I thought this book had a lot of promise, but whilst I wanted to find out what was going on, the ending felt a bit off to me. It felt like the author had a lot of ideas that all came out in a bit of a mish mash.

Rachel Daly marries David Kerthen after a whirlwind romance. She goes to live at his family home, Carnhallow in Cornwall where he lives with his young son Jamie. David's first wife Nina died tragically by falling in a mine shaft and her body has never been found.

This is the first time I have read anything by this author. When I started reading the book I was drawn straight into the story. I was storming through the pages as I really wanted to see what was going to happen.

The story is very creepy at times and does have a haunting feel to it. The descriptions very good and I had a very good sense of place. The book did remind me a lot of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. The similarities are the rambling old house, the new wife and the first dead wife who everybody loved, and who still haunts their lives.

So what went wrong for me was the ending. I can't really say as it would give a lot away and the book is still a worthy read. I was thinking that end was expecting the reader to believe in a very big coincidence. Its a shame really because the ending could have gone a different way completely.

Overall a lovely, creepy old house tale with family secrets but a big let down ending.

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review the book.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for giving me the opportunity to read this which I voluntarily reviewed.
I enjoyed "The Ice Twins" and was looking forward to reading this. Unfortunately, However, To me it failed to hit the mark.
It starts very slowly and doesn't really pick up. Although I felt like giving up I persevered and finished it.
As a book detailing the history of mining in Cornwall it does very well. However it was not the psychological thriller I was hoping for.

This wasn't that bad. It had a fantastic plot and great characters but I felt like the actual storyline let the plot down a little. I expected a bit more gripping scenes that what I did get but this was still an enjoyable read.

absolutely amazing book, grips you from the start to the end once again another winner from the author

Having heard so much positive praise about The Ice Child, I was really looking forward to giving The Fire Child by S K Tremayne a go. I have to say that this book was quite different from what I expected it to be and when I first started it I wasn’t sure whether it would really be the book for me. However, I soon became involved with the lives of the characters and read on, determined to find out what happened to them. Overall I’m glad that I gave this book a chance, I’m glad I persisted with it.

The story follows Rachel, a young woman who marries the older, richer David after what could definitely be described as a whirlwind romance. David is a widower, has a son called Jamie and lives in Cornwall in a big, beautiful house called Carnhallow. After their marriage, Rachel moves in to Carnhallow, a place which is worlds away from the poverty-stricken side of London in which she grew up. Rachel wants nothing more than to have a happy marriage and be a good stepmother to young Jamie but not long into her new life it’s clear that it may all be too good to be true - what really happened to David’s previous wife and why is Jamie acting so strangely, making predictions that only seem to come true?

Told mainly from the perspective of Rachel, although with also a few chapters being told from the perspective of David, each chapter begins with a countdown to Christmas the reason for which became apparent as I read. Whilst nobody forced her into getting married so it was partly her fault, I couldn’t help but feel quite sympathetic towards Rachel and the marriage she had entered into without knowing the full implications. That said at the same time I couldn’t help but feel quite frustrated towards her and I struggled to understand why she didn’t remove herself from the situation she found herself in, one which made her uncomfortable and one which she sensed wasn’t right.

When I first picked up this book I was expecting it to be a fast-paced thriller that would have me on the edge of my seat, but instead I did find it to be quite slow. It seemed to be quite literary in nature, one that seemed to focus quite heavily on providing intricate description. Whilst I have nothing against descriptive novels and indeed did find some of what was being described about Cornwall and the mining that took place there to be quite interesting, I did struggle to keep up with some of it. That said to write this book like he has, it’s clear that S K Tremayne must certainly have taken a great deal of time to research his subject matter.

Although I would have liked to have seen a bit more action taking place throughout, The Fire Child was certainly a dark and sinister novel which seemed quite atmospheric in nature and certainly wasn’t lacking in suspense and intrigue. I’m grateful to have had the chance to experience The Fire Child for myself and would be open to trying more by the author in the future.

I loved the first book, The Ice Twins, and I wanted this one to be just as great. I am not sure if my expectations were set to high, but it feel slightly short for me.

Rachel met & married David, moving from single life in London to the beautiful Carnhallow House in Cornwall, into wealth, love, and her stepson, Jamie.
Jamie begins to feel haunted by his Mother's death, he is predicting disturbing things & the lovely life they are leading isn't so lovely.
How did his mother & David's wife die? Jamies outbursts unnerving her & David won't talk about them, winter is getting closer and Rachel is worrying what's next.
This is the best ghost story I have read in a long time
This is a book that features mining,digging deep to discover treasures,and that's exactly what we get we go deeper and deeper and finally discover the truth.This is an exciting,compelling book and I would definitely recommend it.

I thought that it would be difficult to surpass the debut - which was the last time I felt the icy cold fingers of the narrative wrapping around my throat.
This surpasses my expectations in that I never truly knew to rely or cling to - everyone seemed so damaged and the countdown to death was a meisterstroke of building tension.

After reading the Ice Twins I was excited to read this, especially when friends said how much they enjoyed it too. A wonderful chilling tale, set in a lovely atmospheric Cornwall. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I enjoyed this book. I had read Tremayne's "The Ice Twin" and I liked this one just as much. I like his writing style. You feel like you are in a dream or flipping channels and missing half the story....which is frustrating at times, but I came to realize this was necessary for the plot development.

I enjoyed reading this book. I thought I had it figured out and then I was thrown for a loop!

I loved the Ice Twins and found I loved this just as much. Beautiful writing and a gripping story.

I'm disappointed with myself for giving this author another try after being underwhelmed by their supposed debut, 'The Ice Twins'.

The issues I had with that book were still issues with this, although magnified.

The descriptive phrasing was great at first for a sense of atmosphere and to portray the location but soon became repetitive and monotonous. I found myself skim reading quite hefty paragraphs devoted to a series of adjectives seemingly demanding the book be looked at as literary fiction.

As with 'The Ice Twins' the author appeared to be making an attempt to straddle two genres and, for me anyway, failed to demonstrate mastery of either.

The tension built far too slowly and then the climatic scenes were rushed with one ludicrous coincidence after another which pushed my suspension of disbelief too far.

The misogyny was apparent again with another pathetic, simpering and highly irritating lead female in awe of a powerful, domineering lead male. Yuck! I question whether S K Tremayne is capable of writing strong female characters, perhaps he believes they are mythical?

The child's voice read as too young and therefore hard to believe.

I could go on but I won't waste anymore of my time on this.

“Rachel marries dark, handsome David and everything seems to fall into place. She gains wealth, love and an affectionate stepson named Jamie. But then Jamie’s behavior changes and Rachel’s perfect life begins to unravel. He makes disturbing predictions, claiming to be haunted by his late mother – David’s previous wife. 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?”

No one can write a creepy children plot like S.K. Tremayne. I absolutely loved Tremayne’s previous work, The Ice Twins, and was thrilled to get a copy of his latest book The Fire Child through Netgalley and HarperCollins UK. Tremayne’s writing is like nothing I have read before. His descriptions are haunting, gorgeous, and eerie. It’s as if I am right there in the pages --standing on the cliffs, gazing up at the imposing home of Rachel and David, peering down the mine shafts that cover the property, catching a whiff of Chanel perfume worn by an unseen presence that lurks in the shadows of the halls. There were moments when I actually shuddered from uneasiness while I read this story. The black and white photographic images that were included throughout the book enhanced the sinister feeling that I could not shake and made the atmosphere all the more unsettling. There is nothing like a twisty, psychological mystery to keep you up at night and I finished this book in one sitting. 4 very creepy out of 5 stars.

Every now and then a book comes along that you just know you are going to love, even before you start it, well this is one such book. Rachel, from a rough part of London, marries David, a very handsome, rich widower who owns a beautiful house in Cornwall. Jamie, her new stepson, seems a little disturbed and says some strange things and what did happen to Nina, the first wife? I loved the build up, the suspense not to mention what life was like for the Cornish miners working in appalling conditions. There were vivid descriptions of the landscape, the bleak but beautiful moors, the stunning coastline. The photos were an added bonus too. This book literally grabbed me from the start and hasn't let go yet even though I've finished it! Highly recommend this novel.

A good start to the book however I struggled to connect to any of the characters and found myself skipping chunks of the book to get to the end.

This book just sealed the deal.. I just adore this author and wish he/she would write faster! I need more!! Just like The Ice Twins, The Fire Child kept me guessing the whole time and I truly didn't know who's side to take or what to believe. I liked The Ice Twins slightly more, but I can't wait to see what this author comes up with next.

I found the book to be not for me. Everything ticked the boxes of what I like but could not get into it. Could of been my state of mind, will try again in the future

Having really enjoyed The Ice Twins, which hooked me from the start, I was really looking forward to reading The Fire Child.

Rachel moves to Cornwall to the home of her new husband and his son. Her new life is far removed from her childhood on a deprived London estate - David's home is old, beautiful, spacious and a historic artefact which has passed down the generations. Her husband is a widower - his former wife died in the local mines. David's son starts having spooky premonitions which Rachel cannot cope with...

I was really expecting to like this book, but instead found it very, very hard going. The plot just didn't seem to go anywhere - or indeed start to move - until the final quarter of the book, and it became an effort to keep reading. The ending just didn't do anything for me - it felt rushed and completely improbable.

Tremayne can create beautiful images through words - and indeed it is the imagery which seems to drive the book, rather than plot. Not one to be reread, sadly.