His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live—not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.
Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor. (From Goodreads)
Anna Dressed in Blood definitely gave me chills and left me hanging out with some pretty spooky images. And Girl of Nightmares was somehow even more disturbing and vivid. The ghost of Anna's ghost is far more terrifying than the one that had the ability to pretty much crush your bones. Not to mention there are glimpses into hell and the Obeahman - by far one of the most horrifying villains ever - is gaining more power still. And this is enough to give nightmares, but it's the images - sometimes just small ones that are a sentence in passing - that really does it - skulls like broken eggshells, Anna crawling into a furnace, corpses hanging from trees - to name a few. Kendare Blake has a way with words that's partially beautiful and partially gruesome.
And can I just say how Buffy this book is? I freaking love it. Secret orders that are based in England, an English mentor, a ghost-killer who has inherited his role, two side-kicks - one who is powerful, one who isn't, but both are equally loveable, oh and not to mention the guy who's supposed to be killing ghosts falling in love with one of the ghosts. The whole Buffy package is here, just shaken up a bit. So awesome.
Of course, this is a second book, so some new characters can be expected. Most are pretty inconsequential, but the addition of Jestine was awesome. She's another kick-butt girl who is able to put Cas in his place. I also really enjoyed reading more of Gideon's character. In book one he was a far away contact on another continent. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about his character, but it was good to be given a chance to actually meet him.
Just to mention quickly - the ghosts in this book are nutso! I can't go too much into it, because I don't want to give things away. But the dead people that Cas fights in this book are intense and completely shocking.
I've definitely reached the line that separates explanation and spoilers, so I'll stop here. I'm just very impressed with both Anna books and I will be waiting anxiously to see what Kendare Blake does next. I can only imagine it will be awesome, frightening, and beautiful.
