Between The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea | Book Review
Between The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea
by April Genevieve Tucholke
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Supernatural Romance, Paranormal Romance
Publication Date: 2013
Publisher: Dial
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 360
Synopsis
You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…
Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town… until River West comes along. River rents the guest house behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard.
Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more?
Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery... who makes you want to kiss back.
Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.
Thoughts
I absolutely adored this book! I became engrossed in the story, and Tucholke did a great job in keeping me on my toes throughout the book. She always kept me wanting to turn one more page. The chapters flew by as the story progressed and I became so emotionally involved with the characters.
First, let me talk about River West.
Yes, you got it. RIVER WEST.
Now Mr West isn’t your ordinary guy! He is dark, not-so-tall and extremely handsome, but he has a dark secret. A secret that did leave me wanting more. And unashamedly more of him. I think I have developed an obsession with this guy, which I am proud to admit thank you very much! And don’t even get me started on his brother!
Let’s talk about Violet White.
She is such a unique character and I couldn’t help but to be drawn to her from the very first page. I loved her curiosity and her realism. Yes, there are kids out there who like painting and living in old houses. I loved the fact that she was a total opposite to her brother, who we partake in some immense character development in the story! Kudos to Tucholke for creating a character who I can easily identify with. But it also helped that I wanted to have River West.
Now onto Tucholke’s writing. Holy cow man. Her writing is extremely powerful and unique in a way where she lists and lets her ‘ands’ roll on top of each other. It’s effective and not at all jarring to the reader like it would be if another author attempted this style of writing. Tucholke really grounds the gothic atmosphere and genre and keeps it going throughout the book, so you never lose the cold, shivering feeling that somebody is standing behind you. WELL DONE.
I didn’t scour the reviews on Goodreads until after I read this book, and too be honest I’m glad I didn’t. The reviews would have stopped me buying this book. A few reviews loved it, and a few reviews hated it, they found flaws with the plot arguing that there wasn’t one, and they felt that the characters were bland. I couldn’t disagree more! I found the plot to be incredibly engaging, and there was one, several plots in fact within this story. For example; you have River West’s secret, you have Violet and her brother’s absent artist parents, you have the rumours in the small town. And these all build and add to the story.
Of course, that does mean that you should still want to listen and read these other reviews of this book. Only you can make the judgement whether you would like this book or not.
It’s not surprising then that I rated this book a whopping...
“Like an ageing ballerina who looked young and supple from far away, but up close had gray at her temples and lines by her eyes and a scar on one cheek.”
“I had a fantasy when i was younger that one of the Glenships would come back and fix the place up. He would be young and beautiful, and not at all insane like his throat-slitting ancestor. He would have slicked-backed hair, an expensive education, and a sharp tongue. The two of us would meet and fight and fall in love and live and have children and grow old in Echo’s second mansion by the sea. I was pretty stupid, when I was younger.”
