Synopsis
Faded Gatsby glamour and thrilling gothic horror meet in this gorgeously told, terrifying and dreamy YA romance.
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? Violet's grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who likes coffee and who kisses you in a cemetery... Violet's already so knee-deep in love, she can't see straight. And that's just how River likes it.
My Musings
I was attracted by the Melissa Marr quote on the front calling it darkly romantic as well as its Gothic cover. It started very promisingly and LOVED Tucholke setting up of the family dynamic between Violet and her Brother Luke who have been left in this huge house reminiscent of Daphne Du Maurier after their grandmother dies.
You could smell the salt in the air and the tension building with the arrival of new boy River renting out the summer house. Here it turns into more Vampire Diaries but still kept me hooked.
The romance between Violet and River doesn't sizzle enough for me but instead became more disturbing and open to some very dark interpretation. If a boy who is partly evil may have taken advantage of Violet by controlling her in a way she hadn't realised how is this romantic? Violet's character is flawed by making her feisty in someways but weak in others that doesn't' endear you at all. She comes over as spoilt and not very nice. She reminded me a little of Cadence, the unpleasant character from We Were Liars. Although Violet is not quite as bad. River is a very disturbed character and you feel sorry for him and horrified by him rather than attracted to his 'bad boy' persona which I assume was the intention.
Conclusion
A twisted and dark 'romance' perfect for Halloween reading. Tucholke's setting and descriptions are very evocative and I would read another of her books just for this alone but will have to take a breath regarding plot as she certainly is more edgier than I expected!!!! This will will definately appeal to someone who hankers for less fluffier romantic teen fiction!!
If you like this you might like
We Were Liars by E Lockart
The romance between Violet and River doesn't sizzle enough for me but instead became more disturbing and open to some very dark interpretation. If a boy who is partly evil may have taken advantage of Violet by controlling her in a way she hadn't realised how is this romantic? Violet's character is flawed by making her feisty in someways but weak in others that doesn't' endear you at all. She comes over as spoilt and not very nice. She reminded me a little of Cadence, the unpleasant character from We Were Liars. Although Violet is not quite as bad. River is a very disturbed character and you feel sorry for him and horrified by him rather than attracted to his 'bad boy' persona which I assume was the intention.
Conclusion
A twisted and dark 'romance' perfect for Halloween reading. Tucholke's setting and descriptions are very evocative and I would read another of her books just for this alone but will have to take a breath regarding plot as she certainly is more edgier than I expected!!!! This will will definately appeal to someone who hankers for less fluffier romantic teen fiction!!
If you like this you might like
We Were Liars by E Lockart
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