I received this book for free. This does not affect my review in any way.
BET: A Vampire StoryDirected by Kim Catanzarite, this is a historical horror story about a man who uncovers the tragedy behind his disappearance and attempts to reconcile with the person he has become. Gregory and Michelangelo fell in love with each other and vowed that when they both turned 18, they would marry and leave the small village where they grew up. Gregory was proud of his duties as the Angel of Death and learned how to care for others. His mother was a healer who helped people in the village. Although he was hopeful for the future, things took a turn for the worse when Michelangela disappeared. Hundreds of years later, a man washes up on a beach with no memory of what happened. The nameless man meets three (two) kind strangers whom he decides to protect as he tries to remember how he came to that beach, where he comes from, and ultimately who he is.
Gregory is a sweetheart. I love his innocence despite the disturbing secrets he discovers and embraces that would normally drive anyone into madness. Despite everything that happened, and all the temptations he faced, he remained true to himself. This is in stark contrast to the hitherto depraved Michelangelo. I’m not going to lie; every time I picture Gregory, I picture him crawling back into his coffin to sleep, like a clumsy, introverted turtle in need of recharging. He is like a kind-hearted child who wants everyone to be happy, even though this may not be realistic. In this way, he is also a foil to Paul; although Paul is human, he has a very real understanding of how the world works (if I were Paul, I would be angry at the Gentiles too). Usually it’s the vampires who give humanity the wake-up call, but in this case it’s refreshing to see humanity having to save an immortal from its own innocence.
Interestingly, this book reads like a YA novel. It’s as if Gregory is trying to find his identity and take back something that was taken away from him all those years ago. I don’t necessarily think he understood the gravity of his advice to the Gentiles or Liam, nor did he understand the impact of homelessness on Paul. He had a lot of dreams that he wanted to achieve, and even though he had to give them up, hopefully he could find his place somewhere in the world where he wouldn’t be like Reno or Michelangelo. It’s a pretty depressing ending, But still a fitting ending.
Therefore, I would give this book 4.5 stars out of 5.
You can purchase the book here.
