I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
“A family is made of people who love each other. So it is said. But far more families are made of people who are alone with each other,” (Doyle).
When Cora Reims was a teenager when she was visited by an angel of the Lord who left her with her son, Jordy. Despite his angelic appearance and birthright, Jordy brings nothing but evil wherever he goes. After tormenting his mother and the town of Enoch for seventeen years, on the eve of his birthday Cora is visited by a different angel who demands that she kill Jordy. But will Cora actually be able to kill her son?
I love religious horror, so when Be Not Afraid came up on my Goodreads and one review compared it to Midnight Mass I knew I had to read it (thank you NetGalley for approving me as I requested it right after finding it on Goodreads and received it just as fast!).
Be Not Afraid is such an atmospheric read. The artwork for the graphic novel is stunning and creates a perfect Southern Gothic vibe as the horror slowly builds. It’s a short, quick read, but the story itself is a sick kind of slow burn that will turn your stomach by the end. So much of the dread comes from what isn’t seen, like in this panel here about one of Jordy’s early victims:
Though there are just as many gory bits as well:
Cora was a good protagonist to follow, though I would have liked more of a glimpse into her backstory. We get some hints, but just a little more depth would have added a lot to her character. She has a great moment near the end, but it almost feels like it came out of nowhere since there was little build-up to this revelation she had for herself. And Jordy was such an interesting antagonist, I was surprised that Doyle was able to create a bit of empathy for him despite how evil of a character he is. He comes off as eternally childlike, alone and searching for some form of acceptance, unable and uninterested in stopping who he is while having no regrets for the evil he causes.
The religious aspects were truly horrific. While good and evil are dictated by the God and angel mentioned in the story, they don’t seem to be any more benevolent than Jordy. God and the angel have a very clear idea of what is good and what is evil, it’s a very orthodox look at sin where (spoiler if you weren’t raised religious) despite how faithful and good humans are, our very being is sinful, which added a dread to the story that was just fantastic. I did think the idea of forgiveness was very interesting, I’ve never read anything like it and will avoid discussing it further because of spoilers.
Be Not Afraid is a fantastic and horrifying read that gets right under your skin. I can’t stop thinking about it and will be reading more from Doyle in the future!
Cora Reims once embraced a vision of pure light—an angelic messenger who left behind a terrible her son, Jordy. Despite his angelic countenance, it soon becomes apparent that Jordy is a plague upon the Earth, spreading death and cruelty wherever he goes. After years of torment and generational shame for her transgression, Cora receives a divine revelation on the eve of Jordy’s eighteenth God has finally heard her pleas and Heaven demands the destruction of her devastatingly powerful child. As plagues descend on the town of Enoch and the townspeople’s faith fractures under fear, Cora must now confront her past, her purpose, and the divine horror she once mistook for grace with the guidance of a mysterious, new stranger.
Sarah O'Connor 