A review by sharron_joy_reads
Kin by Kealan Patrick Burke

dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Claire is stumbling down a lonely road in Elkwood, Alabama, brutalised, bloody, partly blinded and close to death. Her friends have been tortured and murdered And she is the sole survivor of a family of cannibals who believe they have a god given authority to kill. She is the only victim who has ever escaped them. This is the opening chapter of a rollercoaster into a depraved hell and I loved it! 

This is a character driven descent into a truly twisted reality. The violence is visceral, the imagery horrific and yet you can’t turn away. The result of Claire’s escape though miraculous, sets in motion a chain of events that sees so much destruction not only of the main character but of everyone around them. It is an uncomfortable look into the psyche as you witness the descent into insanity for both the abused and the abusers. The dual timelines cover both past and present, not to justify what happens but to give the raw context, it is devastating in its simplicity. 

It is compelling and impossible to look away from. One scene in particular made me want to bleach my brain, in a good kick in the teeth, what did I just read way! When I read I see images, like a movie playing behind my eyes and this would make such a fantastic horror film. It is often compared to Texas Chainsaw Massacre and I can see that, but this is better because in the midst of the horror is a beautifully written story, the location is a character in itself, it is visually descriptive and beautifully poetic which lulls you into a calm, before the storm starts again, brilliant! 

Kin is brutal and gruesome with no holds barred, it hurtles you into a path of pure evil and how being touched by that changes how you see the world, but it is so good, if you love horror you will love this. This is horror that is pure and raw wrapped up in stunning prose, read it if you dare! 

Also if you are ever tempted to go hiking in a remote wilderness, maybe reconsider, just saying! 
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