If you read books with superheroes saving the civilians from Mr Doom, you might find that this book is not for you. In my opinion, this is a perfect story for readers looking for horror and an elaborate plot. Being a horror book, Blake’s tone of voice is perfect for getting the hairs on the back of your neck static.ĭespite being only twelve years old, I would rate this book 14+ as it contains a poignant ending, dark-and-gory themes and obscure, perplexing and extremely harsh words. In ghost stories and movies, they are often translucent and can go through walls In Anna Dressed in Blood they are like human beings except for their ability to possess things and hair which floats as if there was zero-gravity.

My only reservation with this book would be how the ghosts are presented. Both quotes put you in Cas’ shoes and are overall, great ways of writing. Blake uses a lot of figurative writing in her book – for example “My wrist feels like the bones are going to separate in about ten seconds,” and “I feel grounded and as high as a kite at the same time”.

The vast amount of vocabulary gives exact details to paint the perfect picture in your head. And complex words: parapsychology, permeates, atrophy and consecrated. This includes voodoo words: athame, obeahman, Beltane and mysticism. Instead of the word ‘covering’ Kendare Blake uses ‘winding’ to help you imagine the veins roving through her skin.Īnna Dressed in Blood contains a large amount of challenging vocabulary. The quotations “Veins snake up her arms and neck, winding through her face,” give the reader a vivid description of Anna’s response. Anna’s personality alters as the spell is put into action. The repetition of ‘all’ emphasises the strength of the spell, and almost gives you a picture of what Cas is thinking. As they chant he begins to “feel us all walking, all of our legs, joined up with the invisible thread”. Cas can “feel the strength of the spell”. Cas and his friends have cast a spell with incantations and occult supplies – roasted herbs, oils, chicken feet, Dasani water and candles. In my opinion, the best part of the book is when Anna is defeated. And when a new friend of Cas gets killed, Cas knows this will be the toughest ghost he’s ever gone against. There was a new ghost in town and only Cas could kill it. Cas travelled around a lot, much like he did with his dad. An Obeahman had killed his dad biting him from top to bottom. Cas hunted ghosts with his athame (a knife which once belonged to his dad) to kill them. The story features Theseus Cassio Lowood (also known as Cas) who is a 14-year-old boy, living with his Mum and cat - Tybalt. Anna dressed in blood is a book by Kendare Blake.

Anna dressed in blood series