Young Adult

25 Nov 2011 2 Comments

Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake

Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake
Hardback: 316 pages
Publisher: TorTeen (August 30, 2011)
Anna Series #1

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas’s life.

For starters, the cover art for Anna Dressed In Blood is a perfect representation of the story, and it’s totally awesome. The cover alone is a major selling point, but when you delve into Anna’s story you will definitely be amazed with the plot and characters. Blake really raised the bar for ghost stories as Anna is unlike any ghost I’ve read about to date. She’s like Yin and Yang; she has a dark sinister side and, at the same time, has a beauty about her. As far as creative characters of 2011 go, Anna is a solid number one. She has everything a  great character should have to keep a series rocking and rolling.

Blake’s writing style is impressive for a debut author. Her world-building and scene descriptions place you inside the story, with a birds-eye view of every detail. I was pleasantly surprised with the level of gore and the candid details as Anna gets down and dirty with a kill. This is a fantastic horror novel combined with a love story that is sure to have readers begging to get their hands on the next installment.

I highly recommend Anna Dressed In Blood to anyone looking for a memorable and exciting read that you can’t put down. Blake is an author to watch as she is sure to push out some of the most amazing works. If you haven’t read this novel, grab a copy and dive into Anna’s world. The second installment, Girl of Nightmares, will be released August 7, 2012.

by Jennifer in Reviews, Young Adult Tags:

24 Nov 2011 No Comments

Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country by Allan Richard Shickman

Zan-Gah: a Prehistoric Adventure by Allan Richard Shickman
Paperback: 151 pages
Publisher: EarthShaker Books (September 26, 2009)
Zan-Gah Series #2

The prehistoric saga continues in Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country, the sequel to the award winning Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure. In this story, Zan s troubled twin brother, Dael, having suffered greatly during his earlier captivity, receives a ruinous new shock when his wife suddenly dies. Disturbed and traumatized, all of his manic energies explode into acts of hostility and bloodshed. His obsession is the destruction of the wasp men, his first captors, who dwell in the Beautiful Country. When he, Zan-Gah, and a band of adventurers trek to their bountiful home, they find that all of the wasp people have died in war or of disease. The Beautiful Country is empty for the taking, and Zan s people, the Ba-Coro, decide to migrate and resettle there. But the Noi, Dael s cruelest enemies and former tormentors, make the same migration from their desert home, and the possibility develops of contention and war over this rich and lovely new land.

In this installment of the Zan-Gah prehistoric series we are taken on an emotional roller coaster ride through the era of early man. Zan-Gah found his long lost twin brother, Dael. They’re reunion wasn’t entirely joyful. Dael has changed more than anyone person could change. Both men find themselves married to beautiful women. The bond between Dael and his wife, Lissa-Na is intense. during childbirth she dies and Dael becomes a shell of his former self. Rage fills him and everything he does. Soon he and Zan-Gah set out on a journey one that will hopefully quiet the beast within him. Much is to be learned from the journey.

Because the first book in the series focused on Zan-Gah I really couldn’t see the consequences of Dael’s imprisonment with the Wasp people and the Noi tribe. In this novella the price of living in a cage is more apparent. His wife’s love kept the darkness at bay in the beginning but her passing left nothing for him to hold onto. His life shattered and he gave in to the rage and hatred within him, causing trouble for his tribe in various ways. Zan-Gah’s greatest challenge is to bring peace to his troubled twin.

While I thought Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country was well written and an enjoyable read I wasn’t as thrilled with it as I was the first installment. Dael was very dark and one dimensional not offering much to the reader aside from his rage. The depth and detail of this prehistoric world and the tribal ways were very convincing. Shickman provided a very realistic view of early man.

Overall, this is a great read and I highly recommend this YA series. It’s perfect for the reluctant reader, providing action and adventure in addition to the emotional drama of tribal life and Dael’s past.

by Jennifer in Reviews, Young Adult

24 Nov 2011 No Comments

Zan-Gah: a Prehistoric Adventure by Allan Richard Shickman

Zan-Gah: a Prehistoric Adventure by Allan Richard Shickman
Paperback: 148 pages
Publisher: EarthShaker Books (July 15, 2007)
Zan-Gah Series #1

Zan-Gah, seeking his lost twin brother in a savage prehistoric world, encounters adventure, suffering, conflict, captivity, and final victory. In three years hero passes from an uncertain boyhood to a tried and proven manhood and a position of leadership among his people. Themes include survival, brotherhood, cultures, gender roles, psychological trauma, and nature’s wonders and terrors. Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure, has been awarded the Mom’s Choice Gold Medal for Series, the Eric Hoffer Notable Book Award, and was a finalist for ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year.

I have to be honest. This is my first time reading a prehistoric adventure and I have absolutely zero regrets. This is NOT a book I would have picked up on the shelves at the bookstore, which is such a shame. Zan-Gah is a powerfully moving story of a young boy, Zan, who sets out on a journey to find his twin brother Dael. His journey is filled with danger, triumphs, and many experiences he wouldn’t have learned if he had remained in his village.

Zan is a well constructed hero for this amazing look into prehistoric times. Watching him grow throughout the story into a man of desired abilities is spellbinding, to say the least. In the first few pages, you are mesmerized by Zan and his experience with the lioness. Truly a gripping moment.

The differences in the lifestyles of the clans were a fascinating history lesson that didn’t bore me to tears. Of all the clans, the Wasp People were strangely fascinating. The other tribes were more or less the same outside of minor details and made for a remarkable and gripping drama.

Overall, Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure is more than a worthy read and I highly recommend it. The adventure and action are gripping and entice you to continue reading. The characters are unique and pull the reader into their world. Shickman has created a prehistoric environment that is realistic and enjoyable, with an abundance of action. This is a must read novella and I look forward to starting book two, Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country.

Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure was the winner of The Eric Hoffer Award for Excellence in Independent Publishing, a Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year Award Finalist and winner of the Mom’s Choice Gold Award for YA series.

by Jennifer in Reviews, Young Adult

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