Mini-Reviews & Giveaway: Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke & Amber House by Kelly Moore

Title: Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea (Between, #1)

Author: April Genevieve Tucholke

Rating: 2.5 Stars

...that's it? Are we all sure I received the right book in the mail, because I'm just a little bit confused. Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea became a blogging sensation when it first released a few months back and, ever since, I've been curious to try it out for myself. When my copy first arrived, I got through about half the book before turning to other pressing ARCs. Now, having finally found the time to settle back into this story, I've wound up disappointing. For some reason, I expected a lot more to...happen. *scratches head, still confused*

Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea excels as the gothic mystery it is marketed as. Not only is the writing beautiful, painting an atmosphere of chilling nights and howling winds, but the imagery Tucholke forces us to conjure, of little children holding sticks and hunting the devil, are spine-tingling. With the exception of this lyrical prose, however, this novel has little to offer. Its protagonist, Violet, is much like any typical heroine who plans to resist the "bad boy" but fails spectacularly. Moreover, I didn't appreciate the manner in which our feelings for Violet are intentionally manipulated. Violet's twin brother, Luke, is a rude misogynist and his girlfriend, Sunshine, essentially exists as a foil to Violet. Both Luke and Sunshine do little to develop the story, but their existence makes Violet seem like a much better alternative character. Frankly speaking, though this method is used by many authors, I'm not a fan of it merely because it doesn't offer many reasons to like the protagonist for who she is, which seems like cheating to me. If you only like the protagonist in comparison to those around her, do you really even like her at all?

River West, the mysterious boy who rents the guest house behind Violet's huge house, is essentially a creep. And an insta-love machine. Although he has never fallen for a girl before, of course he falls for Violet. Why? I still have no clue. And Violet too, who is a sensible teenager (supposedly), takes one look at River and instantly falls for him as well. *gag* While I really liked the moral questions that River's presence brings up - after all, can you really love someone if their actions go against your moral code? - ultimately that wasn't enough to save this novel for me. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is very similar to most paranormal reads, but its writing style sets it apart, giving it a gothic feel that I really enjoyed. When you strip that away, however, this is nothing but a slow-moving novel with characters that are just a little too familiar.

Title: Amber House (Amber House, #1) 

Author: Kelly Moore, Larkin Reed, Tucker Reed

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Despite its unremarkable beginning, Amber House is a promising start to a new series. In many ways, this novel reminded me of The Dark Unwinding for both books feature a mysterious old house, even more curious tenants, and hidden mysteries. Where The Dark Unwinding relied upon steampunk machines, an "insane" uncle, and unknown towns to further its plot line, this novel features strange twists of time, hushed-up family secrets, and long-forgotten abilities.

Amber House is dull, at first, rather boring and difficult to get through. Once the novel hits its stride, however, it soon delves into an intriguing tale. Sarah, the protagonist of our tale, can see the past. And in Amber House, a building known to preserve echoes of its history, Sarah's abilities thrive as she witnesses pieces of her ancestry come together to reveal truths she never knew about her family. One of the highlights of this novel is the relationship Sarah sustains with her family members. With her autistic younger brother, Sam, she is unfailingly caring, but with her mother, her relationship is tenuous at best. Moore and the two Reeds explore this rift between the two in a complex manner, giving us insight into Sarah's mother's past, which therefore sheds light on her present behavior.

Unfortunately, there is a rather irritating - and unnecessary - love triangle at play here. In fact, it only detracts from the story and causes Sarah to forget her usual sensibility. Quite thankfully, however, the love triangle is resolved in this first installment and will - hopefully - be absent from the sequel. With such a rushed ending, one that leaves behind more questions than answers, I am glad to have the sequel already on hand. Needless to say, I won't be wasting much time to find out just where Sarah's journeys take her next.

Win a Gothic Romance Bundle of Books! 

In preparation for the month of February - the month of romance! - I will be picking two winners and each winner will choose a Gothic Romance Bundle of their choice from the list below:
Bundle #1: Of Old Houses
ARC of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Brand New Hardcover of Manor of Secrets

Bundle #2: Of a Series
ARC of Amber House
Brand New Hardcover of Neverwas, sequel to Amber House

US ONLY
Ends 2/10

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