This book is everything the
reviews on the inside cover say it is. That is absolutely terrifying. The story
follows Theseus Cassio Lowood, a ghost hunter, whom after having lost his father
to the profession decides to pursue the lifestyle himself in hopes of vengeance
for his father. Armed with a knife passed down the generations of his family, his
Wiccan mother and her angry cat, he travels the country and occasionally the
world, hunting down and ending the terror filled afterlives of vengeful ghosts.
Cas (As he is known by his family and peers) sets off on the trail of a legend
known as ‘Anna Dressed in Blood’.
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| Source: www.kendareblake.com |
For quite a while it seems as if this book
will merely be a one off, but halfway-3/4 of the way through something in the
plot changes making it impossible to simply end without fully resolving all the
issues, and even the reader doesn’t want it to end in hopes of reconciliation
in a sequel. The book is immensely better than it may initially seem, as a
couple of the characters who aren’t the protagonist, particularly Anna, Carmel
and Michael, are more than you’d ever expect them to be and you slowly feel
yourself growing attached to the characters.
Kendare Blake uses imagery to her
advantage to strike fear into the minds of the reader when describing Anna and both her inner torment and the torment she causes those who dare enter her
house. Not only does she terrify the
reader, she also draws them in with the curiosity to discover the heart wrenching back story behind Anna’s
death and the overall plot of the novel. With her tremendous skill for
capturing the reader’s hearts, she also manages to have us appreciating the cat
on a whole new level.
When reading this book I found myself mentally cheering every
time there was a success on behalf of Cas and his friends, and getting ready to
grab my pitchfork to start an angry mob when something went wrong. I also can’t
leave this review without commenting on how beautiful the cover of the book is,
it’s absolutely gorgeous. I thoroughly recommend this book to readers who are
particularly interested in YA or even the horror genre because it is a
fantastic read and I cannot wait for the release of the sequel. 5/5 stars for this novel for fantastic
character arcs, brilliant story telling and a Kendare's wonderful literary talent.
You can check out Kendare Blake's website here: http://kendareblake.com/
