Sadie Hawkins Sunday Review #20: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Between, Book 1

Author: April Genevieve Tucholke
Pages: 368
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Read: June 23-27, 2013
Source: ARC from publisher for review
Recommended by: Ashleigh Paige of Birth of a New Witch

Description from Goodreads:
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 guesthouse 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.

First Sentence: "'You stop fearing the Devil when you're holding his hand.'"

Review:
Sometimes I'm that guy. You know, the one who reads a book that trusted friends, ones I usually agree with, were super impressed by and ends up unenthused. The blurb for Devil (since I can't be bothered to type all of that out over and over) did give me pause, what with the focus on River coming to town. The whole thing suggests instalove, but early reviews were promising and an ARC arrived, so damn the blurb and full speed ahead! Well, turns out I should have listened to my first instincts, because both the romance and a plot twist bothered me. Be warned that this review contains spoilers, since that was the only way I could explain why I feel the way I do.

In no way do I think Devil is a bad book, and there was even a brief time where I thought a 3.5 rating was coming for it. Tucholke excels especially at the horror aspects. Pretty much everything that happens ranges from eerie to mindfuck to terrifying. The concept and execution of River's deal was done incredibly well. Tucholke also manages to pull off so many surprises, which upped the intensity. If you're really into horror, then I think Devil will probably be worth your time.

The other aspect that I really enjoyed was the atmosphere. As with most gothic novels, there's a sort of place out of time feel to it. Though set in the modern world, Violet's little town and her house seem caught in the past. The most popular town activity is watching old movies. Violet listens to her grandmother's music and wears her grandmother's clothing, as a way of connecting. Violet's been so alone since her grandmother Freddie died, unable to connect with her brother, who she loves but who also irritates her with the way he treats girls. Tucholke sets the scene well, with the spooky giant house, the sleepy town disconnected in some way from modernity, and the slower pace of life. Tucholke's writing fits the narrative well, though it isn't a style that especially speaks to me.

The characters all felt pretty flat to me too, though that could be due to Vi's impaired mental state. The only one I really connected to was Neely, who was for me the most likable in a flawed and strange bunch. The portrayal of Sunshine upset me especially, as she never actually DOES anything, except hook up with Luke, Violet's brother, even though she knows he's seeing another girl too. Sunshine gets called a 'whore,' beat up, terrified and all sorts of things, but the reader never gets a sense that there's anything more than that to her. She's shown as entirely vacuous and vain, living solely to hook up with any willing guy. All of the characters seem pretty similarly one note, but Sunshine was the most distressing.

One of the aspects I didn't care for, as it so often is, is the romance between River and Violet. Now, as the blurb suggests, Violet's instalove for him does have a reason behind it, so, though painful, that's legit. He can mess with her mind somehow and create these feelings in her, which speaks strongly to abusive relationships and could send a powerful message. Unfortunately, I didn't get a real sense of the change he wrought in her, since the book opens pretty much with his arrival, so I never really got a sense of Violet as a person, because I knew her so briefly before her every thought became suspect. I can see where Tucholke put in clues to the brainwashing effect, like how Vi's initial analysis of River's appearance differed greatly once her mind started clouding, but it wasn't quite enough to help me differentiate regular Vi from River's Vi.

SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
For a while there, though, once Vi realized what was going on, everything was great, in the sense that it was creepy and everyone knew that their relationship was unhealthy. I was totally on board with that. However, the kiss of death for the romance came when, mind clear, Violet still wants River. Girl, NO. She knows that he lied to her, that he messed with her mind, and that he nearly compelled her to have sex with him, but she still thinks she might be in love with him? THAT I am not okay with. At all. I mean, maybe it's going to be yet another twist of her mind being tampered with, but that would be a bit much.

During the point where I thought I was going to give Devil 3.5 stars, Vi was skeptical of River and trying to fight his affect on her. She also was learning just how much of a creep he was. River has killed people. Tons of them. I thought that was awesome, and I was looking forward to her taking him out. Well, turns out that River's innocent, at least of some of it. SURPRISE TWIST! An insane half-brother with similar powers has been stalking River and framing him for evil deeds in Vi's town! No. So much no to this. It's overly convenient for one thing and it comes across as a way to excuse River for the things he's done, which is, frankly, bullshit. Though some parts of Devil were fantastic, I just could not enjoy it personally. To me, River does not belong as a love interest but a villain, and everything felt forced in such a way as to not put him in that role.

As I said, early review of Devil have been really positive and there were things I liked, but, as a whole, I really do not see the appeal. Whatever made this magic for others was not there for me.

Rating: 1/5

Favorite Quote: "'I wish people would spread a Faustian rumor about me.' I leaned over and knocked Sunshine's hand out of Luke's hair. 'A Faustian myth,' I repeated. 'It's so much more interesting than just being that nouveau-poor blond girl who lives in a big house with nobody but her jackass brother with pecs bigger than his brain. Sunshine, if I ever disappear, please tell people that I ran after the Devil, trying to get my soul back.'"

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Up Next:

The next Sadie Hawkins Sunday book will be Cold Steel by Kate Elliott, the final book in the Spiritwalker trilogy. Nafiza of Bibliophilic Monologues suggested I get my butt in gear and finish this series, and I'm thrilled to do so, because it has one of my favorite ships ever. Cat and Vai foreverrrrrrr.

Want to tell me what to read? Fill out the following form with a suggestion! For more details, check this post.