Becky's View: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genvieve Tucholke
♦publisher: Dial/Penguin
♦release date: August15th, 2013
♦hardcover, 360 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦series: Between, book 1
♦source: from publisher for honest review

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.

Review:

You hold this book in your lap, stare for just a moment taking in the breathtaking cover. Then you open it up, start to read, and fall head-long into a dark and disturbing story that is thick with atmosphere.   

Violet and Luke live in their decaying cliff-side mansion, their negligent artist parents have taken off to Europe and the family money has run out. To keep them going, Violet decides to rent out their guest house---and along comes River West. With his mystery, worldliness, and crooked smile, (not to mention a gift for cooking) he draws the somewhat sheltered Violet in immediately. She’s an interesting character: unsocial but sweet, often consults with her dead grandmother for advice, and marches to her own drum. River seems so kind to her and has this sort of old-world charm, but you just know something is off with him.  While some will think she falls for River just a little too fast, rest assured that she falls into suspicion of his actions just as quickly.  To be very honest, I have mixed feelings about the love story.  It was mesmerizing in a horrific sort of way.  It’s hard to say much more without spoilers, but I often found myself hoping they wouldn’t end up together. 

The story as a whole was gorgeously told. It’s so incredibly creepy and has such a mysterious, sinister air from start to finish.  There is a very artsy, small-town Twilight Zone feel to it.  The scene in the cemetery with the town’s children running amuck with stakes, hunting down the Devil, was chilling.  The author lets loose imagery of nightmarish monsters in deep dark caves, ghostly little girls delivery warnings, and bloody gore in the town square. The writing and storytelling in Between the Devil and Deep Blue Sea is YA gothic horror at its very best, and when this series continues, I’ll definitely be eager to find out where the story goes next. 

Find April Genevieve Tucholke online: Website  •  Twitter 

Purchase the book:  Amazon  •  BookDepository  •  Indiebound