Reviews with content warning for Rape - Everything The Darkness Eats

I am a huge fan of LaRocca, but this book was not it. There was a lot that made this feel like it was multiple short stories at one point, but were half hazardly strewn together into a novella. It either needed to be a longer book or have less going on. The two character povs then the added “antagonist” plot do not mesh together at all. Add in the graphic SA that had little to nothing to do with the over arching plot and this book just left the thoughts of “what did I just read and why”. The ending just made it to where nothing happened and was “happy”. It just feels like there was no real point to this book.

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ecn's review against another edition

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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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sphinxofblackquartz's review against another edition

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4.0

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funyuns_the_movie's review against another edition

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dark 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? Yes

1.5

The pacing of this book was so weird. There's two main characters who have two completely different stories that connect in a pretty insignificant way at the end, so it feels a little bit like I'm reading two half stories. Also the climax is so strange--it feels like it lasts like 2 minutes in the grand scheme of the story. I think if the book took more time to flesh out the characters (especially the villain, whose entire ideology went underdeveloped), then I would have liked it much more.

Also I thought the prose was a tad obnoxious at times. The author sets the tone using A LOT of similes/metaphors--sometimes even multiple nested inside each other, and eventually it wore me down a bit.

That being said, I still derived enjoyment from reading it, and thought that the occult stuff was neat.

I wouldn't recommend this book personally, but I can see it resonating with certain people.

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statefossil's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Docking a quarter star bc I wish LaRocca had let us see the assailants be punished.

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sixtimes's review against another edition

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dark tense 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

I am so sorry, but this is the worst book I’ve read in my life. Character development is nonexistent, the word monster ceases to have a meaning with how often it is used, women and disabled characters are used as props, and gratuitous violence and sexual violence that do nothing to move the story, just
violence for the sake of violence. Yeah yeah I’m sure it’s a metaphor for how humans were the real monsters all along but god it was almost impossible to sit through. I HIGHLY recommend not reading this book.

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hexedmaiden's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

3.0

I wanted to love this, after all I've enjoyed LaRocca's previous stories but the ending to this was a flop for me. Something about it just felt a little rushed, but it is a happier ending than I expected so I appreciate that at least. I don't think I'm completely done with reading LaRocca's works and hopefully his next full length novel I'll enjoy more.

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chloe_k93's review against another edition

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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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