Absolutely love. Eric Larocca has become one of my favorite, autobuy authors and this book was excellent as always. His stories pack so much emotion, depth and ickiness into such a small package…it’s remarkable. So grateful I got to check this one out early.

The residents of Burnt Sparrow have suffered a massacre at the hands of 3 faceless murderers. The slaughtered have strangely been left dead and dying in the street as the elders seek a solution, and the best way forward for the town. The story is told through the eyes of young Rupert Cromwell, a rather complex child, struggling with his identity and his sexuality. As the story proceeds we learn that Rupert’s father, recently widowed, has a very dark shadow within him and an act that he performs will disgust his son, and the town’s elders in equal measures. This is certainly an unsettling read, yet as an example of transgressive literary horror it succeeds in not only shocking the reader but making him stop, evaluate and question his own standards and beliefs. Thank you to the publishers for an early copy that I found difficult to read but unable to stop!

*Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

I recently read ‘Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Ladt Spoke and Other Misfortunes’ by Eric LaRocca and loved it! So when I saw this ARC on NetGalley I was thrilled to be approved but something didn’t quite hit with this first instalment of the Burnt Sparrow trilogy.

Basically I have no idea what I just read really, this family of faceless entities went on a mass killing spree and were captured and locked in a basement to be tortured in revenge.
There was also two people who died in a fire that isn’t really explained and a strange police tape that had no explanation either. However I’m hoping that these will be addressed in the next two books.

I did however enjoy LaRocca’s imagery and writing style, his horrors -while ultimately confusing and disturbing- definitely stay with you.

I just finished We Are Always Tender With Our Dead: (Burnt Sparrow, Book 1) by Eric LaRocca and my jaw is literally on the floor. This book is a masterpiece! The moral depravity of the subject matter is met with such tenderness, truly a feat that Eric does seamlessly. This is why they will always be at the very top of my favorite authors!

Thank you Eric LaRocca and Titan Books for allowing me to read this arc.

Well this was definitely disturbing. I could NOT put it down and think LaRocca is a really exceptional writer.

Burnt Sparrow is a place full of incredibly flawed characters. One Christmas morning, many in the town are brutally murdered. The three culprits are found and a man in town offers to keep them, for the town to torture.

Like other pieces of LaRocca’s, this contains graphic, disturbing, and taboo events and concepts that are depicted in a way that makes you as the reader uncomfortable— and is also clear the goal isn’t to glorify the violence, but present it in a way that will viscerally affect the reader.

I’m very excited to see where the Burnt Sparrow Series goes. I think LaRocca did an unparalleled job of depicted trauma and how it is passed down generationally, in very subtle ways. I feel like LaRocca is giving us examples of why and how these people ended up how they are. While undoubtedly I’m dying to see where the plot goes here, I think LaRocca is a uniquely gifted character based horror writer.


Would recommend to extreme horror fans. 5 stars can’t wait for book 2. Thanks Eric LaRocca, Titan Books, and NetGalley for the eARC.

This is my second Eric LaRocca book I've read, and I feel very honored to be able to read this one early! I'm new to reading horror books despite being a lifelong fan of horror, and I am brand new to the concept of the genre Splatterpunk.

To read this book is to stand at the threshold between our own reality and the realm the story's heart beats in. When you enter into this novel, let its current pull you along, don't keep yourself anchored to expectations. My mistake was keeping my mind rigid and as a result I didn't fall into the flow of the writing as quickly as I would have liked. I didn't immediately catch on to the vibe of Burnt Sparrow and it's residents -- but once I was in, I was in.

I didn't realize when I read this book that it was the first of a series and I'm DELIGHTED. Because while I was ready to accept the end which left me with countless questions, I can't wait for the continuation of this story. Reading this first novel leaves everything open, and while yes the horrors are endless--so are the possibilities. It was quite the adventure, that really dug at my brain and kept me thinking.

The one thing I struggled with throughout was figuring out the voice of whom I was reading. It's still a little unclear to me if the voice is meant to be semi omniscient with a preference for a particular character's perspective depending on the chapter indication, or if we were supposed to be wholly into each character's perspective. The tone and cadence of both felt very similar to me, sometimes almost identical. But then again their are similarities between these two characters despite how different they may present.

All in all, it was quite the experience and I look forward to the next one even though this one technically isn't out yet either!

Well this book definitely solidifies my love of Eric LaRocca's writing. A Christmas massacre by three faceless people has a town feeling many emotions, and rightly so. For anyone who is considering reading this, check your trigger warnings. I think LaRocca is gearing up because this was one of my favorites of his thus far. I understand the gore and horror is beyond the typical. However, I do not feel this is gore for the sake of gore. He is sending us messages. I will always read his work!

When my daughter was four years old, the two of us were in a pretty bad automobile accident. The car flipped over twice and we ended upside down in the middle of the road. Reading this book was a lot like that. Terrifying, horrific and when the car stopped moving, kind of exhilarating. And like the aftermath of that accident, after reading about the messed up village of Burnt Sparrow, I was unharmed but really shaken up. Not for the faint of heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Splatterpunk is one of those genres that can be hard to get right. It definitely appears difficult to balance scenes that are designed to cause outrage and disgust with an actual plot line, so it’s one of those genres that teeters awkwardly between the two, sometimes falling more into one than the other.

This manages to balance things nicely, however. I really enjoyed the approach taken to the subjects canvassed in the book, and I felt like there was a lot of thought that went into the more controversial material. It didn’t feel out of place or like it was designed for outrage here, which was really nice.

Rupert wasn’t as well-developed as I would have liked, but he was a fine narrator, and he was certainly a fine Everyman stand in for the reader. I do think he could have been pulled out a little bit more, but I also don’t mind that he wasn’t, and that he felt like a conduit more so than a character.

I also feel like the horror themes could have gone a bit harder and the ending could have been better, but I’m also conscious that this is the start of a series, rather than the end of one. Definitely well worth a read- especially for someone looking for a little bit more from their splatterpunk stuff!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'm always very happy about an ARC and being able to give it a review! <3

I’m a huge fan of Eric LaRocca’s previous work, so naturally, I had to get my hands on this one too. You can imagine the happy dance I did when I scored an ARC. Pure serotonin.

It’s got that classic Eric LaRocca writing style—haunting, hypnotic, and a little bit unhinged (in the best way). He really knows how to pull you in and mess with your brain a little. Love that.

The premise was intriguing, but sadly it didn’t fully click for me. Supernatural horror is tricky—I only vibe with it on rare occasions, and this time it just didn’t land. I was a little bummed after "After Dark, I Become Loathsome" blew my mind. Expectations were high. Maybe too high. But hey, not every book has to hit the same. That said, I know this book is going to work really well for other readers. Just because it didn’t haunt me doesn’t mean it won’t haunt you (you lucky creeps).

One thing I’ll always appreciate about LaRocca is his unapologetic queerness in storytelling. It’s bold, necessary, and incredibly refreshing to see horror that doesn’t shy away from LGBTQ+ themes. More of this, please. *Raises hands dramatically in approval*

Now hold on… what the HELL did I just read?

I’m sitting here, stunned, wondering what just happened—what journey I’ve been on.

It’s Christmas in Burnt Sparrow, a delightfully messed-up little New England town. The lights are twinkling, the trees are trimmed, the cocoa is hot—and over 100 people are lying dead in the town square. Oh, and Santa’s not the only one dropping by on Christmas morning. Enter: the faceless family. Weird, right? Yes, but this isn’t Burnt Sparrow’s first run in with faceless outsiders.

Rupert, a 17 year old going through it after the loss of his mom, and his Dad are tasked with preserving the scene. Yeah…they leave it exactly as is. Why? Bureaucracy? Trauma? Vibes? Don’t ask me. With plenty of stories within a story, weird, depraved and foul things happen and then we get the utter spookiness of “End House” and the scary, scary dude that lives inside and is tasked with forever torturing the faceless family. But…they can’t die. Wtf?

What characters.. What a ride. This book reads like a nightmarish fable wrapped in New England snow and sprinkled with just enough Stephen King charm to make it feel weirdly nostalgic. Eric LaRocca is absolutely unhinged (in the best way), and I am counting down the days until the next two books in this trilogy drop.

Eric LaRocca does a lot of things really, really well. Perhaps the best is creating small towns that feel simultaneously in and outside of the real world. Off-kilter places populated with real, yet extremely troubled people, who make questionable choices. Burnt Sparrow is one of those towns, and it excites me to no end that Eric will be exploring the corners of this New Hampshire town over the course of a trilogy. Regarding choices, though, that's where installment number one, We Are Always Tender with Our Dead, shines. A town experiences a tragedy that is both common and relatable in this day and age. The questionable, yet possible ways that the people of Burnt Sparrow grieve and remember, move on and demand justice is a fascinating exploration. Each choice snowballs, a downward spiral until we're left with, well, what we're left with. WAATwOD is sure to divide readers, as any LaRocca book does, but tells a riveting self-contained story that pulls back the curtain and sets the stage for what's to come.

Thank you so much to Titan books for the E-arc!

4.25 stars!

LOOOOL YOUR GONNA DO THAT TO ME AND THEN THROW THAT AT MY FACE AS I'M TRYING TO MENTALLY LET THAT SINK IN.

AMAZING. BRING ON THE REST

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I've been sat on this review for a while thinking I had to hold it off but alas I couldn't, this is released on my b'day so happy birthday to me I guess because I just got a gift of trauma, depravity, mystery, humans beings awful, the yearning to leave, who are they? why are they here? why did it happen? RUPERT PLEASE! all of this wrapped in a bow!

Now I just need the rest of the trilogy tbh I need to know what is going down in this weird little town.

The way this is written, as always with Eric's work, pulled me in and didn't let go until I finished.

The mystery within this is what makes this work stand out for me, along with all the messed up stuff LOOL but I'm always sat and ready for lyrical writing, especially with horror.

Eric LaRocca’s writing always absorbs me and this book did not fail to grab my full attention at every word. This literary horror is poetic and haunting. Every word is meant to do something to the reader and has a meaning. I really enjoyed this book, the characters, setting and plot sucked me in. I wanted more resolutions at the end but I understand it’s a series and all may be revealed as the series goes on. A strong start to the series and I look forward to the future novels.

Dark, poetic, and haunting. LaRocca weaves grief and horror into something unsettlingly beautiful. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Huge LaRocca fan, looking forward to sharing this title!!

An okay Larocca drop. As always I will pick up the volumes he drops but I was not a huge fan of this one. Hopefully as the series goes on it gets better.

Eric LaRocca has unleashed another monstrosity that makes me want to pray for his soul. The first of the Burnt Sparrow series is extremely strong, super depraved, and completely disgusting. I dissociated multiple times while reading this because my brain was instinctually trying to protect itself from what I was reading. Very akin to the deep cut exploitation horror films from the 70’s, gave me the creeps! That said, another easy five stars. Keep them coming, Eric.

Me thinks they aren’t so tender with their dead. Or if that’s their definition of tender, I’d hate to see what sadistic looks like.

One of my favorite things is when I finish a book, and I understood what happened. I really enjoy that feeling. I don’t enjoy feeling like I just read a book in Swahili with a few English words intermingled, but only used when describing vile, morally putrid scenes.

That was this book. Don’t get me wrong, there were some things here to be appreciated. The faceless family and the human-headed bird stood out as entities I’ll remember long after I put this book away for good.

I know this fits into a broader universe and is only the first book in the series, but to have no conclusion, or to bring anything to a close felt unsatisfactory. I have no interest in seeing how this plays out.

I’m disappointed after having recently read After Dark, I Become Loathsome, and loving it so much. I had high hopes for this one. I’m sure there’s audience out there for it, but consider me squarely on the outside looking in.

The story of the strange and ugly happenings in Burnt Sparrow certainly cross the threshold at times.
While this is not my typical genre to read (more graphic, brutal horror), I think it was impactful. The plot was interesting, and darkly unique. Some of the visuals in this will stick with me for some time.

The first 70% of this book was really unnerving and gripping at times. I felt that the ending bits started falling apart a bit. I think the rest of the trilogy could be interesting, I’d check out the rest of this story.

Trigger warnings and the like etc are fine by me. I read a lot of true crime and horror so I’m not particularly sensitive to disturbing topics. I really enjoyed the author’s previous work due to the absolute horror, disgusting imagination and all round originality. I was excited to pick this up but found I couldn’t get into the characters, the town, the storyline. It didn’t capture my imagination, and I found myself trying to get into the story rather than just being into it from the first page. I would have liked to have been curiously addicted to seeing what happens next (this was my previous experience with this author’s work). However it was not my experience this time. Not sure why, maybe it just wasn’t for me. I didn’t find Rupert or his Dad very interesting or sympathetic characters. I wasn’t really interested in reading Rupert’s perspective. Thanks to Netgalley for the