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marginsofmarisa's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I was sort of annoyed by Violet at first but I thought river made up for that. April's use of imagery is really amazing in this book. It was like I could taste the salty air and hear the waves splashing as I read. However I was a little disappointed in the plot. The summary made it seem like April would fall in love with the actual devil but I would hardly call river or ever Brodie that. But I will give her props for having a very unique story.
halesnbooks's review against another edition
5.0
4.75 ⭐️/5
this book is pure magic.
im not sure if it was cause the writing or my imagination, but the setting was unbelievable. i pictured it so vividly that i could probably draw a damn map of echo. and the writing was whimsical as well. it was captivating and even brought out some emotion in me. the .25 deduction is because there were some plot holes and things that i didnt connect but its minor. i really enjoyed this, it was breathtakingly magical.
this book is pure magic.
im not sure if it was cause the writing or my imagination, but the setting was unbelievable. i pictured it so vividly that i could probably draw a damn map of echo. and the writing was whimsical as well. it was captivating and even brought out some emotion in me. the .25 deduction is because there were some plot holes and things that i didnt connect but its minor. i really enjoyed this, it was breathtakingly magical.
smileytonya's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings about the main character but the plot was strong enough to give it 3 1/2 stars. Violet has horrible taste in guys. She knows River is a horrible person but she lets him control her. She should have kicked him to the curb fast. The 'real' bad guy Brodie seems to have been added just to take the spotlight off of how crappy River really is. Why would you let this guy, who is a stranger, continue to live with you after you have learned he is a straight-up murderer? I will not continue this series.
tanya240's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, and Death
Minor: Abandonment
lexingtonreads's review against another edition
adventurous
3.0
i don't remember anything but, it was fun!! and i think i read it pretty quickly. Like honestly i just love me some YA paranormal romance. it doesn't get old for me. This was one i read during that phase of "i just read hush,hush" i never continued the series but hey at least i had fun reading the first book.
xaphiro's review against another edition
Not as much fantasy and couldn’t get motivated into the story.
nitzanschwarz's review against another edition
3.5
Edit:
So... I'm going to donate this novel soon. My relationship with this novel was very complicated. I liked it, but I didn't, and then I felt they I had to like it, so I tried making everything (even the bad things) sound positive. I made "I both passionately hated it and fiercely loved it at the same time" sound like a good thing, when it isn't. I have no idea why.
This book has a lot of problematic things about it. Things that made me shy away from reading its sequel, and will forever keep me from doing that.
But, I did really enjoy the writing, and the creepiness (and the names!) and the whole vibe of the novel, and where I didn't fall in love, someone else might. Therefore - the library treatment for it. Or I might give it to my cousin, we'll see.
2013 cleaning my shelves challenge
Review:
This book is probably one of the creepiest things I've ever read. Like, I had the urge to buy holy-water and wear onion rings around my neck and stitch crosses into my clothing while reading it. It's also a book I'm pretty conflicted about, because I both passionately hated it but fiercely loved parts of it it at the same time. I guess I'm slightly like Violet, in that sense.
So... I'm going to donate this novel soon. My relationship with this novel was very complicated. I liked it, but I didn't, and then I felt they I had to like it, so I tried making everything (even the bad things) sound positive. I made "I both passionately hated it and fiercely loved it at the same time" sound like a good thing, when it isn't. I have no idea why.
This book has a lot of problematic things about it. Things that made me shy away from reading its sequel, and will forever keep me from doing that.
But, I did really enjoy the writing, and the creepiness (and the names!) and the whole vibe of the novel, and where I didn't fall in love, someone else might. Therefore - the library treatment for it. Or I might give it to my cousin, we'll see.
2013 cleaning my shelves challenge
Review:
This book is probably one of the creepiest things I've ever read. Like, I had the urge to buy holy-water and wear onion rings around my neck and stitch crosses into my clothing while reading it. It's also a book I'm pretty conflicted about, because I both passionately hated it but fiercely loved parts of it it at the same time. I guess I'm slightly like Violet, in that sense.
“Sunshine, if I ever disappear, please tell people that I ran after the Devil, trying to get my soul back.”
Violet White (perfect name #1), is a girl I'd love meeting and befriending. She's a bookworm, and a film lover, and has a totally awesome eccentric way about her. She was closest with her grandma Freddie, and still mourns her death, which means she wears her clothes and sometimes goes letter-haunting for her secrets.
She and her twin brother/womanizer, Luke, live practically alone in an old manor called Citizen Kane (like the movie) set on the background of a little town called Echo and the gushing sea, with only one neighbor called Sunshine Black (perfect name #2) for company... until River moves into the Guesthouse. River is a mysterious, lying stranger Violet can't seem to ignore. With him, weird things start happening. Little serious kids start talking of the Devil. children disappear. Ghosts appear. Chaos descends. Madness...
River West (Perfect name #3) is the character that made this whole book so conflicting. I spent the first 1/3 of the book hating his guts and wondering what Violet saw in him because the dude was creepy and seemed to me bat-shit crazy. Then I spent the another 1/3 kind of liking him, and being intrigued by him, while simultaneously continuing to hate his guts and fantasizing about his death. I felt sorry for him, b ut in a true Violet fashion, I still didn't trust him. What he's doing then is still pretty evil, as Freddie would say. I don't like evil.
Then the last 1/3 came, and I kind of really liked him! (shocked you there, didn't I?)
So my feelings toward this book altered together with my feelings toward River, and as those were kind of all over the place and were a kind of a mix between hatred and love, same goes for the book. But I got invested in the book. Enough to care about what River was doing, enough to scream in my head; ' WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?' and 'STAY AWAY FROM THAT BOY' and 'WHAT THE F ARE YOU THINKING?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' which basically meant my brain was on overdrive.
I was also conflicted about the romance. at first I didn't like it (as I found the love interest disturbing) and it was pretty instant and more than once, I wanted to bang Violet's head against the wall for the things she was doing and her thoughts, which often contrasted. But then River told her - and us - what's his deal... and I realized there was more to it all, which made me really forget and forgive all the rest and made me super intrigued as to how it will continue.
Despite my love-hate relationship with book, it captures you from page one, with it's Gothic background, amazing sceneries, the lyrical sense to the words, and the captivating narrator. I want to live in this book so badly (minus the creeptastic things, of course). I loved little Jack, and I enjoyed the relationship between Luke and Vi, even if it was annoying at times. Neely is my favorite brother, so far (seems like there will be more than one or two...) and I wish Freddie was alive.
There were only two minor things that bothered me a bit about the writing. First, some sentence sounded a little... off. Like, it wasn't humans speaking. And then there was that really big emphasize on sex. Don't get me wrong, sexytime with River and Violet was pretty steamy and fun, but all their talking about Luke and girls and second base and breasts and blah blah kind of got old after awhile...
The last 100 pages of this book were pure perfection; they were so creepy, and scary, and heart-racing, and action packed, and nightmare inducing and I freakin' LOVED River in them! I simply couldn't glue myself from the book and my nails are really suffering from the abuse I inflicted on them in those 100 pages and dear god almighty April can come up with the craziest and creepiest and scariest characters ever.
And it was definitely necessary to say all that without any breaks, because those 100 pages demand a gushing reaction that makes you unable to put dots between your words.
You will not believe how much I am looking forward to book 2. I want it be out like, right now. I hope I continue to love River, and I hope it's going to be as deliciously dark and mysterious and gritty as this one was!
aklev13's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this but the writing style felt like it needed some polishing and it had a very simplistic, middle-grade feel to it which didnt really match the vintage, gothic vibes the characters and story had nor how violent and scary it got in the end. I also thought there was some missed potential in terms of the creepy stuff happening here that Violet just seemed ok with or glossed over too quickly. Like her feelings for River which she spends like two sentences wondering if they are real or not where i feel like this could be a very chilling part if done well.
So overall good but feel it could have been better.
So overall good but feel it could have been better.
jessmgrant's review against another edition
4.0
I have no idea how I feel about this book...part of me loved it and part of me just bleh.