Anna Dressed In Blood

Just your average boy-meets-girl, 

girl-kills-people story...

Quick Information:

Written by Kendare Blake. Published in 2011 by August 30^th 2011 by Tor Teen.  Hardcover: 316 pages

Synopsis:  Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual job: he kills the dead.  More precisely, he sends ghost off to the afterlife permanently.  Since his father died – killed by a ghost – he has taken up the job.  He and his kitchen-witch mother travel from town to town killing ghost with their spirit-sniffing cat, Tybalt.

The next town they move to is Thunder Bay, Ontario, where Cas is in search of a ghost by the nickname of Anna Dressed in Blood.  The ghost’s real name is Anna Korlov and she is haunting her childhood home.  Since her murder in 1958 she still wears the dress she died in and kills anyone who enters her home.  For Cas it is a normal job: move, hunt, kill, repeat.  But when he enters her house, for whatever reason, she doesn’t kill him.

Pros:

While Cassandra Clare (Author of the Mortal Instruments series) calls it “spellbinding and romantic” it is definitely not romantic.  So why is that a pro? Although a lot of teen paranormal books are all about romance and falling in love with the forbidden, this book isn’t that.  The only “romantic” thing about it comes in the last few chapters…well, the last chapter.  Cas and Anna respect each other because they both know that she can kill him on a whim if she wants while he can kill her (even though she denies he can) but chooses not to. 

Cas isn’t alone.  Thomas, an outcast who is eager to help; Camel, a popular beauty, and their friends Mike, Will and Chase, are all part of this (even against Cas’s wishes).  But they come in handy when Cas learns that Anna is almost too powerful for him to go against alone.

There are horrific (and I mean disgustingly detailed) scenes as well as lots of action and believable dialogue.  It’s not the typical teen paranormal (romance); instead this book offers you a break from the purple poses and happy endings.  There are also humorous moments, especially when Cas is refered to as a Ghostbuster and later as Buffy the Vampire Ghost Slayer.

 I also have to give props to Kendare Blake for writing a story with the male point-of-view and doing a great job of it.  Cas came off as a believable, real guy – It really felt like he was a guy and not a girl in a guy’s body…or a sparkly vampire/fairy.  In fact, if I hadn’t looked to see if Blake was a girl or a guy I would have assumed that she was really a he.  For a woman to write a male’s point-of-view that is believable shows creative dynamic.

Cons:

Aside from the false advertisement (having a famous author and the back of the book referring to it as a romance) there’s not too much to complain about.  The only thing I found a bit annoying was that the font in the book was red.  Not black ink on white paper, red on white. Seriously, what were the publishers and layout committee thinking?  Some people (girls) may not like the male point-of-view or the violent images.  However that could be the thing others love.

Rant:

I do have to complain about the circumstances of reading this book.  In the summer of 2012 I went to a book sale and found this book.  The condition was new, in library plastic, looking as if it was only read once.  I thought it was odd that a fairly new book was in the sale but I paid the fifty cents for it.  So here I finally get to read it and I learn why it was at the book sale.  The page with Chapter 3 on it was ripped out.  What I have is a long Chapter 2 with a sad transition. But I’m stubborn and continued reading.

Final Verdict:

It was an okay read, different and interesting, yet still okay.  I would give this to a guy friend who wants to read a book with a guy’s point-of-view or to someone who likes graphic action and violence. Overall, worth checking out and reading.

Beautiful Creatures (The Movie)

Beautiful Creatures on the Silver Screen 

Never judge a book by its movie 

- J. W. Eagan

Since the movie is based off the book I will give two reviews.  The first being a review of the movie itself and the second is a review that compares the movie to the book.

1^st Review:

The movie was a cinematic adventure in the afternoon.  The imagery was wonderful; there were spooky scenes, humorous parts (including dialogue and one-liners) and romantic moments.  There was never a dull moment.  The move is fast pace for two hours, and gives the audience a few twist and turns they didn't expect.  While the story line is captivating, the acting was outstanding. 

You genuinely care about the characters and see how strong Lena and Ethan’s friendship is.  It’s definitely not like Twilight and not as over dramatic as the True Blood series on HBO. 

Best scene for me was when Ethan and Lena are fighting.  Lena is worried that if Ethan stays with her he will get hurt, by her mostly.  Ethan is fed up with her moppy attitude and knows she just stressed out.  He dares her to try and hurt him; instead she pushes him against a wooden sign and kisses him.  A few seconds into the kiss, a lightning bolt hits the wooden sign just beside Ethan’s head, and catches fire.

There were only two things I didn't like about the movie. One was the abrupt ending.  I can’t tell you what happens but regardless if you've read the book or just want to see the movie the ending is quick.  If the director was drawing the scene out that long, why not make it a little longer?  The second thing I didn’t like was the over dramatic religious aspect.  Okay, we get it, Gatlin is a religious town with narrow minded people, and we don’t need every side character praying to Jesus or calling Lena a Satanist.

2^nd Review:

The movie compared to the book is a beautiful disaster.  No, I mean it, it was a disaster.  I would go so far to say the book was abused.  There were four characters that were removed, scenes and dialogue that didn't happen in the book and Lena did not cast a memory-erasing spell on Ethan.  Furthermore, the movie over does the religious parts too much.  It was never like that in the book, sure there were moments where Lena’s classmates picked on her but they never openly prayed in the class room for God to protect them from her wickedness.

More examples of things that bothered me.

Ethan doesn't go running/jogging when he can’t sleep.  He doesn't just read the “banned” book he does read comic books.  He plays basketball (and is on the school team) and he isn't a lazy teen.  He helps his great aunts on the weekends (the aunts weren't in the movie – which is understandable) and goes to church with them.  The relationship between Ethan and Lena starts off friendly but in two weeks they’re in love (in the movie).  In the book it took them two months to kiss and start dating.  Time in the movie spans over three and a half months while the book is six months.

Lena has a birthmark in the shape of a crescent moon on her right cheek – pointless, yes, but one thing was forgotten.  When a Caster becomes light or dark their eyes change permanently.   If she becomes a light Castor her eyes become green.  If she goes dark they turn to gold.  So in the movie they only have the dark Casters flash their eyes gold one or two times.  The characters could tell if someone was a dark or light Caster, and that was a big deal but the movie fails to show that.

Oh, I could go on beeeelieve me.  Watching the movie was reviving but the constant comparison of the movie to the book did make it hard to watch.

Final verdict:

If you've read the book tread carefully into the movie theater.  There is a chance you will want to rant and rave about the mistakes to a friend or family member.  However, if you've never read the book feel free to watch the movie.  While I think the book is ten times better I don’t hate the movie.  I loved watching it; I can’t wait for it to come out on DVD so I can buy it and watch it again.  But that doesn't change the fact that, deep down, the book had more to offer and was more engrossing.   I doubt there will be a sequel to Beautiful Creatures (the movie) based on the ending.  And honestly, I’m okay with that.  I’ll stick to the four (long) books and enjoy the movie now and then.

Beautiful Creatures (the book)

 Some loves are meant to be

...others are cursed.

Information: Beautiful Creatures is an American young adult novel written by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, published in December of 2009 by Little, Brown.  It is also recognized as a Fantasy, paranormal romance, and (American) Southern Gothic novel.  The Mass Market book has 563 pages, Hardcover has around 600 pages.

It is the first of four books in the Caster Chronicles, has been made into a manga/comic book and has been adapted to film which will be in theaters…today.

Synopsis:  In the fictional small town of Gatlin, South Carolina, our protagonist is Ethan Wate, a sixteen year old who dreams of leaving his small town.  His mother died a year before the events in the book take place and he lives with his writer father and housekeeper Amma.   On the first day of his sophomore year in high school he meets the new girl; Lena Duchannes, who lives with her uncle, Macon Ravenwood, the town shut-in.  While her classmates’ finds her odd, freakish, and off putting, Ethan sees her as something more.  Lately he’s been having strange dreams about a girl, a girl he’s never seen.  When Ethan is driving home he almost runs over Lena, whose car has broken down.   He helps her and this leads to the beginning of a friendship.  As they become closer friends, Lena confides to Ethan that she is a “Caster”, a person who can use magic (the term “witch” is considered a stereotype and an insult).  In five months, on her sixteenth birthday, she will be claimed for the dark or light side of magic.

Pros:  

Sick and tired of vampires and werewolves?  Annoyed by adolescent, PMS-ing, teenage girls? Then Read Beautiful Creatures, a story about witches (or Casters as they prefer to be called) told through the point-of-view of a boy.  Beautiful Creatures is a southern Gothic novel; it describes the town of Gatlin right down to the roads and crumbling buildings.  The narrative voice of Ethan is refreshing and rich with detail of the town and its history.  While the book is also considered a fantasy/paranormal romance it does something that other teen paranormal-romances haven’t.  Ethan and Lena start off as friends (even though Ethan would like to become more than that) before they become an official couple. 

There are many over layering themes and comparisons to the book To Kill a Mocking Bird which is mentioned throughout Beautiful Creatures.  There are bound to be characters in the book you will love such as the Sisters: Prudence, Grace and Mercy, Ethan’s great aunts.  They provide a realistic feel and offer humor so that that the book isn’t completely dark and dry *coughTwilightcough*.

And to the School Library Journal who said,

            “…Give this to fans of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight or HBO’s True Blood series”.

You are an idiot for comparing Beautiful Creatures to Twilight and True Blood.  Yes there are some comparisons, but I wouldn’t put them in the same category.

Beautiful Creatures	Twilight	True Blood
- Romance doesn’t come until after a friendship is formed.            - POV is a boy            - Uses historic points            - Gatlin is fictional            - When the main character and love interest fight/break up there is no near suicidal moments.	- Relationship based on smell and looks and no friendship.            - POV is a girl            - Misuses history, descriptions of vampires, werewolves, Indians and locations.            - Forks is a real place.            - Promotes relationship abuse and stalking	- Main character can read minds but not a vampire’s mind.           - POV is a woman            - Bon Temps is fictional            - Gratuitous sex            - Drama for the sake of drama

Cons:  

Let me counter argue my previous argument for why Beautiful Creatures, Twilight and True Blood are different with how they are similar.

Beautiful  Creatures	Twilight	True Blood
- Set in small southern town.             -  Romance between a human and  a paranormal person (Boy and Witch)            - POV is a teenage boy            - Stereotypes	- Set in small town            - Romance between a human and  a paranormal person (Girl and Vampire)           - POV is a teenage girl           - Stereotypes	- Set in small southern town            - Romance between a human and a paranormal person (Woman and Vampire)           - POV is an early-twenties woman           - Stereotypes

There are stereotypes in Beautiful Creatures.  The preppy kids and jocks hate Lena, but the geeks and nerds are never mentioned.  Lena is the freakish girl who wears dark clothes, is pale, and avoids making friends.  Ethan, although a boy, never seems like a boy.  In other words, where are the awkward morning boners?  I’m not joking; if a paranormal romance can talk about a girl finding her sexuality then why is it hard for two female writers to come up with an idea of what puberty is like for a boy?  Maybe do some research and ask their husbands?  I understand that that isn’t what the book is about (sexuality) but how can we believe Ethan is a guy (without the name and the character stating his sex) when he doesn’t come off as one?  I’m sure there are moments when he does seem like a guy (i.e. thinking about basketball when he really wants to think about kissing Lena – or doing more with her).

Lena is also annoying at times.  I get it, you want to be normal and have friends but you can’t because in five months you could go dark and lose all of them.  Just don’t sit there and complain.  You got a friend (Ethan) and his friend (Link) and you have two younger (female) cousins that you can talk to.  Or am I the only one who counts cousins as friends?

And lastly, this can be counted as a spoiler because it gives you a hint of what’s to come in the book but it doesn’t say who it is.

Dear Garcia and Stohl, look up what the word Incubus means.  I’ll give you a hint; it is nothing like a vampire who feeds on dreams.  It’s a demon that has sex with women (sometimes men) to gain energy; they feed off of your sexual energy. 

That, dear blog readers, is my number one con with this book.

Final Verdict:

It’s a B+ if anything.  It’s different but it still feeds that paranormal romance crave everyone is in.  It does offer a fresh take where the main character is a guy and the girl is a supernatural.   It also provides companionate characters that can be realistic at times.  So if you like witches, paranormal romance, and southern Gothic novels, then read the book.  But if you’re sick and tired of this paranormal craze you can either watch the movie or pass both up. 

I love the book (all the books in the series), I want to see the movie, and will post a movie review of it next week.  There are problems with the book (see cons) but sometimes we just have to sit back and get lost in a story.  To read about an average person whose life goes from dull to exciting.  Besides, isn’t that why we read in the first place, to escape the dull and everyday life?

Signed the Carniverous Rabbit

P.s. I love the cover of this book and all the books in the seri