Book Review - Anna Dressed in Blood

I'll admit that the last time I read a young adult book told primarily from a guy's point of view was likely back when the Harry Potter books were still new.  I'm not sure if I've ever read a young adult book written in first person where the main character was a guy - unless that "never released, never finished" book written from Edward's POV counts...and I don't think it does.  So, it took me a little while to get into the rhythm of this book, but I'm really glad I did.

It's deliciously creepy.

More than a little gory (really, some of those scenes in the middle portion of the book kept me up at night).

And the main character made me wonder if the Winchester brothers had a younger sibling they didn't know about....

I really loved the story.  Cas' voice was cynical, a little sarcastic, and a touch gritty.  He's spent more of his life interacting with the undead (following in his father's footsteps) than being a normal high school student, and it shows.  When he's forced to make friends in his new town, he'd be much happier just out dealing with ghosts somewhere - but he needs them when he encounters a ghost like he's never met before.

When he meets Anna, he may have just met his match.

I highly recommend this book for fans of things that go bump in the night.

5 out of 5 dog treats

Recently Read: Code Name Verity

I'll admit I'm pressed for time right now.  As much as I'd love to give a really thorough review of this excellent (albeit, very unique) book...right now, I'm up to my ears in things to do.  (Making the fire ants that are trying to take over my house find somewhere else to seek shelter from the heat is at the very top of the list.)

So...I'm cheating right now.  I'm copying and pasting my short Goodreads review here.

I promise I'll be back to fill in more details, but I just couldn't wait to share about this book.

I'm going to have to keep this one vague simply because there's little too discuss that won't really give away too much of the overall plot. First things first, though, this is NOT a happy and cheerful book. Yes, there are happy moments...times that will make a reader laugh and smile - but most of it isn't light. Most of the book is actually pretty heavy, but that's understandable since this is a book about World War II. I can't even say if the ending's happy or not, but I will say that it is a very honest ending based on the plot of the rest of the book. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Have I read another book that's very similar? No. Do I think this will someday end up on (probably high school) reading lists? Almost definitely. As soon as I finished the book, I passed it on to my daughter to read. That's about the best I can do as far as recommending it.

The Hunger Games Poster

I'm a little skeptical about some of the casting. Well, let's just say I'm a LOT skeptical of the casting for the movie, but the poster looks amazing.

I had to post it here.

If you haven't read "The Hunger Games" series, you're truly missing out. Add it to your to be read pile after you finish "The Body Finder" series, though. That's still my favorite.