Joint Review: The Ice Twins by S. K. Tremayne

Author: S. K. Tremayne
Publisher: Grand Central Publshing
Date of publication: May 2015

A year after one of their identical twin daughters, Lydia, dies in an accident, Angus and Sarah Moorcraft 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, Sarah finds herself tortured by the past—what really happened on that fateful day one of her daughters died? 

I can't really say that I  liked The Ice Twins.  I thought it was really slow.  I stuck it out for about 75% of the way and then skipped to the end to find out what really was going on.  I didn't find it that creepy.  I mean Kirstie/Lydia was kind of creepy, but that was about it.  Both parents were annoying.  First, can parents of identical twins really not be able to tell them apart?  I do know a set of identical twins and their mom can totally tell which twin is which, even when they dress exactly alike.

The other thing that kept going through my mind was therapy.  Why did neither parent suggest therapy for the surviving twin?  That was just so frustrating to me, especially when Kirstie started acting weird.  No, let's just go along with it and assume we got it wrong. Really?  The big reveal was kind of dumb.  The secrets and lack of communication were frustrating.  I really don't recommend this book if you are looking for a thriller.  You won't find it here.

I'm a mom of identical twin girls and the whole time I was listening to this book I kept thinking this author must not be a mom of twins.  You can tell your kids apart.  Yeah, sometimes you mix them up for a second or two, but even if one is insisting they are the other there are physical ways to tell which one is which: moles, birthmarks, scars, etc.  

I didn't feel like this book was scary or a ghost story of any kind.  I kinda kept thinking this was more a story about mental illness.  I thought Kristie/Lydia had some kind of mental illness, then later on her mother obviously had some mental issues going on.  From that aspect, it was kind of interesting and I  think if it had been portrayed from that angle it might have been better.