So dark and mournful it makes my heart bleed... 
 Read my Interview with the author Jay Kristoff @ Not Yet Read 
 Kinslayer takes everything dark that exists in the human heart and boils it down until there is nothing left of us. This is war and Kinslayer is going to take you to the pit of it while dragging your sad sop of a soul through some barbed war just for good measure. 
 I recall feeling entirely despondent after reading one particular scene it due to the nature of it and how accurately it was depicted. My reaction was so strong that bile was rising in my throat and sympathy wracked my body. Normally, I would be upset from being made to feel this way - but it was exactly what the plot had to have, and precisely what would drive any man to murder. All I could think and feel in those moments was sadness and woe - anger and sickness. How true it is how hate can destroy every last shred of humanity you might have once possessed...if you let it...if you let yourself. 
 Sounds intense doesn't it? It is. That is what makes this an excellent piece of fiction. Kristoff's ability to make you feel with such intensity. If you were expecting pretty rainbows and fluffy unicorns look elsewhere. Kinslayer is dark and edgy and definitely not a book I would classify as 'young adult'. It is definitely a series thus far that can be enjoyed by adults and teens alike. Though it has many teens as key characters they are by no means children. They are adult in the way that any person who grew up in their circumstances and such a time period would be adults. 
 If you were a big Yukiko fan be prepared because with frequently alternating perspectives, you will get up close and personal with characters other than her. But I guarantee you there is never a dull moment! Each character has an important part to play in the conflict and I know it was meant that I would both love and hate each of them the way that I do, and still do. I was constantly torn: Who do I hate? Who do I love? Who should I root for damnnit!!?? Kinslayer was so well done, in that it hammers home the fact that - there is no black and white, only the dismal gray. Our hearts and minds rarely agree. 
 If you haven't already go raid your closest bookstore for Stormdancer so that you can devour Kinslayer and have your heart broken. This is one hell off a book that sends you on a roller coaster that intentionally has more lows than highs but you will love every minute of it.