Larissa's Book Inspirations

Publication: August 14, 2014 by Dial

Goodreads Summary:

Freddie once told me that the Devil created all the fear in the world.
But then, the Devil once told me that it's easier to forgive someone for scaring you than for making you cry.
The problem with River West Redding was that he'd done both to me.

The crooked-smiling liar River West Redding, who drove into Violet's life one summer day and shook her world to pieces, is gone. Violet and Neely, River's other brother, are left to worry—until they catch a two a.m. radio program about strange events in a distant mountain town. They take off in search of River but are always a step behind, finding instead frenzied towns, witch hunts, and a wind-whipped island with the thrum of something strange and dangerous just under the surface. It isn't long before Violet begins to wonder if Neely, the one Redding brother she thought trustworthy, has been hiding a secret of his own . . .

This book had me captivated from the beginning and I was drawn into the eerie, creepy atmosphere once again! This was the perfect read for the month of October as the supernatural, mysterious and disturbing elements kept me on the edge of my seat and made my skin crawl.   

Even though the characters were travelling to different locations throughout this book, April Genevieve Tucholke was able to maintain an unsettling, creepy backdrop to the story, which I loved.  The small town atmosphere added to the disturbing scenes in the story as well. 

I really enjoyed all of the main characters, they were very unique and intriguing.  I also really liked the new characters that were introduced and how they all interacted with one another and the connections that they made with each other. 

My favourite aspect of the book was how Violet's grandmother still played a prominent role in the story even though she wasn't part of the current events taking place.  Her "presence" added another layer to the plot and added more depth.

To me, the ending could have been much stronger and that is why I gave this book a 4.5 instead of the full 5 stars.  I would have really appreciated a less open-ended finale to the story.

If you're looking for an eerie read for this Halloween season, I highly recommend that you pick up Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea and the sequel in this duology, Between the Spark and the Burn. I loved the atmosphere, the characters and the plotline. They have become one of my very favourite YA series for this year!

I love the romance in this novel!

My heart just skipped a beat!

I'm excited to do my first tag blog!!! I was tagged by It's a Books World! What a great surprise!

1. Read only trilogies or stand alones?

I LOVE trilogies!!! For some reason, I get way more excited to read a book when I know that there are more books to come.  Maybe it's because I've read such great trilogies/series and have seen characters grow and plotlines become more intricate that I favor them over stand alones!  It's neat to see the connections or foreshadowing from the first book make their way into the last book.

2. Read only female or male authors?

It's hard to say! I haven't really kept track. I read a lot of YA, contemporary and science fiction, so I would say a good mix of both.

3. Shop at Barnes & Noble or Amazon?

Until I discovered Book Outlet, mostly at Barnes and Noble!

4. All books become movies or t.v. shows?

I would totally say movies! To me, it's more epic when a book becomes a movie.  However, I recently watched the TV series A Game of Thrones and this makes one amazing exception!

5. Read 5 pages per day or 5 books per week?

I would LOVE to have the time to read 5 books per week, but it's more along the lines of one book per week :(.

6. Be a professional reviewer or author?

I would love to be an author, but I have recently been introduced to the world of reviewing and it's pretty cool too!

7. Only read your top 20 favorite books over and over or always read new ones that you haven't read before?

New ones that I haven't read before! To me, that is the beauty of buying a new book, the discovery of the unknown! I do like to reread a few specific books though (Harry Potter Series and Time Traveler's Wife to name a couple!) 

8. Be a librarian or book seller?

Librarian! Then I can go shopping for new books for the library!!! AND it would be my job to know all things books!

9. Only read your favorite genre, or every genre except your favorite?

I'd say my favourite genre! Science fiction! It would be hard to give it up for all of the other genres :(

10. Only read physical books or eBooks?

Physical books! I love the feel of a book in my hands and when you're reading, you feel like you've accomplished more than when you're reading on an e-reader.  However, e-readers are great for ARCs and for getting a book that you want to read instantly!

Thanks for tagging me, It's a Books World!

I'm tagging:

Whispers From the Pirate's Ghost

Traveling Through Pages

Priceiswong

Rachel's Books

Have a great day everyone!

I am already completely taken by this book!

So far, this book is just ok. I just can't seem to get into it quite like the last book :( 

but I'll keep reading and see if it gets better!

This is an eerie, disturbing, creepy, spine-chilling book that will keep you up throughout the night!

Violet and her brother live in their family's deteriorating mansion in the small town of Echo. Their artist-parents are off in Europe, and Violet and Luke are left on their own to take care of themselves. When they find that money is getting tight, Violet decides to rent out the guesthouse. That is when the mysterious River makes his appearance.  Violet is immediately and inexplicably drawn to him, yet she knows nothing about him.  From then on, a thrilling yet sinister chain of events ensues that will leave you with an unsettling feeling long after reading the book!

I was really captivated by this book and couldn't put it down! Even though I love to read horror novels, I often regret it afterwards because I then spook myself whenever I think about it.  This is definitely a book that fits into this category! April Genevieve Tucholke did a fantastic job at developing and describing not only the eerie characters, plot and events, but transformed the setting into a main character of it's own. The town of Echo is one of those places that gives you the troubling feeling that something just isn't right. The author's description of the old mansion, the cemetery, a treehouse and a square, in which some of the most disturbing events take place, add such an eerie effect to the story.     

The characters were each unique and even though there was a lot of mysterious elements about each one, I still felt like they were well developed. Although I thought that some of the relationships developed too quickly, once I got to the end of the book, it didn't seem that way at all. With all of the gripping events that took place, it felt more natural that the relationships would grow faster.

The major twist near the end of the book made everything that had happened seem like small potatoes compared to what may be coming in the sequel, which is due to be released on August 19, 2014. I have already made a pre-order for Between The Spark And The Burn and I can't wait to see where this captivating, gothic series will lead!