5 stars

LaRocca has never written a light or fun story. I love that he tackles the deep and dirty. He does it in only a way that he can though…gentle with care and an open mind and heart. They are never a delight to read, but they are always my favorite books.
This one is no different, it is heavy, and quite unputdownable. The characters are portrayed with all of their flaws and yet we can still recognize and sympathize/empathize with them. I will kit speak on the story, I honestly think it’s important to go blind into a LaRocca book. He uses everyday words but strings them so poetically together.
It’s hard to say enjoy to a book like this, but please read it with an open heart and mind.

Oh my god. There are some books that, no matter what you say, it won’t be enough. You can review it and you won’t be able to give it the proper words. Burnt Sparrow: We Are Always Tender With Our Dead is such a book. Its my latest review book from Net Galley and I will try to review it, but…dear reader…it won’t be enough.

Burnt Sparrow is a haunted town. Its haunted by its past and its present and likely its future too. Rupert Cromwell is growing up in this town and after a devastating event happens, Rupert must comfort the things he hides. He and the town will never the same.

I’m trying to be vague about the plot for this book because, honestly, the less you know about the book, the better it is. Though, a bit of warning: We Are Always Tender With Our Dead is the most disturbing, disgusting book I’ve read. There are some things in here that will make you want to stop reading. This book is vile.

And this book is one of the best books I’ve read this year. Thats saying a lot in a year with The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, Wake Up and Open Your Eyes, The Night Birds and so many other fantastic books. We Are Always Tender With Our Dead is heart-breaking. Its raw and powerful. Its so well written. You’ll want to look away and maybe you can but I wasn’t able to.

We Are Always Tender With Our Dead has complex characters, some you’ll hate, others you’ll feel sorry for and others you’ll hate and feel sorry for. And the town’s mythology, revealed through side stories and “online articles” is breathtaking. Hell the whole book is breathtaking.

This isn’t the kind of book that I’d talk about to anyone. I wouldn’t tell family about this book or a friend. I couldn’t. How do you explain something that seems so wrong and yet is so well done and so powerful? We Are Always Tender With Our Dead is a book I will likely never forget.

The last line of the book will haunt me.

Eric LaRocca is such a great writer. I need to read more of their books. But, you know, I need to go read something a bit lighter for now. whew. Wow.

We Are Always Tender With Our Dead comes out on September 9th, 2025. Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher, and Eric LaRocca for the early digital copy of this book.

Nope definitely not for me. Horror and sexual violence. DNF. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

A shaky three stars, only because I’m hoping the sequels are better.

On Christmas morning in the godforsaken town of Burnt Sparrow, New Hampshire three faceless people lay waste to a number of the town’s citizens (nothing says “happy birthday Jesus” like a good, old-fashioned massacre!) The three are captured and seventeen year old Rupert Cromwell and his father are two of the people charged with guarding the scene of the disaster where the corpses just lie where they fell. Rupert and his father have had a strained relationship since the death of Rupert’s mother.

Then the richest man in town petitions the town aldermen to have the three brought to his home for punishment. And things are about to get a whole lot worse for Rupert. Much, much worse.

This is the first in a proposed Burnt Sparrow trilogy and while I really enjoyed (if that’s the right word for a LaRocca book) the author’s last book, AT DARK I BECOME LOATHSOME and thought it was a great leap forward for LaRocca as both a plotter and a writer, this felt like a little bit of a regression. Some of the material here seemed to be for shock value only, and while lots of splatterpunk fans may enjoy that, I need a little more non-gratuitousness (a word? Probably not.) to my violence. Plus, in general, I wasn’t really sure of the point of the whole story, and I’m still not. Maybe more will become clear which future installments (which I would definitely read,) but even with a trilogy the books have to be able to stand on their own to some degree. So, I wasn’t disappointed, but, like I said, I’ll go on with the series to see what happens next. Probably recommended if you know you like LaRocca, see what you think. If this is to be your first from the author, don’t start here.

I wholeheartedly have to agree with another review of this book that said that this is an incredibly difficult book for me to review or even give a rating. On the one hand, the writing, prose, themes, and overall plot were incredible, but on the other hand I've definitely discovered that the splatterpunk genre is definitely not for me. I've been really enjoying horror recently, this cover and description intrigued me, and I've heard good things about this author, but I honestly don't know if I'm glad I read this book or not.

First of all, the plot and themes were really interesting. I love stories that center around a small town dealing with something horrific, especially when it seems like it's completely normal in that town. It immediately creates a sense of panic and dread for the reader that is just compounded with everything else we learn about these people. I also really liked that this was all just basically a metaphor for the fear of the unknown and how that fear can corrupt us. I don't want to spoil anything, but the perpetrators of the massacre and what we know of them and how the powers at be react, perfectly encapsulates that. Unfortunately, it is a great reflection on modern society.

However, I don't think the explicit gore and explicit SA was necessary to tell this story at all. I understand that this is what this genre is about, but honestly, why does it exist. Yes, I know these things happen and we shouldn't pretend that they don't, but why do we need to see it happen in explicit detail? I don't think it would take away from the story at all if the author didn't explicitly show the incest, but I don't know, that's just me.

I will say that the author has a great list of trigger warnings in the beginning of the book, and if anything like gore or SA could mentally harm you, don't pick up this book.

This was a NetGalley read for me, so thank you for that!

Another great, dark, emotional read, as always, and I was super excited, because this had the added horror of small town crazy, which is one of my top picks when it comes to horror.

This one is not for the faint of heart, so please check triggers because, this isn’t an easy one, but it is good and this will stick with you after finishing, a haunting in the back of your mind you just cannot shake. It’s shocking and dark and absolutely brutal and it left a mark.

The faceless horrors in this book were enough to creep in, just like the dread you feel as you turn the pages in this, We Are Always Tender With Our Dead is something I need more of and I am glad this is just the first, I need more of Burnt Sparrow, because how??

Nothing makes sense here, and that’s something I am obsessed with, if this is just the first of the mysteries and horrors, I can’t imagine what is to come.

This is a town of relationships, and not everything dark is due to faceless supernatural evil, sometimes people can be just as dark, and even more horrifying then the dark faceless shadows that lurk in the darkness. Everything weaves together, not to give you a full picture, because sometimes, that’s part of the horror, the unknown, just like the characters are facing, and that makes the atmosphere in this book absolutely electric.

I expected to come out of this a little broken and a lot horrified, but this book unsettled me, and made me think, tied up with some splattery horror that ties this up in one big horrifying bow.

This wont be for everyone, but reader, this one was for me.

Absolutely haunting. Eric LaRocca has a way of writing that crawls under your skin and stays there, and We Are Always Tender with Our Dead might be his most brutal, emotionally charged work yet. This isn’t just horror—it’s horror with purpose. The violence is shocking, but never gratuitous. The grief feels real, heavy, and suffocating in the best literary way.

Rupert’s perspective is devastating—watching him navigate personal trauma against the backdrop of this surreal, communal nightmare was gut-wrenching. The faceless figures are terrifying not just because of what they do, but because of what they represent. LaRocca doesn’t hand you answers, and that ambiguity makes the story even more disturbing.

There’s a slow, creeping dread to this book. It’s literary horror that pulls no punches and refuses to look away. Unflinching, deeply human, and genuinely upsetting—in all the ways I want from a story like this. Absolutely incredible.

Prepare for Depraved and Delightful Storytelling!

Eric LaRocca has created yet another masterpiece of horrific art with We Are Always Tender With Our Dead! Not only is this novel infused with LaRocca’s classic disturbing imagery and poetic artistry, but this novel reached new levels of depravity. Some of the scenes within this story are so dark, I’ll never be able to scrub them from my brain.

We Are Always Tender With Our Dead is pure excellence from start to finish. From diverse and new character types to creative writing styles (diaries, published news articles, etc.) that we have come to love. Readers can expect to get a bit lost within the darkness in this story. I found myself hopeless while reading characters in various stages of coming out, which as queer reader, I related to in a lot of ways. It’s such a dark and depressing time for some humans and this is captured beautifully in these pages. Additionally, familial bonds are explored savagely here. Don’t expect family to be a saving grace in this story, instead expect terrifying family norms that defy explanation while propelling the story forward.

The mystery of Burnt Sparrow is something I’m genuinely hungering for more of! I need to know what makes this tiny town exist in the way that it does. Why does science and natural order find themselves at odds within the town. What devious deals cause all the depraved things within the town limits, and what keeps causing these for future generations. These are the answers I’m begging for in the next two books from Eric LaRocca!

This story is fantastic and you NEED to buy and read it! This story continues to prove why I have to buy ALL of Eric LaRocca’s writing, it’s horror excellence!

We Are Always Tender With Our Dead
Eric Larocca

4.5 / 5

I've loved MOST of Eric Larocca's writing, but I had always preferred their short stories. Their first full length novel Everything The Darkness Eats wasn't for me at all, and their novella You've Lost A Lot of Blood was enjoyable, but thoroughly confused me.

His last novel At Dark I Become Loathsome was the first full length novel I'd thoroughly enjoyed as much as I enjoy their shorts.

But this novel, which is book one of what's going to be a trilogy, was the best book I've read this year. (And this was the 89th book I've read this year.)

I enjoyed how much heart the horror held.
Love hurts ... bigotry hurts ....and Eric has such a beautifully macabre way of showing us visual aides, through his words.
This book hurts you and holds you simultaneously.

I can't wait for the next part!
Highly recommend!

In the isolated town of Burnt Sparrow, NH, Christmas morning turns tragic when three faceless figures commit a horrific act of violence. As the community mourns, young Rupert faces harsh family truths. Entangled relationships lead to more chaos, teaching the townsfolk about the futility of revenge and the necessity of respecting boundaries. LaRocca's gripping and atmospheric narrative delves into the dark heart of this New England town, leaving readers chilled and eager for more.

This is honestly a very difficult book to review. It is extremely well written, accomplishes so much in a very short page count, and is a truly visceral experience. I also never want to think about it again. The subject matter is grotesque, and it's meant to be envelope and boundary pushing and it succeeds extremely well at this. I'm not sure what the symbolism or allegory is here, and I will be mulling that over, but on the surface this is just depravity and human monsters at their darkest, most primal, and horrifying. Again, LaRocca does this very, very well, but it is even more divisive than At Dark I Become Loathsome, which was a really tough book. Eric LaRocca is a truly talented writer, but his books are rough.

I've been reading Eric LaRocca for a while, and I've always noticed the similarities between his work and the work of Clive Barker. This one feels wholly unique and wholly LaRocca. It takes an inciting incident and mixes it with a series of human depravities to create a beautiful, twisted story that sets up a trilogy that I can't wait to continue. Short stories are woven within and some epistolary stuff between chapters adds to the town's lore. Additionally, each relationship is so complex, creating a tangled web that makes me feel like I'm going to be thinking about this book for a long time -- probably until the next book comes out.

I’m unsure as to whether I can do this book justice with a review.

It transcends pigeonholing or synopsis, as it’s so damned sprawling, yet at the same time completely claustrophobic – and damned. Laden with unuttered words and littered with shattered hopes, it’s not a book for the faint hearted.

But it is a thing of visceral, dominant beauty. Intelligently hewn queer horror, guts and blood, sexual longing, taboos and yearning amidst layers of trauma and regret.

The good people are losing and the bad people have a choke hold on the small town of Burnt Sparrow. The Elders rule the roost and read entrails to tell the future. Murderers have no features on their face, just a pinprick hole that whimpers as the town folk torture them. Corpses are both guarded where they fell, yet fair game in this book.

It’s like nothing I have read before. I adored it.

Brought up on James Herbert and then an early, teenage adopter of Clive Barker as he wove his magic into the world as his confidence grew, my tastes in books are dark, dirty and not easily shook. This book pushed those boundaries, and I am all the better for it on the other side of it.

Atmospheric, suffocating, hopeless and achingly sad at times, I beseech all horror fans to pick this book up and meet the people (and beings) of Burnt Sparrow. I cannot wait for the next 2 instalments.

Titan Books and Eric Larocca, thank you for the privilege of reading this advanced copy.

Absolutely incredible. Exactly what I expected from LaRocca. Just as disturbing, but is that not what horror is? Pushing the boundaries, aiming to make you feel abject disgust.

Reading We Are Always Tender with Our Dead felt like pressing my hand to a wound—intimate, painful, and impossible to forget. Eric LaRocca has always had a way of writing horror that’s less about jump scares and more about emotional rot, the kind of fear that festers just under the skin. This novella takes that approach and sharpens it into something absolutely devastating.

I went into it expecting darkness—and I got it. But what I didn’t expect was how tender and heartbreaking that darkness would be. This is horror at its most personal. LaRocca explores grief, obsession, and identity in a way that’s as poetic as it is disturbing. The prose is beautiful—lush, lyrical, and precise—and it only makes the violence and sadness hit harder. Every line feels like it’s cutting both ways: elegant and brutal.

The story unfolds with a kind of dream-logic, or maybe a nightmare-logic—where everything makes emotional sense even when the rules of the world are slipping. There were moments that genuinely unsettled me, not because of what was happening on the page, but because of how deeply it reflected parts of myself I don’t always want to look at.

LaRocca has this rare ability to make horror feel sacred, like a ritual of uncovering the worst parts of being human—loneliness, guilt, longing—and showing us the terrible beauty in them. We Are Always Tender with Our Dead is painful. It’s grotesque. But it’s also soft in a way that I don’t often find in horror. It doesn’t flinch, but it feels.

If you’ve read LaRocca before, you know what you’re in for: body horror wrapped in elegy, queerness explored through dread, and a voice that dares you to keep reading even when it hurts. If you haven’t—this is a bold, unforgettable place to start.

Thank you, NetGalley and Titan Books for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.

This is the first full-length novel I’ve read by LaRocca. I’ve only read his short stories, so I had a vague idea of what to expect. In true LaRocca fashion, this book was gory, traumatic, and disturbing. The characters have lots of depth and you easily become invested. His writing is a mix of splatter-punk with amazing prose. It’s the start of a series, and a lot was left unanswered. It’s hard to know if that’s by design in preparation for the next book but it felt almost incomplete. He is a master of short-form writing, but I’m unsure about his longer forms. If you find splatter-punk entertaining, then I would recommend this book to you.

I’m not quite sure how to describe this book. It’s my first by the author, but his reputation precdes him. I knew tk expect violence, and violence was definitely there. However, I didn’t expect to finish a book not really knowing what I had just read. There were true moments of brilliance, an astute insight into the consequences of human suffering which, at times, left me stunned. However, there were aspects that I didn’t truly see the purpose of - perhaps they will be addressed in the next book? I will definitely read on, if nothing else to find answers so my questions.

The writing was excellent, the commentary on suffering horrifying and true, and it has guaranteed I will read on.

i will be the first to admit that i will devour anything that larocca writes, and i didn't really know what to expect going into this one. what followed was an absolute whirlwind of monstrosity, grotesquerie, and in/human depravity that i cannot even describe. larocca's ability to depict the most brutal, abject terrors with such gorgeous prose is astounding. i cannot wait to see more of the town of burnt sparrow!

As much as I love LaRocca's stuff, this one just didn't do it for me.

The plot is great, the characters are three dimensional, etc...

It just seems like a novella's-worth of action happened in a novel-length work. The prose is slow and brooding (which isn't "bad" per se), but it was a little slow and methodical for my tastes.

The way this was marketed was giving me folk horror vibes, which I enjoy, but half way through the book I realised that this story is splatterpunk, with women and corpses (of women) being violated for no reason which isn't my vibe. I didn't read further as there was nothing else happening to convince me to.