The Good Stuff Reminded me a little of Buffy the Vampire Slayer - which by the way is the highest praise. Whedon could make a totally awesome series or even a stand a lone movie based on these two books Fabulous humour - I cannot tell you how many times I laughed my butt off while reading. It's quirky and dark and again very whedonish Cas is such a likeable character, even when you want to smack him upside the head for being so stupid Dark, creepy and just totally engrossing - kept begging my boss to let me just finish the last 50 pages before I had to get back on the sales floor Cas' mom is fabulous - the kinda mom we all need Strong secondary characters Loved the relationship and dialogue between Cas, Caramel and Thomas Great opening line Love the cover of both this and Anna dressed in blood The author describes Lake Superior so bang on and beautifully not as prominent as in the first book but still most of book is set in Thunder Bay (trust me if you have ever been there, you know it is the perfect setting for a haunting) There is an old library with a rolling ladder and a scene in the Tower of London (which is on my bucket list for places to see) Lots of twists and turns, had no idea what was going to happen Would like to see a story based on Justine Perfect ending!!!! The Not So Good Stuff drags a wee bit This isn't a bad thing more of an FYI - it is quite dark and twisted at times, not one for the easily spooked YA reader Do you have any idea how hard it was to pick only three quotes Favorite Quotes/Passages "She goes up the stairs, to the room she's taken over for spell work. It's full of block wax and oils and dusty bottles of herbs. I hear that other mothers have entire rooms designated for sewing. That must be weird.|" "Personally, I think that eating the cookies is a minor point compared to the part where Morfan sent h is grandson to unknowingly visit a dead family member, but hey, everybody has their pet peeves. Apparently, Thomas's is dead peoples' snack food." "She glares at me resentfully, like I'm being unfair. But she's probably going to try to kill me, and kill me righteously, so eff you very much." 4.75 Dewey's I purchased this from Chapters Shawnessy the day after I read Anna Dressed in Blood because I needed to know what happened!

Guys, I really really love these books. I love the concept, I love the characters, I love the dialogue and I love the covers. There's just so much to love! It took me a little while to read Girl of Nightmares because the idea of not having new Cas and Anna stories to look forward to was heartbreaking. I just adore the two of them. They are such unique characters, and I really enjoy reading about them. Cas, the broken, determined, and powerful young ghost hunter captured my heart in the first book, and broke it to pieces in the second. Watching him grow as a person and watching his quest to *this would be a spoiler if I said it* made me so proud of him. I loved his spirit, and that he refused to ever give up even when it seemed impossible. He was hurting, he was haunted, but he was ready to stand up and fight. Also, he happens to be a very funny guy, which is always an awesome thing. Anna Korlov will forever be one of my favorite characters. Although we didn't get to see a ton of her in the books, the parts we did she was her strong, feisty self and she just made me love her even more (which I didn't think was possible!) The two of them together make one dynamic pair that I will love to read about again and again. Thomas and Carmel were also spectacular in this book. Their just two crazy adorable people thrown into a situation they never expected. They're loyal, smart and lovable. Two people you would be glad to have as your friends. The story itself had me absolutely addicted. I was terrified by bits, flipping the pages frantically at points, and was generally desperate to find out how this would all come to a close. There were lots of twists and turns, and even some new and interesting characters! We got to find about a bit more about this crazy world, and explore some new places as well! The scene in Suicide Forest had me honest to goodness petrified. Kendare Blake wrote it so I could visualize every ghost amidst the gorgeous landscape perfectly and I was intensely scared by it. And when it came to the end, I was not ready. Girl of Nightmares did not play out as excepted. It wasn't a picture perfect end but rather a little twisted, a little heart broken and exactly the story the characters would have. Kendare Blake didn't push her characters into boxes but let them be their unsure, fierce, and brilliant selves. Sometimes they didn't act like we would have wanted them to, they didn't act like what we hoped they would be like. They acted human. They acted like their imperfect selves. The ending, the final story was their final story. It wasn't a perfect one, but it wouldn't be right or true if it we're. And I loved it. I was so so happy with Girl of Nightmares. My heart hasn't entirely recovered from it, and I already feel the ache of missing Cas and Anna, but it was better than I could have hoped for. Check out this series. Guys, it's so insanely awesome. - Ciara (Lost at Midnight)

Girl of Nightmares was good and I really liked it, but I have to say that I liked Anna Dressed in Blood more. The plot was good and I liked the events, but for some reason I didn't really like the ending. The ending was sad and sweet but I felt like the plot was stretched out then sped up at the end.

*Warning this review contains spoilers for Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake* It's been months since Anna sacrificed herself to save Cas, Thomas and Carmel, but Cas just can't seem to let her go. He's seeing her everywhere, hearing her voice and he knows that he needs to save her. No matter what it takes. I really enjoyed Anna Dressed in Blood. It was a good old fashioned ghost story and perfect to read on a stormy night. The one criticism I had was that the relationship just felt weird to me. It seemed tacked on to the end of the story and just unnatural in every sense of the word. Plus no one in Cas' universe seemed to think it was weird either. Yeah right. So you can imagine my disappointment when the majority of this book is focused on Cas' feelings about Anna. Girl of Nightmares went in a completely different direction than Anna Dressed in Blood. The "someone took a giant needle and injected this book with 50 cc's of angst" direction. Don't get me wrong. I'm not totally heartless. I understand that Cas misses Anna. I understand that he feels like he owes her for saving his life. But when EVERYONE (including witches and voodoo masters who clearly know what they're talking about) is telling you not to do something, maybe you should stop for a moment and re-evaluate your life choices. And then to tell your WIDOWED mother, that she doesn't understand why you would want to bring someone back from the other side....Not cool Cas. Not cool. But I hung in there and Girl of Nightmares did improve somewhere around the halfway mark. It felt like the story was finally beginning, as Cas finally stopped talking about Anna and started to actually take action. He faces some new challenges and Kendare Blake managed to capture the suspense and thrills of Anna Dressed in Blood in a way that was completely new and a little unexpected. And she introduced a new character! Jestine. Whom I loved. She was sassy and competent and by far the best female character to come out of this series. I would gladly read a spin off just about her, I found her so interesting and wanted to know more about what she did after Girl of Nightmares ended. Recommendation: Overall, Girl of Nightmares was a fairly interesting read but it didn't capture me the same way Anna Dressed in Blood did. In all honesty, I think this story would have worked much better as a standalone. This and other reviews can be found at Hooked on Books (http://christashookedonbooks.blogspot.com)

When I read the first book Anna Dressed in Blood, I compared it to Supernatural. Especially with the ending where Anna goes to Hell and Cas desperately wants to know what became of her. I was afraid Blake was going to keep beating the dead horse with a stick exactly like Supernatural and the two of them would be trapped in a never ending loop of sacrifice. I'm glad to say that this ISN'T the case with Girl of Nightmares! I love these cover so much. The gorgeously rendered Anna is set in a smoldering hell with tortured souls grasping at her. She has this look that lures you into the pages of her story. It's been months after Anna's sacrifice, Cas has decided to stay in Thunder Bay, Ontario and live a semi-normal life. As normal as it gets when you hunt ghosts on the side with your mini-ghost buster club of friends: Thomas the psychic witch and Carmel the pretty and popular sidekick. What should have been a routine hunt for them, a simple lure and stab quickly dissolves into a dire situation when Anna suddenly shows up looking tortured and desperate. Anna keeps appearing, but to Cas only and his nightmares of her agony start to bleed into reality as his friends worry he's losing his mind. Cas has been hunting for answers since that night, but he pursues it ferociously now that he's seen Anna again. Cas in the beginning is a hollow shell of the hunter he once was. The obsession and puzzle that is Anna has completely consumed him. It's made him a bit more reckless and it nearly costs him his friends. The way Blake executes the scenes with Anna pulls the reader into the love that Cas has for Anna as well as the debt he feels that needs to be paid - and a hunter always pays his debts. He has a dogged determination to figure things out, that hasn't changed and he starts regaining his confidence when a more concrete plan develops. At the end I was back to cheering for our headstrong Cas! Thomas has grown so much over his time with Cas. He still has moments where he's a bit shy and quiet, but he's a bit more inclined to forge is own path now and he isn't going to take crap from people anymore. His loyalty to Cas was awe inspiring, he's the kind of unwavering friend that anyone would want by their side to the bitter end. Carmel will always be that character that completely surprises me. Just when I think I've gotten her figured out and I'm disappointed in her she comes back with an ass kicking vengeance! I found that the beginning of Girl of Nightmares was a bit slow. It builds up Anna's situation interspersed with some action packed ghost hunts. It also takes a deeper look into the history of the athame. It's a knife full of secrets and those who would kill for the athame. But when all the pieces are in place in the last half of the story, Blake doesn't give you a moment's rest until Cas' blood debt is paid! Blake always creates amazing creepy scenes, but she might have outdone herself this time with a certain forest at the end. I won't tell you what happens, but if you've ever seen the new Dr. Who episodes where they feature the Weeping Angels you'll know how terrifying it can get. The ending was absolutely perfect, we get closure and the major strings are tied up. It's left a bit open ended so that Blake could come back to it in a whole new way if she wanted, but for now it's definitely enough.

I received this audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive any compensation for my review, and the views expressed herein are my own. **There will be spoilers from the first book, Anna Dressed in Blood, so do not read this review if you haven't already read the first in the series! This book carries on from where we leave off in Anna Dressed in Blood. It has been approximately six months since Anna has gone to the Other Side with the Obeahman. Theseus Cassio Lowood ("Cas") starts to feel like he is losing his mind because he starts to see Anna everywhere. He believes that she is reaching out to him and that she needs his help. He is determined to find a way bring Anna back. A mysterious envelope arrives with a photo of Gideon and other men in red robes. He recognizes his athame in the photo but is stunned to see five more that look just like it. He discovers that the men are known as the Order of the Biodag Dubh, the ones who made the athame. Cas and Thomas fly to London to see Gideon to get some answers. They meet Justine, who is being trained to fulfill the Order's destiny. The Order says that Cas and his father did not uphold the Order's legacy because they did not kill the ghosts indiscriminately. Rather, both Cas and his father use the athame only on the evil ghosts. They leave the harmless ones alone. This is not what the Order wants. They want the wielder of the athame to send back all the ghosts, harmless or not. The Order advises Cas that there is a way to get to the Other Side but that it could cost him his life. He is not concerned with getting back. He only wants to free Anna so that she does not have to spend eternity with the Obeahman. He realizes his life will be at stake, but he feels that he must try. The pace of Girl of Nightmares was a lot slower than its predecessor, Anna Dressed in Blood. I was expecting the same action-packed pace, but I was disappointed. There was a lot of dialogue and not a lot of action. The majority of the book focused on Cas trying to find a way to rescue Anna. It wasn't until the last quarter that we really saw any action. Another thing is that the characters frustrated me. Let's start with Carmel. In Anna Dressed in Blood ("ADiB"), I really enjoyed how Carmel's character developed from a bit of a shallow Valley Girl to someone who is a lot stronger than what appears on the surface. In Girl of Nightmares ("GoN"), Carmel broke Thomas' heart and turned her back on both Thomas and Cas. I wanted to reach out and slap that girl! She makes up for it later, but still! And Cas, what happened to you? You were so strong and fierce, not afraid of anything in ADiB. I loved your warrior spirit, but you disappointed me in GoN. **WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD! At the end of the book when the Obeahman is ripping Anna apart and then goes after Justine, Cas is just watching it all happen and not doing a thing! What was he thinking?! Why didn't he take the opportunity to strike at the Obeahman while he was distracted with Anna and Cas? I thought that was the whole reason why the girls were throwing themselves at the mercy of the Obeahman to begin with...for a distraction. Argh! So frustrating! Speaking of Anna, I missed her in GoN. I know, she is referred to throughout the first three-quarters of the book, but I miss the action that Anna brought to the story in ADiB. Overall, I still enjoyed the book though not as much as the first one. I am still a fan of the series and Blake, and I will quite happily read on if the series continues. This narration by August Ross is an improvement over his narration for ADiB, particularly where the characterizations are concerned. However, Ross's slow style of reading still makes for a choppy narration. MY RATING: 3 stars!! It was good, and I enjoyed it! Thanks to AudioGO and Audiobook Jukebox for the review copy!

Another amazing novel by Kendare Blake! This is the end of Anna's story, with an ending that I LOVED!! Just so you all know! I really enjoyed Anna Dressed in Blood and was expecting to like Girl of Nightmares just as much. Nope, I loved it so much more. Cas suffers so much in Girl of Nightmares. Anna sacrificed herself for him and is in Hell being tortured by the Obeahman. Cas keeps seeing her, she is being tortured in so many different ways and he can see it. All he wants to do is help Anna, but everyone is telling him to leave it alone, she's where she's supposed to be. How can she be though? She has suffered enough and he knows it. So Cas searches for a way into Anna's Hell to rescue her. Everyone says it's impossible, but he knows there has to be a way. Cas clearly loves Anna so much that he is willing to literally go to Hell for her. It makes me like him so much as a character. He would do anything it seems for her. Thomas and Caramel are there helping him along, although Caramel seems to be wavering and ready to leave their crazy lives. A new character is introduced in this one, Jestine, the girl who has been trained to take over Cas' job within the Order. They don't like how Cas goes about killing the ghosts, and selecting who he kills. They think he should just kill them all, even the harmless ones. Regardless, I liked Jestine's character and she definitely helped out more than once! I feel that Girl of Nightmares had the perfect ending for the series. The pacing was good and the writing was just amazing! A lot of the questions I had while reading were answered, so I wasn't left feeling too sad, only sad in the fact that it was over and there was no more. It was a bit gruesome, but I at least was expecting it this time, unlike when I started Anna. The closure was great, it really was the perfect ending. I know, I'm gushing a bit. I will for sure be watching out for more by Kendare Blake. I hope she comes up with more amazing stories to share with us. This series is definitely one that I will be recommending to whoever will listen. If you haven't read this one yet, you need to.