The Ice Twins - A Chilling Story

TITLE: The Ice Twins
AUTHOR: S.K. Tremayne
PUBLISHER: Grand Central Publishing
PUBLISHING DATE: May 19, 2015

FROM GOODREADS:  In the tradition of The Girl on the Train comes the UK bestseller THE ICE TWINS, a terrifying psychological thriller with a twisting plot worthy of Gillian Flynn.

One of Sarah's daughters died. But can she be sure which one?

A year after one of their identical twin daughters, Lydia, dies in an accident, Angus and Sarah Moorcroft move to the tiny Scottish island Angus inherited from his grandmother, hoping to put together the pieces of their shattered lives.

But when their surviving daughter, Kirstie, claims they have mistaken her identity--that she, in fact, is Lydia--their world comes crashing down once again.

As winter encroaches, Angus is forced to travel away from the island for work, Sarah is feeling isolated, and Kirstie (or is it Lydia?) is growing more disturbed. When a violent storm leaves Sarah and her daughter stranded, they are forced to confront what really happened on that fateful day.

MY THOUGHTS: First let me say I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was thrilled when I received The Ice Twins as I had seen a few reviews and this book intrigued me in a way few others have the past few months. Lately I have been in the mood for a lot of thrillers and this definitely fits the bill.

Angus and Sarah move to an inherited island to live in a lighthouse cottage to avoid financial ruin and repair their family in the wake of one of their identical twins dying. Kirstie, the surviving twin, is having adjustment issues of her own and eventually Angus and Sarah start to question which twin, Kirstie or Lydia, actually died. This novel is a combination of current day narrative and looks back at what happened in the past that tore this family apart. The eerie Scottish setting which Tremayne paints only intensifies the horror taking place in Sarah and Angus' lives. There were times when I both loved and hated all of the main characters and Kirstie/Lydia brought back images of "The Bad Seed" movie in my head.

I can't express enough how much I loved this book. It was riveting and kept me on the edge. There was one night I stayed up much later than I should have to figure out what was going on. The ending of the book provides a twist I didn't expect, yet which I found satisfying.

This books is being compared to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train and while I haven't read the later, I can see some resemblances. I recommend this for anyone who enjoys horror/thrillers and add that if you enjoy unreliable narrators, which seems to be the trend lately, then you would like "The Ice Twins." 

RATING:

5 PAWS