k_west1984's review against another edition
3.0
This book was ok, it's a slow start but a very good twist which I didn't guess.
teekraenzchen's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Domestic abuse
Minor: Racism and Ableism
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
With an isolated setting and increasingly unreliable characters, The Fire Child by S.K. Tremayne is an atmospheric, suspense-laden psychological thriller.
After a whirlwind courtship, thirty year old Rachel Daly marries forty year old lawyer David Kerthen who then whisks her and his eight year old son Jamie to the family estate in Cornwall. Initially blissfully happy, Rachel is struggling with her stepson's increasingly upsetting behavior that eventually brings her to ask a few probing questions about his mother Nina's somewhat tragic death. David is reluctant to divulge very many details and as Rachel becomes more concerned about Jaime's mental state, she makes a decision that has violent consequences and puts her in a very precarious situation with her husband. Will Rachel find out the truth about Nina's death? Can she protect herself and Jamie after events begin to escalate out of control?
Rachel has come a long way from her humble beginnings but she is still somewhat uncomfortable as she tries to resume the elegant renovations of David's family estate. With David working long hours in London, Rachel is lonely but she keeps busy investigating her new surroundings. She is also busy with Jamie but she is becoming increasingly worried about his strange behavior and she becomes quite frightened after he makes a rather dire prediction. As Rachel begins piecing together the details of Nina's fatal accident, some of the information she uncovers does not make sense and David is reluctant to discuss the night his first wife died. What secrets are her husband keeping? Why is he so unwilling to do more to help Jamie handle his grief?
At first glance, David is the perfect catch. He is a devoted father and he is a well-respected lawyer who works long hours. Through hard work and a lot of determination, he saved the estate after his father's gambling problem nearly bankrupted the family. He positively adored his first wife, but David is quite smitten with Rachel and he has a great deal of respect for her. However, he is most displeased when she begins asking questions he does not want to answer and he is infuriated after she takes steps to try to get Jamie help for his odd behavior. In the aftermath of violent altercation, David is cold-hearted and ruthless in his attempts to take complete charge of his fracturing family.
In some ways, Jamie is a perfectly normal little boy. He loves his dad and he cares a great for Rachel. However, he is completely confused about some of the things that happened the night his mother died and with the anniversary of her death fast approaching, he is becoming quite desperate. Jamie's declarations are unsettling and he is quite adamant that she is alive despite evidence to the contrary. However, inexplicable and unexplained occurrences play into some of Rachel's doubts and fears and she becomes convinced that Jamie might have a legitimate reason for some of his beliefs.
For the most part, The Fire Child is an incredibly riveting mystery that moves at a very brisk pace. S.K. Tremayne does an absolutely brilliant job building suspense as Rachel tries to uncover the truth that David is trying so hard to keep from her. With the tension reaching a fever pitch, this psychological thriller comes to a pulse-pounding adrenaline-filled conclusion that neatly wraps up all of the various threads of this spell-binding and somewhat eerie story.
After a whirlwind courtship, thirty year old Rachel Daly marries forty year old lawyer David Kerthen who then whisks her and his eight year old son Jamie to the family estate in Cornwall. Initially blissfully happy, Rachel is struggling with her stepson's increasingly upsetting behavior that eventually brings her to ask a few probing questions about his mother Nina's somewhat tragic death. David is reluctant to divulge very many details and as Rachel becomes more concerned about Jaime's mental state, she makes a decision that has violent consequences and puts her in a very precarious situation with her husband. Will Rachel find out the truth about Nina's death? Can she protect herself and Jamie after events begin to escalate out of control?
Rachel has come a long way from her humble beginnings but she is still somewhat uncomfortable as she tries to resume the elegant renovations of David's family estate. With David working long hours in London, Rachel is lonely but she keeps busy investigating her new surroundings. She is also busy with Jamie but she is becoming increasingly worried about his strange behavior and she becomes quite frightened after he makes a rather dire prediction. As Rachel begins piecing together the details of Nina's fatal accident, some of the information she uncovers does not make sense and David is reluctant to discuss the night his first wife died. What secrets are her husband keeping? Why is he so unwilling to do more to help Jamie handle his grief?
At first glance, David is the perfect catch. He is a devoted father and he is a well-respected lawyer who works long hours. Through hard work and a lot of determination, he saved the estate after his father's gambling problem nearly bankrupted the family. He positively adored his first wife, but David is quite smitten with Rachel and he has a great deal of respect for her. However, he is most displeased when she begins asking questions he does not want to answer and he is infuriated after she takes steps to try to get Jamie help for his odd behavior. In the aftermath of violent altercation, David is cold-hearted and ruthless in his attempts to take complete charge of his fracturing family.
In some ways, Jamie is a perfectly normal little boy. He loves his dad and he cares a great for Rachel. However, he is completely confused about some of the things that happened the night his mother died and with the anniversary of her death fast approaching, he is becoming quite desperate. Jamie's declarations are unsettling and he is quite adamant that she is alive despite evidence to the contrary. However, inexplicable and unexplained occurrences play into some of Rachel's doubts and fears and she becomes convinced that Jamie might have a legitimate reason for some of his beliefs.
For the most part, The Fire Child is an incredibly riveting mystery that moves at a very brisk pace. S.K. Tremayne does an absolutely brilliant job building suspense as Rachel tries to uncover the truth that David is trying so hard to keep from her. With the tension reaching a fever pitch, this psychological thriller comes to a pulse-pounding adrenaline-filled conclusion that neatly wraps up all of the various threads of this spell-binding and somewhat eerie story.
mpr2000's review against another edition
4.0
Rachel has a new perfect life with a handsome husband, a shy son and a big mansion to restore. But everything falls apart when her new son predicts she will be dead by Christmas... Does she have to be scared or just a silly joke of a child? Ready for a scary story?
This is the first book I read of the author S.K. Tremayne and I am gladly surprised with this novel, it has mystery, twists and a little bit of terror!
I was surprised with all the background the author created with the Kerthen of Carnhallow legends, the miner story is quite sad but really interesting and showing the images of all the miners on the book is amazing!
This is not the typical story where's a missing body and the husband's the prime suspect. This novel is more intricate and dark, the past of the characters will make them more scared when some mysterious things happening in the mansion... maybe ghosts?
I would like to make a big spoiler because I can't resist to talk about postpartum psychosis, because is an illness that no one wants to talk, but is real and very, very scary!
Take a look at the symptoms...
Hearing voices, and seeing things that aren’t there (hallucinating).
Rapid and extreme mood swings.
Manic behaviour, such as cleaning the house in the middle of the night.
Feeling disconnected from reality.
Feeling confused, perhaps not recognising friends or family.
Having delusions, and believing things that are untrue or illogical.
It has to be very difficult for the person who suffers the symptoms, tell the family and friends the feelings she had and most difficult to ask for help. I would like to think that in the future talking about psychological illness would not be tabu, maybe is it just a dream, but I always think that talking makes things easy.
I would highly recommend this book to everyone, if you are searching for a book to enjoy, discover, disconnect... let The Fire Child seduce you with their story!
Are you afraid of ghosts?
This is the first book I read of the author S.K. Tremayne and I am gladly surprised with this novel, it has mystery, twists and a little bit of terror!
I was surprised with all the background the author created with the Kerthen of Carnhallow legends, the miner story is quite sad but really interesting and showing the images of all the miners on the book is amazing!
This is not the typical story where's a missing body and the husband's the prime suspect. This novel is more intricate and dark, the past of the characters will make them more scared when some mysterious things happening in the mansion... maybe ghosts?
I would like to make a big spoiler because I can't resist to talk about postpartum psychosis, because is an illness that no one wants to talk, but is real and very, very scary!
Take a look at the symptoms...
Hearing voices, and seeing things that aren’t there (hallucinating).
Rapid and extreme mood swings.
Manic behaviour, such as cleaning the house in the middle of the night.
Feeling disconnected from reality.
Feeling confused, perhaps not recognising friends or family.
Having delusions, and believing things that are untrue or illogical.
It has to be very difficult for the person who suffers the symptoms, tell the family and friends the feelings she had and most difficult to ask for help. I would like to think that in the future talking about psychological illness would not be tabu, maybe is it just a dream, but I always think that talking makes things easy.
I would highly recommend this book to everyone, if you are searching for a book to enjoy, discover, disconnect... let The Fire Child seduce you with their story!
Are you afraid of ghosts?
assis's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
elenaaaaa's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
sometimes it doesn't make sense...
it is well written but it seems as if the author tried to make the book more interesting with more things to explain, but it was just confusing. but i liked the overall storyline:)
it is well written but it seems as if the author tried to make the book more interesting with more things to explain, but it was just confusing. but i liked the overall storyline:)
katieeliza's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book - it has a well paced plot and interesting characters. A good read.
I really enjoyed this book - it has a well paced plot and interesting characters. A good read.
thelibraryofmills's review against another edition
2.0
This book confused me. I had high expectations going in & I think it failed to live up to them.
The premise of the book was strange, and I thought the storyline would follow more of the crime aspect of it rather than the paranormal side. I think had this book followed the death, it would have been much more my style.
I found some of the text hard to follow because it sounded like it was being written from different perspectives.
I like the author’s writing style, I just don’t think this particular book was for me.
The premise of the book was strange, and I thought the storyline would follow more of the crime aspect of it rather than the paranormal side. I think had this book followed the death, it would have been much more my style.
I found some of the text hard to follow because it sounded like it was being written from different perspectives.
I like the author’s writing style, I just don’t think this particular book was for me.
aralizca's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
rocio_voncina's review against another edition
4.0
Titulo: El chico de fuego
Autor: S.K. Tremayne
Año publicado: 2016
Motivo de lectura: #NavidadInfernal
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Fisico / Electronico: Electronico
Mi edicion: -
Idioma: Español
Puntuacion: 4/5
Es un libro bien escrito, entretenido, pero por alguna extraña razon, se me hizo eterna la lectura. El problema no fue el libro, el problema fue mio, no lograba concentrarme para leer, estaba dispersa, desde que arranco la pandemia muchas veces me cuestra concentrarme.
Es un gran libro, ojala la gente le de una oportunidad.
Autor: S.K. Tremayne
Año publicado: 2016
Motivo de lectura: #NavidadInfernal
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Fisico / Electronico: Electronico
Mi edicion: -
Idioma: Español
Puntuacion: 4/5
Es un libro bien escrito, entretenido, pero por alguna extraña razon, se me hizo eterna la lectura. El problema no fue el libro, el problema fue mio, no lograba concentrarme para leer, estaba dispersa, desde que arranco la pandemia muchas veces me cuestra concentrarme.
Es un gran libro, ojala la gente le de una oportunidad.