I read a lot of horror but usually not extreme horror or body horror. I was given the opportunity to listen to the audiobook of This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances and I wasn't disappointed. I really enjoyed this book a lot and after listening I've moved Eric's other writing higher up on my to be read list. The body horror had me wincing in parts, but the visceral imagery was so well written that it kept me listening long after I might have stopped. Like the title says, this book was disturbing and strange and I enjoyed all four stories in the collection.

Thanks NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

You know what you’re getting into when reading something by Eri LaRocca. At least you really should, reading something by this author without having the stomach for it would be like your most squeamish friend wandering blithely into a showing of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. While this collection of stories was in much the same vein as his other work (Things Have Gotten Worse Since Spoke, You’ve Lost a Lot of Blood, etc.) the short novella format really allows his horror to come through even more effectively. You have just enough time to feel like you’re living in the world of the story and when something terrible and stomach churning inevitably happens and the tale culminates it feels like eating a nice French pastry or bite of perfectly proportioned sushi, just enough for a mouthful. Everything LaRocca writes is disturbing, sure, but All the Parts of You That Won’t Easily Burn and the eponymous This Skin Was Once Mine are viscerally upsetting in an incredibly specific and unique way. The audiobook narration for this collection was also spot on, every narrator was absolutely in their element and their delivery helped make the stories hit home. I'd recommend this audiobook to anyone who thinks they can handle it and also doesn’t mind missing a bit of sleep.

This was a short story collection that encompasses three stories of the horror genre. I really found all stories to be very interesting although I did prefer the first and third over the second. It was absolutely a very interesting set of stories. I definitely felt grief, horror and disturbances throughout the telling of all three. I did enjoy the feeling of claustrophobia in the first story quite a bit, and all of them gave me a creepy crawling Who's watching me type of feeling.

I absolutely really enjoyed the pacing of the stories. I feel like they kept me entertained and I was really repetitive. I cannot wait to pick up some more of Eric LaRocca's work. I feel like it's going to hold the same stellar standard that this one did.

I was gifted an earc by the author of this book, and this is my honest review.

I loved these collection of stories. Absolutely terrifying but I loved them so much and each voice actor for each story was perfect for their character. Great audiobook loved every second of it

Eric LaRocca is back with a new collection of stories that will chill your bones and send shivers down even the toughest of spines. This Skin Was Once Mine, Seedling, Prickle and my personal favourite All the Parts of You That Won't Easily Burn. All of the stories were descriptive, dark and at times brutal - but perfect for fans of LaRocca, Josh Malerman and Shirley Jackson.
 
Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Eric LaRocca for an advanced listening copy for review. The eBook and physical versions are available now, while the audio version is due for release May 28th 2024.

I really loved all four of these short stories! Eric LaRocca has a way of writing that draws you in and creates a slow creeping dread. You know that something dark and disturbing is just around the corner but you can’t look away. I’ve always had a thing about splinters or accidentally getting glass under my skin, so these stories had my skin absolutely crawling. This Skin Was Once Mine was easily my favorite. I really loved the imagery of the snake shedding its skin, and the dark turn that story took. (Seriously, wtf.) These stories were all gross and uncomfortable, but it the best way possible, and I know I’ll be thinking about them for a long time.

This is a horror anthology and the first I've read from LaRocca. The stories largely feel like metaphors. They are bizarre and unique, so I quite liked that aspect, as well as the fact that each main character was queer. But it's also been a really long time since I've read horror that made me uncomfortable and I'm still not sure if that's a point in its favor or against it, nor did I found that I connected with any of the stories.

I definitely know that I am not the target audience, and I think this series of short stories will really resonate for the right person.

This Skin Was Once Mine:
I'm not sure the main takeaway to be had from this. It had an unsettling sense of inevitability-- that we're all doomed to become the worst parts of our parents; the only way out is through. Can't say I agree or like the concept.

Seedling:
THIS ONE GAVE ME THE ICK OMG. I get the metaphor here but the mechanism through which it's delivered made me go AHHHHHHHHHHH until it finally stopped happening. I'm not sure how I ultimately feel about this one but I hope I don't keep thinking about it, lol.

All the Parts of You That Won't Easily Burn:
Okay, I get the title of this now. This was... strange. Some of the metaphor was clear, but most of the aspects of this remained completely opaque. Is it about kink? Community? Hurt people hurt people? Cults? Misery likes company? Cheating? Guilt? I honestly have no idea.

Prickle:
Whelp. That was quite the ending. I would definitely check TW

Audiobook Notes:
I appreciated that each short story had its own narrator, which helped to better differentiate the titles. And Natalie Naudus always rocks. (The narrator of the final entry, Prickle, said "muh-carb" for macabre, lol)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’ve been in a massive (audiobook) reading slump lately, so I’m so happy I was able to get my hands on an ALC of Eric LaRocca’s upcoming release. There’s just something so incredibly addicting about LaRocca’s creepy short stories, I knew this was exactly what I needed right now.

This Skin Was Once Mine & Other Disturbances contains 4 different short stories, all very different but all equally disturbing and unsettling. One thing I’ve noticed I particularly enjoy about Eric LaRocca is the way he writes the intersection between horror and grief/loss. Based on my own personal interpretation, I feel like he really excels at depicting the way grief/loss can feel in your body and the way it impacts (more like infects) others. I wish I could spend like 5 minutes inside his head, just to see what other twisted stuff he thinks about.

My personal favorite of the short stories was All the Parts of You That Won’t Burn Easily. It had some imagery and characterization that will continue to give me nightmares.

I highly recommend this audiobook as well. My biggest critique of a previous Eric LaRocca audiobook was that the singular narrator made things feel very static, but that all went away with the 4 different narrators here.

I definitely suggest picking this up when it drops on May 28th!

Story: 4/5
Audiobook: 5/5 (narrated by Natalie Naudus, Andre Santana, Michael Crouch, & Steven Crossley)
Length 5h45min

I love horror but maybe I just don't identify with this author's characters. I can see the point of the horror, and the stories are written well, with a sense of confinement and aloneness. Dark things are happening, and you find out more as you go, sometimes changing the feeling of a normal family to something unthinkable. But none of it hit home for me. There was a different narrator for each story, and they were well chosen to set each mood. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook

the skin was once mine and other disturbances, my very first eric larocca novel! thank you Dreamscape Media for the advanced audio copy!

THE SKIN WAS ONCE MINE- 3 STARS: when the father Jillian idolized passes away, she’s forced to reunite with her mother and uncovers some disturbing secrets about her father in the process of returning to her childhood home.

this was the short story that just kept giving. listening to chapter after chapter, I was constantly left with more questions than answers until the end when all of the shadows came out to play. even at the final chapter I was left still wondering what was actually going on. we get to see how abuse is passed down family lines like an heirloom. what goes around, always has a way to come back around.

SEEDLING- 4 STARS: a man dealing with the loss of his mother, confronts his more absent father while discovering a black wound festering on his body that continues to grow.

brilliantly disgusting. the descriptions in this short story had me grimicing as I was squirming in my office chair. I do not recommend listening to this one on company hours. how does one come up with an idea of this caliber? and that ending… was what we read actually what happened or was it a metaphor for grief? an excellent contribution to this collection!

ALL THE PARTS OF YOU THAT WON’T EASILY BURN- 4 STARS: enoch buys a knife from a shopkeeper and becomes infatuated with him- the more time spent together, the darker impulses they both share for pain and self inflicted suffering.

now if you’re wanting to attend a dinner party with some freaky happenings, jeepers creepers look no further. kink is attracted to kink, consent is pushed to a breaking point and where weird desires involving cutting and glass attract something altogether entirely more grotesque.

PRICKLE- 4 STARS: when two old men: Mr. Spirro and Mr. Chessler meet up again after years of not seeing eachother, they revive their game of “prickle” they used to play. the game involves doing cruel things to unsuspecting people.

I got a kick out of this short story, it was simple and straightforward but there’s just something about old people taking part in shenanigans that makes me giggle. the ending was surprisingly unexpected and truly maniacal! if you want things to escalate quickly, this is the one for you!

this short story collection was narrated by Natalie Naudus; André Santana; Michael Crouch and Steven Crossley, who all did a fantastic job!

overall ranking: seedling, prickle, all the parts of you that won’t easily burn & then the skin was once mine! a very solid horror short story collection! 4 stars!

Eric LaRocca is so skilled when it comes to creating complex, queer, and shocking horror short stories. I know I’m in for something interesting and grotesque whenever I pick up one of his collections. I appreciate their focus on showing all sorts of complicated relationships and how darkness and different types of violence can seep in. I’m not the most squeamish reader, normally it doesn’t phase me to consume horror or other dark types of stories. But there were some points that I had to pause the audiobook because it was getting a bit too visceral to listen to while cooking or eating.

I’d definitely recommend this for fans of queer horror and inventive, gruesome stories.

Super eerie stories! This was my favorite work of the authors I've read so far. The way he can create such gross and disturbing imagery is unreal.

This short story collection was my first Eric LaRocca work and I was impressed! The writing style was beautiful and haunting. The audiobook was well done and each story had a different narrator. I liked the first and third story narrators the strongest and most enjoyable to listen to.


This Skin Was Once Mine - 4/5 - Jillian’s beloved father dies which brings her back to her childhood home and in contact with her neglecting mother.

Seedling - 2.5/5 - A man’s mother dies and he returns home to grieve with his father when he discovers a wound on his hand and a similar wound on his father.

All The Parts of You That Won’t Easily Burn - 4.5/5 - While shopping for a knife, Enoch meets a shopkeeper who introduces him into a world of pain and pleasure which leads Enoch down a strange path.

Prickle - 3.5/5 - Two old friends reunite and decide to start up an old game they used to play.


Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for access to this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances" by Eric LaRocca is a chilling collection of horror tales from the Bram Stoker Award®-nominated and Splatterpunk Award-winning author.
In 'This Skin Was Once Mine,' LaRocca explores the depths of grief and family secrets. This was one of the stronger stories, and I liked it.
'Seedling' takes a more visceral turn, delving into themes of loss and obsession, but was weaker than the first story.
'Prickle' is an exploration of the darkness that lurks within us all. I didn't care for this story at all. I found it silly and jarring in a collection of horror.
'All the Parts of You That Won't Easily Burn' offers a twisted tale of obsession and self-destruction. This was my favourite story from the collection.
On balance, the collection book-ends forgettable stories with decent horror. As a result, I rated it three out of five stars.

Overall I’d say 3.5. The way Eric rights is just SO beautiful. However, I still find myself chasing the feeling of finishing Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke. This was my first experience with an Eric LaRocca audiobook and I loved that each story had a new narrator. They all did a fantastic job despite my feelings about the stories being told.

The Skin Was Once Mine: 3.5- I really enjoyed the way this one read. It felt similar to THGWSWLS, but it fell a little flat to me. I didn’t connect with the characters like I expected. I really enjoyed the ending though.


Seedling: 3- I loved the idea of this one and the meaning of the seedling title and its significance in the story. It felt too rushed though. Had this one been a been a bit lengthier, I think I would have loved it. It felt the darkest out of all because of the trauma and grief.

All The Parts of You That Won’t Easily Burn: 4- I can’t say what it was specifically that I enjoyed about this one, but of the four stories it was my favorite. I think it was the way it was read. It felt like a haunting folklore.

Pricked: 2- this was my least favorite. I kept zoning out and trying to dive back in. The story didn’t keep me interested and I was confused by the ending. It felt very heavy on the shock factor.

It was very Eric style in writing, and I love that about his books, but I wanted more.

Thanks so much NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC.

Erica LaRocca does it again with This Skin was Once Mine and Other Disturbances! This might be my favorite book of his so far. He is my go to for weird, gross and creepy short horror stories. I enjoyed all of them in this collection. I highly recommend checking out his work if you want something different when it comes to horror.

I listened to the audiobook and I like that every story was narrated by someone different!

Thank you to Dreamscape Media on Netgalley for the audiobook ARC.