As soon as I saw the beautiful cover of this book, I was sold. The font, the edit and the haunting imagery were the first reason I ordered Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea. The second reason was the synopsis. Every now and then I love a dark, thought-provoking and creepy-as-hell novel which will keep me awake deep into the night, contemplating what the frick-frack I just read, and how I’d never picked it up before.
Between the Devil and The Deep Blue Sea by April G Tucholke is a modern gothic horror, a novel which seamlessly blends together some seriously morally wrong supernatural powers and a passionate romance, which will make you question what is wrong and right in a relationship. I found this book harrowing and slightly scary at times. This means serious business coming from a reader who absolutely adores books which grip you from the skin under and leave remnants of their words in your mind, months after flipping through the last pages.
Between the Devil and The Deep Blue Sea follows the story of Violet White, a teenage girl who lives alone with her older brother in the aftermath of her Grandma’s death and Parents’ departure to follow their passion for art over the world. Violet is a strange girl, and I loved how April characterised her. Violet knows she’s weird, but does she care? No, she doesn’t, and this makes her even more appealing and quirky.
After putting up an advert for a housemate in her family’s empty mansion, April meets River Redding, a smirking, darkly-clothed bad boy with a huge, possibly bleeding chip on his shoulder. Sound familiar? *swerves around in chair and stares at bookshelf* Yes, River sounds exactly like every other love interest prancing around the kingdom of YA, but he actually turns out to be the complete opposite. If River ever went to a bar and sang a drunken rendition of ANY song, it would have to be ‘Toxic’ by Britney Spears, because Violet loves what he does but she knows that he’s toxic. The relationship between Violet and River borders on the lines of mind manipulation and abuse, and that’s why I can’t fully back it. River certainly has a lot to make up for, and hopefully in the next book, Between the Spark and the Burn, he can begin the steep road to redemption. River does have some redeeming qualities, and underneath all the hurt and darkness cloaked around him I am positive there is still some goodness left to save.
If you’re looking for an emotional, twisted novel with some psychopathic antagonists and truly unique powers, this book may be just the one you’re looking for. Be prepared to be have your mind blown.
- Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.
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