Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances by Eric LaRocca

22 reviews

dark fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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bleepbloop's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 65%

too gross for me :(

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A great example of LGBTQ+ horror. These four short stories were undoubtedly unnerving. One star was knocked off because I wasn't truly scared by any of the stories but I had a great time and inhaled the book in less than two hours. 

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challenging dark tense slow-paced

My least favorite of LaRocca's published works up until now.

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dark emotional mysterious 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: No

Got this for my partner as a gift. I wanted to read the first story, like a taste test….read the entire thing in one night.
 
Energy: Morose. Apprehensive. Determined. 
 
Story 1: Are we confined to live in the shadows of our parents? 
Story 2: Generation wounds run shallow or deep?
Story 3: The purchase of a high-end culinary knife leads to a high-end addiction
Story 4: Games in the park go too far
 
Mood Reading Match-Up:
  • Literary horror
  • Disturbing claustrophobic domestic settings
  • Complicated grief 
  • Surreal grotesque body horror
  • Can’t look away unravelings
  • Open-to-reader interpretation randomness and symbolism
 
Content Heads-Up: Self-harm. Parental rejection. Attempted suicide. Medical (spinal injury, paralysis). Loss of parent (as an adult). Animal death (birds, snakes). Child abuse. Confinement. Torture. Starvation. Vomit. Corpse. Cancer (death). Body horror. Wounds, cuts. Blood. Sexual content (self). Fire, fire injury. Loss of baby. Ageing (weakness, mobility issues). 
 
Rep: Lesbian. Gay. Cisgender. Ambiguous skin tones.
 
📚 Format: Paperback
 
My musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶

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challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Eric LaRocca writes some truly disturbing, nightmarish stories.  This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances is no exception with each tale peeling back another layer of human depravity.  I listened to the audiobook for this and hearing the descriptions of the horrific scenarios in this book made my skin crawl, in the best way possible.  Having a different narrator for each of the four stories in this collection was an excellent choice that created distinct voices for each of the characters we follow.

This Skin Was Once Mine narrated by Natalie Naudus – A lurid examination of a woman’s possessive obsession and how cyclical abuse can be perpetuated when people never learn what healthy love looks like.  Natalie Naudus did an incredible job of embodying Jillian and bringing life into the various characters she interacts with.

Seedling narrated by André Santana – This one hit the hardest for me because of the unflinching look at grief following the death of a loved one to cancer.  The small reflections the main character has as he tries to process his mother’s death are painfully realistic.  A desperation to connect with his father leads down an unsettling path as the emptiness felt inside by the two manifests in mysterious physical wounds with nothing inside.  André Santana’s narration expertly conveyed the emotional state of the character throughout the piece.

All the Parts of You That Won’t Easily Burn narrated by Michael Crouch – The third story delivers on body horror as Enoch meets a group that shares his masochistic tendencies and is tasked to recruit a new member that will embrace their ways.  Michael Crouch’s narration shines with sinister tones bleeding into the normalcy of Enoch’s life as he falls further into his obsession.

Prickle narrated by Steven Crossley – In the final tale, a slow burn story unfolds as two old men engage in more dangerous acts in their game of cruelty.  Steven Crossley demonstrates excellent distinction between the characters, with each having their own unique personality.  The story ramps up to a shocking conclusion that drives home how far cruelty can go.

Thank you Dreamscape Media for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense
Plot or Character Driven: N/A
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Messy, nasty queers committing evil deeds is what I live for :)

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dark tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

So disturbing and what a great collection of stories that really go well together. LaRocca does it again!

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challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This was dark, vile, and extremely horrific but I really did enjoy it. I gasped out loud a few times and even reread the third story because it was so much! LaRocca did include on the opening pages of the collection a content warning and that was such a nice and useful inclusion. 

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