Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Title: Girl of Nightmares
Author: Kendare Blake
Series: Anna #2
Published: August 7, 2012 by Macmillian
Rating: 

It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on.
His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live--not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.
Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.
Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.

A Copy of this Book was Provided by the Publisher for Review

My Review:

I am continuously being blown away by the level of CREEPINESS that is being flawlessly inserted into YA books nowadays. I consider myself to have a high tolerance for being scared, especially when it comes to books where its the hardest to terrify a reader, but Kendare Blake has once again conquered the fright factor in the follow up to Anna Dressed in Blood. 

In this sequel, we return to Cas' flight to discover the mystery behind Anna's disappearance months ago amidst a terrifying ghostly battle. After falling in love with her ghost, Cas is determined to save Anna's soul from what he believe to by infinite torture with a personal demon. Thankfully, we have returning characters Thomas and Carmel to aid in his paranormal mission as well as add some romantic angst to the drama. 

Girl of Nightmare's lacks the initial scare that captivates readers in Anna Dressed in Blood, but makes up for it in a eerie and well plotted build up to one horrific ending. Where Anna Dressed in Blood was filled with unknowing scares and sometimes gore surrounding a crazed killer ghost, Girl of Nightmares is a much more haunting read as we experience poor Anna's torture through Cas' nightmares and daydreams with much more heart break and darkness. 

Adding to the drama of Girl of Nightmares, readers get to learn more regarding Cas' past and where his abilities derive from. This definitely added to the depth of the read as well as some new fascinating characters- namely a personal favorite in badass Jestine who has a complex interest in Cas and Anna. I loved the purpose of her character and where this story is leading to. 

Overall, Blake blows em away with an equally scartastic read that lives up to the hype of Anna Dressed in Blood. As a sequel, this book has an individual flare that complements Anna perfectly and will definitely bring on the goosebumps!