It's been a while since I wasn't able to predict a paranormal book. This was great. Raymond is a very enjoyable character, and as the book progresses, you start to think maybe you shouldn't like him. Some things that inevitably bothered me: Where does Raymond get his "gift"? What happened to his parents? Who is Ada? Is she Raymond's mom? What's her backstory? What the hell happens to Matt?

I felt his "gift" could have been narrowed down to something easier, but he only "feeds" a few times throughout the book and has never done it before?

This book really drew me in. It was thrilling and intriguing and I found myself sucked into the story. Definitely would read again.

This was such a fun read. The premise sounded interesting and I was surprised how much I enjoyed reading this story with such a young main character. Really when I requested the book I was expecting Ray to be a bit older, but it worked really well.

I loved the way Ray saw the world. The colors and things he would know. It must all be so confusing when you are so different with no one to help guide you. He is lonely (the other kids find him strange), he is hungry and tired but can't seem to eat or sleep, he is having a hard time. He just wants to be normal. He has a rough go of it at times, but oh I enjoyed this one. All the characters were great to read, there were some really creepy moments, and it was such a fun read. The ending did feel a bit abrupt and unresolved, but I think that is because there are more books planned (or I hope there are! I want to see what happens next!)

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a copy of this book

Raymond is an orphan living in an orphanage where he is bullied all the time. He has chronic stomach pains and barely eats. The others stay away from him because they say he is weird. He knows things he shouldn't about others. His new case worker takes him under her wing and teaches him that he must eat the pain and sorrow of others. He feeds off his only friend and suspects his caseworker of knowing more than she's telling him.

I really enjoyed this while reading. It was a compelling story that kept me reading and wanting just another chapter. It's a solid three stars however, it's a book that will soon leave my mind and is starting to be hard to remember. It's a fun, in-the-moment, quick read.

I just finished The Color of Pain by E.G Rose and here are my thoughts!

It’s bad enough when your mother dumps you in an orphanage when you are small but to spend your life being bullied while you are there is just miserable. That’s what happened to Raymond. The other kids think he is a freak for the things he seems to be able to do. The chronic stomach pains and the lack of bladder control are just the icing on the cake.

Then a new caseworker comes, Ada, who seems to see past Raymond’s weirdness and offers him help and some insight into who he is and what he can do. He can see people's emotions right into their secrets and Raymond is not only thrilled to understand what has been going on with him but that Ada seems to know so much about it. What Raymond needs to do to feel better is so horrific, he fights it. To stay alive he must feed off other people's pain.

When Ada sets him up with a foster family, he thinks that he has finally landed on his feet but really, the couple have a darkness of their own and he isn’t with them by chance.

I devoured this book in one sitting. I am a huge horror fan but I have never before gone down the path of horror from the human psyche. This book was creeptastic with a side order of what the F did I just read. It was cleverly written and it had that slow tingle of spine chilling goose bumps up the back of your neck, wanting it to end but dreading it being over.
I thought the plot was excellent and carefully laid out. Loved that it was mostly set in an orphanage with all the strange happenings and the urban legend of the orphanage too.
Totally fell in love with Raymond. It was definitely a change of pace having to watch a young child make some pretty harrowing decisions for themselves but it was brilliant. So brilliant and I was so pumped to see that is the start of a series and I am so here for that!


5 stars! The writing was marvelous and if you are a fan of horror this has to be on your list! It is out now!


Thank you to @netgalley and @sterlingandstone for my review copy!

I didn't like this at first because the vibe of Haven felt like working in the library again. That is only going to make sense to like three people but that's how it made me feel and I was just about to stop reading it when Ada showed up.
I loved her and hated her in equal measures.
This was pretty good. I am glad I didn't quit because it felt weird.

This was a pretty good read. Thrilling, pretty original, exciting, and a bit spooky. I would have liked more scare from this; it was more fantasy than it was horror. The characters were fantastic, but the writing was lacking. It could use a good editor to iron out some flow and coherence kinks. I loved this plot though. I haven't read anything like it and quite enjoyed it.

After reading the blurb, I knew I wanted to read this book hands down. The whole idea was eerie and creepy, both things that I love in a good book. I just felt a bit let down and it seems like there was some missing parts like certain word structures and grammar. I also felt that this tale was a bit more fantasy thriller than it was horror. At the end I wanted more from the story, a bigger crazier ending.

If you had to eat others pain, could you? That is what Raymond has to decide in this chilling novel. Raymond is an orphan, abandoned as a baby, by his mother. He barely remembers her or his father. No one at the orphanage will tell him any facts. He knows he is odd and others make sure he knows. He cannot eat regular food but he does not understand what he needs only that he is always hungry. After chasing his social worker away, he gets a new one who knows more about him than she lets on. The more he learns, the more questions he has. I felt so much sorrow for this young man, who only wants to be loved. Through Ada’s manipulation, he loses an opportunity to have a real family. What will become of Raymond? I must read the next book in this series.

I'm so excited since this is my first ever ARC, and I will say : I'm not disappointed!

Although there are quite a bit of spelling, grammar, and sentence structure mistakes, I didn't really mind it. The writing at the beginning was hard to get into, but the way E.G. Rose describes scenes is so beautiful. It really helps with imagining the scenarios. As well, I found the characters to actually be quite compelling. Raymond as a main character is extremely sympathetic and I became attached to his character very quickly. Even some of the side characters became amusing in certain scenes. I even found the ending to be satisfying, which isn't very common in my case.

Aside from the editing it needs, I'm not quite sure I would consider this horror. One review mentioned it's all shock value from the idea of the characters being orphaned children, but I found it to be much more of a maybe.. mystery thriller? But I might not be super qualified, as I usually read extreme horror so take that with a grain of salt. All in all, I'm a happy reader and hope to see this author improve with time!

**edit !! i forgot ! i will say, i found some of the commentary to be weird. like when ray mentions that the new girl is black, but then corrects himself by saying "person of color" and then goes on a weird tangent about how he thinks Everyone is a person of color?

This was an exciting read. We follow Raymond, an orphan with a unique ability. He can see people's colors, kind of like auras. But that gift comes with a price. To survive, Raymond has to feed off negative energy.

The main characters were intriguing, and though I guessed part of the plotline, there were a few surprises along the way. The atmosphere was great and Raymond is relatable. I enjoyed the story and would read more in this universe.

So close but everything just seemed to me like poorly planned out shock value writing throughout the whole thing solely because it was children involved in the story.

I was drawn to this book by the cover. I know, I know. Don’t judge a book by its cover, but The Color of Pain had me hooked from the very first page. I could not put it down, the atmosphere the author created was so intriguing. You dive into the world of Raymond as he navigates life as an orphan who just wants answers. Ada, his new caseworker may just have the answers…but at what cost? Can colors really cause pain?

If you are looking for a book that will keep you reading well into the night in order to find out what happens next, this is it.

Could not find this book on Goodreads and it's a Shane because the author has great potential. A unique take on tale, and heartbreaking at times. A very good story and hope this isn't the first and last of this author.

Ray is smart talented different and dynorphin but most of all he wants to be loved. He pounces on any kindness shown to him and he’s also haunted by a freckle face woman with a little boy but when Ada comes in to his life it seems he may have found the one person who will care for him but things are going to get much worse before they get better. I really enjoyed these books because unlike most horror stories I found Raymond‘s character was really flushed out in the author talks about his past to let us know how Raynond becomes to be the Raymond he is in the book. Throughout the book we see how young Raymond tries his best just to exist day today and of course I couldn’t stand Kevin what a bully and was so happy when he got a little payback there’s a little paranormal aspect to the book but it is totally authentic to the story this is a book I definitely enjoyed and although I have never heard of the author before I would totally be down to read the second book in the series I’m curious as to where it’s going to go. If you love horror then you definitely don’t want to mess the color of pain I totally enjoyed it although I do want to say they have triggers for bullying and abuse but if you have such triggers why would you read horror… Just joking be careful if you have those triggers. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I really enjoyed the ride this story took me on. Is it a metaphor for the insatiable hunger humans have for the pain and suffering of others, how we'll willingly trade another's pain to sooth our own? I don't know, maybe. But regardless, it's a damn good tale. A fantastic twist on the idea of a psychic vampire, I was left both saddened for and horrified by Ray as he tries to learn who he is, where he came from, and how to navigate through life as a "freak." I will be watching for the next book I the series with bated breath and veiled secrets.

This had so much potential and I could see the author's vision...but no. The execution was really poor and so was the writing.

It's a shame that I can't find any information about this author. There is no Goodreads page for this novel yet there is an Amazon pre-order page.

But the book is absolutely fantastic. I loved figuring Ray out although Ada really was the one you either rooted for or despised... sometimes both! This is a story about an orphaned boy who likes to draw and paint but he also has a certain "gift". And part of this gift demands that he ingest negative energy from people's shame, guilt, fear, and pain or else he will die.

Ray is such a sympathetic kid that you can't help but feel his pain and sadness as he tries to understand why he's a "freak" when all he wants is to be normal.

But realizing what he must do in order to survive is heart wrenching and horrifying at the same time. This is the first in a series and I can't wait to explore these characters more in the future. I highly recommend this!

E.G. Rose has a great style for the horror genre, it was a great start to the Colors of Novice Ray series. I was hooked by the atmosphere and enjoyed the suspenseful feel. The characters were what I was looking for and worked with this story. It left me excited to read more in this universe and from this author.

"Father always went for outdoor field trips when he could. State parks, discount boat trips to the islands of Casco Bay. He loved the Freedom trail in Boston because it was pretty much “gratis,” the man’s favorite word. Raymond looked it up and learned it was a fancy word for free. Made sense. But January’s trip was always indoors because, as Sister Ann, a genuine Mainer always said, “Winter in Maine was not meant for sissies.”

Gorgeous cover and a really interesting premise. The entire time reading this, I could really see the authors vision and voice ... But the writing needs to be refined. Drastically.
So many scenes made individuals feel out of character - part due to the pacing and part due to feeling like the dialogue was forced to fit rather than letting the characters be who they are.

Will I read the second? Absolutely. But I hope the author continues to hone her craft before the next release.