therewerepagesturned 's review for:

Everything the Darkness Eats by Eric LaRocca

4.25

dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Cosmic horror is not usually my jam, but I have been meaning to read something by Eric Larocca, and I wanted to start with this book. 

Although it is the weaker of the two storylines, I was most engrossed in Malik and Brett’s storyline because it was the more visceral one. Ghost’s storyline is more cosmic horror, but that one has more “heart,” for sure. In the end, though, it was just much easier for me to relate to the paranoia and homophobia Malik and Brett experienced, and I have just always found myself drawn to horror stories that are more grounded in reality. 

Ghost is a very sympathetic character, and I can tell that LaRocca has a thing for writing about characters and grief. What I enjoyed most in Ghost’s storyline was his conflict between his grief for his dead wife and his growing affection for his new love interest, Gemma. I think that created an interesting tension for the climax of the novel. 

I’m excited to read more of LaRocca’s work, to see where it goes from here. There were some masterfully brutal scenes and LaRocca writes in a way that balances action, dialogue, and description that set a realistic pace to the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Rape