LaRocca continues to be fantastic at balancing intimacy, and some really fucking existentially horrible asks and/or tasks. There will be things that make you crawl out of your skin in the best possible way, and some stories that just stick with you in the back of your head. I like that LaRocca is pacing himself to some degree, but I do hope we get a longer collection from him at some point.

Excellent, as always. This is definitely a favourite author of mine. These short stories are so unexpected and unforgettable. Horrifying and uncomfortable - fantastic.

🐍This Skin Was Once Mine & other disturbances by Eric LaRocca🐍

Pages: 240
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book Goal 2024: 34/100


✨Does your family have a dark secret?✨

Thank you @titanbooks, @netgally and especially @hystericteeth for this advanced reader copy! This Skin Was Once Mine & other disturbances will release THIS TUESDAY April 2nd, 2024!!

This book is not for the faint of heart. If you like horror and body gruesome books that make your skin crawl then this book is for you. The cover is BEAUTIFUL and the stories inside are so grotesquely appealing. (If that’s even possible?)

Each story made my skin prickle, get the willies and wonder what was going to happen next.

Please make sure you read all of the trigger warnings on the second slide of this review before you decide if this book is for you!

Synopsis below:

Four devastating tales from a master of modern horror...

THIS SKIN WAS ONCE MINE
When her father dies under mysterious circumstances, Jillian Finch finds herself grieving the man she idolized while struggling to feel comfortable in the childhood home she was sent away from nearly twenty years ago. Then Jillian discovers a dark secret that will threaten to undo everything she has ever known about her father.

SEEDLING
A young man's father calls him early in the morning to say that his mother has passed away. He arrives home to find his mother's body still in the house.
Struggling to process what has happened, he notices a small black wound appear on his wrist. Then he discovers his father is cursed with the same affliction.

ALL THE PARTS OF YOU THAT WON'T EASILY BURN
Enoch Leadbetter goes to buy a knife for his husband to use at a forthcoming dinner party. He encounters a strange shopkeeper who draws him into an intoxicating new obsession and sets him on a path towards mutilation and destruction..

PRICKLE
Two old men revive a cruel game with devastating consequences.

#readingreviews #reviews #books #read #booknerd #bookstagram #bookgoal #100books #netgalley #ThisSkinWasOnceMineandOtherDisturbances

Disgusting, tense, horrific. Truly some revolting stories. I really enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. Heavy, heavy, heavy TWs. This is absolutely not for the faint of heart, or even someone looking for a "normal" horror read.

The stories in this collection landed much better for me than "things have gotten better since we last spoke". Don't get me wrong, this collection is still very mean spirited, but it doesn't have some of the weaker elements (poorly written lesbians) that brought that story down for me.

I literally don't know who I can recommend this to? Just unrelentingly dark.

i enjoyed — although maybe enjoyed is the wrong word — this author's first book, because while it didn't have much going on besides shock value and gore it at least did those two things in kind of an interesting way.

reading this was completely unpleasant from start to finish, and not because of the gross-out content. the writing is actively bad, full of clichés and adjectives, and somehow even though all of these stories (?) are very short, they drag on, not ending at the moment they'd be effective or shocking. characterizations are inconsistent, and in fact characters seem almost beside the point — none of these figures feel comprehensible, let alone human or real.

i was anticipating this as a book that would make me truly scared, but i regret picking it up for entirely different reasons.

loveeeed this collection. There are 4 stories, each one very dark and twisted. This book
plays with characters who unleash the most disturbing parts of themselves and I found that concept so interesting. Every story starts pretty normal, then it gets weird, and then it goes off the rails. As disturbing as it is, there's also a tiny bit of dark humour sprinkled in. This is what makes Eric Larocca such an incredible writer. There is no one else that can make me feel uncomfortable, scared, shocked and also make me laugh, all in 30 pages. All stories were amazing, but the two longest ones were my favourite. READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE YOU READ IT.

Eric LaRocca continues to be one of my favourite horror authors, the concepts of all their stories are unique and thought-provoking. This collection contained 4 short stories that were all very distinct and terrifying in their own ways. My favourites were the first two stories, "This Skin Was Once Mine" and "Seedling". The commentary they had on childhood trauma and grief was incredibly palpable. Although "All the Parts of You That Won’t Easily Burn" was not my favourite story, this was the once that made me physically squirm at the mention of the specific body horror, I could feel what the main character was feeling physically and it was extremely off-putting.

Overall, this was a well-thought-out collection and I can't wait to read more Eric LaRocca, they have become my top auto-read horror author!

* I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *

Eric LaRocca’s “The Skin That Was Once Mine, and Other Disturbances” gets beneath the reader’s very flesh. It’s a collection of four intense horror tales from one of the most macabre minds currently working in the industry. LaRocca produces original, gruesome, and heartrending tales certain to disturb.

But LaRocca isn’t only out to shock. His stories are also there to provoke. Not outrage, but thought. Emotion. Feeling. LaRocca wants to push the boundaries down, which he succeeds in with the opening story “The Skin That Was Once Mine,” about family secrets and terrible relationships, with cruel mercies and music. Sometimes the worst thing you can do is to allow someone to live.

“All the Parts Of You That Won’t Easily Burn” is another that slides under the skin. When a man buys a knife, he slowly discovers a building obsession within himself. One for sliding glass under his skin. And there’s a secret society dedicated to it, with them wanting him aboard. Thought provoking. Nightmarish. Uncomfortable. But also beautifully written.

LaRocca loves to explore the dark sides of human nature and examine how bodies can be twisted on a canvass of flesh to mirror a burgeoning darkness in the soul. He’s a maestro of the grotesque and by the end of this collection, your skin may be crawling too much to be yours anymore.

This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances (to be referred to as TSWOM from here on out in this review) is a set of four short stories centered around toxic and/or abusive relationships of different types, the ways in which such humans can harm one another, and the ways people develop coping mechanisms and/or certain obsessions in order to deal with the trauma and pain they’ve gone through.

LaRocca gives a clear warning that there are a couple of significant triggers in a letter at the beginning of the book, but if you’re the sensitive sort I suggest maybe trying to find a more comprehensive list of triggers and content online before you read.

This is a great short story collection, with imaginative and truly creepy tales. LaRocca manages to write truly beautiful horror prose, making things vile and wretched somehow sound almost poetic in their horrid tragedy.

I give kudos to the titular short story, “This Skin Was Once Mine”, for being one of the creepiest stories I’ve ever read. It’s not about the story’s topic or content, either. It’s all about the protagonist’s obsession and coping mechanisms. And the snakes. Yeah, there’s a warning for you: danger noodles all up in this story.

I’d also like to point right to “Seedling” for being one of the most touching, emotional, and beautiful horror stories I’ve ever read while still managing to be gross and freaky.

The last story in the collection, “Prickle”, is just plain creepy-weird and all I could keep thinking about is the word “cruelty”.

The low point in the book for me was the story “All the Parts of You That Won’t Easily Burn”, which was a great story, but I didn’t totally understand the dynamic or the motivations in it.

I truly do recommend reading it if you’re a horror fan. It’s great and the stories are so lovely.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Anthology/Body Horror/Horror/LGBTQ Fiction/Short Stories/Paranormal Horror/Psychological Thriller

This collection of 4 new short stories is full of heart and anguish. Each story is hard hitting and explores loss in horrifying ways.

This Skin Was Once Mine: A woman returns to her childhood home after her beloved father dies. She must confront her strained relationship with her mother and discover a dark secret about her father. 5 Stars

Seedling: When a man's mother dies he goes to back home to find his father holding on to her body. They come down with a strange affliction. 4.5 Stars

All the Parts of You That Won't Easily Burn: A man buys a knife for his husband, but the shopkeeper doesn't want money in return. An unhealthy obsession is ignited in him. 4.5 Stars

Prickle: Two old men play a cruel game that they started in the past. 4 stars

I would highly recommend this collection to fans of horror and can deal with the content including child abuse, harm to children, grief, and self harm. This is a beautiful and brutal collection.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for my Arc of this book! Out in your local bookstore April 2nd.

Very few authors can pack a gut punch into their short stories quite like Eric LaRocca can, and this continues with this newest release of short stories. Eric LaRocca has grown into an expert at leaving a unique mark on you with his work, his very specific imprint branded onto you, and this very much continues here.

Within the four stories you will find gratuitous amounts of evil, violence and body horror. I flew through this collection but I would find it difficult to say I 'enjoyed' the stories - enjoyment just doesn't come into it. LaRocca's work is an endurance test, to see both how much the reader can take but also the characters in the stories.

Of the four stories I think it was 'This Skin Was Once Mine' that stuck out the most to me. The story explores to what depths family bonds can outreach any sense of morality and rationality, and the inevitability surrounding who your parents are and what you are going to become. It is delightfully sickening with a blood drenched bow-tie for a conclusion.

Overall I would say that if you have read anything by Eric LaRocca before, then this is more of the same. Compared to his previous short story collections I do think this is the weakest among them, but overall with it being such a short and speedy read I would say it is worth your time.

With this read, I came to the conclusion that I, for one, am not a fan of extreme horror. That said, and biases aside, this was a well written, visceral collection of short stories. This author has a way of grabbing the reader's attention immediately and keeping them in his grip until the very last page. Each story was unique in its own way, showing how depraved individuals can become given the opportunity. For fans of extreme horror, this will leave you reeling, but still craving more. Four Stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Titan Books, for this ARC.

I have to say I think this collection is likely my favourite of LaRocca’s to date. All four short stories are beautiful, dark, visceral and showcase the worse and best of humanity. I have to say of the four I think Seedling and Prickle but all of them offer something to chill the bone and make you think.

As always LaRocca’s writing is perfection for the horror genre, they know how to make the horror creep or just jump out. They know how to shock and leave you reeling. I read a lot of horror and can honestly say some of their writing even makes me react due to the gore and viscera that is there. But LaRocca doesn’t just do the horror perfectly they do the humanity as well. The good, the bad and the downright deprived. A perfect collection for horror fans, fans of LaRocca or new to the genre but do be warned they don’t hold back with the horror and gore.

Thank you NetGalley and Titan Books for sending me digital copy to review!

I absolutely love Eric LaRocca’s short stories, I feel that is where they shine the most! I enjoyed this short story collection and being given the gift of LaRocca’s signature prose and depraved storytelling.

This Skin Was Once Mine
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This short story hooked me from the very first page, allowing me to connect with the initial themes so much that I was impossible to back out when the horror began. This was my favorite in the collection because of the mesmerizing storytelling and the excruciatingly slow reveal.

Seedling artfully personifies grief in this short tale of a daughter and her father as they cope with the loss of her mother. It’s painful and slowly morphs into a comic horror nightmare of tendriling voids. This story had some outstanding visuals that leave you wanting to pry open the edges.

All the Parts of You That Won’t Easily Burn is such a wild ride that leaves you considering what you would do for an ornate cutting knife. An inviting incident unfurls into this accumulation of disturbing events that will leave you uncomfortable in your own skin.

Prickle is a game between two elderly friends that involves seemingly subdued forms of torture for other strangers in the area. This game is truth or dare, but deliberately avoiding the truth while delivering escalating dares until it gets out of hand.

Overall, a solid short story collection that I devoured in a single day! LaRocca does a great job delivering queer horror in a short format, effectively inducing disgust and discomfort to their readers. If this interests you, This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances comes out on April 2nd!

I know going into an Eric LaRocca collection of short stories that I’m in for a gruesome time. Reading one of their collections gives you the unsettling feeling you have after waking up from a nightmare. This collection has 4 short stories.

This Skin Was Once Mine - 4/5. The titular story is probably one of, if not the strongest, of LaRocca’s stories. The story gives you the setup for some “twists” in the story, so you think you’re one step ahead of our narrator, but then the rug is pulled out from under you.

Seedling - 2/5. This has an interesting concept and some pretty gross body horror imagery, but the premise felt underdone to me.

All the Parts of You that Won’t Easily Burn - 3/5. I’m disturbed! I don’t know what I read, but it was gross. This one feels very Clive Barker inspired.

Prickle - 2/5 - Like Seedling, this one felt like it needed a few more pages to feel completely resolved. The ending is wild and fits the collection well, but I wanted more information about our main characters. The beginning hints at something that never gets actualized.

Like a nightmare, sometimes LaRocca’s stories follow a traditional plot structure and sometimes they just shockingly end. There are definitely some stories I liked here more than others, but it can’t be denied that LaRocca has such a unique writing style.

Horror connoisseur here. This collection had some sharp, glimmering moments (quite literally) and some dry spells as well. The writing was quite straightforward and did not shy away from bloody and macabre imagery. However, the first two stories seemed a bit similar in setting and character association–it felt as though I read the same story twice, with different horror elements guiding the narratives forward. The last story was cruel in nature, as good horror often is, but the character development and our minimal understanding given of them–due to the short story format–made it difficult for me to connect to their relationship and motives. The third story in the collection, titled 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯, was my absolute favorite and I would definitely revisit it again. I loved its raw, brutal strangeness and the volatile nature of the way desire churned its dark language forward, crawling underneath the reader's flesh as though a wound has been opened–made to bleed–and filled with something beautiful.

Eric Larocca quickly has become one of my favorite horror authors. Their writing style is completely engrossing, makes the reader feel uneasy and a little queasy. Each of these stories get more disturbing than the next. Each push boundaries and creates a sense of dread. As always, I love the body horror and how it's done. Thank you netgalley and titan books for thr ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A brilliant short story horror collection. love anything this author write abd will read anything this author wrires.

A creepy, chilling and well written collection of short stories! Eric LaRocca is a well known horror author who delivers up unique, dark and fun to read stories. I've only read short stories by him but would be interested to read a full length novel. My favorite in this collection was the first story This Skin Was Once Mine, but everything offer up here was really well written and great to read. The stories are dark but not extreme and would appeal to a wide range of fans of horror. He is most well known for this book Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke so go and check that one out once you have finished this if you haven't already.

This is easily my favorite of LaRocca’s work! It’s dark, achingly sad, unsettling and morbid. Everything I have come to expect from LaRocca. This Skin Was Once Mine was my favorite of the stories with Seedling coming in at a close second but all of them were great and I couldn’t find anything missing. Many thanks to Titan Books for my eARC. This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances will be available 4/2.