ARC REVIEW: The Assistant – by S.K. Tremayne

Title: The Assistant
Author: S.K. Tremayne
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
First published: December 2nd 2019
Publisher: HarperCollins
Finished reading: November 19th 2019
Pages: 381

“I do not understand the extent of the hatred and the violence of the damage done to me. Why and how do I deserve this? What is the point?”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I’ve read and enjoyed S.K. Tremayne‘s books in the past, so when I was invited to read his newest title The Assistant a while back I basically accepted without even reading the blurb first. I did so afterwards, and definitely liked what I found. A psychological thriller with the promise of a dark secret and a technology angle? Yes please! I admit I had since forgotten what this story was about, so I was definitely pleasantly surprised and simply delighted by the plot I found once I started reading The Assistant. Such an original and bloodchilling premise!

There is a lot to love in The Assistant, but I think the thing that stands out most is the originality of the plot and the big role technology plays in this story. We live in a time where technology slowly takes over almost every aspect of our lives, and The Assistant shows us what the terrifying consequences might be if this technology starts working less than perfect. I personally couldn’t imagine having so many gadgets in my own home, especially having my very own Electra controlling so many aspects of my daily life… And I’m not sure if I even want to try getting used to one after reading this story. I think anyone who read this story themselves would understand why! That said, this aspect of The Assistant is developed brilliantly and incorporated into what is already a very interesting plot.

Then we have the writing, which is just as good as I’ve become used to after reading The Ice Twins and The Fire Child. It managed to draw me right in from the very first chapter and it was very easy to keep flying through those pages. Combine that with a solid pace and a healthy dose of suspense and plot twists to keep you intrigued and you will find yourself reaching that final page at record speed. Part of the success of this story is in the fact that you are never completely sure what is happening. Is Jo the typical unreliable main character? Do mental health issues play a role in the events described? What is going on with the technology? And what about those secrets about the past? It was interesting to see everything slowly evolve and I just loved how many times The Assistant was able to mislead me and simply put me on the wrong track.

Last but not least the characters. I’m not sure if they are exactly likeable, but they sure make for an interesting cast of characters and they are perfect for that unreliable narrator feel that this story has. I also loved that Electra was developed to be almost like yet another character of this story, and this definitely gives The Assistant an unique touch. The premise of this story is so original though! I’ve been keeping my rambles pretty general to avoid spoilers, but if you like twisty and unique psychogical thrillers you will be in for an absolute treat with The Assistant.

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ARC REVIEW: The Fire Child – by S.K. Tremayne

Title: The Fire Child
Author: S.K. Tremayne
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction
First published: June 16th 2016
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
Finished reading: July 26th 2016
Pages: 400

“Maybe nothing could extinguish the yearning of human love; maybe it travelled on for ever, through the darkness. Like the light from dead stars.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and HarperCollins UK in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

The Ice Twins was on my list of most-anticipated 2015 releases, so as soon as I found out S.K. Tremayne was publishing a new psychological thriller I just knew I had to read it as well. And I have to say, The Fire Child didn’t disappoint. In fact, this story turned out to be even better than her first novel! There is no doubt S.K. Tremayne is excellent at setting a spooky atmosphere for her chilling and dark psychological thrillers. The descriptions of both the Cornish setting, the house and the events themselves really make it seem like as if you were right there with the main characters. And those months/days before Christmas definitely become spookier by the minute! The main characters are all well developed and I especially liked Jamie and Rachel. They are not perfect and not reliable either, but their stories are without doubt intriguing and work perfectly for many surprising plot twists. The plot itself is quite simple, but it’s the characters, excellent descriptions and spooky atmosphere that make The Fire Child into such a great psychological thriller. Trust me, you won’t see the ending coming! If you enjoy reading the genre, make sure to consider both S.K. Tremayne‘s thrillers. They’re worth it!

It’s easy to say Rachel has had a difficult childhood, but everything seems to be falling into place when she marries dark, handsome and rich David. She went from a small flat in London to living in a huge and beautiful house in Cornwall… A house that has been in David’s family for a thousand years and even has its own name: Carnhallow. David still works in London, and only travels to Cornwall during the weekends to be with his new wife and his son Jamie. Rachel seemed to be getting along well enough with her new stepson in London, but things changed when she moved into the big Carnhallow house. Jamie’s behavior changes and Rachel’s perfect life slowly begins to unravel. He doesn’t seem to be over the death of his mother Nina (and David’s first wife) and both claims to see her ghost and makes disturbing predictions. Is it Jamie’s way of punishing Rachel for taking his mother’s place, or is he more traumatized that she thought? When Rachel starts digging into the past, she starts to suspect her new husband wasn’t telling the whole truth about what happened to his first wife…

Now I’ve read both thrillers, I can easily say S.K. Tremayne is one of my favorite newly discovered authors. She is without doubt excellent at setting a spooking atmosphere, creating characters that are both intriguing and unreliable and describing the setting in such detail that it almost feels like you are right there in Cornwall. The Fire Child is well written, has well developed characters and is filled with many surprising plot twists. If you enjoy reading psychological thrillers, I can definitely recommed this one!

WWW Wednesdays #101 – July 27th

WWW WEDNESDAYS is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

I’ve only just started When We Collided by Emery Lord, but I have heard so many great things about it that I can’t wait to continue reading! I won’t be having a lot of spare time this week, but hopefully I will be able to finish it before the weekend.

• WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

* The first book I was able to finally finish was The Neverland Wars by Audrey Greathouse. I can’t say I really enjoyed it. The first part was quite slow and I had problems with the prose. I also wish the story would have focused on the war itself… The Neverland descriptions were really entertaining to read though.
* I then read the Dorothy Must Die novella Ruler Of Beasts by Danielle Paige. This one was probably one of my favorite novellas of the bunch… Mostly because Ozma played a big role in the story and a new interesting character (the Nome King) was introduced.
* Next up was The Summer That Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel, which made it to my list of favorite 2016 reads. Such a powerful and well written story! I can definitely recommend this one.
* I then finally finished The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz, a book I didn’t enjoy as much as I thought I would. I normally love historical fiction, but I didn’t like the main character Joan and there was too much ‘strong’ religious dialogue and cheesy romance in the last part of the story.
* Next up was the supershort, but action-packed story Environmentally Friendly by Elias Zanbaka. Without doubt an interesting and fast-paced read!
* I then read Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry for free at Riveted. Check out the website if you haven’t already; each two weeks or so they offer four new free titles to read online! (This one is available until August 1st). Rot & Ruin turned out to be a very good read, which I’m still surprised about because I normally don’t really like stories with zombies… But it’s well written and I like that there’s almost no romance (at least in the first book).
* The last book I finished is The Fire Child by S.K. Tremayne, which turned out to be even better than her first novel. Well written prose, great descriptions that set a spooky atmosphere and many many plot twists… Recommended!

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

I will probably read my last pending ARC first: the Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection by Barbara Venkataraman. It definitely sounds like an entertaining read! I also want to read The Bird And The Sword by Amy Harmon, but I might try Thunderlight by Adrienne Woods first. I really enjoyed the first book and since I’m in the mood for a dragon story this one sounds like a great choice. Secret Letters by Leah Scheier is still my newest TBR jar pick.

Teaser Tuesdays #104 – July 26th: The Fire Child

TEASER TUESDAYS is a weekly book meme originally featured at Books And A Beat. To participate, just open the book you are currently reading to a random page, and choose two ‘teaser’ sentences from somewhere on that page. (no spoilers!)

After I enjoyed reading The Ice Twins earlier this month, I’m really excited to be reading S.K. Tremayne‘s newest thriller The Fire Child. And so far the descriptions are just as good as in her first book! She is definitely excellent at setting a spooky atmosphere and I love the Cornish setting. I can’t wait to find out more about Jamie and Rachel.

My teaser (23%):

“The sense of loss throbs, in this study, like a reopened wound at the heart of Carnhallow. And I feel like I am the shard in the flesh. Renewing the hurt.”

What are you reading right now?

BOOK REVIEW: The Ice Twins – by S.K. Tremayne

Title: The Ice Twins
Author: S.K. Tremayne
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Horror
First published: January 29th 2015
Publisher: Harper Collins
Finished reading: July 18th 2016
Pages: 373

“It’s not so much my own death that is intolerable, it’s the death of those around me. Because I love them. And part of me dies with them. Therefore all love, if you like, is a form of suicide.”

I’ve heard a lot of great things about this book ever since it was published last year and it was on my list of most-anticipated-releases in the first place… I’m not sure why, but somehow I never actually read The Ice Twins though until now. And I kind of wish I had picked it up earlier, because I can definitely see why so many people seem to love this book! Sure, the plot itself is a bit simple and if you look critically nothing much really happens during the story. But there is no doubt that S.K. Tremayne is a master when it comes to creating a suspenseful atmosphere. The Ice Twins is well written with excellent descriptions that make it feel like you are right there on the tiny Scottish island with the main characters. I personally loved the setting and the spooky atmosphere, and I really enjoyed reading this story despite the lack of action. The plot twists are subtle, but have a big impact on the story and the characters. I personally didn’t really like Angus OR Sarah, especially because of the way they handle the whole situation, but their development is well done. The ending is interesting as well, and the twins are without doubt spooky and helped set the right atmosphere. If you are looking for a creepy and well written mystery/thriller, make sure to give The Ice Twins a go!

Angus and Sarah Moorcraft saw their lives fall apart after one of their identical twin daughters died in an accident a year ago. Their suriving daugher, Kirstie, is suffering as well, and they decide to make the move to the tiny Scottish island Angus inherited from his granmother hoping to put together some of the pieces of their shattered lives. Things don’t exactly improve though when Kirstie claims they have mistaken her identity; that she is in fact Lydia and that Kirstie was the one that fell out of the window. Their world comes crashing down again and they don’t know how to deal with all of this. Isolated on their tiny Scottish island, their surviving twin is growing more disturbed and both parents start to have problems of their own as well…

Like I said before, The Ice Twins is more about the character development and the spooky setting than the actual actions. It’s a well written read with excellent descriptions that make it feel you are right there with the characters, and the story definitely creeped me out at points. The ending was definitely surprising! If you enjoy reading the genre, I can definitely recommend this book.

WWW Wednesdays #100 – July 20th

100TH WWW MEME CELEBRATION EDITION!!!

WWW WEDNESDAYS is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

I’m currently reading The Summer That Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel and it is turning out to be an interesting read. I’m glad the reviews I’ve seen so far convinced me to get a copy of this book! I’ve also finally started my last TBR jar pick The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz, which is ok enough so far, although I do hope the plot will get a little more interesting in the future. I still have to finish The Neverland Wars by Audrey Greathouse as well… I actually thought about DNFing it because I am really struggling with it, but since I already made it this far I will just finish it.

• WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

* The first book I finished since last week is Wanderlost by Jen Malone, which turned out to be a quick, fluffy and entertaining summer read. Not perfect and in a way a bit cliche, but I loved the road trip details!
* I then finished The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey; probably one of the first stories with zombies I absolutely loved. I still can’t believe it took me this long to pick up this book! Well written, excellent worldbuilding and Melanie is probably one of my newest favorite characters.
* I also finally continued The Stepmother by Claire Seeber, but unfortunately I wasn’t completely convinced by it. I liked the fact that  it reversed the roles of the typical ‘evil stepmother’ plot, but the pace is quite slow and I REALLY disliked the main character.
* The last book I finished is The Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne, which turned out to be a well written, spooky read with great descriptions. The plot was a bit uneventful, but it is without doubt a great read.

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

Depending on what genre I’m in the mood for, I will read When We Collided by Emery Lord. I might read The Fire Child by S.K. Tremayne first though; especially since I really enjoyed her other novel. Talon by Julie Kagawa is most likely my next fantasy read; I have been wanting to read another dragon story for too long now! Secret Letters by Leah Scheier is another Sherlock Holmes retelling and my newest TBR jar pick.

WWW Wednesdays #99 – July 13th

WWW WEDNESDAYS is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

I’m currently reading Wanderlost by Jen Malone, which is turning out to be a quick and entertaining road trip story from what I can see so far. I’ve also started reading The Neverland Wars by Audrey Greathouse because I was in the mood for a Peter Pan retelling, but I can’t say I’m enjoying it. The tone and prose don’t seem to fit the theme at all and I’m struggling to continue this one… Same goes for The Stepmother by Claire Seeber: I started reading it last week, but I couldn’t get into the story and decided to keep it temporarily on hold and read a few other titles instead.

• WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

* The first book I finished since last week is My Girl by Jack Jordan, which is probably one of the most twisted and disturbing thrillers I’ve read so far this year. If you are into the genre, definitely make sure to check out this book!
* I then finished Out Of The Easy by Ruta Sepetys, which is without doubt my new favorite of this author. The setting, prose and character development are excellent and I really felt like I was right there in the 1950s along with the characters.
* I also read The Night Stalker by Robert Bryndza, which by no means suffers from the ‘weak-second-book’ syndrome. It’s fast-paced, well written and has an intriguing plot and plot twists. It’s without doubt a very entertaining read!
* I then read The Straw King by Danielle Paige. This novella was surprisingly good compared to the last few previous stories, but I still wasn’t overwhelmed by it.
* I’ve also been able to finish Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon, a title that was on my 2015 most-antipated-releases list. I enjoyed reading it and I admit it was a ‘cute’ read, but I did have some problems with the credibility of the plot. I mean, if the main character is really that sick, doing what she did is incredibly stupid.
* The last book I managed to finish is The Sister by Louise Jensen, which I ended up really enjoying. It’s dark, messed with your mind and has many plot twists… The story jumps back and forth between the past and present and there are quite a few unreliable characters, but it only added to the whole mystery around Grace and Charlie.

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

Depending on what genre I’m in the mood for, I will read When We Collided by Emery Lord. Although I really want to read The Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne as well, both because I’ve heard great things about it and because I want to The Fire Child by the same author. If I want something different, The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey is also high on my list… And my latest TBR jar pick is still The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz. (Which I should read soon since it’s been too long since I last read a TBR jar book.)