1 Star

My biggest issue with this is that it’s tagged as LGBT and every character is LGBT, but that fact has absolutely nothing to do with any of the stories. Horror is an excellent genre for social commentary, and I would have liked to see the horrors of being gay explored more in this collection. Instead, it felt like the fact that the characters were gay held as much weight as them having brown hair; which is to say none at all. There was even a specific time when a character was like, “Do you have a troubled relationship with your mom because she doesn’t accept your sexuality?” and the protagonist was simply like, “Nah, that’s not it.” It’s giving the same energy as white-washing black people in literature. If you’re going to make your character gay, then make them gay! How has their sexuality impacted their lives? You’re telling me every character had no issues with their family, friends, work… anything??? That’s honestly amazing, and very shocking especially for the older characters who grew up in a world where being gay wasn’t as socially acceptable (OBVIOUS SARCASM).

Now to break down each story individually.

This Skin Was Once Mine

How do you make a short story feel too long? I did not understand our protagonist’s motivations here at all. There was just not enough set up to justify her actions. Also, this would have been WAY more scarier if it had cut off several scenes earlier and left the reader with a more ambiguous ending.

Seedling

This story is very heavy on body horror. The images were disturbing, but by the end of the story I had no idea what happened. Besides the imagery I didn’t find anything scary here, making it my least favorite of the four.

All the Parts of You That Won’t Easily Burn

This was my favorite story in this anthology. It was perfectly creepy and despite the short length, the descent into madness was paced well. Still, the ending took quite a random turn and I wish the husband character played a bigger role.

Prickle

The motivation for the game played in this story didn’t make any sense. These old men were just being complete dicks. The final dare was crossing a line, even for horror (it involves causing harm to an infant). I might have received it better had there been a reason to take this story that far, but since there wasn’t I chalk it up to pure shock factor. AKA, a cop out.

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this anthology. Horror fans don’t just find the terror in what is happening, but also why it’s happening. I would love to read a gay horror anthology that doesn’t miss the mark so badly. It honestly felt like the characters were changed to be gay at the last minute to give this anthology some sort of theme. Definitely disappointing.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an audio ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Really enjoyed this short story collection. As with most collections, there were ones I preferred more than others, but the longest stories were my favorites as well. I found them dark and disturbing, but not overly gory like some other tales from this author. They were intriguing and kept me wanting more. A great example of how short stories should be written.

Eric LaRocca can do no wrong in my book. These stories were creepy and I couldn’t stop listening. I’m usually not one for short stories but I loved these

This has been my favorite by LaRocca so far. Something about the characters just clicked for me and made me care for them more than in the past. There was an excellent balance of tension and emotion.

Thank you to Eric LaRocca for an eARC of this collection and to TitanBooks for a finished copy of the collection and an ALC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this collection of short stories by Eric LaRocca. Eric is my favorite author, so I highly anticipate reading ALL of their new releases. There is a bit of fear in my heart each time I start a new read from them because I know my expectations are high, and I don't want that to hinder my enjoyment of the books; however, there's never been a reason to feel that way. I've enjoyed all of their books, and this collection is no exception.

There are four short stories within this collection, and none of them earned less than a 4-star rating from me.

"This Skin Was Once Mine" is the longest story in this collection and is the titular story. It received a 4.5/5 star rating from me. I felt that I knew where the story was going for the first half of it; however, the story was flipped on its head a bit, and there were a few twists that took me by surprise. I really enjoyed the story, the commentary, and, obviously, the writing.

"Seedling" is the highest rated story in the collection for me; I rated it 5/5 stars. When reading the synopses of the stories, this is the one I was least excited about, so I was quite surprised that it ended up as my favorite. This was such a beautiful story. The allegory was spot-on, and the exploration of grief was incredibly well-done. There was also another twist that took me by surprise in this story, and I pleasantly enjoyed.

"All the Parts of You that Won't Easily Burn" received a 4.5/5 star rating from me, as well. It was incredibly interesting and unlike anything I've read before. I was unsure where the story was going as I was reading it, but I think it was wrapped up so well at the end. It was a managed to be quite a dark story while maintaining it's momentum and entertainment value as the story progressed. [Content Warning: self-mutilation]

"Prickle" received the lowest rating out of the collection for me; however, I still rated it 4/5 stars. It was the story I was most interested in upon reading the synopsis because of its inclusion of a "dangerous game." I don't think the game was quite as interesting as I had hoped it'd be, and there were some things mentioned in the story that seemed to have significance that weren't really addressed fully. Both of these things account for the deduction of a star from me; however, I still really enjoyed the story and read it in one sitting because of the intrigue.

Overall, I really enjoyed this collection, and I would give it a 4.5/5 star rating as a whole. I will continue to read Eric LaRocca, and I'm glad to have more of their stories to add to my favorites. If you've enjoyed Eric LaRocca's other works, you'll likely enjoy this as well. I also believe that this could be a great starting point for their works because it is a bit more rooted in reality than some stories in previous collections they've released. All four of these stories are also unique and entertaining, so I think someone who hasn't read LaRocca before could easily enjoy this collection and want to read more from them after finishing.

A creepy selection of stories that drill like a parasite (or like an actual drill) beneath your skin, worming its way into your very mind. Review coming in Library Journal

Audiobook Review)

Eric LaRocca is a rising star in the world of horror fiction. When I read Eric’s writing, I am soothed by his poetic grace, regardless of how gory or unpleasant the scene is, and that’s talent.

This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances is a collection of four tales that explore the depravity of the human psyche. LaRocca delivers his brand of horror in a gruesome yet fascinating way.

All four tales are outstanding, and the audiobook is an above-average fair. Natalie Naudus, Andre Santana, Michael Crouch, and Steven Crossley deliver a pleasant audio experience that will keep the listener glued to the last horrific word.

I want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing this audiobook for review. This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances is a solid 5 in story and audio presentation.

This is the girst time I've read from this author so I'm not sure if this is a reasonable sample of his style. However, I found that while each story was beautifully crafted the end result was unsatisfactory for me personally. I can take or leave body horror but generally when I do take it, it's because the plot is absolutely grippingly in my wheelhouse. These weren't really.

I can see why other people love this author and I'd like to try more of his work if anyone fancies recommending me something? But this collection just left me with lukewarm appreciation.

Well that was dark. I loved it!
These short stories worked really well. They weren't too short that I was left wanting more, and they weren't too long either. My favorite of the bunch was the first one, "This Skin Was Once Mine".

"Seedling" had elements of science fiction and body horror. Definitely shocked by the ending.
"All The Parts of You That Won't Burn Easily" takes second place for my favorite. It gave me the heebie-jeebies and I loved the twist.
"Prickle".... DAMN. That ending was rough.

Each story had a different narrator and I liked them all. They each fit their respective stories well.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an advanced copy, but I'm afraid I haven't enjoyed this read at all. I've had to DNF at 60%, but feel I've read enough to leave a review.

This is my second time reading Eric LaRocca and going forward I just won't be picking up his work. The titles and covers always intrigue, but the stories never pay off for me personally - they fail to grow or explore beyond an initial elevator pitch concept - for example the first story can be summarised with "what if a girl who doesn't recognise her abuse goes home to her dying mother. And there's snakes". Also far too much taking pleasure in pain for no reason, just being told by characters' inner monologue that it's strange but appealing. Ew! Not for me. I know others enjoy his writing, but I find the style a bit overwritten, and keep getting confused because stories will be set in the modern day but sound like dramatic historical settings.

Eric LaRocca’s writing is so good. Everytime I pick off a book by this author I find myself rereading sentences because they flow so nice. This is my second audiobook by this author and I enjoy the audiobooks just as much as physical reads. I also found the narrator to be perfect for the tone of LaRocca’s writing.

This gave me gothic vibes as well so if you’re a fan of gothic horror, you’ll appreciate the subtle notes of gothic horror.

This Skin Was Once Mine is an intense collection of stories that had me feeling nervous after reading them. The audiobook version used different narrators for each story, which I enjoyed. I find it difficult to rate this collection because although I liked most of the stories, I feel like many of them were lacking just a bit for me. I do love Larocca’s ability to create crazy plots that no one has thought of before, but I think I prefer his psychological stories more than the body horror/torture stories.

An interesting collection of short stories that deal in a lot of body horror. I haven't read a ton of LaRocca, just one other short story collection, but this collection didn't really wow me. Nothing quite stands out, apart from a general disturbing quality that was clearly woven throughout.

What a Banger!!!! I knew that I'm gonna love this book because I have never been disappointed with Eric LaRocca's magnificent writing and deeply dark twisted stories but then combined with dreamscape, it was surely going to be a fantastic read and it definitely was much better than I thought it would be.

This is a collection of 4 short stories with LGBTQ representation. What I like most about Eric LaRocca books is nothing feels forced, it has a flow even when the twist comes it doesn't lose that smoothness of prose.


This Skin Was Once Mine: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Narrated by Natalie Naudus

What a narration. Seriously I listened to this first story several times or else I would have finished the book long back.

When her father dies suddenly, Jillian Finch has to come visit her home, the one she was asked to leave about 20 years back. She always had a beautiful relationship with her father but was he really what he was to her? And is Jillian like her father or not??

This story set the tone of the book and it didn't disappoint. It was a great opening to this collection.

Narration was fantastic.


Seedling: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Narrated by Andre Santana

Another story of a strained relationship between a parent and their child. A young man gets a call from her restrained father telling him that his mom passed away. Upon reaching home, he is surprised to see that his mom's body is still in the house and then he notices a wound on his hand. This left me feeling shook and yuck.

Again the narration is superb here and pleasant to listen to. Definitely going to read more by the narrator.



All the Parts of You That Won't Easily Burn: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Narrated by Michael Crouch

Again beautiful narration. The story of Enoch Leadbetter who wants to buy a knife for his husband and is drawn in a world of destruction and mutilation.

Prickle: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Narrated by Steven Crossley

Two old men starts a cruel game and the ending just threw me off. What an ending. This gave me kind of old Victorian era vibes. Awesome narration and the ending was "What, did this really happen?" Good.

One thing I always praise about LaRocca's writing is the beautiful prose. It's rich and dynamic and does not feel like written by a contemporary writer. It always gives me a literary pleasure that I get from reading classic books.

I definitely recommend this banger of a book to everyone who enjoys some twisty, dark and gloomy reads, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Thank you very much Netgalley and dreamscape media and Eric LaRocca for the wonderful ALC in exchange of an honest review.

4 Stars! Eric LaRocca delivers a chilling and visceral experience with This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances. This collection of stories is a testament to LaRocca's talent for weaving dark, disturbing, and depraved narratives that linger in the mind long after the last word is spoken. The audiobook, narrated by a talented cast, brings each twisted tale to life with haunting clarity.

My favorite story was the titular This Skin Was Once Mine. Jillian's journey through grief and revelation is both heartbreaking and horrifying, a masterful blend of emotional depth and terror. Each story, however, holds a special place in my rotted brain, with their unique explorations of human depravity and the supernatural.

In true LaRocca fashion, these stories are not for the faint of heart. They are dark, disgusting, and utterly depraved, pushing the boundaries of horror and discomfort. Make sure to check the trigger warnings before diving into this collection, as it tackles intense and potentially disturbing themes.

If you're a fan of horror that doesn't shy away from the grotesque and the macabre, This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances is a must-listen. LaRocca's storytelling, combined with the compelling narration, makes for an unforgettable and nightmarish journey.

I have learned that this style of horror isn't for me (and that's ok!)

One of the stories made my feel nauseous, so congrats to LaRocca I guess? This has a black mirror-esque kind of twist at the end of each story. Good writing, I definitely felt scared and grossed out. Learned more on my reading tastes too!

Eerie as always, Eric LaRocca! I quite enjoyed this collection on audiobook format compared to their previous work I have read physically. These 4 stories were equally gross and engrossing. My favorite was the first, as seems to be my doomed fate when reading collections, but all 4 hold up.

Format: audiobook ~ Narrators: Natalie Naudus; André Santana; Michael Crouch; Steven Crossley
Content: 4 stars ~ Narration: 4.5 stars

4 weird and creepy short stories:
* This Skin Was Once Mine
* Seedling
* All The Parts of You That Won't Easily Burn
* Prickle

I liked these different horror short stories, they are quite disturbing. It is a fresh take on horror. Favorite: This Skin Was Once Mine. More thoughts are on the way.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media for the advance copy and this opportunity!

Hollywood, take notice! Each of those four novellas would make an amazing movie, as each explores one central concept and pushes it to the extreme.

Would-be novella authors, take notice! The four stories in this collection are actually stronger for being published side by side, as they all treat the same theme: sticking things into people’s bodies that don’t belong there. The stories included aren’t “random”; they build on each other. There’s a reason they’ve been collected.**

**[That said, the first two novellas share identical setups, which initially I found off-putting. An adult child learns their parent has died and must return home. The adult child learns this while in bed with their sexual partner. After that, Story 1 becomes confinement horror (unsettling and good) and Story 2 becomes body horror (that also goes a little cosmic). But both stories could have been called “Like Motor Oil” because that simile was used way too many times seemingly unconsciously.]

Readers who are lukewarm on LaRocca, take notice! I was, too, after his previous novels, which seemed very style over substance, more poetry than cohesive narrative. THIS SKIN WAS ONCE MINE is a sharp departure from that earlier work, presenting compelling characters in strange situations and seeing their stories all the way through to the end.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC!

Listened for ~30 minutes, then I couldn't listen anymore after tapping out of it and entering the Netgalley app again at a later moment. Service was contacted, but to no avail. So sadly, I can't rate this book. :(