Author Interview & Book Review: Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Title: Girl of Nightmares

Author: Kendare Blake

Publisher: Tor Teen/Macmillan

Publication Date: August 2012

Genre: Young Adult Horror

Series or Stand Alone: Series, Book Two

Synopsis can be found here.

Review:
My review of book one can be found here.
Go on. Read it. I'll wait. <Jeopardy music>

Back now?
Great.
So...

Months after Anna Korlov disappeared, Cas Lowood still can't get over her. She saved his life. She saved his soul, and sure she might have been under a curse that made her kill people in horrible ways, but you know what? Stuff happens. Don't judge.

Flash to now and Cas is seeing Anna again, in dreams and hallucinations. Or are they? Cas doens't know what to do but he has a very bad feeling that Anna is somewhere she's not supposed to be. And she needs his help. But how do you rescue your girlfriend in hell?

You may have, and by may have I mean should have, already read my review of Anna Dressed In Blood. Therefore, you will already know that I thought it was fan-freaking-tastic.
Obviously I was chomping at the bit to get my hands on Girl of Nightmares. And it did not disappoint.

Oh, Cas, I missed you so.

Cas is back with all of his hilarious inner monologues, clever observations and bravery. He's a little more damaged this time around and normal high school girls just aren't very interesting to him. I mean, he did sorta fall in love with a princess ghost of destruction. And I mean that in the most loving way possible.
As always, best friend Thomas is there to lend some comedy and grounding. Cas and Thomas's relationship really make this book for me. They both are going through some tough times and naturally lean on each other for some support. It's easy to see why they're best friends.
And of course, who could forget Carmel. Queen Bee by day and ghost hunter by night, she's funny, complicated and overall adds a nice strong female touch to this boy group.

The story warms up and doesn't let you go. Every time Anna appears, I died a little. As soon as you see her, you know Cas has to save her. You want Cas to save her. No matter what.
And that is the problem, my friend.
Because for Cas to save Anna...

Ooooh, you thought I was going to tell you! I don't think so.

A wonderful book filled with adventure, voodoo, blood, gore and romance. Yes, all those things.
Go pick up Girl of Nightmares and Anna Dressed In Blood.
Leave the light on.


Rating 10, One of The Best
*I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.


Author Interview with Kendare Blake!

Thank you for stopping by Kendare!

What inspired you to become a writer?

Hmm. Well, reading, mostly. I read so much as a kid, and eventually found the worlds in the story WAY more interesting than the world we live in. I loved that writing gives you a chance to explore things.

What was the last book you read? 

The last book I read was…We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. It’s a flippin masterpiece.

What sparked the idea for “Anna Dressed In Blood”? 

An urge to play Silent Hill. And the fear that if I played Silent Hill by myself I would cry like a tiny baby and break my TV. So I wrote Anna instead.

And when you wrote it, did you already know you would write a sequel? 

I didn’t. Well, that’s not true. I suspected all along that there might be another book’s worth of story to tell. But when Anna started to go to editor’s boards at publishers, most of them saw series potential, so I had to start really thinking about it, all the way out to expanding to a trilogy. Which I’m glad it didn’t do.

Cas’s voice is so unique, filled with dark humor, smart-ass remarks and clever observations. He is a multi-layered character and it’s awesome to have him back! How did you create Cas’s distinct voice and how do you feel he has changed from book one to book two? 

Oh! Cas would appreciate you saying such nice things! His voice was just his voice, from the start. From book one to book two, he goes through a lot. The loner slowly leaks out of him. And so does the sense that he has to complete some big journey. At the start of Girl of Nightmares, he doesn’t quite know what he’s supposed to do, now that Anna’s gone, and taken the Obeahman with her.

What are you favorite things about Anna? Do you believe in ghosts? 

I love that Anna is strong, not only in fists but in mind. As for ghosts, yes, I believe in them. Because why not? It’s more fun. Also, sad, if you think about it, but let’s stick to fun. In fact, here’s my most recent, super lame ghost story: 

Driving in my car with the windows rolled up. Hear a sound of something moving across the upholstery in the back right passenger seat. Loud sound. Loud enough to make me jump. But the back seat was empty. WOOOOOOOO!

Carmel and Thomas are loyal and trusted sidekicks. Have you ever thought of doing a spin off series involving Thomas and his witch heritage?

Oh my god, that would be so nerdy and fun! The shenanigans Thomas would get up to! I really love that boy. But no, I’d never thought of it before. Thanks!

How do you like your potato? 

Whipped, with butter, or maybe mayonnaise. Don’t judge me. Mayonnaise and I have a very special relationship.

If you weren’t a writer, what would you be? 

Institutionalized? No. I’m not sure. I was just thinking about what I might like to do after the writing dries up or I’m booted out of the industry. And I have no idea. Scary. I’d probably go back to school for something.

Batman or Superman? 

Batman. The entire Justice League exists just to prove that Batman can beat Superman. And that he’s cooler. Although, the Man of Steel teaser looks pretty cool.

Do you have a favorite literary character? 

Hector of Troy jumps to mind, but probably only because I’m currently writing about him. I also love Jane Eyre, Patrick Bateman, Morgaine, and Garfield cat.

What do you do when you’re not writing? Besides ghost hunting? 

Ha. I wish I ghost hunted. Sadly, I lack the tools. When I’m not writing, I’m reading. Or, eating. Often eating. Or hiking! Or playing really bad tennis. Hanging with my needy catsons.

Is this the end of Anna and Cas’s story? 

Yes. I think it is. And yet, I like to think it’s not…somewhere.

What are you working on now? 

My new series, releasing next August. ANTIGODDESS. I think we might call it The Goddess War Trilogy, or something. I’m doing edits now. It’s about dying greek gods and reincarnated heroes. Present day. Cassandra of Troy and Athena, pitted against each other, and things worse than each other. Lots of blood. Also love stories. Why not?

Thanks again for stopping by Kendare!

You can find Kendare here or follow her on Twitter at @KendareBlake