• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About Me
    • Connect With Me
    • Policies
    • Testimonials
    • (Closed) Request A Review
    • (Closed) Beta Reading Requests
  • Book Review Archive
    • Book Review Archive
    • Audiobook Review Archive
    • Spooky Children’s Book Review Archive
  • Resources
    • A Running List of 2023 Horror Book Releases
    • A Running List of 2024 Horror Book Releases
    • Interview Archive
    • List of Horror Author Online Bookshops
    • List of Horror Publishers That Sell Books Directly
    • Podcast Recs
    • Referral Links
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Bluesky
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Goodreads
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

Erica Robyn Reads

a horror book review blog

Recent Posts

Black Out The Stars by Christopher Bond - book sitting on wooden flooring. Book cover of Black Out the Stars by Christopher Bond, cover illustrated by Todd Kiesling. The design showcases a dark, atmospheric pond and sky filled with swirling fog and scattered stars. The title is prominently displayed in bold, white, pink and purple lettering, contrasting against the deep purple and black hues of the background.

Black Out The Stars by Christopher Bond | Book Review

Indie Bookstore Day 2025 | Book Event

A tablet lies on dry grass and surrounded by dandelions in a natural outdoor setting. The screen displays the cover of the book Everybody Is in the Place by Emma J. Gibbon. The cover features a colorful, fantastical illustration of a female figure with glowing eyes and curved horns, holding something mysterious in her hands. Stars and swirling cosmic elements fill the background, giving the cover a magical and otherworldly feel. The title text is in bold, colorful letters across the top and middle, with the author's name at the bottom.

Everybody Is in the Place by Emma J. Gibbon | Book Review

[Novella Review] A Bright Enchanted Suffering by Eric LaRocca

October 26, 2020      Erica Robyn      8 Comments

A Bright Enchanted Suffering by Eric LaRocca is a novella that contains two amazingly distressing tales centered around horrors that happen right in plain sight during the bright light of day…

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.  

Let’s dive in!

My Thoughts on A Bright Enchanted Suffering by Eric LaRocca

I had previously posted a cover reveal of this book, and let me tell you… It’s quite amazing to see it in person as well!

The writing style that Eric uses for each tale is wonderful. The text has such a lyrical quality to it, which is a fun element especially considering the level of darkness inside each story.

Another thing that I really loved about these tales was that in a very short time, Eric was able to create characters that, as a reader, I was immediately drawn to.

Here are my quick notes about each tale:

You’re Not Supposed To Be Here
Oh my goodness, what a terrifying plot! In this one, a gay couple with their six month old son are forced to play a game… and what a doozy of a game it was!

Right from the beginning I was uneasy. That feeling only got worse and worse as the story went on. Then we’re hit with the reveal and phew! What a real world nightmare!

This is one of those stories that makes you question what you would do if you were in the position of these characters… I’d like to think I would do whatever it takes for my loved one, but I’m also a really bad liar so I’d be in trouble there. 

From this tale, I loved this line: My husband had always said that if I were a flower, my stem would bend even if there wasn’t any wind.


Where Flames Burned Emerald As Grass
Another absolutely terrifying tale! In this one, a man and his daughter are on vacation. While relaxing by the pool one day, these two are about to learn that the not all friendly faces should be trusted.

When I finished this one, I jumped up and started pacing. What was fabricated and what was a prediction of fate?!

Ugh, the splinter scene had me cringing… and snakes?! No thank you! What a heartbreaking tale! 


I highly recommend preordering a copy of this ASAP if you enjoy tales about horror that is very “real world”!

Shout-out again to Eric for sending me a copy with this wonderful note! <3

Related Reading:

  • Interview with Eric LaRocca
  • Book Review of Starving Ghosts In Every Thread by Eric LaRocca

Here are a few more recent posts you might like:

  • Black Out The Stars by Christopher Bond | Book Review
  • Indie Bookstore Day 2025 | Book Event
  • Everybody Is in the Place by Emma J. Gibbon | Book Review

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Angie says

    October 26, 2020 at 2:21 pm

    Oh, this sounds really good. And that cover is gorgeous!

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      October 26, 2020 at 6:50 pm

      I definitely recommend it!! And right?!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Erica Robyn Reads!

Erica Robyn of Erica Robyn Reads
Hello! I’m Erica, a Mainer living in New Hampshire who runs on hot tea, good books, and loud music. Join me as I seek out amazing horror tales and help support the indie horror community!
 

Subscribe via Email

Loading

Search This Blog

Browse By Category

An Easy Guide to Locating Horror Reviews Without Losing Your Mind created by Lori of Barks At The Ghouls
Featured Book Reviewer
Shirley's Book Blogger List
Ultimate List of the Best Book Review Blogs by Kindlepreneur

Copyright © 2025 Erica Robyn Reads