Why a Booktrail?
2024: Suspected of murdering their parents, sisters Lily and Della flee to a strange, unnamed island in Scotland
Small Fires
What you need to know before your trail
Evil runs through this cursed island
And these wicked sisters are about to make it burn…
When sisters Lily and Della Pedley are persecuted for the shocking murder of their parents, they flee from their home in Cornwall to a remote and unnamed island in Scotland – an island known for its strange happenings, but far away from the whispers and prying eyes of strangers.
Lily is terrified of what her sister will might do next, and she soon realises that they have arrived at a place where nothing is as it seems. A bitterness runs through the land like poison, and the stories told by the islanders seem to be far more than folklore.
Della settles in too easily, the island folk drawn to her strangeness, but Lily is plagued by odd and unsettling dreams, and as an annual festival draws nigh, she discovers that she has far more to fear than she could ever have imagined. Or does she…?
Chilling, atmospheric and utterly hypnotic, Small Fires is a contemporary gothic novel that examines possession, generational trauma, female rage, and the perilous bonds of family – an unsettling reminder that the stories we tell can be deadly…
Travel Guide
Scotland – an unnamed island
Midsommar meets Midnight Mass in a folk horror, modern gothic masterpiece. Just as well this island isn’t real!
“We were warned. Before we crossed over to this land, two days ago, the people on the mainland cautioned us. Perhaps we should have paid better heed to them.”
“We want to cross the water. We want to go to the island, Della said to him.
No one will cross the water
We can pay
No one will cross the water
Why
That place takes”
Booktrailer Review
I loved this from the start. The writing is exquisite and very unique. I felt I was reading a classic given the polish and style of the sentences. This is not a book to be rushed. Take your time with the words, sentences and all that in between as well as the story. It’s like sitting in a gothic library – delicious yet dark.
The whole story is full of gothic folklore and horror but it is intertwined so well with the life of the sisters and the island that it enhances the entire show. The atmosphere of that island and the people there comes through slowly but surely and the build up creates a wonderful sense of foreboding. I felt I was reading it with a black lace veil over my face – until the end. Now that is a skill so thank you Ronnie!
Chilling and full of folkloric gothic delights. It’s not just a book, it’s an experience.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Small Fires
Destination: Scotland Author/guide: Ronnie Turner Departure Time: 2024
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