Birthmarked by Caragh M OBrien
When Was It Released?: 30th March 2010
Where Did I Get It From?: The library
Who Published It?: Roaring Book Press
Number Of Pages: 362 pages
Gaia and her mother work as midwifes, having to deliver the first three infants born every month to The Enclave. They never question what they have to do. That is until Gaia’s mother is taken away by the people she has always been loyal to, causing Gaia to question everything that she believes in.
I absolutely loved the way in which Caragh O’Brien has created such an intriguing world that I wanted to know everything I possibly could about. I was instantly drawn in to learning about the world in which Gaia lives as well as The Enclave, finding it easy to understand. I loved how the society in which Gaia lives in, where water is rationed out, really got me thinking. I was literally scared at times thinking about how I would cope if I had to live by these rules and regulations. I was constantly unsure of whether The Enclave was good or evil, and I really enjoyed how there were so many gray areas, leaving it open to reader interpretation. The pace is fast enough that I was constantly on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next, there are so many twists and turns throughout the novel. It was not too fast though, and I was still able to keep up with all the action while taking in every little detail about Gaia and The Enclave.
I really fell in love with the character of Gaia, she is so strong, passionate, determinded and most important of all likeable. I enjoyed reading about the way she changes and has to grow up throughout the course of the book. I loved the interaction between Gaia and Leon, finding it to be realistic, believable and entertaining with the splash of humour that is added. I really appreciated the way in which there is a love story within Birthmarked, that lingers beneath the surface and is more subtle than in most novels. I found this added a lot more depth to the novel and gave the romance room to grow in the forthcoming books.
I only had one issue with Birthmarked and that was that I had to wait to read the sequel, Prized in order to find out what happens next in the story. As soon as I put Birthmarked down I just had to pick up Prized. I was dying to know what happens next.
Birthmarked is a story that everyone will love, regardless of whether you have read dystopian before. The storyline is unique and really brings some great ideas, that will have you thinking about long after you have finished the book. Pick up this book, put aside a couple of hours and get started because trust me you will be unable to put this book down.
Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake
When Was It Released?: 30th August 2011
Where Did I Get It From?: As part of a blog tour at Jen Big Heart's Blog
Who Published It?: Tor Teen
Number Of Pages: 316 Pages
Cas kills the dead. As did his father, before he was murdered by a ghost. Now he travels around the country with his father’s deadly athame hunting down and killing ghosts who murder the living. When Cas receives details of a ghost named Anna Dressed In Blood he thinks she will be no different from all the others. Anna kills everyone who enters her home and still wears the same white dress she wore on the night of her death dripping with blood. For some reason though she ends up sparing Cas his life.
While I love a little horror in my life a lot of time when I watch a scary movie I usually just end up hiding behind a cushion scared beyond belief. With books, however I’m more about to deal with the horror and gruesome aspects involved. I’m not sure exactly why, maybe it’s because with a book I can interpret details and descriptions in my own way. With Anna Dressed In Blood I felt that the scare factor was just right. Now don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of gory moments but with the action and the fast pace of the story I felt the horror was easier to deal with. There were no over the top gruesome moments, just enough vivid descriptions to have me on the edge of my seat completely intrigued and wanting to know what happens next. The pace is also just right, while it is fast and had me turning the pages, desperate to continue with the story, I was still able to take in all the details along the way.
What really got me the most with Anna Dressed In Blood was the way in which the story is not completely evil. While Anna is the ghost and villain, the story is more complex than that with Anna also being a form of victim too. I loved how this made the novel anything but your average scary ghost book. It added extra depth and really made me think about who Anna really was. I thought I had her figured out and then she would do something that would completely throw me off track. The interaction between Anna and Cas is also very unexpected and really interesting to read about. Each of the characters is unique and interesting in their own way. I loved the way in which a group of people who would never usually spend time in each others presence are thrown together and the dynamic works beautifully. The humour brought in with the use of the Ghostbusters term being used by the characters was also really refreshing and added a light break in the otherwise intense story.
My only issue with Anna Dressed in Blood was that while it was beautifully written, it is still a horror story, which has never been one of my favourite genres. The only reason I could not rate this book anymore than a four star is purely down to personal tastes and nothing more than that. Trying to come up with any other reason is just impossible, because quite frankly I have no other downsides.
Overall Anna Dressed In Blood is intense, scary, gruesome, funny and beautifully written, If you are looking for a scary read with depth that will have you hooked then this is defiantly the book for you. I recently find out there with another book in this series, titled Girl Of Nightmares and I cannot wait to read it. I just wish I didn’t have to wait until next year to read it!
