Reviews
Read this review, and many more on my blog October Tune! Warning, this review might have some minor spoilers for the first book in the series! After reading Anna Dressed in Blood, I was both curious and not curious at all for the sequel. I wouldn't have minded if the story had ended with the first book, because to me it was a very good ending. But the story didn't end there. No, there was Girl of Nightmares, the second and last book of this series, where apparently Cas was going to try to rescue Anna from wherever she got dragged into. To be honest, I was quite reluctant to read this book, mainly because of the 'romance' in the first one. I mean, he falls in love with a ghost, seriously? I know I'm not the biggest romance fan, but this kind of felt weird to me. I liked the rest of the book enough to not give it two stars, but the romance just ruined it for me. Still, I was curious for the rest of the story, so I got Girl of Nightmare. The first half of the book, I was annoyed at Cas' determination to get Anna out of Hell. The girl is dead, let her be dead. She may not be in peace, but there is nothing you can do about it. I felt frustrated every time he ignored his friends' advice, his mother's advice, basically everyone's advice. I wanted to grab him by the shoulders, shake him and tell him to let her go. But of course, Cas did not let her go. He spend most of the book wanting to get her out of Hell, and he actually risked his life a couple of times because of this, and it just made me really angry. Sure, I get it, he's in love with her - but she's a ghost, she's been dead for decades, and she's in Hell. There is a very small change they will ever get together again. During the second half of the book, things started to get more exciting, and I started to read with more pleasure. Carmel started acting really odd, and the guys were planning on opening a door to Hell to get Anna out. Seriously, these guys have probably never seen a Supernatural episode. BAD IDEA, BAD IDEA! Anyway, we got introduced to a new character - Jestine, whose name just sounded really odd to me (I mean, Jestine and Carmel for an English and American girl - but Anna for a Finnish girl - I don't hate the names, but I just thought it was funny). I didn't like Jessy - I am going to call her that - at first, because she felt like a complete show-off at first, but she kind of grew on me in the end. When I got to the last couple of chapters, I started to feel really anxious, because there were only about fifty pages left, and nothing had really happened yet. I got more and more stressed, the more I read on, and the ending actually left me a bit.. yeah, well, unsatisfied I guess? I don't know, I just didn't like the way it ended, and I had kind of hoped for more closure. In the end, I think the characters started to grow on me more than usual, I even started to like Cas a bit more, but yeah I want to know more about them. Maybe a novella, Ms Blake? That would be really nice. In the end, I liked Girl of Nightmare, but I wouldn't really call it one of my favourite reads of this year. If you're into horror stories, like Miss Peregrine's, I recommend this series to you - unless you're totally not into weird romances. My opinion of this book in one gif:
3 Stars I read Anna Dressed in Blood last year and quite enjoyed it. But I never got around to reading the sequel. As it turns out, I should have just left Anna Dressed in Blood as a standalone read, because Girl of Nightmares was a disappointing sequel. It wasn’t a terrible book, but it was nowhere near as good as its predecessor. Considering that this was only a duology, it was an anticlimactic ending. Anna Dressed in Blood was like a YA Supernatural with an excellent balance between humor and gothic creepiness. Girl of Nightmares never managed to find that balance. The main problem was that the story was drowning in angst. And I didn’t believe in the love, so the fact that the story hinges on his lost love made the whole thing a bit nauseating. I just get so bored with angsty love stories. There weren’t even as many action scenes and the horror element was not present. Even with a secret society and an underworld, the story just wasn’t captivating enough. It was an easy read and gives the reader closure, but it did not live up to the first book. RATING FACTORS: Ease of Reading: 4 Stars Writing Style: 3 Stars Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars Level of Captivation: 3 Stars Originality: 3 Stars
This was okay, easy read. I did really like the first book but this second one was more average, it was still alright though!! I do like the characters in this series, they're fun and the ending was wrapped up quite well! If you're looking for something easy to read and get into, these are a good choice
** spoiler alert ** I don't know what I can say, other than I cried like a baby at the end. I wasn't sure how it was gonna end, I knew we wouldn't be lucky enough to have a happy ending but I was still hoping for one. But I was not expecting Anna to get her happy ending in her dream world with Cas and her friends and basically live happily ever after. The tears just would not stop. I really did enjoy this book, it was different from most books I read but it was refreshing. The only thing I'm curious about, if someone could help clear this up, is how all of a sudden it's the end of summer, and schools about to start as Carmel said. Was it not the very start of summer when the left to England? And they can't have been there longer than two weeks? Or did I miss something? Aside from that I found no plot holes, which is always a plus with me
** spoiler alert ** So much worse than the first book. The first book was alright for me—I didn’t love it, but I liked it. This sequel, however, was so all over the place. First, the introduction of a new character. I don’t even remember what her name was—it was the edgy girl who probably had green highlights and cut up her clothes to be Cool. You know who I’m talking about. She just seemed so unnecessary, and was also kind of irritating. Second, it was slow. The first book at least had a lot more action. This book was about 90% the characters planning to do something, and 10% them actually doing something. Third, the whole Suicide Forest thing. To be frank, it felt like this entire book—or at least that entire scene—had been written purely because the author read about the Suicide Forest and thought, “hey, that’s a cool idea! I’m gonna write about it now!” It doesn’t integrate smoothly with the rest of the plot, in my opinion. It kind of stands out among the rest of the storyline, out of place. Fourth, the ending. Are you kidding me? Cas goes through all of this to get Anna back, just to let her go again? Sure, it’s kind of touching, I guess, that he is willing to let her go for her to be blissfully happy. It’s also frustrating. Overall, wasn’t impressed with this sequel. I actually like Kendare Blake’s books, particularly her Three Dark Crowns series which I thought spectacularly outshined this series.
G.O.N was definitely not what I thought it would be like. Honestly I think the cover is what I most liked about the book. -hides- Don't get me wrong it was still good and I enjoy Kendare Blake writing. No doubt! The story itself didn't have that grip on me like Anna dressed in blood did. Where Anna was a creepy read, I didn't feel that with this one. Did Anna just lose her edge because of the outcome in book one? Maybe? Carmel and Thomas didn't really hold their own either. I loved their interactions in AD in B, but in G.O.N it felt like they were forced together here. Which sucks because I thought they made for a cute and interesting couple. Couples have their issues, and maybe thats what this was. The new characters also were blah to me. I just couldn't get into them. Jestine just seemed like a bitch, and maybe it's because of who she was and what she was trying to accomplish. Who knows. Then we got to meet the famous Gideon when Cas and everyone went over seas to see if they could help get Anna. The book cover and title itself did fit with the storyline. Cas kept seeing Anna trapped in hell, and knew from the first book he wasn't going to give up trying to get to her, even if it meant traveling to another country. It was a bit slow up til the point where they traveled. Then the adventure they had trying to find the entrance to hell was a bit more enjoyable.
This is a great sequel, I read it in one sitting. Kendare Blake managed to make this book even spookier that the first book. Anna is now in hell, and Cas cant move on. He begins to see her everywhere, so much that he and his friends both think he may be loosing jt completely. However it turns out that Anna is reaching through from the other sidex and Cas decides he's going to do whatever it takes to get her out and back in this world. This journey takes him to England to see his old friend Gideon, then into the Scottish Highlands where he has to pass certian tests from a hidden group of people that can help him reach Anna. It was a great book, and the only reason I didnt give this one a 5 as well is because it didnt end how I expected it to. The ending was still very good, just not necessarily what I was hoping for. If you enjoyed the first book in this series, you should definitely read this one too.
3.5*
I finished my first read for spookathon !!! My feelings are the same on this book as on the first one: it's not bad but I feel pretty disconnected to it which takes away so much from my enjoyment. full review: https://jelkelenaerts.blogspot.be/201...
I don't know how to review this book without spoiling it. Review soon, maybe.
I did not want a sequel, but I got it and it was everything! Love this duology.
Not as great as the first one, but an enjoyable read.
This is going to be a really tough review to write, since I all but flipped out praising Kendare Blake's first book, Anna Dressed in Blood. I was so very excited to see what happened to Anna and Cas after the cliffhanger that Blake left for us in the last book. As soon as I was able to get my hands on a copy of Girl of Nightmares I did! I was eager for more of the stuff of nightmares that drew me in the first time around. What I found though was a much different book. Anna and Cas are both back. However this time they're so different, and I'll admit that it threw me off a bit. If you'll remember from my review of the first book, I loved Cas' cocky demeanor and lone wolf attitude. What can I say? I'm a sucker for boys like that. The Cas that comes through in this book is a much more lonely and sad boy. Broken, sad, a little like a lonely puppy. Where was my Cas? In the same respect, Anna was there, but also not. I can't explain without spoiling, but I missed her so much. After a few chapters I finally got used to Cas' new attitude, and was okay with it. Blake does a great job of showing his deep need to find Anna. So I kept reading on, hoping for some scary scenes to keep me up and night and sadly nothing happened. Seriously. There are multiple chapters where nothing exciting happens at all. Now, yes, I understand why. Kendare Blake spends a lot of this book explaining the history behind Cas' athame. She also introduces a new threat in the form of a sinister society with tons of secrets. However without the visceral imagery, the haunting happenings, and the Anna/Cas interaction, I found myself bored. It made for a slow read. It's actually not surprising to me that I didn't love Girl of Nightmares as much as Blake's first book. I loved Cas as a ghost busting bad-ass. I adored Anna as a vicious yet gorgeous apparition. Everything that I loved about Anna Dressed in Blood was missing here. I applaud the character development, and can't deny that I enjoyed learning about the athame's past. Still, this wasn't my favorite sequel. This is worth a read for closure alone though, especially if you were waiting as eagerly as I was.
