B is for (Books About) Blood

For A to Z 2018, my theme is Books About ____. If you’re stopping by from your own A to Z blog, feel free to leave a link. If you need help with how to do that, you can look here.

If you’re someone looking to read a lot of great blogs, here’s the link for the A to Z challenge.

If you’re like me and love horror, eventually, blood is going to show up. Vampires, zombies, murderers… they’re all out for blood. (Well, technically zombies are out for flesh, but it makes blood, so…)

Anna Dressed In Blood, by Kendare Blake (YA horror): This one is so bloody, it’s even in the title. Cas hunts bad ghosts and kills them all the way. When he hears the legend about Anna, he goes looking for her. She kills everyone who walks into her house, but for some reason, doesn’t kill Cas, and he doesn’t want to kill her either. Romance + horror = a fun read.

Guilty Pleasures, by Laurell K. Hamilton (fantasy): For me, this is one of the best vampire series of all time (the first 10 or so). Anita Blake’s “day job” is as a necromancer, reanimating the dead to pay the bills. As a side gig, she’s a vampire hunter who knows the dark underbelly of St. Louis and gets way too cozy with the monsters around her. There’s romance, politics, adventure, mystery, along with an interesting and kick-ass main character.

The Coldest Girl In Coldtown, by Holly Black (YA horror): Tana wakes up from a party to find just about everyone slaughtered by vampires. It’s not supposed to happen because vampires live in Coldtowns, away from everyone, so it should be safe. Only her boyfriend and a strange vampire seem to be around, so she takes them both away before they’re slaughtered by the bad vampires lurking in the basement. I love Holly Black, but this book is my favorite of hers.

Carrie, by Stephen King (horror): It’s an old book, but still one of the best horror novels out there. I loved both the 1976 and 2013 versions of this movie, but the book is still the best. Carrie is an unpopular teen with a crazy mother. When Carrie develops powers, her high school will never be the same.

What are your favorite bloody books?

Anna Dressed In Blood- A Review

Anna Dressed in Blood, by Kendare Blake, is one of those books that both thrills me and makes me sad.  Thrills me because its a great book- great horror mixed with romance.  Makes me sad because I haven’t written anything that awesome, and books like that make me want to sit down and get right to writing.  If you’re a fan of ghost stories and romance, just buy it.  Don’t bother with the library.  I have to go order it on Amazon right now because I got it from the library.

I heard about this book from some website; I don’t remember which one, but the title was intriguing enough for me to go right to the library website and order it.  I loved the premise right away- Cas is a 17 year old who “kills” murdering ghosts.  It’s a legacy he inherited from his father, who was killed in the line of duty.  Cas hears about Anna, who kills anyone who goes into her house, and knows he has to go to her.

When Cas and Anna meet for the first time, he doesn’t kill her and she doesn’t kill him, and neither of them are quite sure why.  There are a couple of mysteries mixed up in this story, and I was too busy reading to even anticipate the answers, which is really saying something for me!

Obviously I give this book two thumbs way up, and I look forward to seeing what Kendare Blake has in store for us next.  Girl of Nightmares (the sequel to Anna Dressed in Blood!), is already out, and on request through the library.  She also has a book called Sleepwalk Society that I’m just going to order from Amazon right now.  Happy reading!

Here’s a link to Kendare Blake’s website in case you want more info on her or her books.