between the devil and the deep blue sea by april genevieve tucholke

Without spoiling it for those of you who haven’t read this, there’s an extremely powerful element to one of the main characters, one that’s dangerous and should come with responsibility but doesn’t. Give me the spooky stuff without necessarily getting into horror, and I’m a very happy camper.Īnd on top of that, the concept was an interesting one. It’s got a lovely cover (don’t lie, we all judge books by their covers), and it’s steeped in this misty gothic atmosphere that I just crave, so that worked in its favor! Give me more eerie covers and abandoned mansions and family secrets, please. I initially wasn’t sure what to make of this book.

TW: family death, sexual assault mentions, underage drinking, alcoholism, absent parents/parental neglect, suicide, child abuse, gore, violence Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. 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. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? 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. Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town… until River West comes along. You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

“Our town was small enough that I never developed a healthy fear of strangers.”

Between the devil and the deep blue sea by april genevieve tucholke