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Small Fires
Suspected of murdering their parents, sisters Lily and Della flee to a strange, unnamed island in Scotland, and their arrival puts in motion a horrifying series of events...
'Beautifully written and a real page-turner' C J Cooke
'Dark, lyrical and intriguing' Fiona Cummins
'Like Stephen King on crack ... the most accomplished book I've read this year. Dark, gothic as hell, and genuinely scary' M W Craven
'Eerily atmospheric, with brilliant characterisation ... really gets under your skin' Culturefly
_________________
Poison runs through this land like blood...
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 contemporary gothic novel that examines possession, female rage, and the perilous bonds of family – an unsettling reminder that the stories we tell can be deadly...
Midsommar meets Midnight Mass in a folk horror, modern gothic masterpiece.
_________________
Praise for Ronnie Turner's So Pretty
'An utterly chilling psychological horror of modern-day witchcraft, possession, murder and madness' Essie Fox
'Compelling and dark – draws you in from the very first page' Heather Darwent
'Twisted, toxic and deeply dark, this gives off Needful Things vibes – and that ending is just *perfect*' Lisa Hall
'Beautifully written and a real page-turner' C J Cooke
'Dark, lyrical and intriguing' Fiona Cummins
'Like Stephen King on crack ... the most accomplished book I've read this year. Dark, gothic as hell, and genuinely scary' M W Craven
'Eerily atmospheric, with brilliant characterisation ... really gets under your skin' Culturefly
_________________
Poison runs through this land like blood...
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 contemporary gothic novel that examines possession, female rage, and the perilous bonds of family – an unsettling reminder that the stories we tell can be deadly...
Midsommar meets Midnight Mass in a folk horror, modern gothic masterpiece.
_________________
Praise for Ronnie Turner's So Pretty
'An utterly chilling psychological horror of modern-day witchcraft, possession, murder and madness' Essie Fox
'Compelling and dark – draws you in from the very first page' Heather Darwent
'Twisted, toxic and deeply dark, this gives off Needful Things vibes – and that ending is just *perfect*' Lisa Hall
300 pages, Paperback
Published February 27, 2025
39 people are currently reading
432 people want to read
About the author
Ronnie Turner
5 books79 followersRonnie Turner grew up in Cornwall, the youngest in a large family. At an early age, she discovered a love of literature and dreamed of being a published author. Ronnie now lives in Dorset with her family and three dogs. In her spare time, she reviews books on her blog and enjoys long walks on the coast. She is currently working on her second novel.
Ronnie's debut novel, Lies Between Us, will be published by HQ Digital in October 2018.
Twitter: @Ronnie_ _Turner
Facebook: @RonnieTurnerAuthor
Instagram: @ronnieturner8702
Website: www.ronnieturner.wordpress.com
Ronnie's debut novel, Lies Between Us, will be published by HQ Digital in October 2018.
Twitter: @Ronnie_ _Turner
Facebook: @RonnieTurnerAuthor
Instagram: @ronnieturner8702
Website: www.ronnieturner.wordpress.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
June 5, 2025
Della and Lily Pedley are run out of town after their parents were found dead.
"We were called godless women, pariahs, witches."
The two sisters couldn't be more different. One tall, dark, and strange. The other, a petite and sweet blonde beauty.
"Two sisters: one bitter, one sweet."
They decide to take a boat to an island even though they have been warned repeatedly not to go. Still, the man takes them knowing who these sisters are. Perhaps it's better if they are no longer on the mainland.
The nameless island, referred to as God-Forgotten, is a strange place steeped in folklore.
"They say the Devil came here. He fell to the earth long ago and he never left."
The inhabitants, or rather, The Folk, always wear white, and live in constant fear of the Warden who they claim watches over them.
The island never receives visitors so the arrival of the sisters causes a bit of stir. Silas, a man who has always lived on the island and whose family are the oldest descendants, becomes curious of the sisters. What has brought these ladies here?
You'll have to read this to find out!
If you're a fan of folk horror then Small Fires is the book for you. Exquisitely written with a unique writing style that really made the book come alive for me. The atmosphere and the word-building of God-Forgotten is perfectly done. The sisters were an enigma my brain could not unravel, in the best way possible. The lead up is only outdone by it's jaw-dropping conclusion.
The gorgeous cover caught my eye but it's the ever-so-strange story between these pages that will stick with me. Ronnie Turner has made a new fan. 4 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Trafalgar Square Publishing - Orenda for my complimentary copy.
"We were called godless women, pariahs, witches."
The two sisters couldn't be more different. One tall, dark, and strange. The other, a petite and sweet blonde beauty.
"Two sisters: one bitter, one sweet."
They decide to take a boat to an island even though they have been warned repeatedly not to go. Still, the man takes them knowing who these sisters are. Perhaps it's better if they are no longer on the mainland.
The nameless island, referred to as God-Forgotten, is a strange place steeped in folklore.
"They say the Devil came here. He fell to the earth long ago and he never left."
The inhabitants, or rather, The Folk, always wear white, and live in constant fear of the Warden who they claim watches over them.
The island never receives visitors so the arrival of the sisters causes a bit of stir. Silas, a man who has always lived on the island and whose family are the oldest descendants, becomes curious of the sisters. What has brought these ladies here?
You'll have to read this to find out!
If you're a fan of folk horror then Small Fires is the book for you. Exquisitely written with a unique writing style that really made the book come alive for me. The atmosphere and the word-building of God-Forgotten is perfectly done. The sisters were an enigma my brain could not unravel, in the best way possible. The lead up is only outdone by it's jaw-dropping conclusion.
The gorgeous cover caught my eye but it's the ever-so-strange story between these pages that will stick with me. Ronnie Turner has made a new fan. 4 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Trafalgar Square Publishing - Orenda for my complimentary copy.
January 2, 2025
Deep, dark depths of folk terror.
Right from the very first words, Small Fires drops you straight into the story. Simmering with mysterious tension throughout, the seething underbelly that has brought an entire island to its terrified knees simply doesn’t relent. In fact, with the anticipated arrival of the Pedley sisters, never has the isolated, fragile community been more conflicted. And there is no escape — that much is clear to them all . . .
This is a churning snake pit of a story, one that consistently challenges which characters you trust, and whether hell really is a place on Earth. It’s smart, it’s stark, and it’s painfully addictive. If there’s a position that needs filling for the new Queen of Folk Terror then Ronnie Turner’s name has to be in the hat.
Right from the very first words, Small Fires drops you straight into the story. Simmering with mysterious tension throughout, the seething underbelly that has brought an entire island to its terrified knees simply doesn’t relent. In fact, with the anticipated arrival of the Pedley sisters, never has the isolated, fragile community been more conflicted. And there is no escape — that much is clear to them all . . .
This is a churning snake pit of a story, one that consistently challenges which characters you trust, and whether hell really is a place on Earth. It’s smart, it’s stark, and it’s painfully addictive. If there’s a position that needs filling for the new Queen of Folk Terror then Ronnie Turner’s name has to be in the hat.
February 11, 2025
I really don't know where to start with this book, apart from saying it is absolutely amazing! While it is a mystery and does have a sense of a thriller, it is also a fabulous work of fiction, the author has woven in many other elements. This gives it a strong gothic vibe, which, by the way, I adore.
Two sisters travel from where they lived in Cornwall up to a remote island in Scotland. They are warned about going to the island as there is a general perception that people who live there are mysterious and isolated and it is somewhere people go to disappear or be forgotten about. It doesn't even have a name.
The story is told and my goodness the author has brought folklore, myth, fairy tales and a good amount of creepiness to this story. This is one of those stories that just captures your attention, as the author weaves her words, they weave their way into your head.
The sisters are like chalk and cheese, they had a traumatic experience which is why they have chosen to travel away. Away from the rumours and the whispers, but even out on an island, their story follows them.
There is a mix of past and present and also that of the sisters. The rumours of the island and what its history is, well that is something else entirely. But as much as it is different, it is also very fitting for the characters that have a part to play. There are different thoughts, opinions, experiences and expectations. As much as this sounds it could be quite confusing, the author has kept the flow and the story running beautifully. But, she did take 5 years and several rewritings to get to this wonderful book.
The way the author chooses her words, phrases and the overall feel of the story is lyrical, she creates some wonderful images from her writing. The sisters are portrayed so well, I suppose I should mention that they are called Della and Lily, and they have their own traits and behaviours.
This is a gothic mystery that at times broaches into fantasy, horror and supernatural, but it is a thriller with crime mixed amidst the pages. It has such a wonderful; flow between the chapters and the characters and the island comes alive as you read the book.
I adored this one so much, it is enchanting and bewitching, about good and bad, a fabulous mix of genres and an absolute delight to read. I would definitely recommend this book, it is amazing.
Two sisters travel from where they lived in Cornwall up to a remote island in Scotland. They are warned about going to the island as there is a general perception that people who live there are mysterious and isolated and it is somewhere people go to disappear or be forgotten about. It doesn't even have a name.
The story is told and my goodness the author has brought folklore, myth, fairy tales and a good amount of creepiness to this story. This is one of those stories that just captures your attention, as the author weaves her words, they weave their way into your head.
The sisters are like chalk and cheese, they had a traumatic experience which is why they have chosen to travel away. Away from the rumours and the whispers, but even out on an island, their story follows them.
There is a mix of past and present and also that of the sisters. The rumours of the island and what its history is, well that is something else entirely. But as much as it is different, it is also very fitting for the characters that have a part to play. There are different thoughts, opinions, experiences and expectations. As much as this sounds it could be quite confusing, the author has kept the flow and the story running beautifully. But, she did take 5 years and several rewritings to get to this wonderful book.
The way the author chooses her words, phrases and the overall feel of the story is lyrical, she creates some wonderful images from her writing. The sisters are portrayed so well, I suppose I should mention that they are called Della and Lily, and they have their own traits and behaviours.
This is a gothic mystery that at times broaches into fantasy, horror and supernatural, but it is a thriller with crime mixed amidst the pages. It has such a wonderful; flow between the chapters and the characters and the island comes alive as you read the book.
I adored this one so much, it is enchanting and bewitching, about good and bad, a fabulous mix of genres and an absolute delight to read. I would definitely recommend this book, it is amazing.
March 10, 2025
"They say the Devil came here. He fell to the earth long ago and he never left."
Murderesses. Witches. Pariahs. These are the names that were used to describe Lily and Della Pedley. Suspected of murdering their parents, their gruesome history precedes them everywhere they go. Even on an isolated and unnamed Scottish Island where the Devil is said to have fallen and made his home beneath the soil. As the sisters try to start anew on the island, whispers and judgement surround them as they unknowingly set in motion a nightmarish chain of events.
Atmospheric, haunting and hypnotic, Small Fires reads like a dark and twisted fairytale. Mired in darkness from its opening pages, malevolence drips from every word of this magnificent gothic mystery. A masterful sinister storyteller, Ronnie Turner merges gorgeous literary fiction with nail-biting horror and suspense to create her own unique fiction recipe. Her choreography is exquisite; a sense of dread permeating the pages as she hides the poison in plain sight, coiled like a viper waiting to strike. She is adept at putting her reader off-kilter with red herrings until she’s ready to floor you with one of her shocking revelations. Elements of Scottish and Cornish folklore are woven throughout as Turner explores the role stories play in our lives, asking how they inspire and shape us, and how they shape our perception of others. She also explores themes of identity, examining how each of us can have many different identities, some that are thrust upon us and others we might hide behind.
Told by multiple characters in dual timelines, the story is filled with richly drawn characters who are also deeply unnerving. At the heart of the story is sisters Lily and Della, one bitter and one sweet, with a harrowing and notorious past. Though part of their story is known, there is a lot of mystery that surrounds them. Our other narrator is Silas, a strange and curious individual with an equally mysterious history. Flashbacks allow us glimpses inside the pasts of all three characters, slowly revealing disturbing truths that they’ve tried to keep hidden. And then there was the island itself, which felt alive and like a character in its own right thanks to the myths and folklore about the devil dwelling below ground that surround it.
A dark and unsettling gothic thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish, Small Fires is a must read.
Murderesses. Witches. Pariahs. These are the names that were used to describe Lily and Della Pedley. Suspected of murdering their parents, their gruesome history precedes them everywhere they go. Even on an isolated and unnamed Scottish Island where the Devil is said to have fallen and made his home beneath the soil. As the sisters try to start anew on the island, whispers and judgement surround them as they unknowingly set in motion a nightmarish chain of events.
Atmospheric, haunting and hypnotic, Small Fires reads like a dark and twisted fairytale. Mired in darkness from its opening pages, malevolence drips from every word of this magnificent gothic mystery. A masterful sinister storyteller, Ronnie Turner merges gorgeous literary fiction with nail-biting horror and suspense to create her own unique fiction recipe. Her choreography is exquisite; a sense of dread permeating the pages as she hides the poison in plain sight, coiled like a viper waiting to strike. She is adept at putting her reader off-kilter with red herrings until she’s ready to floor you with one of her shocking revelations. Elements of Scottish and Cornish folklore are woven throughout as Turner explores the role stories play in our lives, asking how they inspire and shape us, and how they shape our perception of others. She also explores themes of identity, examining how each of us can have many different identities, some that are thrust upon us and others we might hide behind.
Told by multiple characters in dual timelines, the story is filled with richly drawn characters who are also deeply unnerving. At the heart of the story is sisters Lily and Della, one bitter and one sweet, with a harrowing and notorious past. Though part of their story is known, there is a lot of mystery that surrounds them. Our other narrator is Silas, a strange and curious individual with an equally mysterious history. Flashbacks allow us glimpses inside the pasts of all three characters, slowly revealing disturbing truths that they’ve tried to keep hidden. And then there was the island itself, which felt alive and like a character in its own right thanks to the myths and folklore about the devil dwelling below ground that surround it.
A dark and unsettling gothic thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish, Small Fires is a must read.
July 12, 2025
Finished reading: June 27th 2025
DNF at 40% (143 pages)
"There is a silence over this land, the stillness of a muscle before it moves. Somehere a bird calls a warning to us in its little throat. I see its body and think, I should offer a warning of my own: We have arrived. Now leave, before we break those wings."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Orenda Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
REVIEW
WARNING: the unpopular opinion curse has struck once again!!
March 30, 2025
In a word? A triumph! This is such a talented author with a style entirely incomparable. She took everything I loved about her previous book, So Pretty, and kicked it up a notch. Unsettlingly eerie and exactly the right kind of weird, Small Fires had me hooked. If you're looking for a story that is part thriller, part mystery, part horror, brimming with folklore and delightfully off the beaten track, it doesn't get any better than this.
April 12, 2025
SMALL FIRES by @Ronnie__Turner
‘We hold small fires in our palms.’
Evocative of ‘The Wicker Man’ and ‘Midsommar’, SMALL FIRES is an exceptionally atmospheric and effective literary Gothic novel which engages with notions of evil, image, gods, devils and myth.
On a nameless ‘God forgotten’ Scottish island, the inhabitants (the Folk) are in thrall to their warden, a folkloric representation of the devil said to have fallen upon the island, according to local mythology.
And then Lily and Della Pedley arrive from Cornwall, seeking escape from persecution for the brutal murder of their parents…
SMALL FIRES blends the most affecting elements of the Gothic and folk horror literary modes. Unease and dread pervade the narrative; the very land upon which events take place is tainted with poison and corruption, infecting all who dwell there. The narrative itself is unreliable, as the reader’s understanding of events is subject to constant challenge. Violence begets violence, as cycles of trauma play out in increasingly emphatic terms.
This is a supremely assured novel from Ronnie Turner. Turner’s voice is profoundly affecting, using language with control and precision to create the most intimate of terrors. I suspect I will continue to be haunted by Lily and Della for some time to come. Indeed, I hope we hear much more from Ronnie Turner and her immersive, disturbing and utterly enthralling take on the Gothic form.
@OrendaBooks #SmallFires #folkhorror #gothic
‘We hold small fires in our palms.’
Evocative of ‘The Wicker Man’ and ‘Midsommar’, SMALL FIRES is an exceptionally atmospheric and effective literary Gothic novel which engages with notions of evil, image, gods, devils and myth.
On a nameless ‘God forgotten’ Scottish island, the inhabitants (the Folk) are in thrall to their warden, a folkloric representation of the devil said to have fallen upon the island, according to local mythology.
And then Lily and Della Pedley arrive from Cornwall, seeking escape from persecution for the brutal murder of their parents…
SMALL FIRES blends the most affecting elements of the Gothic and folk horror literary modes. Unease and dread pervade the narrative; the very land upon which events take place is tainted with poison and corruption, infecting all who dwell there. The narrative itself is unreliable, as the reader’s understanding of events is subject to constant challenge. Violence begets violence, as cycles of trauma play out in increasingly emphatic terms.
This is a supremely assured novel from Ronnie Turner. Turner’s voice is profoundly affecting, using language with control and precision to create the most intimate of terrors. I suspect I will continue to be haunted by Lily and Della for some time to come. Indeed, I hope we hear much more from Ronnie Turner and her immersive, disturbing and utterly enthralling take on the Gothic form.
@OrendaBooks #SmallFires #folkhorror #gothic
January 31, 2025
Mesmerising!
A tale of two sisters, it was the best of times - for one - it was the worst of times - for the other. But which is which?
So much evil delighted in. So much torture reveledin. Are all as innocent as they seem? Or as guilty?
What a ride with this book. Gripping, mesmerising, evil incarnate.
Remind me to carry an obel.
A tale of two sisters, it was the best of times - for one - it was the worst of times - for the other. But which is which?
So much evil delighted in. So much torture reveledin. Are all as innocent as they seem? Or as guilty?
What a ride with this book. Gripping, mesmerising, evil incarnate.
Remind me to carry an obel.
March 17, 2025
This is the first book I have read by this author so I was unprepared for the quality of writing, it’s originality and the uneasy feeling that I experienced as I read. That unease isn’t some I’ve experienced often.
Della and Lily arrive on the remote unnamed island after they were suspected and then cleared following the death of their parents. They were unprepared for what they faced, the island and its inhabitants were slightly odd, but the islanders were also unprepared for the two sisters. However it doesn’t take long for the islanders to become obsessed with Della. Both sisters appear to have little in common, one fearful of the other, and with the flashbacks to their childhood the reader is slowly shown what happened in their previous life. Nothing about their childhood was settled. It was intense, full of hatred and isolation and often difficult to read.
As they get used to life on the island they meet a few characters who they form some type of friendship with, Silas, Moss and Brid. Silas featured a lot more than the others, but the reader does discover more about Moss and Brid as well. None of it pleasant.
The very short chapters have two different unnamed narrators, just known as her and him and were set during then and now for both of them. The more I read the more creepy they got. I really had no idea what any of the characters were capable of. I had mixed feelings, not knowing whether to feel sympathy or apprehension but feeling increasingly suspicious.
I read the last 25% in one sitting as the truth was slowly revealed. I can’t say more because the less you know the better. But this part of the novel is one of the highlights of my reading year so far.
I knew that folklore was used throughout the book but there were only a couple that I was aware of, mainly those from mythology such as Charon and Pleiades . The novel has inspired me to look deeper, they were very intriguing.
Della and Lily arrive on the remote unnamed island after they were suspected and then cleared following the death of their parents. They were unprepared for what they faced, the island and its inhabitants were slightly odd, but the islanders were also unprepared for the two sisters. However it doesn’t take long for the islanders to become obsessed with Della. Both sisters appear to have little in common, one fearful of the other, and with the flashbacks to their childhood the reader is slowly shown what happened in their previous life. Nothing about their childhood was settled. It was intense, full of hatred and isolation and often difficult to read.
As they get used to life on the island they meet a few characters who they form some type of friendship with, Silas, Moss and Brid. Silas featured a lot more than the others, but the reader does discover more about Moss and Brid as well. None of it pleasant.
The very short chapters have two different unnamed narrators, just known as her and him and were set during then and now for both of them. The more I read the more creepy they got. I really had no idea what any of the characters were capable of. I had mixed feelings, not knowing whether to feel sympathy or apprehension but feeling increasingly suspicious.
I read the last 25% in one sitting as the truth was slowly revealed. I can’t say more because the less you know the better. But this part of the novel is one of the highlights of my reading year so far.
I knew that folklore was used throughout the book but there were only a couple that I was aware of, mainly those from mythology such as Charon and Pleiades . The novel has inspired me to look deeper, they were very intriguing.
February 25, 2025
Sisters Della and Lily Pedley leave Cornwall to an unnamed Scottish island. The women were accused of killing their parents, but they claimed their innocence.
The island is called the ‘God-Forgotten’ by the mainland folk and there is a certain level of negativity around it. A lot of stories, some true, some exaggerated, and some made up, are floating on the mainland (and the island itself), adding another layer of anxiety. Furthermore, people on the island believe that the Devil resides there.
Two sisters are nothing alike: one sweet, one bitter. One pretty, the other not so much. One a petite blond angel, the other a dark-haired giantess towering over everyone. But which one is which?
Since their arrival on the island, Della gets close to the strangle locals and starts whispering words and tales to anyone who will listen.
Lily, on the other hand, is more unsettled. She suffers from nightmares and increasing headaches. She grows close to Silas, who acts as a leader on the island. People are drawn to him and they listen to his advice.
However, is he all that he seems to be?
You’ll have to read this one for yourselves to find out.
This book was so chilling and unnerving! I was fascinated by the stories presented in the book. I love folklore and tales that are passed from one generation to the next.
The location of the story was unsettling too. Imagine, living on an unnamed island where people are too scared to give it a proper name. The fact that the island was small and cut away from the world added more suspense and mystery.
I absolutely raced through the last few chapters of the story, where everything was explained and laid out. Prepare for a couple of twists.
The island is called the ‘God-Forgotten’ by the mainland folk and there is a certain level of negativity around it. A lot of stories, some true, some exaggerated, and some made up, are floating on the mainland (and the island itself), adding another layer of anxiety. Furthermore, people on the island believe that the Devil resides there.
Two sisters are nothing alike: one sweet, one bitter. One pretty, the other not so much. One a petite blond angel, the other a dark-haired giantess towering over everyone. But which one is which?
Since their arrival on the island, Della gets close to the strangle locals and starts whispering words and tales to anyone who will listen.
Lily, on the other hand, is more unsettled. She suffers from nightmares and increasing headaches. She grows close to Silas, who acts as a leader on the island. People are drawn to him and they listen to his advice.
However, is he all that he seems to be?
You’ll have to read this one for yourselves to find out.
This book was so chilling and unnerving! I was fascinated by the stories presented in the book. I love folklore and tales that are passed from one generation to the next.
The location of the story was unsettling too. Imagine, living on an unnamed island where people are too scared to give it a proper name. The fact that the island was small and cut away from the world added more suspense and mystery.
I absolutely raced through the last few chapters of the story, where everything was explained and laid out. Prepare for a couple of twists.
April 5, 2025
I expected more from this. Sometimes it just said weird things for no reason which made no sense like how characters wanted to touch each others teeth. The characters were infuriating throughout. Like why was everyone so mystical?? The last 20% saved it in my opinion. I would recommend it if you like weird, folk-type stories though.
March 2, 2025
Small Fires is a book about siblings, the relationships between siblings and the impact one sibling can have on another. I’m the middle of three with two brothers. My relationship with my older brother is different to that with my younger brother. Sibling relationships are unique. They’re unique and they morph over time as individuals age. Yes all relationships change but siblings are there from day one whether it’s their day one or yours.
Lily and Della are sisters with quite a harrowing past. I didn’t know what to believe happened to those two girls and their parents. It felt like there was a lot of smoke and mirrors from both to hide what really happened – that or denial of reality.
Silas is a strange individual. His background that Turner gives glimpses of are distressing for an individual with siblings. Gaia feels like a domineering or jealous sibling – is it a male:female thing? I don’t know. All I know is Silas is scarred by her actions.
Turner has created a very dark and unsettling read, one where all the characters made me nervous to spend too long with them. I didn’t like delving into their psyche but had to – a bit like picking at a scab. I needed to know what was going to happen in this remote Scottish community.
Lily and Della are sisters with quite a harrowing past. I didn’t know what to believe happened to those two girls and their parents. It felt like there was a lot of smoke and mirrors from both to hide what really happened – that or denial of reality.
Silas is a strange individual. His background that Turner gives glimpses of are distressing for an individual with siblings. Gaia feels like a domineering or jealous sibling – is it a male:female thing? I don’t know. All I know is Silas is scarred by her actions.
Turner has created a very dark and unsettling read, one where all the characters made me nervous to spend too long with them. I didn’t like delving into their psyche but had to – a bit like picking at a scab. I needed to know what was going to happen in this remote Scottish community.
February 16, 2025
Oh my goodness - what a creepy, dark and really good book this is.
There’s an island off the coast of Scotland without a name. They say it’s where the devil fell to earth. The inhabitants of the island are insular in all their ways. Their rules and laws are of folklore, superstition, of myth and fear. No one visits the island and mainlanders think they are all mad.
Then along comes the Pedley sisters, Lily and Della. They are fleeing Cornwall after being accused of killing their mother and father. Their crime is known around the world so they seek to make a new home in the isolated community on the island without a name. But…. is there more to their reasons for being there? Are they both who they seem to be? Is anyone?
This book is horror in a dark gothic sense and wickedly disturbing! If that’s a genre you like you will love this. Highly recommended.
There’s an island off the coast of Scotland without a name. They say it’s where the devil fell to earth. The inhabitants of the island are insular in all their ways. Their rules and laws are of folklore, superstition, of myth and fear. No one visits the island and mainlanders think they are all mad.
Then along comes the Pedley sisters, Lily and Della. They are fleeing Cornwall after being accused of killing their mother and father. Their crime is known around the world so they seek to make a new home in the isolated community on the island without a name. But…. is there more to their reasons for being there? Are they both who they seem to be? Is anyone?
This book is horror in a dark gothic sense and wickedly disturbing! If that’s a genre you like you will love this. Highly recommended.
May 29, 2025
This book was different than what I normally read, but I’m glad I read it! The writing style is reminiscent of fairy tales and I found it captivating, albeit it took me while to get into the story. I wanted to read slowly so I could absorb everything. Lily and Della are fascinating characters and I truly didn’t know how this story would end.
While listed as mystery/thriller, I would say this also has an element of horror to it. It felt very otherworldly at times. In the book description someone compared it to the movie Midsommar, and I definitely agree. Not for everyone, but if you like that style of movie/book you’d love Small Fires.
This ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
While listed as mystery/thriller, I would say this also has an element of horror to it. It felt very otherworldly at times. In the book description someone compared it to the movie Midsommar, and I definitely agree. Not for everyone, but if you like that style of movie/book you’d love Small Fires.
This ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
June 14, 2025
Oh how I loved this book. Eerie, creepy, disturbing, but wonderfully enjoyable. This is gothic folk horror at its best. 🔥
Meet Della and Lily Pedley. They are pariahs in their home, near Penzance in Cornwall, so they travel to Scotland. There, against the advice of others, they move to an unnamed island where the Devil is alleged to have fallen from the sky. This is the home of the Folk, who live in fear of the Warden. 🔥
Vaguely reminiscent of The Wickerman, Small Fires thrums with tension and unease. And then comes that superb ending. Brilliant. If any book deserves to be a best seller, this one does. 🔥
Many thanks to Trafalgar Square Publishing and Netgalley for the digital ARC.
Meet Della and Lily Pedley. They are pariahs in their home, near Penzance in Cornwall, so they travel to Scotland. There, against the advice of others, they move to an unnamed island where the Devil is alleged to have fallen from the sky. This is the home of the Folk, who live in fear of the Warden. 🔥
Vaguely reminiscent of The Wickerman, Small Fires thrums with tension and unease. And then comes that superb ending. Brilliant. If any book deserves to be a best seller, this one does. 🔥
Many thanks to Trafalgar Square Publishing and Netgalley for the digital ARC.
January 30, 2025
An absolutely cracking novel to rival Stephen King. It is dark and full of folk tales and horror. Telling the story of two sisters who killed their parents in Cornwall and travel up to an named island where the folk live a completely different kind of life. If you loved So Pretty then I guarentee you will love this. Told in very short chapters it pulls you along at a fast pace and doesn't let go. I highly recommend it.
April 18, 2025
This was my first dip into reading anything gothic, or horror, and wow, what a book! The story was beautifully woven, between the punchy and immersive short chapters and a mystical and eerie lyricism to her prose. I can’t wait to read more from this author - but until then, the ending (which made me audibly gasp!) makes me want to re-read the story and pore over every word again, and again.
August 5, 2025
I found this book really hard to read at first, I even thought this might be my first dnf in years, until I got past the halfway mark. I read the second part of the book in one sitting.
I think my mistake with this one was thinking that I could read it ‘little and often’, if I’d read the whole book in bigger chunks as I normally do, I would likely have jelled with the story earlier.
The ending really saved this story for me.
I think my mistake with this one was thinking that I could read it ‘little and often’, if I’d read the whole book in bigger chunks as I normally do, I would likely have jelled with the story earlier.
The ending really saved this story for me.
July 16, 2025
Weird, good. 3.5⭐️
July 25, 2025
Small Fires by Ronnie Turner is the first book I've read by this author, so I didn't know what to expect. Though her writing style confused me at times, she really drew me into the folk horror of her story. To say things weren't as I expected at the end is an understatement!
Sisters Lily and Della Pedley are persecuted for the shocking murder of their parents, and they flee their home in Cornwall to a remote unnamed island in Scotland. The island is known for its strange happenings, but it will keep them safe from gossip and the prying eyes of strangers. Lily is afraid of Della and what she might do, and she realizes that on the island nothing is as it seems. The stories told by the Folk, as the islanders are known, seem to be much more than folklore. Della easily settles into life there, as the Folk are drawn to her strangeness. Lily, however, is haunted by unsettling dreams. An annual festival draws near, and Lily discovers she has much more to fear than she knew. Or does she?
This story was, in a word, weird. Very, very weird! I had a bit of trouble getting into the rhythm of it for a while. The author told the story from viewpoints of "Him" and "Her", and the timelines changed from past to present frequently. The characters and their family situations were very odd and unsettling. That word - unsettling - is the feeling the entire store invoked in me. People were not as they appeared to be. Not even close! Lily is the younger Pedley sister, pretty, petite and blonde, whereas Della the elder sister was dark and brooding and large; at least that was my impression of her. My sister and I are as different as night and day, except for the family sarcasm. These siblings, however, gave a whole new meaning to "sister"! They were both total opposites, but equally chilling. Their "games" were basically torturing each other. Talk about disturbing! The family dynamic among the girls and both of their now-deceased parents was scary. Should parents be terrified of their children's games?! Local Silas seemed like a normal person...at first. He had the same type of relationship with his now-gone sister Gaia as the Pedley girls did, and perhaps even worse. Silas seemed to be taken by Lily, and it first it seemed like a sweet relationship...until it wasn't. The Folk of the island were all quite, um, different than most. They believed "The Warden" watched over them all; he was the De vil who fell through the earth and lived there. He had to be appeased by the blood of children. The folklore of the Folk was nightmarish. They could give Grimm's Fairy Tales a run for their money! I was thrown for a loop at the end. I won't give it away. I did NOT see any of that coming! This was one eerie, compelling tale. I'm interested to see what else this author will come up with.
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Sisters Lily and Della Pedley are persecuted for the shocking murder of their parents, and they flee their home in Cornwall to a remote unnamed island in Scotland. The island is known for its strange happenings, but it will keep them safe from gossip and the prying eyes of strangers. Lily is afraid of Della and what she might do, and she realizes that on the island nothing is as it seems. The stories told by the Folk, as the islanders are known, seem to be much more than folklore. Della easily settles into life there, as the Folk are drawn to her strangeness. Lily, however, is haunted by unsettling dreams. An annual festival draws near, and Lily discovers she has much more to fear than she knew. Or does she?
This story was, in a word, weird. Very, very weird! I had a bit of trouble getting into the rhythm of it for a while. The author told the story from viewpoints of "Him" and "Her", and the timelines changed from past to present frequently. The characters and their family situations were very odd and unsettling. That word - unsettling - is the feeling the entire store invoked in me. People were not as they appeared to be. Not even close! Lily is the younger Pedley sister, pretty, petite and blonde, whereas Della the elder sister was dark and brooding and large; at least that was my impression of her. My sister and I are as different as night and day, except for the family sarcasm. These siblings, however, gave a whole new meaning to "sister"! They were both total opposites, but equally chilling. Their "games" were basically torturing each other. Talk about disturbing! The family dynamic among the girls and both of their now-deceased parents was scary. Should parents be terrified of their children's games?! Local Silas seemed like a normal person...at first. He had the same type of relationship with his now-gone sister Gaia as the Pedley girls did, and perhaps even worse. Silas seemed to be taken by Lily, and it first it seemed like a sweet relationship...until it wasn't. The Folk of the island were all quite, um, different than most. They believed "The Warden" watched over them all; he was the De vil who fell through the earth and lived there. He had to be appeased by the blood of children. The folklore of the Folk was nightmarish. They could give Grimm's Fairy Tales a run for their money! I was thrown for a loop at the end. I won't give it away. I did NOT see any of that coming! This was one eerie, compelling tale. I'm interested to see what else this author will come up with.
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.
February 28, 2025
Though gothic fiction is not my genre of choice, I really enjoyed Ronnie Turner’s So Pretty (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/...) so was excited to read her next offering. Small Fires I would classify as folklore gothic, combining elements of traditional folklore with classic gothic tropes.
Della and Lily Pedley, suspected of murdering their parents, flee Cornwall in southern England to an island in Scotland known only as The God-Forgotten. Strange events occur on the isolated island and people avoid travelling to it because “bitterness runs through the land like poison in blood.” The Folk on the island seem drawn to Della whereas Lily becomes friends with Silas, the publican, and Kit, a visiting geologist. Silas and Kit are different from the rest of the islanders; they don’t seem to live with the same fear that permeates every aspect of the lives of the Folk. Lily is curious and becomes interested in the local stories, especially those about the Warden that the Folk always try to appease. It is soon obvious that “’stories are never simply stories.’”
The island is very much a character in the novel. The opening sentence is “They say the Devil came here.” When the sisters arrive, Lily comments on the silence over the land and the dark mountain casting shadows; she even thinks “This land smells of death.” Kit speaks of the island having “’So much history. All of it bad.’” What is emphasized is that the island is full of legends; Silas, who was born on the island and has lived there all his life, thinks of it as a godless place “Where nothing but stories grow.”
And the inhabitants are a strange lot; they have a religion about the Devil whom they call the Warden; they are variously described as mad and deluded but what stands out is their fear. Kit comments that they live in constant fear because of their beliefs about the Warden which are passed down via their old, ominous legends: “’I’m not saying I don’t think there is something rotten here. There is. But it’s something these people have grown themselves.’” Later, she states, “’There is no illness like the illness of the mind. They think they have a devil. I think they have groomed themselves into a delusion.’” Is Kit correct or is there evil on the island?
The narrative alternates between two perspectives – that of Lily in first person and that of Silas in third person. Whenever there’s a reliance on first person narration, I always question whether the narrator is reliable. For instance, because Lily definitely portrays her sister in a negative light, I kept wanting Della’s point of view. Can Lily be trusted if children react to her with “such fear in their unblemished faces” and her own mother called her Little Wolf? Can Lily be innocent if she admits “We murdered our parents”? Yet Silas’s opinion of Della confirms Lily’s; when he sees Della for the first time, he describes her: “The tall one has long fingers, a thick neck inches wider than his own. A beast among men” and from Lily’s behaviour, he concludes she is frightened of Della. Certainly point of view was carefully chosen to keep the reader uncertain.
Imagery is used very purposefully and effectively. There are frequent references to bones, blood, shadows, ghosts, and animals. For instance, “The sun has not yet risen, so the bonfire is their sun, and it puts violence in the shadows and makes them all look like they have beasts inside their skins” and “the clouds are dark like blood when it dries” and “She is outside somewhere, picking through the darkness like a tick on a body” and “He has ghosts inside his eyes. Such hungry ghosts.”
I had difficulty imagining the time period of the novel. It is not until reference is made to an online article, that it’s clear this is a contemporary story. Regardless, I often pictured an earlier time. Rituals like the Tithing made me think of the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. Perhaps the vagueness of time is intentionally used to emphasize timeless themes.
The themes are about generational trauma, the power of stories, and identity. The first two are developed from the beginning. The theme of identity appears later with statements like “’Identity is a powerful thing’” and “’I don’t think you can ever know someone. We are all wearing faces to get through the world. We are all pretending, slipping on new identities’” and “’I have a different skin for every pair of eyes. Sometimes even I am confused.’”
With its constant sense of foreboding, this book is an unsettling read. As I mentioned at the beginning, gothic fiction is not a favourite for me, but this book offers more than an eerie atmosphere. It is well-written and its themes are thought-provoking.
Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) or substack (https://doreenyakabuski.substack.com/) for over 1,100 of my book reviews.
Della and Lily Pedley, suspected of murdering their parents, flee Cornwall in southern England to an island in Scotland known only as The God-Forgotten. Strange events occur on the isolated island and people avoid travelling to it because “bitterness runs through the land like poison in blood.” The Folk on the island seem drawn to Della whereas Lily becomes friends with Silas, the publican, and Kit, a visiting geologist. Silas and Kit are different from the rest of the islanders; they don’t seem to live with the same fear that permeates every aspect of the lives of the Folk. Lily is curious and becomes interested in the local stories, especially those about the Warden that the Folk always try to appease. It is soon obvious that “’stories are never simply stories.’”
The island is very much a character in the novel. The opening sentence is “They say the Devil came here.” When the sisters arrive, Lily comments on the silence over the land and the dark mountain casting shadows; she even thinks “This land smells of death.” Kit speaks of the island having “’So much history. All of it bad.’” What is emphasized is that the island is full of legends; Silas, who was born on the island and has lived there all his life, thinks of it as a godless place “Where nothing but stories grow.”
And the inhabitants are a strange lot; they have a religion about the Devil whom they call the Warden; they are variously described as mad and deluded but what stands out is their fear. Kit comments that they live in constant fear because of their beliefs about the Warden which are passed down via their old, ominous legends: “’I’m not saying I don’t think there is something rotten here. There is. But it’s something these people have grown themselves.’” Later, she states, “’There is no illness like the illness of the mind. They think they have a devil. I think they have groomed themselves into a delusion.’” Is Kit correct or is there evil on the island?
The narrative alternates between two perspectives – that of Lily in first person and that of Silas in third person. Whenever there’s a reliance on first person narration, I always question whether the narrator is reliable. For instance, because Lily definitely portrays her sister in a negative light, I kept wanting Della’s point of view. Can Lily be trusted if children react to her with “such fear in their unblemished faces” and her own mother called her Little Wolf? Can Lily be innocent if she admits “We murdered our parents”? Yet Silas’s opinion of Della confirms Lily’s; when he sees Della for the first time, he describes her: “The tall one has long fingers, a thick neck inches wider than his own. A beast among men” and from Lily’s behaviour, he concludes she is frightened of Della. Certainly point of view was carefully chosen to keep the reader uncertain.
Imagery is used very purposefully and effectively. There are frequent references to bones, blood, shadows, ghosts, and animals. For instance, “The sun has not yet risen, so the bonfire is their sun, and it puts violence in the shadows and makes them all look like they have beasts inside their skins” and “the clouds are dark like blood when it dries” and “She is outside somewhere, picking through the darkness like a tick on a body” and “He has ghosts inside his eyes. Such hungry ghosts.”
I had difficulty imagining the time period of the novel. It is not until reference is made to an online article, that it’s clear this is a contemporary story. Regardless, I often pictured an earlier time. Rituals like the Tithing made me think of the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. Perhaps the vagueness of time is intentionally used to emphasize timeless themes.
The themes are about generational trauma, the power of stories, and identity. The first two are developed from the beginning. The theme of identity appears later with statements like “’Identity is a powerful thing’” and “’I don’t think you can ever know someone. We are all wearing faces to get through the world. We are all pretending, slipping on new identities’” and “’I have a different skin for every pair of eyes. Sometimes even I am confused.’”
With its constant sense of foreboding, this book is an unsettling read. As I mentioned at the beginning, gothic fiction is not a favourite for me, but this book offers more than an eerie atmosphere. It is well-written and its themes are thought-provoking.
Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) or substack (https://doreenyakabuski.substack.com/) for over 1,100 of my book reviews.
February 20, 2025
Small Fires is so dark, so visceral that it is the very stuff of nightmares. Not the slasher kind of nightmares, the kind that you might get if someone had got inside your head and started scratching behind your eyeballs. It’s a bit like The Wicker Man meets The Brothers Grimm with added toxicity.
Which isn’t at all to deny that Ronnie Turner isn’t a beautiful writer. Her prose is delicate and wonderfully wrought. Descriptive, precise, lyrical where the text demands it, brutal where the story needs it. Small Fires is a dark Gothic masterpiece wrapped up in storytellers’ language. And this is a book that is all about storytelling. The power of stories to haunt our souls, to get inside our heads and grow there like a tumour. Hypnotic, mesmerising stories that skew your perception and instill fear in your heart.
Lily and Della Pedley, are sisters. It is widely said on the mainland that they murdered their parents. Everyone believes it, though nothing has actually been proven. Fed up of their reputation following them wherever they go, the two young women head for a small Scottish Island that is steeped in its own folklore. It is a place where few mainlanders ever want to travel. This island has its own set of dark stories that folk are wont to tell about the happenings here. The islanders like it that way. They are not, on the whole, a particularly welcoming bunch.
Lily and Della are like two peas in the same pod – if one were black and the other green. We hear stories from their childhood that strike the first chords of fear, like discordant violin strings wailing a lament.
When they first arrive on the island each finds their own way to settle in, and although they are close, Lily seems to fear Della and her new friend Silas listens to her fears with attentiveness. The island is not an easy place to live. The locals live by their own folklore and even the trees have stories that make the branches reach out and catch your arm, scratching as you pass them by.
This island is a dark and Gothic place, and the islanders carry that darkness within them. The setting is sublime and paves the way for a tense, suspenseful and shocking set of stories that left me on edge and slightly unwilling to close my eyes lest the nightmares begin.
Yet Ronnie Turner’s writing creates a spell over the reader. I needed to know more about these sisters; more about who they are and what made them that way. About this island which keeps its secrets close, yet never fails to let its few visitors know what local folk lore and legends say about it.
This place draws you in and feeds you such stories as will chill your heart and scramble your mind. The magnetism of the island and its inhabitants, of the stories that they tell, kept me on the hook, unable to turn away.
I knew something awful was coming, a wrecking that would destroy my peace, but I did not know where it would come from or what it would be. This is such an original story, drawing me in, entrancing me with words and keeping me on tenterhooks, the prose so gorgeous it sucks you in.
It is creepy and sinister and full of unsuppressed rage. Challenging for sure, sinister and full of foreboding, yet with a devil’s anger that burns so brightly the terror of that anger cuts through the darkness.
Verdict: Brimming with folklore this book speaks to family bonds and the kind of peril that can only come from knowing your family too well. In this case, familiarity breeds the horror that feeds the devil inside all of us. Very highly recommended. Small Fires is a menacing, suspenseful must read book.
Which isn’t at all to deny that Ronnie Turner isn’t a beautiful writer. Her prose is delicate and wonderfully wrought. Descriptive, precise, lyrical where the text demands it, brutal where the story needs it. Small Fires is a dark Gothic masterpiece wrapped up in storytellers’ language. And this is a book that is all about storytelling. The power of stories to haunt our souls, to get inside our heads and grow there like a tumour. Hypnotic, mesmerising stories that skew your perception and instill fear in your heart.
Lily and Della Pedley, are sisters. It is widely said on the mainland that they murdered their parents. Everyone believes it, though nothing has actually been proven. Fed up of their reputation following them wherever they go, the two young women head for a small Scottish Island that is steeped in its own folklore. It is a place where few mainlanders ever want to travel. This island has its own set of dark stories that folk are wont to tell about the happenings here. The islanders like it that way. They are not, on the whole, a particularly welcoming bunch.
Lily and Della are like two peas in the same pod – if one were black and the other green. We hear stories from their childhood that strike the first chords of fear, like discordant violin strings wailing a lament.
When they first arrive on the island each finds their own way to settle in, and although they are close, Lily seems to fear Della and her new friend Silas listens to her fears with attentiveness. The island is not an easy place to live. The locals live by their own folklore and even the trees have stories that make the branches reach out and catch your arm, scratching as you pass them by.
This island is a dark and Gothic place, and the islanders carry that darkness within them. The setting is sublime and paves the way for a tense, suspenseful and shocking set of stories that left me on edge and slightly unwilling to close my eyes lest the nightmares begin.
Yet Ronnie Turner’s writing creates a spell over the reader. I needed to know more about these sisters; more about who they are and what made them that way. About this island which keeps its secrets close, yet never fails to let its few visitors know what local folk lore and legends say about it.
This place draws you in and feeds you such stories as will chill your heart and scramble your mind. The magnetism of the island and its inhabitants, of the stories that they tell, kept me on the hook, unable to turn away.
I knew something awful was coming, a wrecking that would destroy my peace, but I did not know where it would come from or what it would be. This is such an original story, drawing me in, entrancing me with words and keeping me on tenterhooks, the prose so gorgeous it sucks you in.
It is creepy and sinister and full of unsuppressed rage. Challenging for sure, sinister and full of foreboding, yet with a devil’s anger that burns so brightly the terror of that anger cuts through the darkness.
Verdict: Brimming with folklore this book speaks to family bonds and the kind of peril that can only come from knowing your family too well. In this case, familiarity breeds the horror that feeds the devil inside all of us. Very highly recommended. Small Fires is a menacing, suspenseful must read book.
June 25, 2025
I was hugely impressed by Ronnie Turner's previous gothic thriller, So Pretty but in Small Fires she takes everything up another level and this is an exceptional read.
The alternating 'Her' and 'Him' chapters follow Lily Pedley and Silas Mair, whose separate stories gradually become fiendishly intertwined. Lily and her older sister, Della arrive on a remote island bearing a terrible reputation. Following the shocking deaths of their parents, they have faced fevered speculation and persecution as the media and public debate whether they were responsible for the double murder. Without enough evidence to charge them, the sisters have fled to a place which is as notorious as they are. There are numerous stories told about the strange Folk who inhabit the island and the mainlanders who have been haunted by the sounds of piercing screams and an epidemic of laughter carried over the water are terrified of the place.
However, as peculiar as the residents may be, the monsters in the story aren't necessarily found among the Folk. Lily's beauty and love of small children is in marked contrast to Della's imposing stature and her constant admonitions to Lily to "mind me". As Lily recalls the twisted games the sisters played as children and the disturbing stories Della recounted to her, it becomes clear that something dark has tainted them both. Lily, though, begins to befriend Silas who is the only ordinary person on the island but the chapters told from his perspective which look back on the cruel interactions between him and his older sister, Gaia, strangely mirror the warped relationship shared by Lily and Della.
Small Fires is really about the power of stories and the atmospheric sense of place lends itself perfectly to this. The islanders believe the devil fell to the earth on the island and never left. They try to appease him but fear has impregnated the place like a poison. Meanwhile, the stories told to Lily and Silas as children are dark and violent; in her superbly imagined, original legends, Ronnie Turner captures the brutally malevolent lyricism of old myths, fables and fairytales beautifully. However, the truly abhorrent deeds perpetrated aren't in these tales but in homes and against bodies.
Ronnie Turner never shies away from exposing the worst of human behaviour and while nothing is gratuitous, it is worth mentioning that sexual assaults and the subsequent guilt, horror and rage form an important part of the narrative. Small Fires is an intricately plotted, multilayered novel which explores themes such as possession, jealousy and familial toxicity with piercing insight. As the novel progresses, the sense of foreboding becomes increasingly unsettling and with innocent lives at stake, the battle-lines between good and evil are often chillingly blurred.
Featuring a cast of superbly rendered characters – while Lily, Della and Silas give the book its black heart, islanders such as the reclusive Brid are grotesquely compelling – the striking descriptions of the island itself bring it so vividly to life, it also becomes a character in its own right.
This sinister, intriguing folk horror novel worms its way under your skin; Small Fires is a brilliant, compulsively haunting read which will stay with me. I very highly recommend it.
The alternating 'Her' and 'Him' chapters follow Lily Pedley and Silas Mair, whose separate stories gradually become fiendishly intertwined. Lily and her older sister, Della arrive on a remote island bearing a terrible reputation. Following the shocking deaths of their parents, they have faced fevered speculation and persecution as the media and public debate whether they were responsible for the double murder. Without enough evidence to charge them, the sisters have fled to a place which is as notorious as they are. There are numerous stories told about the strange Folk who inhabit the island and the mainlanders who have been haunted by the sounds of piercing screams and an epidemic of laughter carried over the water are terrified of the place.
However, as peculiar as the residents may be, the monsters in the story aren't necessarily found among the Folk. Lily's beauty and love of small children is in marked contrast to Della's imposing stature and her constant admonitions to Lily to "mind me". As Lily recalls the twisted games the sisters played as children and the disturbing stories Della recounted to her, it becomes clear that something dark has tainted them both. Lily, though, begins to befriend Silas who is the only ordinary person on the island but the chapters told from his perspective which look back on the cruel interactions between him and his older sister, Gaia, strangely mirror the warped relationship shared by Lily and Della.
Small Fires is really about the power of stories and the atmospheric sense of place lends itself perfectly to this. The islanders believe the devil fell to the earth on the island and never left. They try to appease him but fear has impregnated the place like a poison. Meanwhile, the stories told to Lily and Silas as children are dark and violent; in her superbly imagined, original legends, Ronnie Turner captures the brutally malevolent lyricism of old myths, fables and fairytales beautifully. However, the truly abhorrent deeds perpetrated aren't in these tales but in homes and against bodies.
Ronnie Turner never shies away from exposing the worst of human behaviour and while nothing is gratuitous, it is worth mentioning that sexual assaults and the subsequent guilt, horror and rage form an important part of the narrative. Small Fires is an intricately plotted, multilayered novel which explores themes such as possession, jealousy and familial toxicity with piercing insight. As the novel progresses, the sense of foreboding becomes increasingly unsettling and with innocent lives at stake, the battle-lines between good and evil are often chillingly blurred.
Featuring a cast of superbly rendered characters – while Lily, Della and Silas give the book its black heart, islanders such as the reclusive Brid are grotesquely compelling – the striking descriptions of the island itself bring it so vividly to life, it also becomes a character in its own right.
This sinister, intriguing folk horror novel worms its way under your skin; Small Fires is a brilliant, compulsively haunting read which will stay with me. I very highly recommend it.
March 12, 2025
Sisters Della and Lily Pedley flee their home in Cornwall searching for refuge from the gossip that insinuates they killed their parents. Their destination is a tiny unnamed island off the coast of Scotland where they hope to find peace, but they are unprepared for quite how bizarre the island people are - people those on the mainland call the God-Forgotten.
The girls are eyed with suspicion from the start, and the whispers about their wickedness, that they hoped to leave behind, follow them still. Kindly Silas, who lives apart on the high moors, is the only one who seems free of the strange beliefs that keep the Folk tethered to their fear of The Warden, their own personal Devil who legend tells lives under the land.
As the annual festival approaches, the Folk are drawn to Della's strangeness, sensing a kindred spirit in her monstrous frame, while petite, blonde Lily is plagued with vivid dreams. Silas is determined to save Lily, but this is a place where things are not quite what they seem.
Ronnie Turner's Small Fires is a deeply unsettling journey into Gothic horror, and the way she weaves folklore and dark fairy tales into a modern setting makes it all the more eerie. Imagine a pair of sisters made famous by the media frenzy around deaths which may, or may not, be suspicious, thrown into a small community setting rife with Wicker Man vibes, and them multiply the stakes by making those sisters more dangerous than the odd people they make their new home with... it is a seductive premise, and Turner casts a perturbing spell upon you as she makes the most of it.
The story unfolds through the narratives of Lily and Silas, switching back and forth between their accounts of events in the present, and stories about their disturbing sibling relationships in the past - Lily with Della, and Silas with his sister Gaia. The pace is almost achingly slow, with meandering storylines, and scenes that bleed into one another, leaving you reeling from the legacy of the past as a new disorienting turn reveals itself.
Everyone in this story is damaged by trauma, and Turner uses the blurring of stories and memories to cloud your mind with an orgy of dysfunction and violence that misleads and misdirects to perfection. Is this a place where the boundary between reality and the otherworldly has been worn thin by generations of bloodshed? Are these people wicked, misguided, subsumed by mass delusion, or being controlled? Are the sisters quite what they seem? Turner holds her secrets fast, and the twists, when they come are corkers.
She layers her themes quite spectacularly too - scarred psyches, manipulation, love-hate relationships, the bonds of familial duty, the power of suggestion, and most strikingly, female rage. The way she uses the notion and imagery around 'small fires' that can set the world aflame is simply delicious.
Like So Pretty before it (which is cleverly referenced in this story), this is a novel which takes you to the dark side of human nature... and leaves a piece of itself behind. Probably best to read this one in the daylight hours! More please!
The girls are eyed with suspicion from the start, and the whispers about their wickedness, that they hoped to leave behind, follow them still. Kindly Silas, who lives apart on the high moors, is the only one who seems free of the strange beliefs that keep the Folk tethered to their fear of The Warden, their own personal Devil who legend tells lives under the land.
As the annual festival approaches, the Folk are drawn to Della's strangeness, sensing a kindred spirit in her monstrous frame, while petite, blonde Lily is plagued with vivid dreams. Silas is determined to save Lily, but this is a place where things are not quite what they seem.
Ronnie Turner's Small Fires is a deeply unsettling journey into Gothic horror, and the way she weaves folklore and dark fairy tales into a modern setting makes it all the more eerie. Imagine a pair of sisters made famous by the media frenzy around deaths which may, or may not, be suspicious, thrown into a small community setting rife with Wicker Man vibes, and them multiply the stakes by making those sisters more dangerous than the odd people they make their new home with... it is a seductive premise, and Turner casts a perturbing spell upon you as she makes the most of it.
The story unfolds through the narratives of Lily and Silas, switching back and forth between their accounts of events in the present, and stories about their disturbing sibling relationships in the past - Lily with Della, and Silas with his sister Gaia. The pace is almost achingly slow, with meandering storylines, and scenes that bleed into one another, leaving you reeling from the legacy of the past as a new disorienting turn reveals itself.
Everyone in this story is damaged by trauma, and Turner uses the blurring of stories and memories to cloud your mind with an orgy of dysfunction and violence that misleads and misdirects to perfection. Is this a place where the boundary between reality and the otherworldly has been worn thin by generations of bloodshed? Are these people wicked, misguided, subsumed by mass delusion, or being controlled? Are the sisters quite what they seem? Turner holds her secrets fast, and the twists, when they come are corkers.
She layers her themes quite spectacularly too - scarred psyches, manipulation, love-hate relationships, the bonds of familial duty, the power of suggestion, and most strikingly, female rage. The way she uses the notion and imagery around 'small fires' that can set the world aflame is simply delicious.
Like So Pretty before it (which is cleverly referenced in this story), this is a novel which takes you to the dark side of human nature... and leaves a piece of itself behind. Probably best to read this one in the daylight hours! More please!
March 11, 2025
This is a dark gothic tale which is twisted, mesmerising and extremely atmospheric.
When Lily and Della Pedley reach the Island they are hoping for a fresh start and an escape from their past. But the Folk know what they did - they murdered their parents, they are witches and evil. Even on an isolated island off the coast of Scotland, their history follows them. But the Island has its own history, as it is the land of a fallen Devil and he now lives under the soil and the Folk bow down to him.
This was one of the most uncomfortable and unsettling reads I have picked up in a long time but in the best way. It felt claustrophobic, made my spine crawl with uneasiness and at times I had to put it down as it was all-consuming. This is a testament to the author’s superb writing and world-building. It does feel like a punch into your solar plexus. It is hypnotic and is filled full of Scottish and Cornish mythology that weaves around the sisters and their actions. The author explores the role stories and ancient tales play in the present and their importance in local communities. She also examines how we perceive people’s identities and how we perceive ourselves.
The setting of the Island, isolated and cut off from the mainland was a masterstroke as it evolves into a character of its own. One filled full of tales of misdeeds, legends and memories passed on through the generations. Right from the start its presence is foreboding and a mass of darkness and tension. This in combination with the push and pull of the sister’s relationship and their co-dependencies makes for a brilliant read.
Lily and Della are like ying and yang. One is dark and one is light. Two sides of the same coin. They arrive on the Island burdened with people’s judgment and prejudices due to the huge media furore that surrounded their parent's deaths. It is clear that they have had an interesting childhood so to speak. One child obsessed with pain and violence, and the other wants to please their sister and protect them. But what do we really know about them?
This was a brilliant gothic tale and I can't wait to see what comes next from the pen of Ronnie Turner!
When Lily and Della Pedley reach the Island they are hoping for a fresh start and an escape from their past. But the Folk know what they did - they murdered their parents, they are witches and evil. Even on an isolated island off the coast of Scotland, their history follows them. But the Island has its own history, as it is the land of a fallen Devil and he now lives under the soil and the Folk bow down to him.
This was one of the most uncomfortable and unsettling reads I have picked up in a long time but in the best way. It felt claustrophobic, made my spine crawl with uneasiness and at times I had to put it down as it was all-consuming. This is a testament to the author’s superb writing and world-building. It does feel like a punch into your solar plexus. It is hypnotic and is filled full of Scottish and Cornish mythology that weaves around the sisters and their actions. The author explores the role stories and ancient tales play in the present and their importance in local communities. She also examines how we perceive people’s identities and how we perceive ourselves.
The setting of the Island, isolated and cut off from the mainland was a masterstroke as it evolves into a character of its own. One filled full of tales of misdeeds, legends and memories passed on through the generations. Right from the start its presence is foreboding and a mass of darkness and tension. This in combination with the push and pull of the sister’s relationship and their co-dependencies makes for a brilliant read.
Lily and Della are like ying and yang. One is dark and one is light. Two sides of the same coin. They arrive on the Island burdened with people’s judgment and prejudices due to the huge media furore that surrounded their parent's deaths. It is clear that they have had an interesting childhood so to speak. One child obsessed with pain and violence, and the other wants to please their sister and protect them. But what do we really know about them?
This was a brilliant gothic tale and I can't wait to see what comes next from the pen of Ronnie Turner!
April 20, 2025
Gothic horror set on an unnamed island off SCOTLAND
“..they say the land was so strange, no one dared name it…” It is mooted by those who live on the mainland, who look across towards the island, that the devil lives there….. Where are the children? Where are the walkers? Bird-watchers?…Where are the birds?
Welcome to the unnamed island where sisters Lily and Della Pedley have just arrived from Cornwall. “Anywhere Lily goes, Della goes too, as if they are stitched together with a fine thread no one can see”. They want to relocate permanently, much to the surprise of the locals.
The author creates a mesmerising and sinister backdrop as the sisters begin to acquaint themselves with the terrain and the people. The wind-chimes outside the house tinkle eerily, drowning out the moans of lost children, droplets of glass catch the light, the smell of death prevails….
Lily is trepidatious whilst Della actively chooses to immerse herself in the roiling malevolence of the dystopian landscape. The two women have (allegedly) killed their parents; their choice of new home isn’t, therefore, altogether a surprise.
Death and the devil are relentlessly woven into the fabric of this novel, and it is a good read for readers who like gothic horror and mystery. Short, sharp chapters with crisp storytelling add to the pathos. The author tips her hat to the essence of the classic fairy tale story. The backdrop is chillingly rendered.
“..they say the land was so strange, no one dared name it…” It is mooted by those who live on the mainland, who look across towards the island, that the devil lives there….. Where are the children? Where are the walkers? Bird-watchers?…Where are the birds?
Welcome to the unnamed island where sisters Lily and Della Pedley have just arrived from Cornwall. “Anywhere Lily goes, Della goes too, as if they are stitched together with a fine thread no one can see”. They want to relocate permanently, much to the surprise of the locals.
The author creates a mesmerising and sinister backdrop as the sisters begin to acquaint themselves with the terrain and the people. The wind-chimes outside the house tinkle eerily, drowning out the moans of lost children, droplets of glass catch the light, the smell of death prevails….
Lily is trepidatious whilst Della actively chooses to immerse herself in the roiling malevolence of the dystopian landscape. The two women have (allegedly) killed their parents; their choice of new home isn’t, therefore, altogether a surprise.
Death and the devil are relentlessly woven into the fabric of this novel, and it is a good read for readers who like gothic horror and mystery. Short, sharp chapters with crisp storytelling add to the pathos. The author tips her hat to the essence of the classic fairy tale story. The backdrop is chillingly rendered.
January 3, 2026
Small Fires is a haunting, immersive gothic novel that seeps under the skin and refuses to let go. Ronnie Turner crafts a story drenched in atmosphere, where folklore, fear, and family loyalty intertwine with devastating effect.
From the opening pages, the tension between sisters Lily and Della feels raw and volatile. Their flight to the remote Scottish island does not bring safety, but instead amplifies the darkness already coiled between them. The island itself is a masterstroke of character building. It feels alive, hostile, and complicit, steeped in rituals and whispered histories that blur the line between myth and menace.
What makes this novel especially compelling is its psychological depth. Lily’s growing unease contrasts sharply with Della’s unsettling ease among the islanders, creating a slow burn dread that builds relentlessly. Themes of female rage, possession, and the danger of unquestioned belief are explored with intelligence and restraint, making the horror feel earned rather than gratuitous.
Turner’s prose is lyrical yet sharp, allowing moments of beauty to exist alongside genuine terror. The festival sequence is particularly powerful, unfolding with a creeping inevitability that leaves the reader both mesmerized and horrified.
Small Fires is not just a gothic horror novel, but a meditation on how stories shape identity and how familial bonds can become both refuge and ruin. Fans of folk horror and modern gothic fiction will find this book deeply satisfying and disturbingly unforgettable.
From the opening pages, the tension between sisters Lily and Della feels raw and volatile. Their flight to the remote Scottish island does not bring safety, but instead amplifies the darkness already coiled between them. The island itself is a masterstroke of character building. It feels alive, hostile, and complicit, steeped in rituals and whispered histories that blur the line between myth and menace.
What makes this novel especially compelling is its psychological depth. Lily’s growing unease contrasts sharply with Della’s unsettling ease among the islanders, creating a slow burn dread that builds relentlessly. Themes of female rage, possession, and the danger of unquestioned belief are explored with intelligence and restraint, making the horror feel earned rather than gratuitous.
Turner’s prose is lyrical yet sharp, allowing moments of beauty to exist alongside genuine terror. The festival sequence is particularly powerful, unfolding with a creeping inevitability that leaves the reader both mesmerized and horrified.
Small Fires is not just a gothic horror novel, but a meditation on how stories shape identity and how familial bonds can become both refuge and ruin. Fans of folk horror and modern gothic fiction will find this book deeply satisfying and disturbingly unforgettable.
March 15, 2025
My thoughts
I’m not sure where to start with this because it’s such a hypnotic read. It’s dark, lyrical, deceptive prose gets under your skin and really takes everything you want to believe, twisting and turning it until you get to an unexpected ending.
There are twists and double twists, hints and warnings of things much deeper and still we read on. Its dark gothic vibes will keep you reading all night as they did me.
The author is capable of causing the creeping dread that grows from the first page. She has no need to create jump scares as the feeling in your stomach is so edgy that you can’t put it down. I got shades of The Wicker Man but with so much more.
If you enjoy dark fairy tales, folk tales, small town stories and folk horror that makes you wonder this will be perfect. I’d recommend it anyway to anyone. It almost defies genre with dark and light, folk tales are weaving how women are portrayed in the world, protection and survival.
Above anything else it shines a light on the prejudices and stereotypes we all carry, without necessarily acknowledging or even noticing. This brings up women’s relationships, sisterhood and so much more. I love the nod to her previous book. This will be one of my books of the year as it will haunt me.
With thanks to the publisher and the author for the advanced reading copy of this book.
I’m not sure where to start with this because it’s such a hypnotic read. It’s dark, lyrical, deceptive prose gets under your skin and really takes everything you want to believe, twisting and turning it until you get to an unexpected ending.
There are twists and double twists, hints and warnings of things much deeper and still we read on. Its dark gothic vibes will keep you reading all night as they did me.
The author is capable of causing the creeping dread that grows from the first page. She has no need to create jump scares as the feeling in your stomach is so edgy that you can’t put it down. I got shades of The Wicker Man but with so much more.
If you enjoy dark fairy tales, folk tales, small town stories and folk horror that makes you wonder this will be perfect. I’d recommend it anyway to anyone. It almost defies genre with dark and light, folk tales are weaving how women are portrayed in the world, protection and survival.
Above anything else it shines a light on the prejudices and stereotypes we all carry, without necessarily acknowledging or even noticing. This brings up women’s relationships, sisterhood and so much more. I love the nod to her previous book. This will be one of my books of the year as it will haunt me.
With thanks to the publisher and the author for the advanced reading copy of this book.
March 3, 2025
I know it’s supposed to but Small Fires really freaked me out. All those horrific folk tales. It’s like nothing I’ve ever read before.
Sisters Lily and Della killed their parents (allegedly though it was never proved) and fled to a remote Scottish island, a place filled with superstition, folklore, and belief in the Devil. I was waiting for Christopher Lee to appear and start building a Wicker Man.
Everyone who lives there appears to be mad, but in reality it is fear. Some of the stories – many based on Celtic/Cornish folklore – are horrifying, as children’s folk tales often are. The Boy at the Bottom of the Sea, Aine’s Well, The Poor Maidens etc have all been written by the author to enhance the back stories. Others you may recognise, like the stories of Gaia, Charon the Ferryman, the Dryads, the Pleiades. They are often told to children as a warning, like the story of Baba Yaga from my Polish heritage.
But it’s the story of Brid in particular, who killed her children, and lives in the Pale Bones, that is one of the most horrific. Some of these tales will infect my dreams (like the terrifying Struwwelpeter by Heinrich Hoffmann that my mother owned when I was a child) and live in my consciousness for many years to come.
But back to the story. Della is the older sister. She’s big and tall and frightening. Lily is tiny and pretty. Children flock to her. On the island, Silas is different. He doesn’t believe any of the myths. But nothing is ever what it seems and people have many faces.
I loved this book, though I found it scarier than any serial killer thriller or slasher movie. The darkness is insidious. It creeps and slides, like the blood that seeps into the ground on the island.
Many thanks to Orenda Books for inviting me to be on the #blogtour
Sisters Lily and Della killed their parents (allegedly though it was never proved) and fled to a remote Scottish island, a place filled with superstition, folklore, and belief in the Devil. I was waiting for Christopher Lee to appear and start building a Wicker Man.
Everyone who lives there appears to be mad, but in reality it is fear. Some of the stories – many based on Celtic/Cornish folklore – are horrifying, as children’s folk tales often are. The Boy at the Bottom of the Sea, Aine’s Well, The Poor Maidens etc have all been written by the author to enhance the back stories. Others you may recognise, like the stories of Gaia, Charon the Ferryman, the Dryads, the Pleiades. They are often told to children as a warning, like the story of Baba Yaga from my Polish heritage.
But it’s the story of Brid in particular, who killed her children, and lives in the Pale Bones, that is one of the most horrific. Some of these tales will infect my dreams (like the terrifying Struwwelpeter by Heinrich Hoffmann that my mother owned when I was a child) and live in my consciousness for many years to come.
But back to the story. Della is the older sister. She’s big and tall and frightening. Lily is tiny and pretty. Children flock to her. On the island, Silas is different. He doesn’t believe any of the myths. But nothing is ever what it seems and people have many faces.
I loved this book, though I found it scarier than any serial killer thriller or slasher movie. The darkness is insidious. It creeps and slides, like the blood that seeps into the ground on the island.
Many thanks to Orenda Books for inviting me to be on the #blogtour
February 7, 2025
Firstly thank you to TBConFB for a copy of this book.
This is a difficult one, I want to like this as it so different to anything I have read recently. But it actually left me drained. The story follows the Pedley sisters arriving at a strange, dark island where nobody wants to go. The are warned there is a devil there, people hearing strange noises and laughter from across the water.
However the sisters are also on the move due to having been accused of their parent's murdered. So it seems a perfect place for them to go.
Strange things happen on the island, the Folk that live there seems full of madness, people die in strange ways.
I think in a way this was intended to mess with the reader. I did work out what was going on with the sisters but it well hidden and thought through. I just feel a bit weird about it. Which is probably the point and therefore, well done to the author.
This is a difficult one, I want to like this as it so different to anything I have read recently. But it actually left me drained. The story follows the Pedley sisters arriving at a strange, dark island where nobody wants to go. The are warned there is a devil there, people hearing strange noises and laughter from across the water.
However the sisters are also on the move due to having been accused of their parent's murdered. So it seems a perfect place for them to go.
Strange things happen on the island, the Folk that live there seems full of madness, people die in strange ways.
I think in a way this was intended to mess with the reader. I did work out what was going on with the sisters but it well hidden and thought through. I just feel a bit weird about it. Which is probably the point and therefore, well done to the author.
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