Great read couldn't put it down,characters are well developed

The Fire Child left me with a bittersweet feeling, much like the author's previous novel, The Ice Twins. Even the setting was similar.

First of all, when a book requires too much suspension of disbelief I just cannot seem to enjoy it much, no matter how well it is written. Rachel put me off from the beginning. I did not get why she married David so soon, especially since she described herself as an independent feminist. Sure, she can feel attracted to the guy but marry him and give everything up in the span of a few months? Or one month, I think I read somewhere.

She just felt jaded. Like in this quote:
"See you for dinner. You're a great sitter."
He kisses me softly before striding away, around the house, heading for his car, calling out for Jamie. Like we are already a family. Safe and happy.

He described her basically as his kid's babysitter and she says she feels part of the family? I don't get it.

There were other details, of course, like the maid having lived there for 10 years and at 32 years old still not being able to speak an entire sentence of proper English, let alone have a chat with Rachel. 
In order for events to unfold the way they did, our main character had to be isolated and this just felt like a cop-out. I meant, at the very least make her older so she would have more trouble learning a new language or something.

The Fire Child was an intense thriller at times, while at others it got repetitive and I felt that it dragged on. I have read plenty of dark books and have enjoyed probably the large majority of them, but this just felt bleak and desolate for pretty much the entire time. I was confused, annoyed (I could not take one more line of (view spoiler)) and finished the book beyond disappointed at the wrap-up.

Sure, there is plenty food for thought but it just felt rushed and not believable at all. 
I do think that many people will love this novel but the more I think about it the more I realise that there were indeed several isolated episodes where I kept flipping the pages as quickly as I could but, as a whole, the story just did not satisfy me.

Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This did not grab nor hold my interest at all. I could not finish it.

Rachel has been swept off her feet by the dashing and debonair David. Leaving London behind, she moves to his family estate, Carnhallow House in Cornwall. Thrilled with her new home, her husband and new stepson, Jamie, Rachel can’t believe her luck. Then things begin to change. Jamie becomes moody and unpredictable. He tells Rachel he’s being visited by the ghost of his dead mother and makes terrifying predictions. Rachel doesn’t believe in ghosts, but she’s worried about David’s reaction. He refuses to deal with his son’s behavior and it’s not long before Rachel begins to doubt the man she married. How well does she know him really? And just how did his wife die so unexpectedly?  I LOVED this book. Tremayne wrote the Ice Twins, a book that was a tough act to follow, but The Fire Child surpassed my expectations. The gorgeous (and creepy) Cornwall scenery, the abandoned mines, the hulking old house – all combined to create a story reminiscent of Rebecca. Highly recommended