A review by night_shift
The Pain Eater by Kyle Muntz

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I really wanted to like this more because the concept of the creature was cool, but it dwelled more in the listlessness that sometimes is being a young adult, the grief that manifests strangely sometimes, and some truly toxic and hard to read family and friend relationships. And like, all of that is fine to do but nothing felt fully explored and especially the one part I found most interesting. The ending was depressing  and I was pretty grossed out by the thing with the minor that was just glazed over (and wasn't even necessary for the plot at all). This desperately needed a proofreader or something because it was excruciating to read at times.