First Page Friday #3

First Page Friday is a new weekly feature at Pen to Paper, where I will post the first page of a (probably) Young Adult book, that I am particularly excited about, or have already read and loved.

Anna Dressed in Blood
by Kendare Blake
Publisher: Orchard Books
Pages: 384
Release date: 5th July 2012
Buy: Book Dep | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Waterstones
Find on Goodreads

Goodreads synopsis:

Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story...

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

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder 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: move, 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, but now stained red and dripping 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.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

The First Page

My Thoughts...

Unfortunately, I have yet to read Anna Dressed in Blood, but it is next on my to-read list! I've been excited about it for such a long time, but so many other things have just gotten in the way, and I haven't managed to get it read.
So, this is the first time that I am doing a First Page Friday, when I haven't read the book, so my thoughts on the first page are entirely fresh, and not altered by the experience of the story as a whole. And I have to say that my first impressions of the book, from this page alone, are really good.
The imagery created, just on this first page, is really rich - I can see the guy, flicking his Zippo, and looking like someone out of Grease (this is how I picture him anyway, though I know he is described as something out of West Side Story), whilst attempting to blend in, with perfect clarity. It's almost like he's right in front of me (which is a little creepy, I'll admit, but obviously great too!).
If the first page is anything to go by, then the rest of the book should be as incredible as I've heard it is, as well! I'm definitely looking forward to getting onto this one next!

If you've read Anna Dressed in Blood, definitely comment below and let us know what you thought of it, and how well it compares to this first page :) I'd love to hear from you!
If you've not read the book, obviously I'd still love to hear from you! What are your thoughts on page one? Does it make you want to read the book? Comment below :)