Belle Morte by Bella Higgin, 336 pages. Wattpad Books, 2022. $19.
Language: R (81 swears, 20 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW
Vampires have been made into celebrities, thanks to the mysterious and ethereal image they keep up with the media. If it wasn’t for her sister, June, Renie (18yo) would continue enjoying her life far away from vampires. But June went into one of the vampire houses and hasn’t been heard from in months. Renie is determined to figure out what happened, and she isn’t going to let anyone – not even a houseful of vampires – keep her from finding her sister.
Since this book was originally a Wattpad story, it has a more soap-opera-y feel than a typical novel. Each chapter is like an episode that has its own conflict, which makes for an odd flow, inconsistencies, and lots of eye rolling from this reader. I like Higgin’s take on vampires, and Renie’s story can still be entertaining as long as its Wattpad weaknesses don’t bother you.
Renie is implied white, and most of the vampires are French – and, of course, have pale skin. At least one side character is of a non-white race. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, innuendo, nudity, discussions of sex, groping, and sexual harassment. The violence rating is for blood and vampires feeding, mention of suicide, battle gore, and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen
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