Recently I entered a “Grab a Galley” sweepstakes thingie and I have been honored to win a few that I really wanted. But one of them I was on the fence about putting my name in for. This was The Confessional by Paige Hender. But (and I know one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover) the cover was calling me. Which might not be a good thing since it is about vampires.
Picture it: New Orleans, 1922. Cora Velasquez is a fairly newly turned vampire. Her “sister” (the vampire who turned her) and she live with the women of the coven she is “born into.” They are fiercely loyal to each other, but do not tolerate any weak links. And Cora might just be that. They make ends meet by having a “boarding house” where downstairs you dance and drink, and upstairs you enjoy the pleasure of the flesh (and the women the pleasures of the veins). But when Cora, trying to hold on to any trace of humanity left in her, enters an even darker part of the city, all Hell breaks loose.
No question, this is a horror story. However, there is a little love story there, too. This is a corruption story. A redemption story. And something else altogether. While it is not for the sensitive reader, this graphic novel has appeal for multiple readers. I both greatly enjoyed it and did not like it. There were a lot of emotions and situations to process. I think it might be one of my favorite books because of the layers and contradictions. And one of those biggest contradictions is that things are layered but also very straight forward. The images are a unique mix of noir and modern, the details are there to support, tease and only let you see what the author wants you to know. Colors are only as few to pinpoint the situation and add to that old school feeling. There is a sketchbook at the end giving you more info on some of the characters. There is nudity, sexual situations, religious extremes and violence with blood. I would even say that you could call this even soft erotica.
Read via an online reader copy, this graphic novel is due in mid March 2025