This was disgusting. I have enjoyed this authors previous works, but this was just way too far. I could hardly stomach this, and wish I hadn’t read the whole thing honestly. It was just so reprehensible.

Sadly I couldn't love this book as much as I wanted. This was one of my most anticipated books of the second half of the year and it was a bit of a disappointment.

I liked the setting and how everything starts but I couldn't connect with the characters and their motivations and that took me out of the story every few chapters.

The horror elements were great, but sparse. Having read and loved other novels by the author I expected this tale to be much more darker than it actually is, with a strong horror factor and many creepy and scary scenes. It does have some good scenes like the faceless family and the human-headed bird.

This is the first novel in a new series and as an introduction it was alright but the ending felt a bit underdeveloped. However, I'm still curious to find out what other books in this series will look like.

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC of this novel, all opinions are my own.

This was one of the more unique horror books I think I've read, and I think I'm still processing it.

The underlying story is about a mass murder at a Christmas event in a small town in New Hampshire. The elders of the town decide that the dead should not be buried, but scattered around the town. The accused are faceless, there's no trial, it's all a bit...assuming. While this was definitely a strange read, I feel pretty sure I'm going to pick up the next one in the trilogy.

There should be trigger warnings for assault, incest, necrophilia, among a bunch of other things and I can't tell if I'm feeling the horror or the discomfort.

This will be published Sept. 16 2025 and I received an advanced copy from Netgalley.

Eric LaRocca is a force to be reckoned with. The dude churns out some really special works of dark fiction. Unique, brooding, strange, violent and feverdreamish (yes, that's a word).

I think he's onto something with the small New England town of Burnt Sparrow. Lots of disturbing town history explored here and lots more trauma to come I'm sure. The perfect foil for LaRocca's demented brain to run amok. A solid 4+ Stars and highly recommended

“Soft things are easy to break.”

I received an advanced audiobook copy of this title from NetGalley. The honest review is all my own.

This was an odd one.

I had trouble defining what timeline the plot was in. I am not sure if this was an audio-specific trouble, as the narrator had a bit of an old-timey cadence, if that makes sense? It kind of put me off from the plot. I appreciate what LaRocca was trying to achieve with the multiple characters and the stories weaving into each other, and I thought the premise based on the description sounded super unique and interesting, but somehow the plot got lost. I saw another reviewer say that it seemed overwritten, and I am going to have to agree with that. It got a bit too convoluted with everything going on, on top of the VERY weird and VERY graphic things happening.. My brain was like 'hold up, what is happening rn'. And if that was his goal, then I'll say, he met it!

I wouldn't say this book was for me, but I do think there is definitely an audience that would love this strange, gross, graphic little book.

I feel like a fair bit went over my head, but reading LaRocca's own words about how this portraits modern day America: the unsafety; gun laws; how minorities are treated and forced to live, always on guard; ect., helped me better understand this. It's really a piece of work that makes you sit with your thoughts and think. Especially the last story in the book blew me away. This book is definetly going to be on my mind for a bit.

2.5 stars ⭐️

unfortunately this didn’t really work for me. there were definitely elements that i liked and i honestly wish there was more of those moments. i loved the idea of the thresholds, the faceless family and all the unexplained things that were going on in the town.

but there were also moments that genuinely left me completely shocked because i was not expecting it. the book somehow manages to follow a 🍇 scene with necrophilia. what? there was so incest and torture and wow this was not what i was expecting from this book at all.

rupert is also a little freak and idk it was really hard to care about anyone in this book besides wanting to understand why this town is so plagued by these haunting occurrences.

thankfully i had the audiobook to help get me through the entire book so shoutout to Tristan Wright for getting me through it.

I need more of Burnt Sparrow. This was so interesting and I couldn't stop listening. LaRocca has such a with words and just keeps me in the story fully. I will say I did prefer being in Gladys' POV more. The narration was also great.

Out now!
In a remote New England town steeped in eerie traditions and quiet despair, a horrific massacre on Christmas morning shatters the fragile peace of Burnt Sparrow. Three faceless entities commit an act of violence so brutal that the town's elders decide to leave the bodies untouched, a chilling decision that sets the tone for the community’s descent into grief and existential reckoning. At the heart of this unsettling narrative is Rupert Cromwell, a seventeen-year-old boy grappling with the loss of his mother and the emotional distance of his enigmatic father. As Rupert and his father are tasked with guarding the corpses, the grotesque ritual exposes the town’s moral decay and Rupert’s own nihilistic worldview begins to crystallize.

The story unfolds through Rupert’s perspective, interspersed with diary entries and fragments of local lore, painting a portrait of a town where cruelty is normalized and empathy is scarce. Rupert’s struggle with identity—particularly his queerness in a community dominated by indifferent and destructive men—mirrors the broader themes of alienation and societal desensitization to violence. The narrative probes the idea of thresholds: between life and death, innocence and corruption, and the personal and communal. As relationships fray and more blood is spilled, the residents of Burnt Sparrow are forced to confront the futility of retribution and the cost of crossing lines that should never be breached.

This haunting tale is not merely a horror story but a meditation on grief, identity, and the grotesque beauty of human vulnerability. The town itself becomes a character—claustrophobic, decaying, and strangely seductive in its rituals and secrets. Through its visceral imagery and philosophical undertones, the narrative challenges readers to consider what it means to assign value to life, and whether the dead are truly more sacred than the living. It’s a slow, suffocating descent into darkness, where even the most tender moments are laced with dread, and every act of violence echoes with unsettling grace.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan books for this ARC!

"We Are Always Tender with Our Dead" by Eric LaRocca begins with a compelling premise: Burnt Sparrow, a small town riddled with strange tragedies, is shaken by a Christmas Day parade massacre. The group responsible is apprehended, and the story unfolds from there. Unfortunately, despite the strength of its setup, this novel did not deliver what I hoped for.

My initial impact was disappointment with Rupert’s chapters. As a 17-year-old navigating a strained relationship with his father, Rupert should have been engaging, but his perspective felt flat. His chapters were long-winded, often info-dumpy, and the writing style lacked the spark I expect from LaRocca, knowing how sharp their prose can be. I struggled to connect with Rupert and found myself detached from his inner conflict.

The story improves somewhat when it shifts to Gladys, the wealthy matriarch of Burnt Sparrow. Her chapters felt tighter, with more depth and intrigue. Her storyline carried the complexity and emotional weight I had been hoping for. Compared to Rupert, Gladys felt like a fully realized character whose perspective drew me in.

What held this book back the most, however, was how little actually felt purposeful. Nearly 90% of the narrative seemed to focus on characters’ inner monologues and mundane activities rather than on deepening the lore of Burnt Sparrow. The concept of a town plagued by ongoing tragedy is a strong hook, but it was never explored to its full potential. I understand this is the first in a trilogy, but even with series openers, readers need enough substance and promise to be enticed into book two. Here, the scaffolding was too thin, and I left feeling underwhelmed.

I listened to the audiobook, which came with no trigger warnings. This book absolutely requires them. The content includes sexual assault and necrophilia, both handled in graphic detail. Readers should be prepared, as this is extreme horror and not to be approached lightly.

I give "We Are Always Tender with Our Dead" 2.5 stars. I recommend it only to readers who are already dedicated fans of LaRocca and are prepared for grotesque, extreme horror. I would not recommend it to readers looking for strong worldbuilding, cohesive storytelling, or even pacing. I will not be continuing with this trilogy, but I remain eager to see what LaRocca creates in future standalone works.

I am sorry to say that this was a miss for me!

I appreciate how the author tried to weave many characters together physically, mentally, and symbolically. However, I found the book to be immensely over-written. Everything was told rather than shown and at times the prose was deeply repetitive. I walked away with a lot of information about the characters, but I also felt like I hardly knew them.

The strongest parts of the book focused on the town itself and its tragic past. I wanted more of that!

I also felt that the violence (in particular the sexual violence) was gratuitous without a larger point. Some readers/listeners may disagree, but quite a few scenes took me out of the story.

Thank you very much to NetGalley for an opportunity to listen to and rate an advanced audio copy!

4.5 rounded down, this was a beautifully written but deeply disturbing read. Please check your trigger warnings.

Thank you to NETGALLEY, TITAN BOOKS and ERIC LAROCCA for the ALC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

When I started seeing review for this book on Tuesday (pub day!) I knew I needed to read/listen immediately and it was thankfully still available on Netgalley. I’ve never started a book so fast after being approved.

💀 We Are Always Tender with Our Dead hits you like a winter storm—haunting, brutal, and deeply unforgettable. Set in the remote town of Burnt Sparrow, New Hampshire, the story fractures around a horrifying Christmas morning when three faceless people unleash violence that scars the entire community. That act of terror kicks off a downward spiral through grief, cruelty, repression—and the quiet horrors we inflict on ourselves.

Alongside the horror lies strong emotional resonance, especially in Rupert Cromwell’s struggle with his family, identity, and all the invisible wounds trauma leaves behind.
This horror is not so much scary as it is deeply disturbing.

Overall, this is horror turned inside out—unflinching, poetic, and unforgettable as long as you can sit with the darkness.

Bravo Eric LaRocca for thoroughly confusing me and having me ponder if this novel should be taken symbolically or literally.
The residents of Burnt Sparrow, New Hampshire are all dealing with the aftermath of a massacre that took place on Christmas morning. Three faceless entities performed brutal acts of violence and through it all the town is left to pick up the pieces.
Starting this novel I didn’t know a whole lot about the novels plot. I like LaRocca’s atmospheric and detailed writing so I didn’t think I needed much of a summary on the novel. I was wrong. I was a little confused because I was expecting supernatural horror but it was far from that. This novel was definitely a deep look into human nature.
After our faceless friends murdered some of the towns people, they were captured and the bodies of the victims are left to commemorate what the town overcame. Grief is a fickle beast because we become irrational and violent rather than dealing and overcoming the sadness we fear.
We see multiple characters and how their lives intertwine as secrets come to light and in the end we have grief, retribution, and the dark nature of cruelty as the true culprits.
I do think the faceless entities were real but on a deeper level they represent the repressed and hostage version of ourselves that we don’t want to come to terms with accepting.
We see many characters fighting with accepting their sexuality and our faceless entities are just a manifestation of the dark secrets that the town of Burnt Sparrow harbor.
In a nut shell this novel takes a look at how humans are more of a monster than actual monsters. LaRocca blows the readers away with the themes he tackles and I am excited to see what happens next in the town of Burnt Sparrow. I want to thank NetGalley and the publishers Dreamscape Media and Titan Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What is wrong with Burnt Sparrow? And the people who unfortunately live in this horrific place?

The author introduces us to a quietly terrible, possibly supernatural town full of bizarre people and atrocities galore. In typical LaRocca fashion, the reader will be comfortable in the story for a few pages and then start squirming as the violence takes over. As with all of their books, this story is not for the squeamish.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did an excellent job finding the mood of the story and the personality of the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the free audiobook copy.

If you're at all familiar with Eric LaRocca's work, you may have some sense of what this book will put you through. It was certainly difficult to listen to at times, but I am equally fascinated and repulsed by the themes and imagery of this novel. I'm glad this is a series because there's so much about this world and this town that I'm so interested in delving into even deeper. Definitely don't pick this up lightly, but if you're into sick and demented queer horror then this will probably resonate with you.

🎧ALC REVIEW🎧

Coming September 16

“Soft things are so pleasing to break”

Set in a fictional town wrought with folklore and tragedy, the vibe was SET. And then we early on experience a MASSACRE. I love this authors writing style. I didn’t realize this was technically splatterpunk but I’m here for it. If you’re down for a hella gory, disturbing, downright weird story, I would highly recommend this one. The narrator does a phenomenal job voicing many different gender and age reps as well.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you @netgalley @titanbooks @dreamscape_media

#gifted #netgalley #wearealwaystenderwithourdead #splatterpunk #splatterpunkhorror #horrorbookstagram #horrorbooks #fyp #bookstagram #bookadict #booklover

Before you consider reading this PLEASE check out the content warnings and know that it is ROUGH.

Like a queer Stephen King book made for a really messed up HBO Show.

There were certain points where I truly considered just DNFing this. The content is heavy and honestly more than I typically go for. It also isn’t a “let’s just assume you know what’s happening” way of handling the rough elements. They make it abundantly clear. If you’re fine with the content, I do think the actual writing and themes are really interesting.

I think the rural horror elements of this novel were the selling points, as the town is such an important character in the work. I also think the representation of queerness was done well.

Beyond content issues I also felt like there were narrative detours that made this a little harder to follow than it needed to. I did see some connection with some of the stories, but I was already not super comfortable and then being a little confused didn’t help.

In terms of audio narration I thought our narrator for the audiobook did a solid job. I didn’t have much good or bad to say about the voice acting.

Overall, I think the star rating I’m giving is more reflective of what I think this could be for you, rather than what it was for me. I didn’t enjoy this and wouldn’t continue, BUT people with a little more tolerance towards the content of this will probably want to continue.

I have read a good amount of LaRocca’s books to know that I would be completely devastated. This book left me feeling chills and completely uneasy. LaRocca’s writing is beautiful with the most absolutely soul crushing, gut wrenching details. As usual I had to take breaks while listening to it, the cruelty of the characters was sometimes too much to hear. But I also wanted to keep learning more about this twisted story. I am looking forward to book two, I want to know more about this town and the horrors and the creepy elders. The audiobook was great! The narrator did a good job with all the emotions and horrors that need to come through.

Thank you to Titan for a physical copy of the arc. And Dreamscape Media for a copy of the audiobook.

I DNF'd this at 20% because I was unaware of the graphic depictions of specific actions within the book. I have OCD and reading these acts will lead to disturbing intrusive thoughts at inopportune times that will not go away. I will not be rating this book on GR as I don't think that's fair, but I wish LaRocca all the best on this book and with their future releases. I have rated the book here based on the quality of the writing I experienced before DNF'ing.
NetGalley should have put the content warnings on the review page as I am not the only reviewer who noted this on GR.

CW: graphic depictions of body horror, incest, necrophilia, child sexual abuse, rape, animal cruelty, and more.