Lady Danielle

Random thought: I don't like this cover as much as I loved Anna Dressed in Blood's. I dunno, it doesn't seem as spooky as the first book and it looks like this jacket artist went all extra with the red. 

Whoo, this book was a roller coaster! So many emotions were rolling through me while reading this. Girl of Nightmares is definitely better than the first, in my opinion. After Anna basically sacrificed herself to save Cas and his friends by opening the gate to Hell and brought the Obeahman with her, Cas can't stop thinking about her. He sees her everywhere -- in his dreams and in real life, but with each visit Anna makes it looks as though she's being tortured. Cas knows there's something wrong with these visits and can't help but feel she's in trouble....

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

Girl of Nightmares definitely has more suspense; the ghosts he fights are more sinister:

His skin is black as a struck match, cracked and oozing liquid metal heat, like he's covered by a cooling layer of lava. The eyes stand out bright white. 

Kendare's writing is absolutely amazing. Cas isn't the douchey guy (even though I enjoyed Cas's douche-y-ness)from Anna Dressed in Blood; however, he's a depressed, lost soul trying to get his Anna back. Everyone is telling him to move on and let Anna go since it's been months after Anna's departure, but Cas can't help it. That's the first girl he fell in love with.... I love how Cas finally accepts the fact that Thomas and Carmel are there to stay so the has this bond with them 

Major spoilers ahead

I hate how Cas started trippin' near the end. He wasn't the "oh I'm so tough with a smart ass mouth" guy that he was in middle of the book. He went completely emo and cowardice and he was really starting to piss me off. Here're some passages that makes me feel this way:

"Don't just stand there! Help her!" Jestine yells at me as she streaks past to into the fray...

My legs are frozen. Between the two of them I don't know what to do, where to attack. None of their movements have any effect. We should have gone. Gotten out when we could. Inside my head, Thomas is talking to me, his voice urgent. I can't pay attention or look back. I watch as the Obeahman snaps Anna's arm like a twig, shoves her, and sends her rolling. Jestine he just shrugs off... Not once has he taken his gaze off me... I fear him. I've always feared him. 

At first I was like



Shit just got real. But then I start to realise that, yeah, Cas did have a chance to leave; instead he wanted to play hard ass and try to fight the Obeahman but then freezes and doesn't do shit to help his girlfriend and Jestine while they're getting their asses kicked, so then I was just like



Not only THAT, but now he's coming off like a straight bitch when two FEMALES are saving HIS ass while he's going on and on about how scary the Obeahman is. Hefinally does something when Jestine gets slammed to the ground and blood starts shooting out her mouth. Now he wants to play hero. 



So yeah, I no longer like Cas even if the end was "amazing". I can't get over what he did.

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Copied from my GR; read + reviewed in 2012