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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
3.5/5 stars for this horror novella. I think the ending is what really pulled it up to a 3.5 instead of a 3. I was struggling during much of the text to get a sense of the kind of person Martyr Black is, and it wasn’t until the end that much of that confusion was laid to rest. I enjoyed the novella within the novella and how that story slowly revealed itself. I don’t think the book is weaker for having included the other pieces that surround this novella within the novella, I just think that was the bit that pulled me in the most. Worth the read, not sure I’ll revisit it.
slow-paced
what made me think 'you know, i wanna read another book by eric larocca' was the itch to read something disturbing, something that creeps you out the same way 'things have gotten worse since we last spoke' does. but ngl this one was a bit of a flop. i feel like there was potential but it was honestly like reading a brainstorm of ideas rather than an actual book. but maybe that was the point??
writing style already put me off a bit. there were multiple times i had to cringe because it felt so contrived in a way? with what the theme turns out to be, about the nature of plagiarism and putting up smoke and mirrors using others' ideas to hide your true self, maybe the way all the important details were so on the nose while random things were left mysterious just for suspense were purposeful. but personally i think you can make a theme clear through a story without making it literally pulling teeth to read.
i think bc of that it made it pretty hard to really feel the impact of what could've been very intense scenes. i just didnt care about what was going on because i felt like the story was asking for reactions from me that were not deserved. like, for example, the first scene with tamsen trying to run away from presley had me HOOKED. and either it was organised in a way that was too confusing to pick up on, but as there continued to be moments where tamsen had a weird reaction about presley without any release of the tension, it just started to feel old. the entire middle of the book kind of feels like a muddle of weird happenings that *should* have been unsettling but just didnt really hit because youre too busy wondering if the other things left untied would make sense soon. the alternations between the work written by martyr and martyr's recordings of himself does not help that.
speaking of martyr, omg i rolled my eyes so hard. reading his thoughts felt like scrolling through a 2014 grunge blog on tumblr where op REALLY wants you to know how edgy and dark they are. the dialogue between tamsen and co were the same. painful to get through.
i wouldnt say the ending was redeeming but it certainly didnt leave me feel like i wasted my time completely. i think the premise of a murderer that kills their victims because theyve plagiarised from them and reading what would've been the compilation of the voices of all their victims couldve been very interesting and original, especially with the questions it'd raise about the reliability of our current narrator and, really, any narrator. but the execution of this really fell flat. while it's entirely possible to say that how confusing and poorly written this book was could've been some kind of poetic statement that i just didnt underestand, i personally feel like if the metaphor youre using impacts the quality of your story as a whole, then maybe choose a different metaphor.
writing style already put me off a bit. there were multiple times i had to cringe because it felt so contrived in a way? with what the theme turns out to be, about the nature of plagiarism and putting up smoke and mirrors using others' ideas to hide your true self, maybe the way all the important details were so on the nose while random things were left mysterious just for suspense were purposeful. but personally i think you can make a theme clear through a story without making it literally pulling teeth to read.
i think bc of that it made it pretty hard to really feel the impact of what could've been very intense scenes. i just didnt care about what was going on because i felt like the story was asking for reactions from me that were not deserved. like, for example, the first scene with tamsen trying to run away from presley had me HOOKED. and either it was organised in a way that was too confusing to pick up on, but as there continued to be moments where tamsen had a weird reaction about presley without any release of the tension, it just started to feel old. the entire middle of the book kind of feels like a muddle of weird happenings that *should* have been unsettling but just didnt really hit because youre too busy wondering if the other things left untied would make sense soon. the alternations between the work written by martyr and martyr's recordings of himself does not help that.
speaking of martyr, omg i rolled my eyes so hard. reading his thoughts felt like scrolling through a 2014 grunge blog on tumblr where op REALLY wants you to know how edgy and dark they are. the dialogue between tamsen and co were the same. painful to get through.
i wouldnt say the ending was redeeming but it certainly didnt leave me feel like i wasted my time completely. i think the premise of a murderer that kills their victims because theyve plagiarised from them and reading what would've been the compilation of the voices of all their victims couldve been very interesting and original, especially with the questions it'd raise about the reliability of our current narrator and, really, any narrator. but the execution of this really fell flat. while it's entirely possible to say that how confusing and poorly written this book was could've been some kind of poetic statement that i just didnt underestand, i personally feel like if the metaphor youre using impacts the quality of your story as a whole, then maybe choose a different metaphor.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love LaRocca’s prose. He’s a wonderful writer and should be given full credit for his abilities.
This story, or stories, were interesting. A mix between a novella and a novella within the novella. It took me a minute to figure out what was going on (audiobook) and which story was the novella within.
I found the separate stories dark and disturbing in their own rights. Yet, I don’t know if I would recommend this to others without physically reading it first. The confusing nature of the story within a story can easily confuse and frustrate readers.
This story, or stories, were interesting. A mix between a novella and a novella within the novella. It took me a minute to figure out what was going on (audiobook) and which story was the novella within.
I found the separate stories dark and disturbing in their own rights. Yet, I don’t know if I would recommend this to others without physically reading it first. The confusing nature of the story within a story can easily confuse and frustrate readers.
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
when a “character study,” which i assume that’s what this is, lacks any kind of arc or really basic fleshing out of inward struggles or backstory, is it really a character study? usually i’m a huge fan of both no plot, just vibes and larocca but this was kind of an insufferable read. all we learn about martyr is that he’s gay, kills people, and likes arronofsky (BOOOO). and also he’s read a philosophy book or two (maybe). the only character i cared for (in both the compilations of recordings and the in universe novella) was ambrose, the subject of our main gay boy’s murder fantasies.
Wish I would’ve had the time to sit and read this in one sitting. The world building was so eerie, I loved it.
I really enjoyed the prose, LaRocca's writing is beautiful and atmospheric, but the novella within the story was a lot more interesting than the main plot.
3.5
( if you’re looking for a cool horror book with no plot just vibes, read this )
i’ve seen some people talk about how they’re not a fan of this book’s mixed format and although i understand why it’s annoying since the different parts don’t fully connect, the disjointed stories were perfect for my adhd brain
and while not once was i bored or under stimulated reading this book, it did feel somewhat lacking by the end when all of the disjointed stories didn’t fully connect. i get the resolution after everything’s done but it was a bit too neatly tied without it ever being an actual single narrative that was divided into different storylines and formats, ya know?
with that being said, larocca’s type of horror always does it for me and i’m obsessed with their covers
also:
( if you’re looking for a cool horror book with no plot just vibes, read this )
i’ve seen some people talk about how they’re not a fan of this book’s mixed format and although i understand why it’s annoying since the different parts don’t fully connect, the disjointed stories were perfect for my adhd brain
and while not once was i bored or under stimulated reading this book, it did feel somewhat lacking by the end when all of the disjointed stories didn’t fully connect. i get the resolution after everything’s done but it was a bit too neatly tied without it ever being an actual single narrative that was divided into different storylines and formats, ya know?
with that being said, larocca’s type of horror always does it for me and i’m obsessed with their covers
also:
Spoiler
i knew martyr was a fake bitch the moment he said that there’s “something so deliciously macabre about red streaks on immaculately polished white tile” like… no?¿ blood on white tiles of a bathroom’s such a boring image for someone who’s supposedly that creative and refined to come up with lol
Eric LaRocca can do no wrong, in my humble opinion. This was absolutely incredible. The mix of different stories, poetry, and recordings really made this an intense and neat read.
I was just as impressed with the character development in such a short book as I was with Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke.
I was just as impressed with the character development in such a short book as I was with Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke.