Review Detail

BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA is a dark and beautiful story set in a small town by the sea. Violet White and her twin brother Luke are left alone in their family mansion while their painter parents visit Europe. To make some money, Violet rents out the guesthouse and River West moves in. Violet is awkward in a cute, quirky way, but she oozes confidence she doesn’t realise she has. I liked her a lot. I struggled to decide how I felt about the mysterious River right up until the end, which was nice and how I think the author intends him to be read, so I won’t say any more on him. This book had me under its spell from page one—the moody atmosphere, the small town setting, the gothic scenery, the constant sense of unease. And the artistic references were right up my street! The whole book really did seem like a work of art in itself. This was something close to perfect for me. The twist blew me away. I thought it was faultless. It’s the kind of book that makes you keep reading “just one more chapter” before bed, then reluctantly stopping several chapters later because you can’t keep your eyes open. The kind of book that stays in your mind when you’re not reading and long after you’ve finished entirely. Stunning debut.