This is quite the collection of short stories. I was expecting a lot of gruesome body horror and I definitely got it along with a whole lot more. Every one of the stories in this collection are incredibly dark with some very unlikeable characters, but I was totally along for the ride. Some of the stories, like You Follow Wherever They Go, are heartbreaking while others such as the title story, filled me with dread as I raced towards the conclusion. Some of the images I have in my head after reading this will probably cause some nightmares, but it was worth it.

This was the second book I've read by Eric LaRocca and I'm already itching for a third! What a brilliant author he is, I Iove his short stories!

The stories in this collection are unsettling, weird to a point that they could almost be true. Honestly, they made my spine tingle. Details about the stories keep hitting me even days after finishing the book, and they add an even weirder dimension to them... alternative interpretations, more nuances, further depth.

I recommend this book if you love horror but don't necessarily want blood and violence.

Thank you NetGllery and Titan Books for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second Eric LaRocca short fiction collection that I've read, and I liked this one just as much as the first (which I loved). The Trees Grew Because I Bled There is a fantastic collection of stories that speak to a unique talent who knows how to write stories that are captivating and haunting. My favorite from this collection is "Bodies Are For Burning" which was very unsettling but so well done. Highly recommended for fans of horror that will stay with you long after you've read it.

I’ve always been super sad about the fact that I missed out on The Strange Thing We Become and Other Dark Tales so finding out that it would be re-released (albeit a bit differently I assume?) as The Trees Grew Because I Bled There I just KNEW I had to get my hands on it — and I am so happy I did.

This collection is a showcase of everything that Eric LaRocca does best — writing about people, their relationships, struggles and how unhealthy our minds can get. If you are familiar with his other works, you will feel right at home reading The Trees Grew Because I Bled there. If you are a new reader, you will be welcomed in the dark, horrifying embrace that will leave you wanting to explore all the dark crevices in your own soul.

The Trees Grew Because I Bled There is a showcase of masterful storytelling, of how people’s love and grief can make them do terrible things — and wonderful things too — and how trauma can shape who we are as people. Each of the stories in this collection are worth reading, but a few really stood out to me personally:
You Follow Wherever They Go
The Strange Thing We Become
I’ll Be Gone By Then
Please Leave or I’m Going to Hurt You
These stories left individual marks on my heart and soul and I’m sure I won’t be able to let them go for a very long time.

Overall, an amazing collection that is worth reading if you’re a fan of Eric LaRocca’s work but just as exceptionally a read if you’re new to his work!

Thank you to Titan Books, and NetGalley, for the ARC.

This was my first book by LaRocca and it certainly won't be the last.
I really liked LaRocca‘s unique way of writing dark and disturbing stories that get under your skin. He has such a way with words. Reading some of these stories made me feel quite uneasy…in a weird but good way. It’s definitely one of the best short story collections I‘ve read.

My favorite stories were Bodies Are For Burning, You‘re Not Supposed to be Here, Where Flames Burned Emerald As Grass & The Trees Grew Because I Bled There.
These stories were dark, weird and unsettling and exactly what you want from horror short stories.

I don’t think I’ve ever been so horrified and utterly enchanted at the same time. This collection of short horror stories was everything I didn’t know I wanted. I don’t want to go into a lot of detail on plot as I think going in blind made it even better.

My personal highlights were:

You’re Not Supposed to Be Here - this read like an episode of Black Mirror and had me on the absolute edge of my seat.

Bodies Are For Burning - my skin was crawling with discomfort the entire time.

I just had the worst time in the best possible way.

Eric LaRocca is a name that was brandished in my brain after reading Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke. That book engraved itself deep inside the darker side of my brain somewhere and niggles away at me every now and again. I can't get rid of it. In this short story collection, he showed his mastery again and some of the stories within this collection were absolutely sublime. A standout story for me was the one with the couples playing "a game". I absolutely flew threw this offering yet it is still tingling on my skin long after the fact. Eagerly awaiting the next one!

The Trees Grew because I Bled There Review!

Thank you so much Titan Books and Netgalley for this gifted e-copy, in exchange for an honest review! The Trees Grew Because I Bled there is out March 7, 2023!

I read Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke in 2022 and I absolutely loved it. LaRocca has such a way with words and his stories feel like poetry. This stories are also extremely disturbing and have a way of crawling into your brain and they just won’t leave. The Trees Grew Because I Bled There was a 3.5/5 for me!

My favorites of this short story collection were
1. You’re Not Suppose to Be Here
2. Bodies Are For Burning
3. The Trees Grew Because I Bled There

The main reason for the 3 stars was because most of these stories were so short that there was zero back story. I had a hard time getting into each one before it ended.

Is Eric LaRocca ever not completely disturbing?
I'm a hardened horror reader and Eric LaRocca is the only author that consistently grosses me out and makes me want to put a book down (in the best way).
As with all of Eric's books - I HIGHLY recommend.

Eric LaRocca’s done it again. I enjoyed every short story in this collection. At the start of each, I was hooked in. They were uncompromising in demonstrating how humans can unleash so much hurt onto each other in one way or another. I can’t stop thinking about the thought-provoking story You’re Not Supposed to be Here. Eric LaRocca’s signature element of body horror came out in gruesome full force in Bodies Are For Burning which made me wince. The horror is beautifully described in a very poetic way that made each story a treat to read and they get bonus points for their queer representation.

This is the second collection of stories I’ve read from Eric Larocca, and just like the first time, it was a deeply unsettling experience but I couldn’t help but continue; his stories are so disturbing, yet I can’t look away.

The author explores dark and uncomfortable subjects centred around the human condition in 8 short stories which you read filled with dread and unease. Often the stories are met with an abrupt end which can sometimes feel too soon.

I know that anything and everything I read from LaRocca will remain in my head forever - these are simply unforgettable because they are so tension filled and suspenseful. Each story is so original and unlike anything I’ve read before.

His works come with a lot of trigger warnings and I would only advise reading if you have a strong stomach. This collection seemed to have a general running theme of parenthood, death and terminal illness. Everything I write about this collection may sound negative, but I was fascinated by this.

Whenever a new LaRocca book comes up, I know I have to get my hands on it. In this case, I never had the chance to read the original release, and was very excited to read a short story collection from Eric.

There are 8 stories in this collection, and while they are seemingly unrelated, they all carry the same topics within them. They all have to do with cancer, death, and grief. Some are more shocking than others, but I enjoyed pretty much all of them.

Out of the 8 stories, here are some of my favorites:
-Bodies Are for Burning
-You’re Not Supposed to Be Here
-I’ll Be Gone By Then

A few of the stories felt too short and I couldn’t properly invest emotionally in them. I would love to see longer versions of every single story, but especially The Trees Grew Because I Bled There.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the chance to read this advanced review copy.

CW for cancer, death of parent, gore, body horror, blood, death, violence, intrusive thoughts, bullying, homophobia, kidnapping, infidelity, adult/minor relationship, abandonment, and incest

If you did not know that Eric LaRocca was the author of the now viral "Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke," their new story collection would make you pick up that previous work right away.

"The Trees Grew Because I Bled There" is a collection of short horror stories that focus on relationships between the stories main characters and those around them. It's a perfect blend of unsettling and tenderness, balancing these emotions with more precision than many seasoned authors are able to convey. Each story toes the line of going too far, but once you think it'll go off the deep end, LaRocca reins their characters back in, beckoning them like a mother calling her child back home.

If their previous endeavor didn't solidify them as a force to be reckoned with, "The Trees Grew Because I Bled There" is a surefire hit, one that will propel LaRocca into even more fame. Visceral as much as they are intimate, this collection of stories is best consumed in one sitting. You don’t know if you should look away from the pages or sink your teeth right into them.

I’m a big fan of Eric’s work! I find their short stories so creative and engaging. This is a reprint of a collection that he published and then went out of print. I’m excited to pick up the new print of the stories and add it to my collection!

I always find Short Stories hard to review because there are always going to be some you love and some you are not so keen on. Overall I am going to give this 4 stars!

These stories are Dark and fall under the Horror genre so please go in to that with this in mind, some you need a strong stomach for! I love the speculative stories where the ending is left to the interpretation of the reader, and would make for a great discussion!

You’re Not Supposed To Be Here was definitely my favourite of the bunch

Few stars have shone as brightly in the horror world lately than Eric LaRocca's. His writing skills plus his penchant for truly suspenseful horror fiction have seen him ascend as fast as anyone on the literary scene and I can imagine him as a horror household name in the years to come. This collection is a fine display of what he has to offer.

In Bodies Are For Burning and You're Not Supposed to Be Here, LaRocca produces two of the most tension filled stories I've read and proves himself a true horror master by being one of the few authors to just make me want to look away and abandon what I'm reading. The former is a edge of the seat horror as a pyromaniac who has been having thoughts of burning whatever she can lay her hands on is entrusted with her baby niece for the day.

The latter plays like Paul Tremblay's Cabin at the End of the World in miniature as a gay couple are befriended by strangers in the park leading to a much bigger game than the game of frisbee they initially embark upon.

These are the standouts in a short collection that relays LaRocca's talents for finding the horror in all sort of situations and mining it to maximum effect. Here's to a new princeling of horror.

There’s no doubt about it, Eric LaRocca writes incredible, disgusting horror. His writing is evocative and horrifying but I find myself wanting more.

This collection definitely has a theme of “child/parent/care-giver relationships.” Personally I found some of the themes of traumatic childbirth, trauma to babies/children, and incest to be too jarring and uncomfortable. I know the point of horror is to feel uncomfortable but these issues to me are non-negotiables. It’s simply subjects I don’t like reading about.

Although I was really interested to see what he did next after his last short story collection and although I found these stories to be better, it still suffered a bit from the issues I had with the first one.

These stories are so short they just touch on the horror elements and don’t dig in enough. To truly feel horrified, I feel like I need more time with the fear and build up. This also meant that these stories ended kind of abruptly and I felt like the endings lacked any kind of finality.

Ultimately, this is great horror and I can see why it appeals to a lot of people. Unfortunately, the subject matter and shortness of the stories affected my enjoyment in the end.

Like most short story collections - some stories were good and some not so. Therefore 3 stars is about right. Thank you for the ARC.

AGH! This was so good!
I am so thankful to Eric LaRocca, Titan Books, and NetGalley for granting me advanced access to this book of horror stories before it's set to hit shelves on March 7, 2023.

With some long and others briefer, The Trees Grew Because I Bled There encourages the reader to address death from multiple viewpoints. We get sequences of terror unfolding over blog threads, PTSD diaries from a woman whose love for setting things ablaze goes too far, and even a father-son relationship that gets too creepy, too fast, until it's too late.

This is my first book from Eric LaRocca, but after seeing his many accolades from authors such as Chuck Wendig and Marianna Enriquez, I'm sold and eager to read more of his works.

Disturbing. Definitely disturbing. That is what I think of this collection. It is actually my favorite that I have read from LaRocca. The story with the woman babysitting her niece was definitely one of my favorites and very tense. The story where the couple with a baby meet the strangers in the park was probably my least favorite but still good. This collection was full of great stories.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.