Girl of Nightmares (Anna Dressed in Blood) [Hardcover]

Kendare Blake (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 7, 2012 | Series: Anna Dressed in Blood

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Avenging ghost girlfriend Anna sacrificed herself to save Cas and his friends, but now she’s stuck in hell, tormented by the Obeahman. With visions of Anna haunting him, Cas decides he’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back. So begins a trip to England, where he meets attractive Jestine, a ghost killer trained to take Cas’ place. This satisfying sequel to Anna Dressed in Blood (2011) believably advances the story while introducing a new clan of ghost killers with decidedly different philosophies on how to lay the dead to rest. Blake excels in creepy, atmospheric landscapes, and her description of the Suicide Forest will make neck hairs rise. Grades 8-12. --Debbie Carton

Review

Praise for Anna Dressed in Blood:

"At once as eerie and terrible as it is sad and romantic, Anna Dressed in Blood is not your normal ghost story. […] This captivating story pulls no punches, making for a breathless read that lingers in the imagination long after the last page is turned."—NPR

"Abundantly original, marvelously inventive and enormous fun, this can stand alongside the best horror fiction out there. We demand sequels."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Anna Dressed in Blood is a dark and intricate tale, with a hero who kills the dead but is half in love with death himself. By the end of the book, you will be too. Spellbinding and romantic."—Cassandra Clare, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mortal Instruments series

"Cinematic and compelling. Blake’s smooth combination of gore and romance should have little problem attracting the Twilight crowd.”—Booklist

"It's the old boy meets girl story, if the boy is a wry, self-destructive ghost-hunter bent on avenging his father and the girl is a homicidal ghost trapped in a house full of everyone she's ever murdered. Needless to say, Cas and Anna are my new favorite twosome. When I got to the last page, I flipped back to the first."—Holly Black, New York Times bestselling author of Red Glove

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Tor Teen; 1st Printing edition (August 7, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780765328663
• ISBN-13: 978-0765328663
• ASIN: 0765328666
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (133 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,626 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kendare Blake grew up in the small city of Cambridge, Minnesota. She is a graduate of Ithaca College, in Ithaca, New York and received a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from Middlesex University in London, England. She loves to travel, is an advocate for animals, and cheats a lot when she plays Final Fantasy. Adopted from South Korea at the age of seven months, she arrived with the following instruction: "Feed her chocolate." Though not medically advisable, she and her parents are eternally grateful for this advice.

Kendare Blake's short fiction has appeared in numerous markets, including The Momaya Press Annual Review and Mirror Dance Magazine, among others. Her debut novel, Sleepwalk Society, deals with four friends coming of age post 9/11. ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD (2011), and GIRL OF NIGHTMARES (2012), are YA horror chronicling the strange life of Cassio Lowood, a teenage ghost hunter who falls in love with the dead girl he was supposed to kill.

The ANTIGODDESS series launches in 2013.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A helluva fanfriggintabulous sequel! A MUST read August 7, 2012

By Aeicha @ Word Spelunking

Format:Kindle Edition

Kendare Blake's Anna Dressed in Blood was one of my absolute favorite reads last year (and of all time!) and I've anxiously been awaiting Girl of Nightmares. But, with any epically awesome first book in a series, there always comes the worry that maybe the sequel just won't live up to the epicness of the first book...readers, worry not! This sequel definitely lives up to its predecessor and will NOT disappoint.

Six months after the ghost of Anna Korlov saved Cas and his friends by opening a door to Hell and dragging herself and the deadly Obeahman into it, Cas just can't seem to let her go. Despite Thomas and Carmel's efforts to get him to join the world of the living, Cas's heart remains with the dead. And when he starts to see and hear Anna, both in his nightmares and when he's awake, Cas knows something is wrong. Anna seems tortured and in pain and Cas is afraid her spirit didn't end up where it should have. Cas's desperate search for a way to help Anna takes him and his friends on a dangerous journey across the ocean where a mysterious Order, old and new friends and maybe even Hell await them.

The story of ghost-hunting, athame weidling Cas Lowood and the fiery, captivating ghost-girl he loves, returns with a bang, punch and kick. All of Kendare Blake's razor sharp, smart writing; mastery of chills and thrills; superb world-building and character development and enthralling imagination from the first book seamlessly continue in this sequel. Girl of Nightmares easily matches its predecessor when it comes to addicting storytelling, yet this sequel has a very different feel and vibe from Anna Dressed in Blood...which, isn't a bad thing....

In the first book, the scares and chills were very much in your face in a deliciously exciting and thrilling way, whereas, in this book the creepiness and spine-tinglingness is more subtle. Instead of expecting a OMG-squealing-like-a-little-girl moment to pop up on every page, the chilling and frightening essence in this book seems to linger in the shadows, around the corners and underneath every line. Instead of grabbing you by the heart or throat, the quiet, creeping air of this story, which feels very much like its own substational, corporeal thing or character, seems to sneakily wrap itself around you and, by the time you notice it's there, it already has you completely...which, I think is far scarier of the two.

Blake takes readers and her characters deeper into the world between the living and dead and does so with such hauntingly beautiful and darkly enchanting imagery. But Blake also proves to be a master of creating emotional and psychological complexities as well. Cas's journey in this book is as much an emotional one as it is a supernaturally thrilling and scary one.

Cas continues to be one of my favorite male protags ever; he grows and develops so much in this book. I love how layered and real Cas feels. Blake does a wonderful job of balancing his strength with his vulnerability. This is a hero that continues to be irresistibly likable, relatable and easy to root for. Thomas and Carmel make the perfect sidekicks and friends for Cas. I love how well this trio meshes and works together, even though they're all so very different. A new character joins the trio in this book- Jestine. Jestine is such a dynamic, fun girl. I love her feistiness, humor and easy going attitude, but I also found her unpredictability intriguing. She really kept me and Cas on our toes.

And of course, there's Anna. Anna Korlov. Anna Dressed in Blood. Anna in Hell. Anna isn't as front and center in this book as she was in the first one, but that doesn't mean her presence isn't always felt. It definitely is. We see a different side of Anna in this book, a more vulnerable and slightly timid side, making her that much more dimensional and complex. Like Cas, I too, have fallen completely in love with the spellbinding and beautiful Anna. I love how much I love this ghost-girl!

The last few chapters had me quickly turning pages in the wee hours of the night with a racing heart and wide eyes, unable to put the book down until the very end. And that ending?! So sad, so hopeful, so unexpected, so so so good.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Girl of Nightmares is a reader's dream come true: an addicting, enticing, superbly written and developed book, with a story to die for! Fans of Anna Dressed in Blood will not be disappointed by this sequel. An absolute MUST read sequel in a MUST read series! Read more ›

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Haunting and darkly funny at the same time, a worthy finale to Anna Dressed in Blood August 8, 2012

By Christina (Ensconced in YA) TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I haven't been as excited for a sequel since the Hunger Games. And that's saying something!

Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake takes place a few months after Anna Dressed in Blood ends. We rejoin our favorite trio, Cas, Carmel and Thomas as they try to figure out what Hell Anna has disappeared to at the end of the last book. Cas knows it's not a good place, and sees nightmarish visions of what is happening to Anna. His hunt to find her leads them abroad, and on their journey, they meet new friends, new enemies, and new adventures.

Anna Dressed in Blood was, if not my favorite read of the year, pretty darn close to it. So Girl of Nightmares had a lot to live up to. Just keep in mind as you read this review that I had very high expectations for this book. While still very well written with that same wonderful dark humor and gothic feel, it's not as strong as the first book. The reason I say this is because for most of the book, I am waiting for things to happen, and most of all, waiting for Anna, my favorite character from the last book, to make her grand entrance. Unfortunately, don't expect to see her much in this book. If I had realized that to begin with, I think I might have come away less disappointed.

That said, I still blazed through the book, and I completely love Blake's sense of humor, and I found myself laughing out loud multiple times throughout the book. I love the world she has created, and her female characters still pop with more energy and sass than any other ones I have seen recently. I love the three dimensionality of all the characters. Plus, Anna does get her moment, at last, and I have to say that it was a beautiful reunion.

Blake is super talented, and I know I'll be watching out for her books in the future.... This book is still a must read, as it closes the curtain on a story that is properly finished in a worthy climax. Read more ›

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A new level of badass August 7, 2012

By Steph Sinclair

Format:Hardcover

*munch, munch*

Do you hear that? That's the sound of me eating my words. Girl of Nightmares truly surprised me. I'll be honest and say I wasn't expecting to love or even like it because originally Anna Dressed in Blood and I didn't get along. While everyone else ran around screaming high praises for it, I was left on the side lines. And I hate being on the sides lines. No matter how much I tried to love Anna Dressed in Blood I couldn't. It had too many open ends and I'm of the belief that even when you are reading a series each book must stand on its own merit. So I was disappointed, but I also wanted to give the second book a try because regardless of my initial reservations, it wasn't a bad book. And after that fun interview we did, I was convinced to try again. So imagine my delight when I started reading Girl of Nightmares and discovered how much I was enjoying it. When I finished I felt like I had been on one epic ghost-busting adventure. And it was awesome.

Girl of Nightmares takes place six months after the events in Anna Dressed in Blood with Cas attempting to get on with his life without Anna. Unfortunately, that's not going so well for him since he continues to witness Anna being tortured in his sleep and while he is awake. I'm not going to go off and describe the blurb for you, but I will say Cas gets to the bottom of EVERYTHING in Girl of Nightmares.

Everything that I complained about in Anna Dressed in Blood were addressed in Girl of Nightmares. The plot is solid with no inconsistencies that I could see. In fact, I really loved the plot because there wasn't a dull moment. That partly has something to do with there being a lot of loose ends to cover: the mystery surrounding the athame, where Anna went, Cas' background, ect.... Despite there being so many issues needing to be addressed, I never once felt like Blake info dumped or rushed through explanations. It was all very smooth and engaging. I didn't want to put my book down, but well, I have kids, so it was unavoidable. And that made me cranky. Also, this book was creepy! Do yourself a big favor and do NOT read the "Suicide Forest" scene late at night. *shudders*

Don't ask, just obey...

The characters have seen a considerable amount of character development, most notably being both Cas and Carmel. Cas is no longer the cocky little prick who all girls fawn over like he's God's gift to womenkind. In Girl of Nightmares he is a broken character struggling to let go of Anna. He obsesses over it constantly to the point where it interferes with his ability to ghost hunt. This was a Cas I could easily sympathize with and I wanted him to find a way for both Anna and him to be happy. As for Carmel... I can't really say much without giving away huge spoilers, but she was a badass. You will love her.

The best part of Girl of Nightmares was the hilarious dialogue. These characters feel so real to me because Blake has sat down and given them so much personality. Laughing is pretty much a given when reading Girl of Nightmares. You can't get around it. But that's okay because you want the humor when you in the midst of being scared shitless.

The ending was perfect. I can't say anything about it because I refuse to ruin the book for anyone, but I think fans will be very happy and satisfied. Or not. Who's to say? Lol.

But I would like to share with you a piece of wisdom. After finishing Girl of Nightmares I happened to learn one big lesson:

Reading this book in the second floor hallway right above the stairs at night, while my entire household was sleeping soundly, wasn't one of my best ideas. Learn from me.

This ARC was generously given to Kat and I by Kendare Blake. This in no way swayed my views of the book. In fact, I think she was expecting me to dislike it, but she'll just have to settle for my glowing review.

More reviews and other fantastical things at Cudlebuggery Book Blog. Read more ›