gusiakos's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
xu_'s review against another edition
5.0
First novella: 5 stars
The other 2 novellas: 2-3 stars
The very creepy titular novella carried this whole thing. And I don't mind. It's the only real story that caught my attention, and the only one that really *went there* and made me really uncomfortable.
Also, that maggot scene. Just wow.
The other 2 novellas: 2-3 stars
The very creepy titular novella carried this whole thing. And I don't mind. It's the only real story that caught my attention, and the only one that really *went there* and made me really uncomfortable.
Also, that maggot scene. Just wow.
estebanf8's review against another edition
5.0
What did I just read? The stories in this book were gripping and sent to goosebumps down my spine. Extremely vile horror in all three stories and kept me glued to the pages with each one.
_egg_wash's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
elusorius's review against another edition
2.0
Things have gotten worse since we last spoke:
I devoured this novella in one sitting, it reads so easily. The format makes it feel like I'm on a chat forum, I absolutely love it. It's so clever. The plot is... something. Disturbing, questionable, entertaining, interesting, disgusting... Because of it's size, it's really fast paced. I think it could have benefited from some extra pages to have more build up and make the story more engaging. Also, the ending was abrupt. But I think I liked it. 3/5.
The Enchantment:
Started off really good. Once again, disturbing. The writing is great. This story isn't in a chat room style, but it still reads easily. This story felt longer, even though it isn't, and I think the overall pacing is better than the first one. However, I hated the ending and the supernatural elements. 2/5.
You'll find it's like that all over:
Once again started really well. Writing is consistently good. But this one was extremely short, leaving hardly any time to get invested. And the ending was a bit of a let down. 2/5.
I devoured this novella in one sitting, it reads so easily. The format makes it feel like I'm on a chat forum, I absolutely love it. It's so clever. The plot is... something. Disturbing, questionable, entertaining, interesting, disgusting... Because of it's size, it's really fast paced. I think it could have benefited from some extra pages to have more build up and make the story more engaging. Also, the ending was abrupt. But I think I liked it. 3/5.
The Enchantment:
Started off really good. Once again, disturbing. The writing is great. This story isn't in a chat room style, but it still reads easily. This story felt longer, even though it isn't, and I think the overall pacing is better than the first one. However, I hated the ending and the supernatural elements. 2/5.
You'll find it's like that all over:
Once again started really well. Writing is consistently good. But this one was extremely short, leaving hardly any time to get invested. And the ending was a bit of a let down. 2/5.
qit's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Toxic relationship
ryleighou's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I try not to rate books as one star but I just couldn't stand this. The stories were dark, which I usually like but the characters were just outright awful. I couldn't stand any of them, and thus I couldn't feel for them. I had to push myself to finish it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Toxic relationship, and Self harm
powdermilk's review against another edition
3.5
twilliamson's review against another edition
4.0
LaRocca's Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke was a hit indie sensation when it first released in 2021, and its new repackaging--grouped here with "The Enchantment" and "You'll Find It's Like That All Over"--presents the story with two similar stories of desperate people doing strange and uncomfortable things.
It's easy to see why so many have loved LaRocca's original novella; but what draws me to this book is the combination of the novella and its "other misfortunes." These are stories of individuals whose lives have left holes in them that they are desperate to fill by any means necessary. "The Enchantment" definitely complements Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke in that it works with very similar motifs, building on the drama of two characters whose needs are very different from one another. The last story in the collection, though, seems to have more in common with the recent Shudder film Speak No Evil than it does the other two stories in this collection, but still deals with characters incapable of facing their individual needs in correlation to the needs or desires of others.
LaRocca's character work in the two novellas are especially compelling, and it's interesting to see how his characters deal with similar concerns despite very different circumstances. There's a certain verisimilitude to seeing these figures spiral out of control, and the circumstances of each story fit in well with the genre of horror: it's all about watching as each character resorts to more and more extreme methods of coping with their very human problems.
LaRocca is an author to watch, and I think whole generations of horror readers will flock to his work as the questions he explores become increasingly relevant to our lived experience.
It's easy to see why so many have loved LaRocca's original novella; but what draws me to this book is the combination of the novella and its "other misfortunes." These are stories of individuals whose lives have left holes in them that they are desperate to fill by any means necessary. "The Enchantment" definitely complements Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke in that it works with very similar motifs, building on the drama of two characters whose needs are very different from one another. The last story in the collection, though, seems to have more in common with the recent Shudder film Speak No Evil than it does the other two stories in this collection, but still deals with characters incapable of facing their individual needs in correlation to the needs or desires of others.
LaRocca's character work in the two novellas are especially compelling, and it's interesting to see how his characters deal with similar concerns despite very different circumstances. There's a certain verisimilitude to seeing these figures spiral out of control, and the circumstances of each story fit in well with the genre of horror: it's all about watching as each character resorts to more and more extreme methods of coping with their very human problems.
LaRocca is an author to watch, and I think whole generations of horror readers will flock to his work as the questions he explores become increasingly relevant to our lived experience.