I enjoyed Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke so was excited to get this as an ARC.
Unfortunately I feel like the shock value I felt with Things wasn't present for this anthology. I liked the intensity of the short stories as they were punchy but found the first and last stories were lacking and didn't grab my attention well. Seedling kept me reading the other stories as I loved how uncomfortable this one was, but unfortunately the others didn't feel memorable.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was a return to form for LaRocca! I think short form stories is where this author really thrives. The stories were short, intense and well written, and the characters were engaging. A good mix of shock and horror, as well as pacing.

I sat down and read this all in one sitting... I couldn't put it down and loved every story. I think this author always does a really good job drawing readers into the stories and is able to create really creepy vibes. I think my favorite story was Seedling it was original and super twisted! Eric LaRocca is an autobuy for me always!

I found that I was taking so long to read this collection of stories and wondering why. I usually enjoy a slow burn horror.

I then realised that I was bored by it and just couldn't keep myself in the story, there was little ramping of tension for me.

This just wasn't for me and I know Eric LaRocca has a huge fan base but I'm not a fan of his writing style.

I was thankful for the trigger warnings though.

I was uncomfortable, freaked out, given the ick, my skin was crawling. This was absolutely horrible and disturbing, and I ate every second of it up! Eric LaRocca has now become an auto-buy author for me after his publication last year, The Tree's Grew Because I Bled There, which was my favorite horror novel of 2023. This was even better! I do not often pick up short stories but I will 100% reach for these every single time without fail. I can wait to revisit some of his older work this year and see what is published in the future! 5 very disturbing stars.

I was thrilled to get an ARC of this book, as I am very much a LaRocca completionist and love everything they write. I’m a big horror nerd, but I’m extremely picky when it comes to horror/splatterpunk books. I think the reason why I love Eric LaRocca’s stories so much is because it truly feels like they are making literary art- beneath the surface of the blood and gore, there are very real, human feelings that are written in gorgeous prose. I also really love seeing more queer representation in the horror space, both in the author and in the characters.

This collection in particular really stood out to me, specifically the last two stories, and I think it’s their best work since Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke. The stories paint a beautiful portrait about the ugliness of human relationships, whether that’s family, friends, or loved ones. These stories work as literary horror, because they have the power to both physically revolt you while also strangely being emotionally moving.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances is a collection of four stories from horror writer Eric LaRocca, all delving into the weird and dark sides of people's nature. The opening letter to the reader warns of claustrophobic stories and asks the reader if they want to read such upsetting stories, a framing that plays with expectations as much as it warns people. As I've found with other LaRocca story collections, some of them felt unsettling and dark, with clever endings, and others didn't work as well for me.

My favourite was probably the titular story, 'This Skin Was Once Mine', which is also the longest in the book. It combines what happens when you learn the truth about an idolised family member after their death with a load of snakes and a weird caretaker-type figure, and the length of the story meant that it was vividly drawn with a decent amount of depth to the main character. The ending is predictably fitting and overall the story looks at the ways in which families perpetuate violence.

I also enjoyed 'All the Parts of You That Won't Easily Burn' because it starts as one kind of story and ends as another, a weird journey into self-mutilation that just gets more horrifying. That story probably justifies the warning at the start, as I'm sure it'll make a lot of people flinch (and it reminds me of the vibe of something like Alison Rumfitt's Brainwyrms).

The other two stories, 'Seedling' and 'Prickle', were short and felt a bit too similar to other LaRocca stories to me ('Seedling' comes immediately after 'This Skin Was Once Mine' and is also about someone returning to their family home after the death of a parent). 'Seedling' wasn't for me, as I didn't feel like it went anywhere, and whilst I liked the premise of 'Prickle' (two old men playing a cruel game in a park), again it didn't particularly go anywhere interesting or resolve a few of the details in it.

The two meatiest stories in this collection were exactly what I was looking for from it, with well-fleshed out protagonists in weird, dark situations. The other two were perhaps less distinctive short stories, but I suppose it's probably a good idea to not have four very intense stories in the book for some readers...

So so excited when I got the notification from Netgalley! I've been waiting for Larocca's new book and I'll only say one thing—totally freaking worth it!

Four tales from a master of modern horror.

THIS SKIN WAS ONCE MINE:

The first story was the perfect way to start a chapter. A peek of what a reader like me should expect from an Anthology book. Creepy and terrfying. The characters were unpredictable and the setting was eerily uncomfortable. I couldn't stop thinking about the music box or the snakes. Ugh.

SEEDLING:

Ugh! That was gross. I could never look at an innocent black hole the same way ever again.

ALL THE PARTS OF YOU THAT WON'T EASILY BURN:

Imagine buying a knife from a mystery seller and suddenly become obsessed with mutilation and broken glasses. Like, how could something so mundane escalate to something destructive? Well, ask LaRocca.

PRICKLE:

And that's how you end a book. Nicely done.

I loved it. Thank you Netgalley and Titan Books!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘼 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙-𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚, 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙝𝙤𝙗𝙞𝙘 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙨.

This was my first read by Eric LaRoca and I’ve heard such great things about his books. I was so excited to get my hands on this collection of stories early. This one includes four different tales, some enjoyed others I felt meh about.

I thought the writing was interesting, but it may not be for me. Also, the tales were definitely disturbing and not meant for the delicate. These are short stories so I won’t go into detail with the actual story.

The first story is This Skin Was Once Mine, I thought it was interesting and compelling. It was my favorite out of the four and I thought it was super twisted.

Seedling was a depressing story and fascinating, but I didn’t care too much for it. It wasn’t bad by any means, but I just didn’t click with it.

All The Parts Of You That Wouldn’t Easily Burn was super graphic and brilliantly written. It had such an intriguing take to it.

Finally, we had Prickle, probably my least favorite of the four. It didn’t feel like the right story to end the collection with. I felt lost and confused throughout it.

Overall, these were some fun and quick stories to read. While they all weren’t for me, there’s no doubt this author has an audience out there.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Titan Books for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

Engaging, entertaining, and perfectly sinister. A recommended purchase for collections where horror is popular.

LaRocca delivers an unflinching set of four dark novellas/stories exploring pain and human trauma in this excellent collection.
Written over a span of two years the collection comes with its own author disclaimer warning that stories within include graphic depictions of child abuse and self-harm, which could be triggering for some readers.
As such, this is a powerful collection but not always an easy read. These are stories to draw cause to consider, pause and digest using the horror genre to take you places you don't expect to go.
All the Parts of You That Won’t Easily Burn is perhaps my favourite of the bunch about a man who is introduced to a new fetish club in which its members stick tiny pieces of glass under their skin. It's also probably the most accessible horror tale of the bunch.
Opener The Skin Was Once Mine is the most confronting of the quartet and is a powerful story about abuse and family secrets. Again, it's an excellent story but one that requires time for reflection afterwards.
Seedling and Prickle are also included and are also excellent stories in their own right.
I'm new to LaRocca's work but this is one hell of an introduction.

I'm definitely in the minority on this one but I was a little bored? I expected to rush through this as I loved 'Things Have Gotten Worse' but I struggled to motivate myself to carry on with this.

'This Skin was Once Mine' was very compelling and definitely the best of the bunch. As with all of LaRocca's stories, it was depraved and twisted while also being elegantly written and compelling.
'Seedling' was depressing but didn't grab me.
'All the Parts of You That Won't Easily Burn' was brilliant. It made me cringe and squirm the whole time and was very graphic.
'Prickle' was the worst of the bunch and if I hadn't already been on the last story I would have DNF'd.

LaRocca warns readers before they start that this is going to be graphic so they can check trigger warnings and I urge anyone reading this to do the same. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for this ARC! I’m a huge fan of Eric’s so when I got approved for their new stories I was beyond excited.

These are four tantalizing short stories that are written in LaRocca’s truly dark prose. If you’ve read anything by them in the past, you know what I mean. There is plenty of mentions of grief and pain, as well as a looming dread in all the stories. Like in Eric’s past stories, these are filled with plenty of body horror and gore.

I’d say my favorite story was This Skin Was Once Mine, but I can say I enjoyed all them!

Four short stories.
Gothic style literary horror.
Gruesome. Intriguing. Disturbing.

I’m not a big short story fan, but I will read the ones Eric LaRocca writes!

The book starts with a lengthy warning about unsettling material, which is intriguing and well-warranted.

This is not a book you can binge-read in one sitting. Each story sits in you like a stone. The characters weigh on you, making you put down the book after reading a piece and deal with the unsettling feeling they leave you with. Authentic literature makes you feel things, and it takes a unique perspective to bring the reader to an uncomfortable place, such as this book does.

Each story was a true stand-alone short story, but they tied together enough not to feel disconnected. The order of the short stories was perfect. My favorite story was This Skin Was Once Mine, mainly because I prefer longer short stories that can tie in more character history and details. I also really enjoyed Prickle. With every short story collection I find, one usually falls as the most forgettable, and that was Seedling for me. It didn’t feel as strong as the other three stories.

Overall, it was terrific writing. Eric has always been a great writer but is getting even better with every book!

Thank you, NetGalley and Titan Books, for the ARC of This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances by Eric LaRocca. All opinions are my own.

#ThisSkinWasOnceMineandOtherDisturbances #NetGalley #ARC #Horror

ARC provided by NetGalley

Wow. I usually write reviews immediately after finishing a book, but I briefly considered letting this one sink in for a few days first.

If you begin this book and wonder if the warnings in the beginning are truly needed, trust me that they are. Please heed the warnings and check all trigger warnings for these stories.

That being said, these tales were truly depraved. LaRocca's writing has a way of propelling the reader onward, however, almost causing you to lean into the depravity. I was shocked on many occasions through this book and just when I assumed the next story would fall flat compared to the last, I was proven wrong.

If you are a fan of LaRocca's previous work, this is surely one you won't want to miss.

The writing is very good, but the stories were lackluster and quite boring. All the Parts of You started out good before going down a silly path that had me giggling at the pure corniness of its direction. None of the stories were scary, they were just dull.

Thank you for giving me this arc. This is my first Eric LaRocca book and I am impressed. The writing is absolutely incredible—captivating.

Each story was more disturbing and grotesque.

Highly recommend to read!!

Another captivating and gruesome collection of writing from the standout horror author Eric LaRocca. Each story presents its own unique set of attributes and horror tropes. While some lean more heavily into psychological horror or body horror, others explore the emotional depths of grief and abuse. Throughout LaRocca's stories, a variety of queer protagonists take center stage highlighting the importance of inclusion and representation in horror fiction. Please read the author's trigger warnings before diving into this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the eARC!

Once you’ve read an Eric LaRocca book you have an idea of what you’re getting, without ever REALLY knowing what is coming next. I am serious when I say do check the trigger warnings for this book. Really. Do.

Another amazing set of short stories from LaRocca, the first This Skin Was Once Mine will stay with me for a long time, a dark disturbing twisting tale about family, what we imagine our childhood to be & what actually happened. As is often the case with short story collections I always love some more than others (the final story Prickle was my least favourite of the four stories presented here) but all were chilling & exquisitely written.

I believe at this point, I"ve read all of LaRocca's work and I'm always intrigued by the different concepts and new horrors they produce in all of their works. This collection was 50/50 for me. The first two stories were okay but the last two stories packed a punch for me. I think LaRocca has a special ability to write horror diversely, some of it will hit your horror spot and some might not but the ones that do are memorable.