Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Title: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (Between #1)

Author: April Genevieve Tucholke

Genre: YA/Supernatural/Romance

Release Date: August 15, 2013

My Rating:
♥♥♥♥

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. 

Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch.

~ Goodreads

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea has to be one of the most disturbing books I've read in a while (next to Another Little Piece).  Filled to the rim with lyrical lines, Between is a book that I don't see myself forgetting anytime soon.

Violet White lives in a picturesque town that resides next to the sea.  Ginger lemonade, a large mansion, sweet coffee, and two odd companions make up the beginning of her sleepy summer.  That is, until River West strolls into town and rents Violet's guest house.  With his old good looks and smooth walk, River is like a taste of the sun after a year in Alaska.

Strange things start to happen in town, which leads Violet to wonder if River has anything to do with it.  Is River just a smooth-talking city boy... or something more?

Between is such an incredibly weird book.  Excuse me for my use of such a trite word, but that's the main description that comes to mind whenever I think of this book.  Oh, and strange, odd, confusing, etc.

I thought Between was about some young, innocent girl falling in love with the Devil, but I was totally wrong.  The plot is so complex!  I wonder how the author thought of it...

This book is written in such a lovely fashion!  It has the 'I'm poetic and I don't need commas or periods because I'm definitely not going to stop talking' style of writing.  Lately, I've noticed an increase in popularity with this type of writing style.  Although, at times it did feel like a bit too much.  I mean, you can stop for a breath if you'd like.  The whole poetic element mixed with the gore and horror actually worked pretty well.

There is a bit of gore in Between.  Not to the point where you're sprinting to the nearest toilet, but a good amount.  Some of the scenes were very disturbing.  They weren't scary scary like I would have liked, and they were leaning more towards psychological horror than actual horror.  The only book that has really scared me is Ten by Gretchen McNeil.  Between didn't cut it for me in the horror section, but I'm giving it an A+ in abstract horror.

Confusing!  I wasn't sure if Violet was hallucinating half the time because she was already pretty out there as a character, and I was just extremely confused.  Even after finishing the book, I'm only half sure what I think happened actually happened.  Tucholke could have worked on clarifying some parts in Between.

Overall, I'm giving Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea a 4/5 because the writing is lovely, but it left me thoroughly confused.