#161 Book Review: Girl of Nightmares

Girl of Nightmares (Anna #2)
Release Date: August 7th 2012
Author: Kendare Blake
Publisher: Tor Teen (Hachette Australia)
Source: Publisher for Review
Format: Paperback
Where to Buy: Fishpond | Booktopia
More Info: Goodreads

Summary from Goodreads:

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.

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.

Cover:
CREEPY BUT AWESOME! I think this cover is even better than the first book. I like how the girl puts her hand out, as if inviting us to go to 'hell', the background really suits the cover and the girl is a great portrayal of Anna!

Story:

To what extent would you save your love.....if she's a ghost?

To Cas, he would literally go to 'hell' to save Anna.  The sequel picks up 6 months later after the events in the first book and Cas is still tormented by his love for Anna and his guilt of losing her because she saved him from the Obeahman. He sees Anna everywhere and when she discovers that Anna is in hell, Cas would endure anything to save her.

Girl of Nightmares is the enthralling and eerily gorgeous sequel to Anna Dressed in Blood. After loving the first book so much, I was really curious of where the sequel is going to take us and wow, the sequel absolutely blew me away. It was just as amazing as the first book!

Kendare Blake continues to write in her gorgeous writing style, blending themes of sadness, guilt, fear and love. This blend creates a beautiful book about a guy trying to save his love, even though his love is no longer a part of the world. New things are introduced in this book and they are terrifying. There is a scene in the book where the characters walk through the Suicide Forest and all I can say is "I don't think I can sleep tonight!" It's definitely one of the creepy scenes and I must applaud Kendare for her ability to execute terrifying scenes well. The ending is bittersweet and I completely understand how Kendare ends the book that way, even though it is not what I expected.

Characters:
Besides Kendare gorgeous story, her characters are so easy to connect with. I feel what Cas feels. Despite how the story may seem like a typical ghost story, where the main character falls in love with a ghost, this is not the case with Girl of Nightmares. Something deeper is going  on with Cas and Anna. It's love, but it's something more. I like how ghosts are portrayed just as they are, as in Blake does not merely attach the word 'ghost' to her characters, but actually make them one. I really like Cas' growth in this book, clearly shown by the ending of the book. Meanwhile, Thomas and Carmel are really good friends and are very supportive of Cas. I like that about them! Thomas and Carmel's relationship is sweet and cute as well. In this book, we also find out more about Gideon, his secrets and new characters are also introduced in this book, in relation with Cas' father and the athame.

Overall:
Girl of Nightmares is the enthralling, bittersweet and beautiful sequel to Anna Dressed in Blood. With Kendare's gorgeous writing, dark and terrifying story plot, Girl of Nightmares is an enticing mixture of sadness, guilt, fear and love. If you love creepy books with a touch of romance, then this series is for you!

5 Forget-Me-Not flowers for Girl of Nightmares!

Thank you Hachette Australia for the review copy!