Review: The Ice Twins by S. K. Tremayne

Following their twin daughter's death, Angus and Sarah take their surviving twin, Kirstie, and move to a tiny island Angus inherited from his grandmother.  A year has passed, but the pain still lingers.  They hope that a fresh start will aid in their recovery. Ultimately, however, they don't have many alternatives. Financially unstable, their marriage brewing with unspoken issues and concerns, something needs to change.

Like their shattered lives, the home they move into is a mess; much repair is required in order to make it habitable. Eventually, however, they are able to transform it into some semblance of home. Just as things are starting to feel different, Angus's job requires him to spend more time away from is forced to spend more time off the island.

Sarah is granted the opportunity to spend more quality time and attention to seven-year-old Kirstie. It's obvious that Kirstie is lost without her twin, Lydia. The two had an unbreakable bond, a language of their own, and now Kirstie is forced to exist in a world without Lydia.  So, when Kirstie tells her mother that she is Lydia, that it was Kirstie that fell from a balcony a year ago, Sarah is understandably terrified.  Is this possible? Could they have been wrong? The identical twins were never fingerprinted, the doctors and nurses that witnessed their birth remarked at how indistinguishable they were.  And now, the family dog has begun to treat Kirstie in the same manner he did with Lydia.

As Sarah struggles to find answers, winter is approaching. Storms of terrifying magnitude are brewing, not just outdoors but inside as well. Stranded, Sarah and her daughter must finally confront what took place that terrifying day, no matter the consequences.

Talk about an uber-creepy! There’s something about twins, and particularly spooky identical twins that terrify me.  Add the description of  snowy blond hair and icy blue eyes, and I’m spooked.  This says a lot, for my appreciation of the horror genre has led me down some dark and haunting paths.

Additionally, it’s the setting that adds to the general coldness I felt while reading.  I can’t imagine living on a remote island, only accessible by boat, especially one known for the severe and damaging weather.  Yet, for some reason, this seemed to be the most appropriate place for this devastated family to reside.

Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. The pacing didn’t wane but instead grew with intensity as more and more was revealed to the reader.  The unreliability of the characters truly intensified this feeling of loss of control. Angus’ drinking problem left Sarah, and the reader, questioning his motives. Sarah, a mother devastated by loss, hints at indiscretions that discount her viewpoint of what transpired.  And Kirstie/Lydia is but a child, still not recovered from the loss of her twin sister.

All of these characteristics come together to form a truly addictive and compelling horror novel.  While labeled as a thriller (don’t get me started on that), this novel has the characteristics of a truly chilling, read.  You’ll want to read it, in the day-time, with the lights on, doors locked. Highly, highly recommended.