Thank you to NetGalley and Clash books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This one was just not for me and I wanted to like it so badly. I was anticipating this to be so good! This is my second go around with LaRocca's writing and I am sad to say this, but I am thoroughly unimpressed so far. I will be giving this author another shot as I still have not read THGWSWLS which is the one no one can stop talking about and I do have it on my shelf.
So why didn't I like this one? Well, the writing was very clunky in my opinion. This is an extremely short novel (could be considered a novella in my opinion) and the pacing was rocket speed. I think that did this book a disservice. I never got time to connect with the characters and truly care about their feelings or what they were going through. The entire book was written in a telling manner instead of showing emotions or expressing them via actions. I thought Ghost could've been a really cool character! But I never got the chance to truly know who he was or why he was exactly in his certain predicament regarding a fantastical character (trying to be vague to avoid spoilers).
I am okay with violence in books and I expected there to be violence in this book. I was not thrown off by the gratuitous violence in this book. I was thrown off by the complete lack of care or meaning behind it by the time I got to the end of the book. One part towards the end made my stomach completely turn to the point where I almost stopped reading. However, I thought surely the message of the book would come from this violence. But then something else happens that almost backtracks any message there could have been from it.
I was left feeling confused by the point of this book and not scared in any way possible. It grossed me out at one point which I know this author is known for, but other than that I was left with nothing to take away from the experience of reading this book. I wanted more spooks and more time to get to know and care for the characters. At the end of my reviews, I try and recommend the book to an audience but I am not even sure who I would recommend this book to.

LaRocca is a modern master genius of the horror form. Everything feels off, every word drips with something, and the terror lasts...if not forever than a time longer than I've been able to shake it off.

Horror as I’ve mentioned before is a genre seeking our emotional response to the tale being told. Horror is often thought as filled with monsters and all sorts of supernatural creatures. In some ways these can be comforting. The other disquieting type of horror can be what human beings are capable of. In some ways more terrifying as we will cross paths with other people as our lives continue. In Eric La Rocca’s disturbing and ambitious novella Everything The Darkness Eats we have a dual narrative trying to blend the two together and while I found this a tale hard to put down there are aspects I am not too sure quite gel together.

Ghost is a man in pain. A terrible accident three years has hurt his body and the aftermath left many mental scars too. He lives apart; hiding from debtors and tormented by a strange spirit only he sees. Each day is a struggle. Elsewhere in the small town of Henley’s Edge is being rocked a by number of strange disappearances and a mysterious seller of burial plots named Heart Crowley is wandering looking for new customers.

Elsewhere in the town Sergeant Nadeem Malik is concerned that his neighbourhood is not welcoming of their first married gay couple in the area. There is a growing escalation of abusive messages to him and his husband Brett that hints further danger is arising but even his employer thinks its his gestures of affection in public that are at fault. Much greater danger connects these characters and Ghost, Crowley and Malik will cross paths in unexpected ways.

Noe this is a novella with two sides of horror being linked by the idea that terrible things can just happen to people out of the blue through no real fault of their own. We have those who tread into Crowley’s supernatural games and malik falling victim to a neighbourhood’s dangerous homophobia. Both sides of the horror that I referred to and individually each strand is told very well and kept me involved but the ultimate fusion of the two tales unusually I think lessened their impact. This felt overall one time I needed a little more from both plots to really make the story work and for a change the novella form seemed not to aid the story.

La Rocca is a captivating writer capable of exploring the darker side of life and making us feel exposed in ways few horror writers can manage. In Ghost’s part of the story everything is strange and there is a feeling of suspense. Crowley is a classic adversary knows a lot of the supernatural and as we see with some of his earliest victims, he knows how to press a person’s buttons to get what he wants. Temptation is his game, and the question is how Ghost will be involved in things. This plotline impressively surprised me where it went and links the two plotlines. It’s a smart idea but does create a perhaps convenient way of wrapping things up very quickly. A satisfying supernatural adventure.

Malik’s side of the tale is the more complex. We feel his horror at finding his ideal home slowly plagued by acts of homophobia and this escalates and escalates. He is being penalised purely for being gay and even his boss thinks he is at fault – one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the story and highlighting the power of intolerance. We watch him lose control and things then go into a very dark place. We have very dark scenes of violence and rape that I think readers need to be aware of. We watch Malik being almost broken and seeing his eventual torturer almost as someone he must obey. These are dramatic and powerful scenes that very much sucked me into the tale but ultimately especially in how the tale ends I’m not sure they needed to be in the tale. Malik is ultimately just a convenient interruption to Crowley’s world that allows the finale to progress and for me the more I felt after reading my impression was that I’d read two very good horror tales but they actually when blended together lessened each other’s impact. Indeed, the rape scenes feel more there for taking the reader to a dark place more than enlighten the story. A bit more to malik’s life and perhaps a bit more for malik to do in the finale may have justified this character’s horrible nightmare journey into intolerance. The overall effect I think is lessened too much to make it fully work in a shorter fiction form and a bit more time developing this plotline before and after the graphic scenes may have worked better.

Is this a good horror story- definitely. It creates that feeling of dread and the story has plenty of surprises and neat character work but I think it slightly misses its target to wrap everything up effectively and make its points. Le Rocca is still though an author I’m intrigued by what they will do next. Worth a look.

There's something about small town horror that packs a punch, and Eric LaRocca's newest story will knock your lights out. Everything the Darkness Eats leans more towards mainstream horror than LaRocca's previous works, but with the same beautiful prose fans know and love. I felt like the plot and the characters were more thought out than his previous, Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke. The characters are compelling, and it is easy to get attached to them and care what happens to them. I loved that Eric put a magical spin on his usual examination of the darkness within humanity. I cannot wait for more full-length novels from LaRocca. This book is dark, just like the title suggests, so search up trigger warnings.

Thank you Netgalley, CLASH Books, and Eric LaRocca for the eARC.

Everything the Darkness Eats is out now.

Everything the Darkness Eats is an excellent book with loads of potential. This is the first LaRocca I've read and I can confidently say it won't be my last!

I struggled a bit with the length of the book - I was hoping for a bit more development and meat to the story, but I typically prefer longer novels so this is merely personal preference.

Supernatural elements, mysterious disappearances, small town struggles… the perfect components of a great horror novel. I just wanted more! In the best way possible. I loved the characters and wanted to know more about them, I loved the town and wish we'd gotten to know the residents more thoroughly. As someone who grew up in a small town, I appreciated the variance within these characters and the fact that LaRocca did not shy away from writing it all, the good, the bad and the ugly.

All in all, a good book and can't wait to experience more like it.

Thank you Netgalley and Clash books for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I had to stop reading after the gang rape, where the victim stops to think about how attractive one of the rapists is, gets stabbed and then somehow he survives and is made to forget everything. I’m not here for poorly handled rape plots thanks.

This was my first Eric LaRocca book. Unfortunately it did not leave a lasting impression. I am looking forward to reading other books by the author, I just think this book just wasn’t for me.

**Thank you to Netgalley and CLASH for allowing me to read this book. All thoughts are my honest opinions.**


I was so excited to read Eric LaRocca's debut novel after previously enjoying his short stories, and Everything the Darkness Eats exceeded my expectations! As with his short stories, Eric manages to say so much about the dark side of humanity, and religion, without overtly spelling it out. Everything the Darkness Eats follows two POVs, with them combining in a way I simply did not see coming. The trigger warnings are not to be taken lightly with Everything the Darkness Eats: Homophobia, Rape, Violence, Sexual Violence, Child death, Death, Excrement

I wasn’t able to get into this book- it’s well written but not for me. I didn’t care for any of the characters…or like them. Thank you NetGalley!

Thank you to NetGalley and CLASH books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A small town in Connecticut is plagued with unexplained missing person's cases, but the cause isn't what you think (I could give you 1000 guesses and youd never say "a weird god portal in a man's basement). Through a split perspective style, we are introduced to Ghost (a greif-stricken recluse with a literal ghost following him around) and Malik (a gay police officer in the small town of Henley's Edge), who show us drastically different angles of the town. As their stories intertwine, we learn more about what is really going on to cause the strange happenings around town.

I enjoyed the split perspective aspect of the novel, but found the eventual (and late) connection of the storylines and characters to be a bit tenuous and rushed. The plot felt a bit disjoint, and I'm not sure if it was because of the perspectives not quite fitting togethet or that the novel was just confusing and strange. I also had trouble making sense of the mystical/religious supernatural elements that are especially present in the latter half of the book.

If you like Eric LaRocca's other work you'll probably like this one. If you're a language reader or otherwise appreciate lofty prose, you might also like it. For everyone else, just go in expecting something really weird. This book definitely will not be for everyone.

Double check the content warnings in other reviews before reading; there is an extremely graphic scene depicting homophobia motivated gang rape.

CWs for: rape, LGBTQ hate crime, homophobia, violence, kidnapping, mild ableism

Crossposted to goodreads at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5654683728

Having read quite a bit of Eric LaRocca's shorter fiction, I was interested to see what he would come up with in a longer format. Like so much of his other work, this is a particularly strange tale. Focused on the small town of Henley's Edge and a slew of disappearances. there is an underlying current of danger throughout the narrative that was reminiscent of David Lynch's take on suburbia. Homophobia plays a key role in the plot and there are some incredibly uncomfortable scenes with this at the forefront. Similarly, the narrative deals deeply with faith and belief in God, which also leads to some difficult moments. Overall, I thought the imagery and prose were great but wasn't blown away by the plot itself. I would be interested to see more stories set in this town, but this one wasn't my favourite.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

DNF @ 20% -- I can't do animal harm/abuse in books, especially horror. I also do not think the author had any parents as beta or alpha readers because there are a few moments where the parents in the story did things that, in a modern day world, would not fly.

Eric LaRocca is known for his collections of short stories that are full to the brim with chills and brutal body horror. So, naturally, I was immediately interested in a full length novel by him. The bisexual representation was just the cherry on top!

This was really hard to put down. It’s a truly gripping and spine-chilling book - a must-read for all fans of horror literature and thriller novels.

LaRocca’s writing skills and vivid imagination have led to the creation of a story that is both terrifying and thought-provoking. The characters are fully developed, and the plot is expertly crafted. LaRocca’s use of language ensures the book's appeal to a wide range of readers and his ability to invoke fear and suspense is unparalleled in modern horror writing.

Overall, "Everything the Darkness Eats" is an outstanding work of fiction. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone seeking a thrilling, spooky read.

I love Eric LaRocca so much, and this one was no exception. I find it best to go into their books knowing as little as humanly possible in order to get the most shock and awe out of it. The stories are always very very different. They always find something to make creepy and weird. I loved it, but its not my favorite by LaRocca, which will always be Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke.

I’ve read nearly all of Larocca’s books and this was probably my least favorite. I much prefer his books that don’t have supernatural/fantasy elements. The plot on this one completely lost me. It’s slow-moving, scattered, and feels long for a novella.

Everything the Darkness Eats by Eric LaRocca features a small town plagued by mysterious disappearances, though it's seemingly devoid of police involvement. Ghost, a grieving widower, emerges as a key figure in this somber tale of companionship and self-acceptance. The book delves into dark themes of violence, delivering moments of extreme horror.

While some may find it falls slightly short of the author's previous works, it's still a strong piece of fiction. The subplot tackling hate crimes adds a disturbing realism, even though it feels somewhat disconnected from the main plot.

In this captivating book, the setting is a small town plagued by a series of mysterious disappearances. Although the narrative provides only limited information about these vanishing incidents, the enigma is introduced early on. Surprisingly, there is no mention of police involvement, adding an air of intrigue and raising questions about the town's dynamics. Overall, this book offers an immensely enjoyable read.

I'm always looking for a solid horror read, but this one just didn't hit the mark for me.
Thanks for the chance to read and review!

Grief knows no bounds for Ghost, a widower who's convinced his help is necessary in order to stop a string of disappearances in his small hometown, Henley's Edge. His continuous despair may be the exact mindset needed to pull himself and the missing from a magically dark fate...is their a semblance of hope for the road ahead?

SORROWFUL but beautiful reminder of companionship, love, and acceptance in ourselves and one another.

I found myself drawn to the MC in his lack of belief in anything beyond his routine, his traumas, and pessimism after all he's been dealt, BUT this characters sole existence allows for the possibility of hope, even if it must be sought and even when the hopeless do not believe they're deserving.

Read if you Like:
- Sad MCs
- Antithesim
- Unsettling Imagery
- Magical Realism

Thanks, NetGalley, for allowing me access to an e-book copy of the novella in exchange for my honest review. ✨️

In this long novel (his first), Larocca tries to extend his writing range, and although he succeeds in the idea department, the disjointed narrative and unexplained character origins make this a tough sell.

A series of disappearances have taken place in the quiet town of Henley's Edge, when Ghost (yes, his real name) is drawn to a secret cult led by a mysterious old man named Heart Crowley. This man has healing powers and may be behind the disappearances, but Ghost has a mystery of his own as well: he seems to have a spirit who accompanies him and pesters him all the time. The other protagonist is Malik, a policeman, and his husband who are targeted by hate groups and attack them in their home. While both of these storylines converge at the end, there is little purpose on the Malik one since most of all the important events are witnessed/acted by Ghost and Crowley. Ghost himself has a strange and rushed love-at-first-sight encounter with a woman named Gemma, who is herself drawn first by Crowley and his cult. But this sudden interest of Ghost in her feels awkward, and the fact that more people disappear without law enforcement acting more predominantly in the rest of the book is suspiciously unexplained. While the purpose of Crowley and his nature is interesting in itself, it hardly makes up for a disjointed point of view and, one could even say, gratuitous violence in the Malik storyline; there is almost no reason to mix these two stories, so it makes one think if the Ghost storyline wasn't first concocted as a short story and then mixed with the Malik one to make it longer.

Unfortunately, this underdeveloped novel will probably not satisfy the eager readers of Larocca's great horror short stories.