decide! Can't wait to see what u think!
It is! I'm always surprised by how much I love this one!
True, see my frustration with Until I Die, I loved the first book, hate this one -___- sigh...but I've definitely heard great things about Girl of Nightmares and of course Anna Dressed in Blood :P Thanks I hope I get it soon as well :D I'm so excited!!
And I'm glad you finished Pushing the Limits :P
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