News

16
Aug

Thrice Interview + Giveaway: BETWEEN THE DEVIL & THE DEEP BLUE SEA

Hi! Today we’re celebrating the release of April Genevieve Tucholke’s BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA.

They say:  

between the devilYou 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.

A gothic thriller romance with shades of Stephen King and F. Scott Fitzgerald, set against a creepy summertime backdrop–a must-read for fans of BEAUTIFUL CREATURES, THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER, and ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD.

I say: This is one of my favorite books this year. I loved it so much that it’s still lingering in my mind a good two weeks later, and I sent a total fangirl email to April after I read it. I’ll share an excerpt (cut to avoid spoilers about the ending): The atmosphere was gorgeous – so vivid and creepy and lovely. I adore the crumbling old mansion with the warm-glow kitchen and the artist shed and the sound of the ocean and, oh, the attic for playing dress-up and discovering secrets! The Citizen Kane is like another character in its own right and your prose is so lovely without ever taking me out of the story. I adored the small town with its other mysterious falling-down mansion of tragedies and the graveyard and – oh, that scene with the children and the stakes in the graveyard – I was reading it and my husband came home and I was like, THANK GOD because this book is creeping me out to the extent that I am scared to go downstairs! Books don’t usually scare me but the tension just builds beautifully there. I love how smart and snobby Vi is. And how stubborn…I appreciated that she has more going on than just River, as transformative as he is for her – she’s determined to figure shit out and she has her art and her parents to worry about too. Oh, River, how dreamy and yet how untrustworthy – I was fighting against his charm just as Vi was – he’s a liar but such a damned charming one. 

Really, you should all go get this book now. I am going to make all my friends read it.

Now for our interview with April:​

1. Describe your main character in 3 adjectives + a noun.

Violet White is an odd, lonely, bookreading semi-orphan. (JS: And I loved her!)

2. Describe your book in 3 adjectives + a noun.

BETWEEN THE DEVIL is a voice-driven, Stephen King Jane Eyre-inspired, gothic thriller.

3. Describe yourself in 3 adjectives + a noun.

Four-eyed, scarf-wearing, autumn-loving roamer. (JS: I love this! Can we be best friends?)

4. If you could travel to any 3 countries, what would they be?

Italy. Norway. New Zealand.

5. If you could take any 3 non-writing-related classes, what would they be?

Basic carpentry. Film history. How to fake your own death.

6. If you could have any 3 alternate careers, what would they be?

Eccentric heiress. Private eye. Bread baker in the French Alps. (JS: I would also like to be an eccentric heiress, please. Now accepting patrons.)

7. What are your 3 favorite flowers?

​Orange blossoms. Lilacs. Any wildflower (like the pasque).

8. What are your 3 favorite foods?

Affogato. Khai Soi. Butter lettuce with olive oil and parmesan.

9. What are your 3 favorite books?

JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL. JANE EYRE. A GAME OF THRONES.

Thanks so much for stopping by, April!

You can find out more about April and her books at her website.

Giveaway: I loved this book so much I want to give away a copy! Since one of my favorite things about it was the vivid setting, leave a comment telling me about YOUR favorite setting in literature. (Mine would be Hogwarts, but I’d really love to stroll around the Citizen Kane with Violet now. Also San Francisco with Lola from LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR.) Open until next Friday (8/23) at noon EST. US and Canada only.

46 Responses

  1. michelleandleslie

    my favorite setting is Paris in Anna and the French Kiss and New York in the winter in Dash and Lily's Book of Dares.

    thank you for the awesome giveaway! i really, really want to read Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.

  2. Lena Marsteller

    The setting in Origin by Jessica Khoury is pretty cool…. plus I just want a panther as a pet… 😀 I would also choose the different settings (ok mostly the setting in London) in Hex Hall series. Hogwarts would be good too. Its actually hard to pick because all these settings have their ups and downs… 😀

  3. Kathy L.

    I loved The Beautiful and the Cursed setting in 1899's Paris! I remember the Dragon Slippers series having great settings but it's been a while since I read them. Throne Of Glass is another one. Thanks for the chance to win Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. I heard it's supposed to be amazing.

  4. I've honestly never really wondered so much about the setting until I read this!

    But one of my favorite settings has always been the Shadowhunter world Cassie Clare has in her books! The gorgeous locations in New York and London and the Shadowhunter home, Idris!

    Other than that, I'm a huge huge HUGE fan of The Grisha World created by Leigh Bardugo in her Grisha trilogy. I think Ravka is certainly interesting, if not frightening! The setting is eerie and creepy but with the characters Alina, Mal, Nickolai and even the terribly amazing Darkling, Ravka does seem friendly. I like the balance between the terrifying and creepy Fold, and the calm and serene Ravka. In general the Grisha World is intense, gorgeous and irresistible! Its unlike anything I've ever read before.

    Thank you for this amazing giveaway Jessica!

  5. Maggie

    Mine is definitely hogwarts and maybe even Narnia as well. And and neverland 🙂

    I'm super excited to read this book, it sounds amazing

  6. Jenny

    Thank you so much for this giveaway! This book is one of my most anticipated 2013 releases (seriously, you have no idea how excited I am to read it). As for favorite settings, Hogwarts and Stephanie Perkins' Paris come to mind, though I also love Maggie Stiefvater's Henrietta and Thisby, the Archived and Coronado in Victoria Schwab's The Archived and Ravka's Little Palace in Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone.

  7. Mine would be The Crucible in The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas. It's a heirloom in the form of a book that can be used as a training ground. The world consists of fairy-tales altered by the person who has the book. Very intriguing idea and I would love to walk around fairy tale worlds being able to alter what I find there.

    thanks for the giveaway!
    My Friends Are Fiction

  8. Wayne

    I love the Chronicles of Narnia settings. Each book has a different setting & the mythical creatures protrayed are excellent. Narnia is like the tame, less confusing, teenage version of the Lord of the Rings.

  9. How to fake your death would be a cool class to take, not that I'll ever do it… New York City would have to be my favorite setting in literature. I don't really have a favorite specific book that takes place there mainly because NYC is the setting of a lot of my favorite books. But Hogwarts is awesome too! 🙂

  10. great interview! hmmm, let's see, my favorite setting right now is from the comics, metropolois. just knowing superman is flying around somewhere would be awesome. 🙂 but if comics don't count, then it's got to be the circus from the night circus!

  11. KatieB

    Fun interview. =D If I could live in the world of Grave Mercy (Robin Lafevers) that would be sooo cool. I'm a total history buff, and although that world wasn't peachy, I'd still love to go.

  12. Lori T.

    It’s so hard to pick just one, but I really loved the French countryside home in Scarlet. While the world of Nee Beijing in Cinder was bleak and cold, the lovely , old cottage that Scarlet shared with her grandma, the fresh vegetable gardens and flowers, just sounded so wonderful. Plus, it didn’t hurt to have a hottie like Wolf in town 😉

  13. What a fun idea for a giveaway! I think one of my favorite settings in a book is from The Night Circus. I would LOVE to visit the black and white circus with all it’s beautiful magic 🙂

  14. My favorite setting in literature (from a novel I read recently) would have to be Philadelphia in the 1800s from SOMETHING STRANGE & DEADLY. I adore anything historical and the setting incorporated steampunk at a time when the Dead are roaming. Of course the Dead is a drawback, but I loved how that time was about developing machines and at a location that was crucial for American history. I also love the setting in DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE because it takes place in Prague and I love Europe.

    Thank you for hosting this giveaway. I can’t wait to read BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA as I’ve heard a lot of praise about it. 🙂

  15. What a great idea for a giveaway! Hard Q though. I want to say Hogwarts, but ill go with something else for fun…I’d love to spend a day on the other side of Wall, the magical town in STARDUST by Gaiman!!

  16. Beverly

    Oh WOW, favorite setting… I guess to answer that question, I have to ask myself, "If I could insert myself into any place in literature, where would that be?" And I have to completely agree with you. Hogwarts would be phenomenal. Maybe I'd also like to visit the mansion where Rebecca (Daphne Du Maurier) lives, because it was one of the first books I read that really hooked me on literature and the mystery it can create. 🙂

  17. Karis

    Honestly any authors version of the fey world, Tirnanog , the never never, fairy whatever they call it it is always common with grandeur, gorgeous natural elements and flaura EVERYWHERE! !!! I love the idea of a city being fully composed of nature and in the world of the fey where magic works with nature well I'd be in heaven

  18. Tamara

    I love the world in Throne of Glass. The Glass castle sounds terrifying and beautiful at the same time. It's a world I would definitely love to see. There are so many beautiful places in that book!

    Thanks for the giveaway 🙂

  19. Bridget

    I love when books are set in London in the 1800's like The Infernal Device series by Cassandra Clare. I love that time period and the steampunk feel is so much fun.

  20. Christine

    Of course my favorite setting is Hogwarts. What's not to love?
    But I wouldn't mind peeking into the Dauntless setting from Divergent.

  21. Stacie C.

    Hmm I definitely would want to go to Hogwarts! That is one of my favorite series ever!!! If I had to choose another, maybe it would be the dorm setting in Vampire Academy series. Thanks for the giveaway!

  22. Amie

    My favorite setting in literature would have to be either the Hobbit or the Seven Realm series. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea sounds really good and I cannot wait to read it.

    Thank you for the giveaway.

  23. Monica A

    Great interview! For me the most vivid setting would have to be the Republic and the Colonies in Legend and Prodigy by Marie Lu. I read these back in February but I can still picture these perfectly in my head!

  24. Haily

    To be honest, I’ve been thinking about this for a few days now, and I’m coming up with nada. I guess I’m going to have to go with Throne of Glass and Siege and Storm, which I read back to back, so the settings blended together in my mind.

    Thanks for the giveaway!

  25. Caitlyn

    I love the setting in the book series The Mortal Instruments, I love the family home in Idris. Also I love to see Gallifrey from Doctor Who. :0)

  26. There's so much books with settings I love. It's hard to choose a favourite, but one that comes to mind is The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke. I loved the setting of The Assassin's Curse, it was a fantasy setting reminiscent of the Middle East.

  27. Caitlin

    One of my favorite worlds is Gatlin from the Beautiful Creatures series. It is the most gothic, luxe and beautiful world. The authors make a rich back story and sometimes I forget that its a made up place. I end up almost making trevel plans it feels so real!

  28. Sarah Marie

    The island of Thisby from The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. Because its little and seems very domestic but there are so scary people there. Also, flesh-eating horses that come out of the sea.

  29. Ooh, my favorite setting…how does a person choose just one? A recent favorite is definitely the Prague depicted in Daughter of Smoke and Bone, as well as the Archive in The Archived. The Underground in Neverwhere is also an incredible, vivid (if occasionally very unpleasant) setting.

  30. katyupperman

    Ever since I followed your advice and read OUT OF THE EASY, you've become one of my most trusted book recommenders. If you love it, I'm pretty sure I will too. DEVIL's cover is gorgeous, the concept is super intriguing, and your interview with April is awesome… Thank you for the giveaway!

    As far as favorite settings go, I'm a big fan of Hogwarts. It's summer though, and I recently read NANTUCKET BLUE and fell in love with its setting, so I'd love to visit Nantucket someday.

  31. Nushrika

    I agree with you about Hogwarts but I also absolutely love how Prince Edward Island is described in Anne of Green Gables. That would be a lovely place to live 🙂

Leave a Reply to Wayne Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.