Author: Kendare Blake
Release Date: August 2012
Published By: Tor Teen
Pages: 332
Goodreads Rating: 4.03 stars
Review: It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on. Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears. She saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.
GIRL OF NIGHTMARES was a thrilling, fast-paced follow-up to Anna Dressed in Blood, but even though the suspense was notched way high and the plot never stopped, I almost wished for, well, less. Not necessarily a slower-paced book, but I did want more development, which I felt the last book had a lot of and this one, eh, not so much. There was plenty of potential to see Cas growing, but it seemed like not all the opportunities were used as much as they could have been. And not just development character-wise - the ending too seemed rushed.
I also had my quibbles with Anna's character. In Anna Dressed in Blood, she was fan-freaking-tastic, but here, she was more torn than strong. I completely understand she's literally in Hell in this book, but I felt like the "pathetic" aspect was overdone. I wanted to see strong Anna cresting over her troubles or at least trying to, and instead I saw weak Anna depending entirely on Cas.
This is not to say I didn't enjoy reading this book, because if there's one thing Kendare Blake is a complete master at, it's narration, and she definitely proves her mettle here. Just like in the prequel, plenty of humor is weaved in with the darker aspects in Cas' voice, leaving the reader to alternately laugh out loud and recoil in fear. At some points it seemed like there were gems of wit on every page, and that was certainly well-appreciated!
All in all, GIRL OF NIGHTMARES was somewhat disappointing but not entirely so. I wanted more in the way of development, both through the characters and in the ending, but Kendare Blake's masterful writing was still present. From Cas' voice to the un-put-down-able thrills of the plot, this book will keep readers on their toes. I recommend this to anyone who read the first book, even if they didn't like it.
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2 comments:
Hm. I was really surprised by how much I liked Anna Dressed in Blood, and was looking forward to reading this one. I'll have to keep these things in mind! And I agree--it is Blake's writing voice that really made the first book stand out to me. I hope it can carry me through the second one if there really is so little development.
Hm, good to know. Despite the killer concept, we didn't love ADiB as much as we would have liked, so we weren't sure whether or not to continue with the series.
Btw, have you seen Margot Wood's AMAZING photo inspired by ADiB?? http://www.therealfauxtographer.com/2012/09/anna-dressed-in-blood.html
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