This week I'm starting Mark This Book Monday with an ARC review of a book that I didn't expect to be approved on NetGalley. Thank you so much Faber & Faber for the approval!!
This book is also part of my 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge, I'm really hoping to catch up on my review copies in a timely manner!
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I had been wanting to read this book for quite a while but I had heard that the ending was quite a bit of bad cliffhanger that left you wailing for book 2, but once I saw the ARC of it on NetGalley I just had to request it!
I will try my very best to keep this review as spoiler free as possible because this book is best experienced with as little information as possible.
I had some issues with the book at first, despite loving the setting and loving Violet White. The setting of their house, Citizen Kane, and the family history and the atmosphere was simply fantastic. The imaginery and the writing are extreme visual and I loved how easily images would pop in my head.
Violet was a wonderful character, I just loved how quirky she was, and how she didn't care about what others thought about her. She was unhappy cause her parents had left her and her twin brothers to go paint to Europe and her main adult figure of her life, her grandma that everyone called Freddie, died a few years back. I loved how she loved to read and wore her grandma old clothes... Then I was I bit puzzled about the dynamics between the twins, because Luke and Violet have a very odd way to communicate and Luke seemed like such an arse in the way he loved annoying, but that's not strange behaviour for brothers.
Then the moment River West arrives to take up residence on the guest house things change very quickly. Violet takes to River like moth to a flame, and though her rational self raises the head on occasion, most of the time she's just taken up on the quirkiness and how different River is. She seems to be totally taken up and fascinated. It just rubbed me the wrong way. As the book progresses it is sort of explained but still, I was wondering if it was gonna be like that for long, I was not going to like the book.
But then along the 50% mark, things begun to get both more disquieting and more interesting and that kept progressing in crescendo until we reach the height of tension and creepiness in the final pages of the book. There are plenty of revelations and unexpected twists that really compensated the main two issues I had with the book.
Aside from the odd insta romance bit, I was also quite irked about the fact that teenagers with absent parents didn't seem to be no one's business. Might be part of the mind your own business policy of small towns or something, but it just felt off.
I'm really really looking forward to reading the next book because I loved the writing, the atmosphere and how the story totally kept me turning pages like there was no tomorrow. 3.5 to 4 stars.
View all my reviews
This book is also part of my 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge, I'm really hoping to catch up on my review copies in a timely manner!
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve TucholkeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I had been wanting to read this book for quite a while but I had heard that the ending was quite a bit of bad cliffhanger that left you wailing for book 2, but once I saw the ARC of it on NetGalley I just had to request it!
I will try my very best to keep this review as spoiler free as possible because this book is best experienced with as little information as possible.
I had some issues with the book at first, despite loving the setting and loving Violet White. The setting of their house, Citizen Kane, and the family history and the atmosphere was simply fantastic. The imaginery and the writing are extreme visual and I loved how easily images would pop in my head.
Violet was a wonderful character, I just loved how quirky she was, and how she didn't care about what others thought about her. She was unhappy cause her parents had left her and her twin brothers to go paint to Europe and her main adult figure of her life, her grandma that everyone called Freddie, died a few years back. I loved how she loved to read and wore her grandma old clothes... Then I was I bit puzzled about the dynamics between the twins, because Luke and Violet have a very odd way to communicate and Luke seemed like such an arse in the way he loved annoying, but that's not strange behaviour for brothers.
Then the moment River West arrives to take up residence on the guest house things change very quickly. Violet takes to River like moth to a flame, and though her rational self raises the head on occasion, most of the time she's just taken up on the quirkiness and how different River is. She seems to be totally taken up and fascinated. It just rubbed me the wrong way. As the book progresses it is sort of explained but still, I was wondering if it was gonna be like that for long, I was not going to like the book.
But then along the 50% mark, things begun to get both more disquieting and more interesting and that kept progressing in crescendo until we reach the height of tension and creepiness in the final pages of the book. There are plenty of revelations and unexpected twists that really compensated the main two issues I had with the book.
Aside from the odd insta romance bit, I was also quite irked about the fact that teenagers with absent parents didn't seem to be no one's business. Might be part of the mind your own business policy of small towns or something, but it just felt off.
I'm really really looking forward to reading the next book because I loved the writing, the atmosphere and how the story totally kept me turning pages like there was no tomorrow. 3.5 to 4 stars.
View all my reviews
I am glad you like this one as I got it from Netgalley too. I have not seen a mixed review for this one. It has either been terrible or it has been really goo. I picking it up in the next week so I will see if I am one or the other.
ReplyDeleteI am not keen on the insta love though! Hopefully the rest of the book will compensate! :)
Thanks for sharing! :)
Alex @ The Shelf Diaries
I'm not keen on instalove either but this book had other very good stuff going on for it for me, thankfully!
DeleteAw, I'm sorry you had some issues with this one. But glad you mostly liked it :D Hmm. Insta-love? Not sure if that is for me. But I do own an ARC of this book, so hopefully reading it soonish :) Thank you for sharing. <3
ReplyDeleteThank you, sweetie! I'd be very interested to hear what you think of this one!
DeleteWaaahhhh, I'm sorry to hear that you didn't love this one, Pili! I LOVED this book - it was my most anticipated novel of 2013, and my favorite novel of 2013. I didn't think the romance was too insta-lovey, but that's just me. I have had an ARC of the second book for the longest time and I should probably get to that, right?! I don't want the duo to end! *dreads/can't wait to read the sequel*
ReplyDeleteFantastic review, Pili!
Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!
Thank you, Alyssa! And even if I didn't absolutely adore it, I really really liked it! I thought the atmosphere and the writing were superb! I cannot wait to read the sequel, you need to read your ARC and tell me how awesome it is!!
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