Hmmm. For quite a while now I was super excited to read the second - and last - book of the Anna duology by Kendare Blake. I really, really, really liked Anna Dressed in Blood and was surprised at how much I ended up enjoying it. It felt like an episode from Supernatural and that only made me like it even more. Fast-paced action scenes, a little ghost hunting and in general everything was a bit more ... creepier? I understood why it's a Paranormal book, I mean there were ghosts and all that, so yeah.

However, the second book disappointed me a little. While I loved Cas in the first book, I barely couldn't stand him in this one (at first, he got better eventually) ... he seemed so lost and didn't know what to do. He stopped hunting - not quite true, there were huntings but I don't even remember them anymore - and even though it's understandable, it's also ... not. He and his athame have a purpose and well, I just missed all those action scenes.

"Cassio," she whispers. "Get me out of here."

The first half of the book focused more on how life is now after Anna sacrificed herself and saved Cas and the others. They're all sad - especially Cas - and he's desperate to find out what exactly happened to her up to the point where he even tries to get her back from Hell.

Don't get me wrong, those scenes where Anna showed up were creepy and I felt really, really bad for both, Cas and Anna. The second half of the book was a lot better though ... there are new characters and it even felt like a whole new storyline. The main goal was still to get Anna back but I couldn't help feel like it suddenly wasn't that important anymore. Hm. What I loved is that it got creepier! Especially the forest scene was pretty cool and atmospheric!

The ending was not what I expected. In a way it was good but just not for me. I wanted it to end differently and was kinda disappointed that it didn't. Sigh. I could've thought of at least 2 alternate endings that I would've prefered over that one but it's okay, I guess. It didn't stop me from caring about all the characters - Carmel & Thomas FTW! They were so adorable! - and I already know I'll miss them a lot!

"It’s true what they say about answers only leading to more questions. There will always be more to find out, more to learn, more to do."

So yes, I'd recommend reading this duology, even though it isn't as good as the first book. I mean, only to find out what really happens and how everything ends ... that's worth reading. The books are quick and easy to read and especially around Halloween is the perfect time of the year to read them!

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October 19th:Hmmm, slightly disappointed with the ending but overall it was good. Not as good as the first book but still enjoyable most of the time.