Search This Blog
June Reviews Link-Up
July Reviews Link-Up
August Reviews Link-Up
September Reviews Link-Up
October Reviews Link-Up
November Reviews Link-Up
December Reviews Link-Up
2024 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas
- California (3)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii
- Idaho (2)
- Illinois (1)
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky (1)
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts (2)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (3)
- North Carolina (4)
- North Dakota
- Ohio (1)
- Oklahoma (1)
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (3)
- Utah
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia (1)
- Washington (2)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.* (1)
International:
- Australia (1)
- Canada (1)
- England (8)
- France (1)
- Indonesia (1)
- Ireland (2)
- Italy (1)
- Scotland (2)
- The Netherlands (1)
2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Atmospheric and Odd, Devil An Absorbing Read
1:00 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Although she's only 17, Violet White feels stuffy and stale, like life has already passed her by. Living in a crumbling old mansion at the edge of the sea only makes her seem more faded, as if she belongs to some bygone era. Her peers find her odd, as does her twin brother, Luke. Violet can't help it—she's a solitary kind of person, one who lives more in the past than in the present. Her parents—both artists living in Europe for the time being—aren't around to push her out of her shell, so she remains curled up in our own little world. Luke intrudes when he wants to, but only to make caustic remarks about the eccentricities of his sister. Which are many.
When the twins realize they are running out of money, with the prospect of parental abandonment likely to continue for the foreseeable future, they decide to rent out the guesthouse on their property. To their surprise, a tenant pops up right away. To their even greater surprise, River West is a handsome, wealthy 17-year-old, who's also on his own. With his crooked smile and devil-may-care personality, the visitor seems destined to shake up Violet's summer. From the moment she sees him, she's drawn in by his playful charm; before she knows it, he's as embedded in her life as sunshine and salty, sea air.
That's when strange things start occurring in Violet's small seaside town. People are seeing things, believing things, doing things so weird and foreboding that she doesn't know what to think. Something's obviously off. Is River somehow to blame? Is he something much more sinister than he seems, some kind of devil in disguise? Or is he just a normal teenage boy having some innocent summer fun? Whichever it is, one thing is clear: after River West, Violet White will never be the same.
I'm not sure exactly what I expected from Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, a haunting debut by April Genevieve Tucholke, but it wasn't what I got. The way I described it in my notes is: odd. Because it is. The characters are odd, the story's odd, and the setting's creepy-odd. Which isn't to say the novel's not compelling because it certainly is, it's just ... different. Atmospheric, with a very gothic feel, the story's definitely absorbing. It kept me reading and, overall, I enjoyed it. It's an odd book, though. Very odd.
(Readalikes: Hm, nothing's really coming to mind. Any ideas?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for strong language (a few F-bombs, plus milder invectives), violence, sexual innuendo and depictions of underage drinking
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
2 comments:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)
Reading
Listening
Followin' with Bloglovin'
-
-
Compared6 hours ago
-
-
Monthly Round-Up: May 202412 hours ago
-
Wyrd & Wonder ~ Sunbolt Readalong Week #413 hours ago
-
Pretty Things by Janelle Brown14 hours ago
-
-
Bookish Quote of the Day!!!18 hours ago
-
-
-
-
First Lines Fridays: May 31, 202422 hours ago
-
Review: Ravensong by TJ Klune22 hours ago
-
-
You Are Here by David Nicholls1 day ago
-
May Reflections1 day ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Bookshelf Bounty6 days ago
-
I have been reading...1 week ago
-
-
The Mayfair Dagger by Ava January1 week ago
-
Sunday Post 5542 weeks ago
-
Reading Recap April 20242 weeks ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
March Monthly Wrap-up1 month ago
-
-
-
-
-
What Happened to Summer?7 months ago
-
6/25/23 Extra Ezra11 months ago
-
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?1 year ago
-
-
-
-
-
Grab my Button!
Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
- ▼ 2014 (133)
- ► 2013 (183)
- ► 2012 (193)
- ► 2011 (232)
- ► 2010 (257)
- ► 2009 (211)
- ► 2008 (192)
This sounds unique and interesting! I am going to add it to my list!
ReplyDeleteI have this book, and I am excited to give it a go. I do enjoy odd books, and I love the cover!
ReplyDelete