Guys, I bought this book back in like November and completely forgot I had it because it was on my Kindle. That should tell you how much I use my Kindle. Anyways, KIN is a gory horror story by Kealan Patrick Burke. I reviewed Blanky by Burke back in October and really liked it so I had high hopes for this. Before I get into the review I feel a few trigger warnings are necessary. These warnings could be considered slight spoilers so I will put them below the synopsis and then I will give you my thoughts. This review will have slight spoilers.

Synopsis

On a scorching hot summer day in Elkwood, Alabama, Claire Lambert staggers naked, wounded, and half-blind away from the scene of an atrocity. She is the sole survivor of a nightmare that claimed her friends, and even as she prays for rescue, the killers — a family of cannibalistic lunatics — are closing in.

A soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder returns from Iraq to the news that his brother is among the murdered in Elkwood.

In snowbound Detroit, a waitress trapped in an abusive relationship gets an unexpected visit that will lead to bloodshed and send her back on the road to a past she has spent years trying to outrun.

And Claire, the only survivor of the Elkwood Massacre, haunted by her dead friends, dreams of vengeance… a dream which will be realized as grief and rage turn good people into cold-blooded murderers and force alliances among strangers.

It’s time to return to Elkwood.

*Trigger Warnings for: graphic violence, gore, rape, incest and just general ickiness. 

My Thoughts

The first thing I feel must be said is not all of us from Alabama are backwoods, murderous hillbillies. I’m joking, I wasn’t bothered by this. When you live in Alabama you get used to most books and movies that are set here being based on stereotypes. I liked a lot about this book and I didn’t like some things about this book. However, what I didn’t like is solely because of my own personal tastes. I love Burke’s writing style so I loved the flow of the story. He does a wonderful job of describing everything and just setting the mood. I really liked all of the characters, even the disgusting ones were good in their own way. This book made me actually feel something. When a book is able to evoke an emotion you know it’s well written.

As I said above, what I didn’t like about the story is solely because of me. This book was just a little too nasty. I’m not a fan of gory horror. I love horror but I prefer supernatural. When it starts crossing over to things that could actually happen I get very uncomfortable. However, it was written well enough to make me uncomfortable so that’s a positive in it’s own way.

I highly recommend KIN if you like horror and don’t mind some pretty graphic and heavy situations. I am glad that I read it and look forward to reading more from Kealan Patrick Burke. Does KIN sound like something you’d be interested in? Let me know! Thanks for reading and have a great day!