The Pain Eater (A Sadie Reed Story)

Rating 4 out of 5

Sadie, now in her early 20s, has started having visions and soon learns that she is a psychic. Sadie attempts to use her gift to reconnect with her estranged father and in the process she learns more about herself and her past. One day Sadie has a vision of a woman being brutally murdered and learns that someone is hunting down women like her. Sadie yearns to learn more about her powers and with the help of her best friend Adrian (who she is slowly falling in love with) and a dying psychic named Angel, she begins to unravel more about herself and her powers. Sadie soon learns that her past and the missing woman are more connected than she knew. The path to her full potential lies within death, but will it be her death or someone she cares about?

So this book was really well written and engaging. I found myself loathe to put it down. The only thing is I wish it hadn't been labeled as a paranormal thriller. I think it was a great book, but the missing woman really plays a minor role to the story. The book touches more on aspects of loss, the power of true love, the strength of family and finding oneself. Yes, the main character is a psychic, but for most of the novel her powers are used to help herself and her father process the grief surrounding the loss of her mother. The book covers a lot of deep and heavily emotional topics in a thoughtful manner. I just wish that the missing woman had figured more into the story. You can tell that this book is setting up for more to follow though, which is why I guess it is so heavy on world and character building. Overall, it is a touching examination of grief and the various impacts it has on a person. I would give it five stars but I feel like a lot was left unresolved which just made me sad.