The Ice Twins

The Ice Twins #IceTwins

disclosure:  we were sent this book in exchange for an honest review

I’m a book-worm, that’s absolutely no surprise to you, is it. One of the joys I get from blogging is discovering new authors.  I cannot get to sleep without reading pages from a book first; no matter what the time.  I’ve always been the same.  I’ve recently read an absolute corker of a book thanks to the Mumsnet Blogger Network. The Ice Twins by S K Tremayne leaves you eagerly turning the pages, and guessing what’s coming next.

The Ice Twins

Would I need the Camomile tea to calm my nerves reading The Ice Twins?  When I posted these photos on Instagram, one of my friends came back to me and said she was already reading and enjoying it.  But The Ice Twins is one of those books that you can’t share you thoughts until you’ve both finished it.

S K Tremayne draws you in from the very first page as we follow the Moorcroft family. We meet Angus and Sarah living, a year on, with the trauma of the death of one of their identical twin daughters Lydia, and the effects it has on their other daughter Kirstie aged 7. The family is in disarray, money is tight and a move to a tiny island in Scotland is on the cards. Sarah is hoping for a new start for them all, new job prospects for her husband and a chance to curb his drinking, a new beginning for Kirstie as she tries to adjust to life without Lydia, her mirror image, her other half.

I’ve got a number of friends with twins, but none of them are identical.  Imagine the dilemma of having truly identical twins, how do you tell them apart? When Sarah’s twins were babies they used different colour nail varnish to tell the girls apart, and then gave them a hint of blue or yellow in their clothes.  As time went on the parents could distinguish them by their personalities.

Imagine the horror you would face if you think you may have said your final goodbye’s to the wrong child?  Kirstie’s behaviour starts to become erratic and certain things happen that make Sarah think she may actually be Lydia!

So the spiral of uncertainty begins.  You, as the reader really start to question the child’s identity as the book progresses.  Have the parents cremated the wrong twin?  There is also so much tension between them; she’d had an affair when the girls were babies and her husband is drinking heavily.  They aren’t communicating, and you can just imagine that living on a tiny island is probably not going to resolve their problems.

As they move to the island of Torran, thunder island, tensions really are strained.  Kirstie starts school on the main island and is immediately ostracized by the other school children. Quite understandable really when she insists her name is Lydia and spends her free time talking and playing with her dead sister.

The Ice Twins spirals on and really mixes with your emotions.  How could you not know your own child?  There are hidden secrets between Sarah and Angus, what are they? It really is one of those books where you have no idea where it will end until you reach the last page.  It’s a book I just couldn’t put down and when you reach the end, it’s very unexpected, sad and hopeful.

I can thoroughly recommend this book, it’s thought-provoking and a really good read.  The hardback version I have normally retails for £12.99 but is currently £5.00 on Amazon!  Go grab a bargain.

6 thoughts on “The Ice Twins #IceTwins

  1. Like the sound of this, I can tell from your review how much you enjoyed it. Always good to hear about new books to add to my (growing) ‘to be read’ list 🙂

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