A review by kblincoln
Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake
5.0
Come for the horror, stay for the snark.
If you enjoyed the dreamy, action-packed gothic horror of Anna Dressed in Blood, you will definitely enjoy the sequel, Girl of Nightmares. Cass thought he'd triumphed over his father's murderer when the the poltergeist-esque Anna dragged the Obeahman down to hell with her in the climactic scene of Anna Dressed in Blood.
These days Cass is uneasy, and despite his psychic/voodoo friend Thomas and queen bee Carmel telling him to let Anna go- he can't. He is seeing her in dreams, and she isn't happy. In fact, she seems tortured.
Cass will have to delve deep into the border between life and death without the blessing of the adults he's come to rely upon. Nobody wants to help him bring back Anna Dressed in Blood.
With the introduction of a new, kick-ass character late in the book and creepy, creepy scenes set in places such as a Suicide Forest (with bodies that act like Doctor Who Weeping Angels) and the Obeahman's version of Hell, this is spine-tinglingly fun to read.
And what makes it fun is not only the scary tension, but also Cass' irreverent voice.
"Welcome," some dude says to us as he opens the car door when it pulls up to the main building. He's young and groomed, in a black suit, looking like he fell out of GQ. He and the driver might be twins. It's sort of disconcerting, like Fembots in reverse. I bet the cook looks like this, too."
It's a bit gory, with references to many dead bodies, so I probably wouldn't want my third grader to accidentally read it, but it's fine for older kids.
This Book's Snack Rating: Spicy Nacho flavored Doritos for the kick of horror-tension on top of crunchy, action-packed plot and snarky characters
If you enjoyed the dreamy, action-packed gothic horror of Anna Dressed in Blood, you will definitely enjoy the sequel, Girl of Nightmares. Cass thought he'd triumphed over his father's murderer when the the poltergeist-esque Anna dragged the Obeahman down to hell with her in the climactic scene of Anna Dressed in Blood.
These days Cass is uneasy, and despite his psychic/voodoo friend Thomas and queen bee Carmel telling him to let Anna go- he can't. He is seeing her in dreams, and she isn't happy. In fact, she seems tortured.
Cass will have to delve deep into the border between life and death without the blessing of the adults he's come to rely upon. Nobody wants to help him bring back Anna Dressed in Blood.
With the introduction of a new, kick-ass character late in the book and creepy, creepy scenes set in places such as a Suicide Forest (with bodies that act like Doctor Who Weeping Angels) and the Obeahman's version of Hell, this is spine-tinglingly fun to read.
And what makes it fun is not only the scary tension, but also Cass' irreverent voice.
"Welcome," some dude says to us as he opens the car door when it pulls up to the main building. He's young and groomed, in a black suit, looking like he fell out of GQ. He and the driver might be twins. It's sort of disconcerting, like Fembots in reverse. I bet the cook looks like this, too."
It's a bit gory, with references to many dead bodies, so I probably wouldn't want my third grader to accidentally read it, but it's fine for older kids.
This Book's Snack Rating: Spicy Nacho flavored Doritos for the kick of horror-tension on top of crunchy, action-packed plot and snarky characters