Publication Date: Available Now from Harper Collins
Source: Netgalley
When Rachel marries dark, handsome David, everything seems to fall into place. Swept from single life in London to the beautiful Carnhallow House in Cornwall, she gains wealth, love, and an affectionate stepson, Jamie.
But then Jamie’s behaviour changes, and Rachel’s perfect life begins to unravel. He makes disturbing predictions, claiming to be haunted by the spectre of his late mother – David’s previous wife. Is this Jamie’s way of punishing Rachel, or is he far more traumatized than she thought?
As Rachel starts digging into the past, she begins to grow suspicious of her husband. Why is he so reluctant to discuss Jamie’s outbursts? And what exactly happened to cause his ex-wife’s untimely death, less than two years ago? As summer slips away and December looms, Rachel begins to fear there might be truth in Jamie’s words:
‘You will be dead by Christmas.’
First of all – creepy child alert. This author seems to excel on that subject because Jamie is most definitely a creepy child. Shiver. Seriously. I’ve been eyeing my own two children suspiciously since reading this book – clever writing.
Rachel marries David after a whirlwind romance – and heads off to start a new life in Cornwall. Determined to help Jamie get over the loss of his mother she has all the good intentions – but there is something strange about the death of Davids previous wife, Jamie starts to act oddly (seriously I would have headed straight back to the big city and dang the consequences but I guess that would have been a very quick read – main character acts sensibly in nefarious situation) and the house and area in which she is living begins to take on a sinister vibe.
The sense of place in The Fire Child is brilliantly executed – the wilds of Cornwall, the beauty and the danger, come to vivid life around Rachel as she tries to navigate the maze of her new life, this for me was one of the strongest aspects of this particular story. Tis a twisty tale also, and as I mentioned earlier Jamie is a very creepy child – but also strangely sympathetic. The author plays on a possible supernatural aspect against the more likely scenario that the lad is just suffering the traumatic aftermath of losing his mother and it is extremely addictive reading.
Whilst of the two novels I probably preferred The Ice Twins simply because I related more to the characters in that one, The Fire Child is immersive reading with some beautiful descriptive prose and an atmospheric, sometimes quite lyrical flow. The author plays with your perceptions and overall it was a classically executed psychological thriller with what feels like a bit of a homage to “Rebecca” – but I may be making that up.
Recommended if you like creepy haunting tales that may not necessarily go where you are expecting them to go.
To Purchase The Fire Child clickety click right HERE
Or I have 2 copies to give away – tweet me @Lizzy11268 and maybe your name will come out of the hat.
Follow the Tour!
Happy Reading!
