Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Everything the Darkness Eats by Eric LaRocca

23 reviews

autumnrevisited's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

0.5

This is genuinely one of the worst books I have read from an "established," published author. The writing in the book was incredibly clunky with metaphors that not only didn't make sense, but felt like they were written solely for the sake of shock. There were also moments in the book where descriptions and explanations seemed to be entirely missing, with settings and situations coming out of nowhere. The story itself was lackluster, with the secondary main character only contributing the most minor presence in the following "climax." So much of Ghost's character and set up was shallow and unexplained, relying on supernatural nonsense to get the point across.

While I disliked the writing, what bothered me the most about this book was how LaRocca treated their characters. The book claims to be a queer horror novel, but the only part of it that seems genuinely queer is the secondary main character who services only as a conduit for violence. There is not a moment where Malik is happy, only witnessing his husband's hate crime, being kidnapped, sexually and brutally assaulted, and almost murdered. All for being gay. There is no other development to his character other than to have slurs thrown at him and have violence done unto him. Also, the "bad guys" in the story both are also queer or have experienced similar violence. I find it unacceptable and disgusting that LaRocca would take a character that does extreme sexual and physical violence to one of the only POC characters in the book and make their motivation be a past assault from another gay character. Furthermore, giving the main villain AIDS (at least hinting at it) for no reason other than to mention it adds to the image that people with AIDS are violent and dirty.

LaRocca also completely ignores his female characters. They are either stupid, pathetic, or fridged. There is not a moment with a female character where they have any real agency. They are dead to move the male main character's story forward or placed as a helpless damsel in distress in order to be protected.

I purchased and read this book because I heard many good things about LaRocca's other works and the horror they have created. However, after reading this book, I refuse to read anything else LaRocca has written or may write in the future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Blood, Violence, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Excrement, Grief, Ableism, Gore, Kidnapping, Body horror, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Vomit

Moderate: Excrement, Child death, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Grief, Blood, Cursing, Alcohol, Death, and Hate crime

binneybooks's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Child death, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Rape, and Death

zenzi2read's review

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Violence, Excrement, and Torture

Minor: Child death

hauntedantiqueshop's review

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.5

What an absolute JOKE. I’m truly at a loss with what to say about this unnecessary book but here it goes.

Imagine writing horrific sexual assault and then almost idolizing the attacker (calling him his God and seeing how attractive he really is is so fucking disgusting), making your readers that could get through it read it, to then haphazardly slap “don’t worry, God fixed it and they literally don’t even remember it now” at the end. Not to mention the weird ableism sprinkled throughout the book, mixed with utterly unreliable actions by almost every single character. Don’t get me wrong, ACAB all day long. But not a single officer in that department is fully investigating the disappearances of these people all over town or THE KIDNAPPING? The taxi driver is just cool with being an accomplice??

I can’t help but to think Eric LaRocca hates their audience and truly thinks of them as fucking idiots.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Hate crime, Violence, Torture, and Death

Minor: Child death, Pregnancy, Excrement, Kidnapping, and Pedophilia

Do you like slurs? Don’t worry, it’s chocked full of the f slur!

912jae's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Grief, and Rape

Moderate: Excrement, Car accident, Blood, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Child death, Death, and Pedophilia

ecn's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.25

So good but not much of a build up and the quickest resolution/wrap up, which left me wanting more

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Body horror, Biphobia, Torture, Grief, Gore, Child death, Car accident, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Hate crime, Blood, Medical content, Homophobia, Rape, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, and Excrement

chloe_k93's review

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

This book was a pointless creative writing exercise in violence towards queer people. Excruciating prose, subpar character development and very little plot line. Sexual assault so rarely elevates any part of a plot and this seemed to be done for 100% plot value. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Child death, Rape, and Kidnapping

sinisterbeard's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

Eric LaRocca is a potentially great novelist who's badly in need of a trad publishing editor. This reads like a great first draft, full of grammatical errors, fancy words used incorrectly, muddy plotting, and frustratingly foolish characters who take very little action and achieve nothing. With a year's polish at a proper house, this could have been Salem's Lot good, which is the book it most reminds me off. As it is, it's deeply frustrating.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Homophobia

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Body horror, and Kidnapping

Minor: Child death, Car accident, and Miscarriage

achay91's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Car accident, Child death, Cursing, Excrement, Grief, Hate crime, Blood, Gore, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Death and Murder

chilivanilli28's review

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Homophobia, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Rape, and Child death

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts