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arathi's review against another edition
3.0
2.5stars
this book fell flat, like super flat for me - too much of the mining details and less focus on what happened and then there's the last bit with one of the character's inner voice saying things, and this was an ok read - nothing too thrilling
this book fell flat, like super flat for me - too much of the mining details and less focus on what happened and then there's the last bit with one of the character's inner voice saying things, and this was an ok read - nothing too thrilling
niinjah's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked the ice twins, but this book just didn't do it for me. There was one twist that I did not see coming, but the rest of the book gave me the same feeling as when I watched the last season of lost: I felt that it didn't quite add up, and like the author tried very hard to find some explanations that would make sense to the reader.
isabeltavares's review against another edition
5.0
24/12/2016
4.5 stars
S.K. Tremayne is only improving. He is quickly becoming one of my top authors.
4.5 stars
S.K. Tremayne is only improving. He is quickly becoming one of my top authors.
coala's review against another edition
5.0
Der Autor entführt uns mit diesem gruseligen Thriller an die Küste Cornwalls, die diesmal alles andere als romantisch daherkommt. Obwohl am Anfang durchaus soetwas wie Liebesromanstimmung aufkommen will, wenn die Fotografin Rachel aus eher ärmlichen Verhältnissen den reichen Anwalt und Witwer David heiratet und mit ihm in seine Familienvilla in Cornwall zieht, um den Sohn mit ihm auszuziehen. Schnell wird allerdings klar, dass beide Männer der Familie noch nicht wirklich über den Tod der Frau und Mutter hinweg sind. Der kleine Jamie scheint dabei mehr als verstört und macht beunruhigende Aussagen, spricht sogar vom Tod Rachels zu Weihnachten. Und auch der Tod der Mutter kommt mysteriös daher, denn die Leiche wurde nie gefunden. War es wirklich ein Unfall?
Die Landschaften und Kulissen kommen mehr als malerisch daher, wenn der Autor die Umgebung beschreibt. Aber auch die doch etwas rauerer Seite kommt zum Vorschein, wenn von rauen Klippen, Regen und der Dunkelheit gesprochen wird. Und das Setting passt auch perfekt zur Geschichte, die doch eher gruselig daher kommt, denn dieses Kind ist ziemlich gruselig. Doch Rachel hat auch eine Vergangenheit mit eingebildeten Stimmen und ihrer angeschlagenen Psyche, von daher schwebt über allem der Gedanke, ist es eingebildet oder real, denn manche Ereignisse können schlicht nicht eingebildet sein.
Ein wirklich fesselnder Roman, der durch eine gruselige Geschichte überzeugt und die Personen passen wirklich perfekt zur Geschichte, denn sie sind nicht immer, was man auf den ersten Blick vermutet. Sehr schön vielschichtig, bleibt die Spannung bis zum Ende erhalten. Man mag von der Auflösung am Ende halten was man will, aber man wird aufs Beste unterhalten und gefesselt, Ein wirklich toller Roman für kalte schaurige dunkle Winternächte.
Die Landschaften und Kulissen kommen mehr als malerisch daher, wenn der Autor die Umgebung beschreibt. Aber auch die doch etwas rauerer Seite kommt zum Vorschein, wenn von rauen Klippen, Regen und der Dunkelheit gesprochen wird. Und das Setting passt auch perfekt zur Geschichte, die doch eher gruselig daher kommt, denn dieses Kind ist ziemlich gruselig. Doch Rachel hat auch eine Vergangenheit mit eingebildeten Stimmen und ihrer angeschlagenen Psyche, von daher schwebt über allem der Gedanke, ist es eingebildet oder real, denn manche Ereignisse können schlicht nicht eingebildet sein.
Ein wirklich fesselnder Roman, der durch eine gruselige Geschichte überzeugt und die Personen passen wirklich perfekt zur Geschichte, denn sie sind nicht immer, was man auf den ersten Blick vermutet. Sehr schön vielschichtig, bleibt die Spannung bis zum Ende erhalten. Man mag von der Auflösung am Ende halten was man will, aber man wird aufs Beste unterhalten und gefesselt, Ein wirklich toller Roman für kalte schaurige dunkle Winternächte.
doma_22's review against another edition
5.0
Questo è il secondo libro dello stesso genere per questo mese.
E completamente diverso. Qui abbondano le descrizioni sia dei luoghi che dei personaggi, il loro vissuto e il presente con i loro pensieri.
Anche questo libro mi ha intrigato tantissimo e, devo essere sincera, ad un certo punto mi ha spaventata.
Quando la storia è quasi alla fine, si comprende come andrà avanti, la descrizione della casa, buia e isolata... mi ha fatto paura. Io odio stare al buio e leggere nelle stesse condizioni, cioè di notte con pochissima luce quelle pagine...che dire, mi è venuta l'ansia ma non riuscivo a smettere di leggere!
Credo proprio che se un libro ti faccia provare queste emozioni sia scritto proprio bene!
Jamie, il bambino "bugiardo", ogni tanto mi è stato antipatico, il suo carattere mutevole, a volte bisognoso di affetto, altre "irritante" col suo prolungato silenzio, è altrettanto al centro della storia tanto quanto Rachel, la nuova moglie di David.
Anche lei "nasconde" un passato tormentato ma che sembrava ormai lontano... la nuova vita completamente diversa, il matrimonio, la nuova casa, tutto sembra allontanarla da quel passato, poi piano piano piccoli eventi ed episodi, la rimandano indietro e la paura prende il sopravvento su di lei.
Il finale sembra scontato ma poi ...il colpo di scena per un finale, come dire, "migliore"!
Ho già adocchiato un altro romanzo di questo scrittore, lo leggerò sicuramente!
VISUAL CHALLENGE UPGRADE: 2_acqua
E completamente diverso. Qui abbondano le descrizioni sia dei luoghi che dei personaggi, il loro vissuto e il presente con i loro pensieri.
Anche questo libro mi ha intrigato tantissimo e, devo essere sincera, ad un certo punto mi ha spaventata.
Quando la storia è quasi alla fine, si comprende come andrà avanti, la descrizione della casa, buia e isolata... mi ha fatto paura. Io odio stare al buio e leggere nelle stesse condizioni, cioè di notte con pochissima luce quelle pagine...che dire, mi è venuta l'ansia ma non riuscivo a smettere di leggere!
Credo proprio che se un libro ti faccia provare queste emozioni sia scritto proprio bene!
Jamie, il bambino "bugiardo", ogni tanto mi è stato antipatico, il suo carattere mutevole, a volte bisognoso di affetto, altre "irritante" col suo prolungato silenzio, è altrettanto al centro della storia tanto quanto Rachel, la nuova moglie di David.
Anche lei "nasconde" un passato tormentato ma che sembrava ormai lontano... la nuova vita completamente diversa, il matrimonio, la nuova casa, tutto sembra allontanarla da quel passato, poi piano piano piccoli eventi ed episodi, la rimandano indietro e la paura prende il sopravvento su di lei.
Il finale sembra scontato ma poi ...il colpo di scena per un finale, come dire, "migliore"!
Ho già adocchiato un altro romanzo di questo scrittore, lo leggerò sicuramente!
VISUAL CHALLENGE UPGRADE: 2_acqua
boktok73's review against another edition
3.0
Recensionsexemplar av Lind & co
Översättare Ylva Mörk
Originalets titel The Fire Child
Mystik, magi, hallucinationer, skräck, hisnande vyer. Det är Eldpojken gjord av. Det tar ordentligt fart i andra halvan av boken och det blir allt mer skruvat. Jag hade tidvis svårt att hänga med i skruvarna, i svängarna mellan realitet och inbillning/hallucinationer. Jag hålls ändå fängslad och läser i rasande takt. Upplösningen är överraskande, I did not see that coming.
Det blev ändå bara tre stjärnor av fem, mest på grund av den lilla segheten i början och det att jag inte alltid visste vad jag skulle tro. Men helt klart kommer jag att läsa framtida böcker av författaren.
Översättare Ylva Mörk
Originalets titel The Fire Child
Mystik, magi, hallucinationer, skräck, hisnande vyer. Det är Eldpojken gjord av. Det tar ordentligt fart i andra halvan av boken och det blir allt mer skruvat. Jag hade tidvis svårt att hänga med i skruvarna, i svängarna mellan realitet och inbillning/hallucinationer. Jag hålls ändå fängslad och läser i rasande takt. Upplösningen är överraskande, I did not see that coming.
Det blev ändå bara tre stjärnor av fem, mest på grund av den lilla segheten i början och det att jag inte alltid visste vad jag skulle tro. Men helt klart kommer jag att läsa framtida böcker av författaren.
shayneyj's review against another edition
3.0
*I won a free copy in a Goodreads Giveaway, my review is that of my own opinion*
sarahs_bookish_life's review against another edition
4.0
The Fire Child is a story set in a remote location in Cornwall. The area where Carnhallow House is sounded stunning. The house, the mines, everything about the place is steeped in history and folk lore.
The whole story is quite atmospheric and it felt like I was there in person myself seeing the sights and sounds that Rachel was.
I was slightly unsure as to what genre this book was as it felt very much like a horror story through most of it. The tension that builds through out the story is just electrifying. By the end though it is certainly more like a psychological thriller.
Rachel stepping into her new role of step mother as well as a wife must be quite daunting. To be fair, Jamie is a lovely boy and seems to have taken to Rachel but he is obviously deeply affected by his mothers death. It soon becomes apparent to Rachel just how little she truly knows her husband as well as his family background.
I actually ended up reading this book in one sitting. As soon as I started it I was well and truly hooked. There are pictures that kept popping up through out the novel which I think brought the story even more to life as well as the actual setting and history of the place.
My heart was literally racing towards the end and I had to keep having a few moments to compose myself as I was so desperate to find out how it was all going to end. I have to admit I am not to sure about the ending itself. The ending wasn't quite what I was expecting, which I am sure is a good thing, it just didn't quite tie in with the build up of tension that I had experienced through out the rest of the novel as I have to admit I was expecting a bit of a 'wow' ending where as for me it was more of an 'oh' but still a good 'oh'.
A highly enjoyable read with tons of mystery and suspense that will have you on the edge of your seat.
Many thanks to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for am honest review.
The whole story is quite atmospheric and it felt like I was there in person myself seeing the sights and sounds that Rachel was.
I was slightly unsure as to what genre this book was as it felt very much like a horror story through most of it. The tension that builds through out the story is just electrifying. By the end though it is certainly more like a psychological thriller.
Rachel stepping into her new role of step mother as well as a wife must be quite daunting. To be fair, Jamie is a lovely boy and seems to have taken to Rachel but he is obviously deeply affected by his mothers death. It soon becomes apparent to Rachel just how little she truly knows her husband as well as his family background.
I actually ended up reading this book in one sitting. As soon as I started it I was well and truly hooked. There are pictures that kept popping up through out the novel which I think brought the story even more to life as well as the actual setting and history of the place.
My heart was literally racing towards the end and I had to keep having a few moments to compose myself as I was so desperate to find out how it was all going to end. I have to admit I am not to sure about the ending itself. The ending wasn't quite what I was expecting, which I am sure is a good thing, it just didn't quite tie in with the build up of tension that I had experienced through out the rest of the novel as I have to admit I was expecting a bit of a 'wow' ending where as for me it was more of an 'oh' but still a good 'oh'.
A highly enjoyable read with tons of mystery and suspense that will have you on the edge of your seat.
Many thanks to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for am honest review.
sunflower_reads_'s review against another edition
Reads like a 16 year olds GCSE creative writing paper
svw89's review against another edition
2.0
While reading this I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd read something very similar before, something similar but much, much better. Mansion, dead wife who died under suspicious circumstances and who still has an effect over the house, young girl/woman marrying an older man... at times it felt like a poor, modern time copy of [b:Rebecca|17899948|Rebecca|Daphne du Maurier|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386605169s/17899948.jpg|46663].
I found certain things really hard to believe. Rachel, a young woman from a council estate in London, met and married an older man, David, after two months and moving to his mansion in Cornwall to live with him (on weekends) and his son. I really struggled with how quickly that relationship progressed, it might have worked in different times but in a modern day setting? It just feels weird. It also felt weird that Rachel was constantly described as so young. She's 30! While I don't class 30 as old, the way she was described made it sound like she was 18 with no life experience. Definitely not the case with Rachel, especially when you find out her backstory - some of which is utterly ridiculous.
The chapters hop around a lot, there can be weeks or months between chapters and I don't think it worked. While I liked the countdowns as the chapter titles - 120 days until Christmas etc. - it jumped around too much for my liking, it disrupted some of the tension and it made whatever character development there was come out of nowhere. For example, the breakdown of the relationship between Rachel and David seemed to escalate really quickly, it was really unbelievable. One minute he's all nice, the next he wants a divorce because she's mentioned something about his son, and the next... well, what an arsehole. The escalation of Rachel's mental health issues suffered too because of the time jumps.
I did like the photos included in the book, that added to the creepy atmosphere of the abandoned mines and the loneliness of rural Cornwall.
There were quite a few twists, none of them too exciting or unexpected, and I thought the ending was completely ridiculous.
I found certain things really hard to believe. Rachel, a young woman from a council estate in London, met and married an older man, David, after two months and moving to his mansion in Cornwall to live with him (on weekends) and his son. I really struggled with how quickly that relationship progressed, it might have worked in different times but in a modern day setting? It just feels weird. It also felt weird that Rachel was constantly described as so young. She's 30! While I don't class 30 as old, the way she was described made it sound like she was 18 with no life experience. Definitely not the case with Rachel, especially when you find out her backstory - some of which is utterly ridiculous.
The chapters hop around a lot, there can be weeks or months between chapters and I don't think it worked. While I liked the countdowns as the chapter titles - 120 days until Christmas etc. - it jumped around too much for my liking, it disrupted some of the tension and it made whatever character development there was come out of nowhere. For example, the breakdown of the relationship between Rachel and David seemed to escalate really quickly, it was really unbelievable. One minute he's all nice, the next he wants a divorce because she's mentioned something about his son, and the next... well, what an arsehole. The escalation of Rachel's mental health issues suffered too because of the time jumps.
I did like the photos included in the book, that added to the creepy atmosphere of the abandoned mines and the loneliness of rural Cornwall.
There were quite a few twists, none of them too exciting or unexpected, and I thought the ending was completely ridiculous.