Sunday, November 24, 2013

Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea - April Genevieve Tulcolke

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Pages: 360
Published: August 15th 2013 - Dial
Genre: Y.A/ Paranormal
Format: Hardback
Acquired: My Own Collection

Date Finished: October 20th 2013


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.




Quick thoughts: Sombre, twisted, atmospheric and inviting.

This book is really hard for me to rate. On one hand I loved it. It was everything I needed and wanted to read at the time, and yet it was so not what I was expecting when I ordered it. I have the feeling in the back of my mind that something was missing, but the whole story was so packed with little winding story arcs and sordid happenings that it was hard to imagine what else could possibly be slid into the story. So there I was at the end, feeling satisfied, but confused. Contradictions – ah this book. Overall though when I closed the cover I have to say I did like it- maybe not love, but it was like a damn train wreck. One with thousands of passengers splayed everywhere on the cold and dusty tracks with no one to help them and I was helpless to look away, helpless when it came to picking up and reading this book. It drew me in, it held me tight, and I couldn't stop reading it because I just needed to know.

I really loved April's writing style. I will just say that right off. Her attention to detail from an atmospheric and psychological level was captivating. I really enjoyed the pop culture, legends and all round tormenting eeriness that she injected into Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea. The sheer thriller aspect of it wound me up and had me shifting through so many emotions and really putting myself in Violets place. Even at times when I really did not want to. She drew my mind in and had me held prisoner in her well explored settings that even after the book was done were still deeply seeded in my mind. Her style is different, and it does take a little getting used to Especially for me since it seemed like a lot of the time things were just so random. She reminded me a little bit of Nova Ren Suma, where everything is a lot different then it seems and you wonder if you ever going to know what's really happening and before you know it your lost [but in a good way]
The sheer bottled up crazy of this book was what made me love it. It is very rare that I get scared when reading a Y.A book, and even rarer that I can delight in the severity of darkness and really unleashed that side in my mind. This book has everything I needed in a good Gothic read – Supernatural elements, mystery, Psychological terror, betrayal, romance, abuse, murder. A fantastic well fleshed out setting and great little sub-lot gems to keep you guessing and wanting to know. Needing to know the truth.

The characters left a lot to be desired at times. But in the overall context of things I think it worked. I did not like River at all, not even during the end. [He's just not my kind of crazy] and he was one of those characters that made me want to shut the book. Violent wasn't much better, but when it came to the crunch there was a reason she was giving into the violence surrounding her so I couldn't fault her for it and other than that she was a pretty strong character. All the surrounding characters I think played really good parts and I was invested enough in the story to care about them- of course some more than others. And I can't not admit that I am drawn to twisted relationships [being in a few myself] and who can resist the pull of a bad boy.

I was kind of hoping this would be a stand alone and to me I could read it as that and be happy.

Would I read it again – yes, even though it is one of those books that was a good enough read the first time around. I think it will stay on my shelf because it is one of those rare, twisted and addictive reads that I will always have a place for in my life.

Would I recommend it? - Yes. If you are a fan of dark Y.A Supernatural themes then you will probably enjoy it. It is hypnotic and readable and it will certainly have you asking questions, shouting at the page and turning those darn pages late into the morning. A good indication for me is if I can read a good 150+pages in a day then it is worth reading !!
I am giving this one: 

♥♥♥♥♥
Sparks




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