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A review by illtakethenightshiftx
Everything the Darkness Eats by Eric LaRocca
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Eric LaRocca is a great short story author and this novel felt like it should’ve been 3-4 separate short stories in the same anthology. Nothing felt cohesive and when the two main narratives came together it was so quick and didn’t make a lot of sense. Also, considering this audiobook was only about 5.5 hours long, it was so wordy!
Honestly, it felt like a draft that needed more work, between the use of language and extremely heavy-handed themes. The story as a whole was underwhelming and I didn’t find myself attached to any of the characters (which is a bad sign!). I’ve only been blown away/completely impressed by one of LaRocca’s short stories and found their other works underwhelming, so I honestly don’t know what I was expecting from this novel.
If you really like LaRocca’s work, you might enjoy this.
I also cannot stress enough, check the content warnings and read other reviews.
Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Torture
Moderate: Islamophobia
Minor: Biphobia