Initial Impressions 9/30/17 + review as posted on The Book Addict's Guide 10/18/17: I actually tried to read this book, oh about four or five years ago, and decided it was too scary because I hate reading ghost stories but so many people had talked about the book that I had wanted to give it a try. I figured now that I'm braver and decided to read it NOT in the dark, NOT home alone, and NOT in a very old apartment that it would take away some of the fear factor and really... it's not a scary book at all. ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD has some gory and creepy moments but it's more about the story of Anna and how she came to be, Cas and his family, and the friendships that form, rather than the fear. 
 The book was fun but it didn't really pull me in. I liked Cas and enjoyed his point of view but the plot just didn't quite work for me, which seems to be kind of a pattern with Kendare Blake's books for me. I didn't really care about the ending and didn't really like where the story went. I felt like it would have been a better stand-alone, making this more about Cas and Anna's story rather than Cas's family and his history (for once I don't want character backstory!). Even though there were a lot of things leading up to the conclusion, it still seemed to veer off in a different direction and just didn't seem to fit the rest of the book. 
 It was a fun read but I don't think I'll pick up the second book. I'm glad I "faced my fears" and tried it again because it really wasn't scary at all! I had just put myself in a spooky place when I first tried to read it and barely made it anywhere because I freaked myself out with a spooky setting, so I'm really glad I attempted this book again. I feel silly for being scared before but I guess I concocted the perfect storm for a fear factor the first time around! 
 The audiobook narrator was also very meh. He had breaths and pauses in weird places (the middle of sentences) and didn't have very good accents at all. Anna's Finnish accent was more Russian and no one had a Canadian accent or even a hint of one despite the fact that the book took place in Canada. I mean, all Canadians don't have to have a strong, pronounced accent but I do notice the vowel changes a lot with my own Canadian friends so I guess I expected the same here. His voices for the other guys were like, no one's voice ever in real life, and the girls were overdone and stereotypical, so that didn't enhance my reading experience like some audiobook narrators can do.