BOOK REVIEW: Girl Of Nightmares – by Kendare Blake

Title: Girl Of Nightmares
(Anna #2)
Author: Kendare Blake
Genre: YA, Horror, Paranormal
First published: August 7th 2012
Finished reading: November 3rd 2015
Pages: 383

“His skin is black as a struck match, cracked and oozing liquid metal heat, like he’s covered by a cooling layer of lava. The eyes stand out bright white. I can’t make out from this distance if they have corneas. God I hope they have corneas. I hate that creepy weird-eye shit.”

I read Anna Dressed In Blood last month as part of my Halloween TBR and I absolutely loved it, so I decided to read the sequel Girl Of Nightmares as well even though technically it’s November already. The sequel is not quite as good as the first book, but that doesn’t take away I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked the dynamics between the different main characters, Kendare Blake‘s prose reads easily and with a fast pace it’s quite a quick read as well. Some parts can get a bit scary/bloody if you are not into the horror genre… Although the sequel is not as scary as the first book, so you should be ok if you survived Anna Dressed In Blood. Girl Of Nightmares has a different setting than the first book and I would have liked to see more of Anna, but I think that overall this read is more than satisfying and perfect for next Halloween (if you can wait that long).

WARNING: Possible spoilers! Please don’t read this summary if you haven’t read Anna Dressed In Blood yet. I’ll keep the summary short but it’s almost impossible to keep it completely spoiler-free…

Anna’s ghost has been gone for months now after she opened a door to Hell and dragged along the demon that haunted Cas… But ghost-hunter Cas is having a hard time moving on, even though his friends keep reminding him Anna had sacrificed herself so that Cas could live. It doesn’t really help that he keeps seeing her everywhere; the dead girl he fell in love with. What bothers him most is that he doesn’t know what happened to her and when he starts to suspect something is wrong, he is determined to save her whatever the cost. But can it be done and who will help him find the way?

Girl Of Nightmares might not be as good as the first book, but it is definitely an interesting read with a new twist. I would have liked to see more of Anna, but I enjoyed the European setting and the new information about the whole ghost-hunting business. It’s quite a fast read and those who enjoyed reading Anna Dressed In Blood while definitely like this story as well. Recommended!

WWW Wednesdays #63 – November 4th

WWW WEDNESDAYS is hosted by Sam at Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

I’m about 60% into The Valentine Circle by Reinaldo DelValle and while it’s not a mindblowing read, the general plot is interesting enough for me to keep reading. I will probably end up finishing it later today… I still haven’t continued with Outlander by Diana Gabaldon; not because I’m not enjoying it, but there are a few other books I want to finish first before fully commiting to this giant.

• WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

Three books and a novella this week; not bad at all…
* The first is The Fear Trials by Lindsay Cummings; an excellent prequel novella that gives the perfect introduction to the story and will convince you to read the rest of the series.
* Next up is Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver, a novel that kept popping up at my TBR lists and finally decided to pick up. Not a bad read, but I wasn’t overwhelmed by it either…
* I then decided to read The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey since it was the last title on my October TBR I hadn’t started yet. I know other people love this series, but I wasn’t convinced by the sequel either.
* After two mediocre reads, I wanted something good and decided to pick up the Anna sequel Girl Of Nightmares by Kendare Blake. While not as good as the first book, this one is still really good!

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

As soon as I finish The Valentine Circle, I will either start Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo or Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. Basically I’m superexcited to read both and I will be having a hard time deciding which one to pick up first. I also want to read Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling since it’s nominated for the Goodreads Choice awards… And my new TBR jar pick is Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple.

Teaser Tuesdays #66 – November 3rd: Girl Of Nightmares

TEASER TUESDAYS is a weekly book meme originally featured at A Daily Rhythm. To participate, just open the book you are currently reading to a random page, and choose two ‘teaser’ sentences from somewhere on that page. (no spoilers!)

I know Halloween has come and gone already, but I just couldn’t NOT read the Anna Dressed In Blood sequel. I really loved the first book, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed Girl Of Nightmares is just as good. I’m not too far into the story yet, but so far I’m enjoying it….

My teaser (14%):

“I hope a laugh will put him at ease, so I twist my mouth into a smile. ‘I don’t know what I mean. I didn’t call to freak you out. I just – I guess I just think about her a lot.’”

What are you reading right now?

WWW Wednesdays #62 – October 28th

WWW WEDNESDAYS is hosted by Sam at Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

I have finally started reading The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey, although it’s still too early to say if I like it better than the first one. I’ve also started the prequel novella The Fear Trials by Lindsey Cummings… I’m going to try and finish this series ASAP. And I’ve put Outlander by Diana Gabaldon on hold until November because there is no way I will be able to finish it before the end of the month anyway. It’s not that I don’t like it so far though!

• WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

I didn’t have that much time to read last week and I was also quite distracted by my new food blog Easy Peasy Delicious Food, so I only managed to finish three books.
* The first is The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings, a read I really enjoyed and I will be reading the sequel soon as well.
* Next up was Ochoco Reach by Jim Stewart, a very entertaining and well written read.
* Last but not least: The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg. Quite a short read, but not as good as I hoped for.

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

I really want to read Girl Of Nightmares by Kendare Blake… I loved the first book and reading this one also means I will finish another series. Although I might give in and start yet another series first with Bad Girls Don’t Die by Katie Alender… I should also read Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver since it has been appearing on my monthly TBR and WWW posts for ages. The last one, The Valentine Circle by Reinaldo DelValle, is still my latest TBR jar pick I will most likely put on hold until the month is over.

BOOK REVIEW: Anna Dressed In Blood – by Kendare Blake

Title: Anna Dressed In Blood
(Anna #1)
Author: Kendare Blake
Genre: YA, Horror, Paranormal
First published: August 30th 2011
Finished reading: October 19th 2015
Pages: 316

“I think of her again. Anna. Anna Dressed in Blood. I wonder what tricks she’ll try. I wonder if she’ll be clever. Will she float? Will she laugh or scream?
How will she try to kill me?”

Anna Dressed In Blood is one of the books on my Halloween TBR and I have to say I really loved this read. It’s a creepy ghost story with just the right amount of romance and an interesting plot. I really enjoyed Kendare Blake‘s writing style and the pace is fast enough to be able to finish it in no time at all. Anna Dressed In Blood is without doubt a proper horror read and some parts are not suitable for the weak-hearted or those who don’t like gory details… But I still think most of the story has more of a psychological horror feel. Both Anna and Cas are very interesting characters and I liked how their relationship developed during the story. Some of the other characters ended up annoying me a little, but since they didn’t play a big role in the story it didn’t bother me that much. If you are looking for a good horror story that is both entertaining and creepy, make sure to pick up Anna Dressed In Blood! I myself can’t wait to read the sequel…

When his father was brutally murdered by a ghost he was trying to kill, Cas Lowood inherited his vocation: killing the dead. Armed with his father’s mysterious athame, Cas travels around the country looking for murderous ghosts. His mother has some experience with witchcraft and their cat is a walking spirit-detector; both help Cas on his missions. They follow the local legends and never stay long in the same place, so Cas hasn’t exactly a lot of friends. But things are about to change when he decides to go after the ghost locals call Anna Dressed In Blood. Soon he realizes more and more people are getting involved in his hunt; something that normally doesn’t happen… And he will have to not only protect his own life, but that of his new friends. To make things even more complicated, Anna is not a normal ghost… Will Cas be able to defeat her?

This story is both creepy and entertaining and the perfect read for Halloween if you don’t mind the gory bits. I was able to finish Anna Dressed In Blood in no time at all and I will definitely read the sequel Girl Of Nightmares as soon as possible. Kendare Blake combines good prose with an interesting story and characters and it all just fits together. If you enjoy reading the genre, make sure to pick this one up!

WWW Wednesdays #61 – October 21st

WWW WEDNESDAYS is hosted by Sam at Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

I am currently reading two titles I have been wanting to start for a while now: The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings and Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. The first is a really fast and entertaining read so far, so I will most likely finish it first and then continue with Outlander. I’m not too far into that one yet, but so far things are looking promising!

• WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

Four finished books this weeks, which is not bad at all considering I didn’t have that much time to read.
* The first is The Girl Of Fire And Thorns by Rae Carson; a title I picked up because I was in the mood for a good fantasy read. I really enjoyed this one!
* I then finally finished And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini, completing my two TBR challenges. Yay! I didn’t enjoy this one as much as his other work though…
* Next up is Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake, which I LOVED! It’s such a creepy and perfect Halloween read! I’m going to read the sequel ASAP.
* The last one is On The Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, a read that starts out really confusing and I’m still not completely sure what to think of it.

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

The first book I will pick up when I finish The Murder Complex will be my only pending ARC Ochoco Reach by Jim Stewart. After that, I will probably try to finally read The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey… Although I might give in and start yet another series first with Bad Girls Don’t Die by Katie Alender since I’m trying to read a bunch of creepy books for Halloween. The last one, The Valentine Circle by Reinaldo DelValle, is still my latest TBR jar pick I will most likely put on hold until I’ve finished most books on my October TBR.

Friday Finds #55 – October 9th

FRIDAY FINDS is originally featured at A Daily Rhythm and showcases the most interesting books I’ve encountered during the last weeks and have added to my neverending TBR list on Goodreads. Below a selection of my newest additions; click on the book descriptions to go to its Goodreads page! 😀

My finds: