Audiobook: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Read by August Ross

Synopsis:
Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. They follow legends and local lore, destroy the murderous dead, and keep pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

Searching for a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas expects the usual: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

Yet she spares Cas's life.

My Thoughts: I've heard a lot of hype on this book but was hesitant to try it out. When I saw the audio copy available at the library, I gave in without high hopes. I expected another teen angst paranormal book. Boy, was I wrong! Anna Dressed in Blood blew my mind!

I was immediately captured with the story. First of all, this was told by a male's perspective. It was very refreshing after reading many young adult books with a female protagonist. Here we had Cas who "killed" ghosts. The story started off with him searching for a ghost who was killing people. The beginning completely grabbed my attention and the way Cas told his story as he went on to his next project had me hooked. Yes, there was cussing and very descriptive gruesome scenes, but it added more to the horror of this book. Honestly, this book had me scared a few times! As I listened, my heart thumped very fast and my eyes would bug out. I wanted to cover my ears a few times but wouldn't because I was eager to know what would happen next.

This production was narrated by August Ross and he did a marvelous job! He captured Cas' character very well. The only thing that had me giggling with his presentation was his voice for Anna. He made her sound as if she were a toddler. Other than that, I quite enjoyed him reading the story. He knew when to add emphasis, made the scary scenes terrifying, and had me laughing when Cas threw a joke here and there. August Ross really made this story come to life.

Overall, this was a very thrilling audiobook. I was completely captured by the story and actually felt scared throughout. It made me eager to search for the sequel. I rate it: