Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Everything the Darkness Eats by Eric LaRocca

147 reviews

barf_mobile's review

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

Might've given this 3 stars if the narrator sounded less whiny. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Hate crime, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

2busyreading's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Rape and Torture

ghost_cat99's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense 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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence

hippietilley's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This book was pretty intense.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual assault, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail

deshanejt's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

2.5

Eric LaRocca's writing is intense. He's very good!

However, I can't for the life of me figure out the plot, the point, or the message in this story. 

What started in the beginning of the book, and what transpired throughout, LOOSELY connected to what happened in the end- IMO. 

I understand there's not always justice for victims of SA and hate-crimes, but it would have been nice to understand how being a witness to that brutality tied into the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

free_the_bookshelf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence

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

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

mary_magdalyn's review

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Hate crime, and Homophobia

awesomevie's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

I felt like there was a lot going on for such a short book, I didnt see the need for the hate crimes along with the other aspects of the story. They didn't seem like they had a whole lot to do with eachother. The ending was wholesome

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Racial slurs

sleepysage_reads's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, and Rape