Reading Rainbow: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Horror is not a genre that I normally read. Sure, many years ago I read a ton of Anne Rice books and I even read Stephen King's The Shining. I blame that story for scaring the bejeezus out of me, and let's agree to never, ever discuss the movie. So when Stacie and Leigh asked me to review Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake, I was, well naturally, a little concerned. Would a book which pictures of a pretty ghost dripping in blood on its cover be my stuff o' nightmares?

Far from it, in fact, I am happy to report that it's one of my favorite reads this year. Okay, here it comes, the passionate part of my review. You guys know I have a well documented weakness for a boy's point-of-view and Cas is one fictional boy you have got to meet. He carries with him the burden of his heritage as a ghost hunter. Although, he has a wonderful, concerned mom and a faraway, but accessible, mentor in his life, you get the feeling his life is lonely. Kill a ghost. Move to another town. Get up and start all over again.

"I've seen a lot of seasons change. When you're not distracted by school and friends and what movie is coming out this week, you've got time to look at the trees." (chapter 17)

But then, they move into Anna's town and things become really creepy. The exact level of reeeeeeeally creepy I adore. Did I mention that Cas has a special knife, an athame, that allows him to dispatch ghosts? Umm, hellooooooo, Hot Boy with Sword. Have I convinced you to pick the book up yet? No?

Add to all of the that, Anna. She is an unexpected surprise for me because she is clearly not good. She kills people, after all. But (and oh boy, I know you could see that "but" coming), but...I adored her. The manner in which Kendare presents Anna's back story is so well written that it easily qualifies as some of the loveliest writing I've read this year. I expected Anna's story to be sad, okay, even tragic but not...this. As in the very best of stories, when you find out one thing sometimes everything changes. This story made me change. It did. Now I won't shy away from books whose premise may register as scary on my horror-meter-of-doom. I'm going to pick them up instead.

I challenge you to do the same. Kendare's characters, setting and oh, that multi-layered, gorgeously written plot are not to be missed. I can hardly wait to read more about Cas, his friends and those creepy, crawly fascinating mysteries they discover.

Reading Rainbow: The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

 I'm joining in the spOOky recs this week with a book I devoured over the weekend, The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson. NotS is the story of Rory Deveaux, a teenager from Louisiana who moves to London to attend a boarding school for her senior year. There she meets an assortment of people, some friendly, some not, some of the hot boy variety, some of the not-alive-anymore variety. You know, the usual. (You can see where the spOOky part of the rec comes in.)

 

Upon Rory's arrival, a series of murders begins plaguing London, closely copying the infamous Jack the Ripper murders from over 100 years before. When Rory becomes the only witness, and subsequently a target, things get complicated. (DUN DUN DUN.)

Sometimes you read a book and you think "This author must've snuck into my head and picked out EVERY SINGLE THING I LOVE when putting this together, because it's PERFECT." It doesn't happen often, but when it does it's like a chorus of angels singing on the page. That's how I felt about The Name of the Star.  Johnson writes the well-known fish-out-of-water scenario believably. I could see the London Rory was seeing, and embraced it right along with her. I cared when Rory felt lonely and swooned when she felt the tingles of romance. But most of all, I was peeking out from behind my fingers to read when Rory realized that things were not right and that some of the people she'd seen were not alive.

The Name of the Star has ghosts, mystery, suspense, teenage hormonal angst, hot British boys, and ghosts who are hot British boys. Any way you look at it, this book is WIN, and it comes with an ending that will leave you wanting more without feeling like you were left hanging.

Like I said, the perfect book. So, don't be scared, pick up a copy.

Reading Rainbow: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

It's time for another rec in our spOOky series of Reading Rainbows!  This week, we have Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.  Honestly, I started this book knowing it might be creepy, but I had NO IDEA it would be as spooky (and actually scary) as it turned out to be!

From Goodreads:

A mysterious island.
An abandoned orphanage.
A strange collection of very curious photographs.
It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

The first thing the drew me to this book is quite obviously the cover.  Who can resist that?  And, there are pictures throughout the book as well.  (I read it on my nook color and I could see the pictures just fine - though I've heard many people with non-color e-readers wishing they had read a hard copy.)

The pictures go along with the story, and in fact, are an integral part of the story and the characters.  I don't want to give anything away, because part of the fun of this book is the mystery of it all.  But, I will say that within that mystery (which will keep you reading!) is a lot of SCARY STUFF.  I had to read this one with the lights on.  And since I'm a wimp, I asked our contributor Nicole (formerly known as Dusty Moats) if this book is, in fact, spOOky, or if it was just me.  She said, "It was very dark and spooky.  And even a bit gory."  And this comes from a girl who loves herself some horror, so I consider her an expert.

So, in keeping with the spOOky theme of the month, we're recommending this book.  But you might need to leave the lights on.  Just sayin. 

Reading Rainbow: Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-

I've decided that we should get in the Halloween spirit around here, and to do that, we will rec only spOOky books for the month of October!  Now, if you've been around WhimFic a while, you know that spOOky for me is... well, not really all that spOOky.  But, I promise they'll have a bit of scary to them!  First on the list is a book that I loved because it had some heart-jumping moments, but it was also hilarious (wait until you read the running-across-the-field-in-underwear scene - trust me!).  Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore is a perfect start for our spOOky book recs!

From Goodreads:

Amy Goodnight's family is far from normal. She comes from a line of witches, but tries her best to stay far outside the family business. Her summer gig? Ranch-sitting for her aunt with her wacky but beautiful sister. Only the Goodnight Ranch is even less normal than it normally is. Bodies are being discovered, a ghost is on the prowl, and everywhere she turns, the hot neighbor cowboy is in her face.

Okay, so if you read this and wonder why I thought it qualified as spOOky, please remember I AM A WIMP.  So let's just get that out of the way.  But, it is a ghost story!  Ghosts are scary!  And it has mystery, suspense, and moments that made me a little afraid to turn off the light, to be honest. 

I have to say, I loved Amy Goodnight.  She's such a perfect main character.  She continually laughed at herself (and her actions) which made me laugh out loud throughout the book.  I also really liked the "witch" element of the book.  The members of Amy's family are witches, but there is a modernity to them - especially in the character of Phin, Amy's sister - that makes it all the more interesting.  And funny, which you all know I love.

Can we talk about The Guy?  Because, while he has no sword, he does have a cowboy hat and boots!  Not only that, he can hold his own (and then some) against Amy's sharp tongue, and the banter between them makes the book all the more fun. 

So, if you're ready to start reading some slightly-scary books to get yourself in the Halloween spirit, start with Texas Gothic!  It's a perfect book for this time of the year.