Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Definition of 'between the devil and the deep blue sea'

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This seam would need to be watertight and would need filling caulking from time to time. On a ship at sea this would presumably require a sailor to be suspended over the side, or at least to stand at the very edge of the deck. Either way it is easy to see how that might be described as 'between the devil and the deep sea'. Incidentally, another term for filling a seam is 'paying'. Those that like nautical origins also give this as the source for the Devil to pay , although the evidence is against them on that one. The first recorded citation of 'the Devil and the deep sea' in print is in Robert Monro's His expedition with the worthy Scots regiment called Mac-keyes , The seafaring theory is plausible, but does it hold water?

Was the nautical term 'devil' in use when the phrase was coined? We've no evidence to show the word in that context until over two hundred years after the first sighting of the phrase. If the phrase really does pre-date the word then the nautical derivation is clearly incorrect. Howard rated it it was amazing. Can't wait to read this! Love the sound of the premise. Almost has a Heathers feel to it, for those of us who remember the 80's flick. I do love me a bad boy. This book is amazing. Creepy bloody horror scenes, check. Hot guys, check, check. Unpredictable outcome, check again.

I'm officially a fan of Ms. When is the next one coming out??? View all 8 comments. Nov 22, Riley rated it did not like it Shelves: After rereading it I realized what I didn't like. I felt like it was somewhat sexist. It was just not okay with me. It seemed like the author was aiming for a sort of angsty romance but it was more disturbing then anything else.

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It was definitely different then most books that I read. More of a creepy book. I had a few problems with the characters, at times they were a bit annoying and the plot seemed far fetched at times but I read this book in a matter of hours so it obviously kept my attention. It was very intriguing and I always wanted to know what was going to happen next. While this is not the best book I've ever read I did enjoy it and I am definitely going to read the sequel when it is released. Also the cover is gorgeous.

Jun 17, Kat Lost in Neverland rated it did not like it Shelves: An Advanced Reader Copy was provided by the publisher for review. Quotes pulled from the ARC may be incorrect and may be subject to change. Violet White and her brother Luke have lived in Echo all their life. Their parents travel around the works leaving the twins to themselves in the small town. When a mysterious and gorgeous boy named River rents the little room in their mansion, Violet realizes he's not just any normal boy..

The love story was a big confusing, and I wasn't a big fan of the roma An Advanced Reader Copy was provided by the publisher for review. The love story was a big confusing, and I wasn't a big fan of the romance. It's hard to incorporate romance in a horror novel but this one seemed a little forced or strained. The characters themselves are all so deeply wrecked that you don't notice it until strange things start to happen around town. And when I say strange, I also mean deeply disturbing. The mystery surrounding River was the main focus for me and I have to say that's what made the novel such a page turner.

Also that cover has to be one of my ultimate favourite covers.. It shows the theme and tone of the story beautifully. I also want to know who did the typography on this cover. The design nerd in me wants to praise them. Quotes Women are always making it so hard for us me to get the one thing nature intended for us to have.

View all 11 comments. Oct 21, Erin Bowman added it Shelves: I love this book. I've been fortunate enough to read it several times over and I somehow manage to fall a bit further in love with each read. Violet is such a captivating protagonist, and the cast of characters that populate this novel are just as charming. I fell in love with each of them and saying goodbye to them at the close of the story hurt. Violet is a bookworm, and spunky, and says it like it is.

Her brother is bit of a jerk, but I love him anyway. And River, the mysteri I love this book. And River, the mysterious stranger that Violet lets board at her family's crumbling estate? He is deliciously mysterious and dark and up to no good. I love him even when I know I shouldn't. Characters aside, though, this novel is haunting. The setting is rich and the writing is gorgeous.

The happenings in Violet's town are disturbing, and in many cases, downright creepy.

This book is so unique. I'd say more, but it's far too early and I don't want to spoil things. I highly recommend picking up a copy come And keeping the light on while you read. I read an early version of this manuscript, hence the review long before publication. View all 10 comments. Aug 21, Saniya marked it as to-read. There's is a song. A SONG with the same name as the book's.

And it's pretty legit. And is also previously: Aug 11, Suzanne rated it did not like it Shelves: I seem to be in the minority here. I DID finish it, mostly out of morbid curiosity to see where in the world it could be going, but I found its whole nature to be difficult to digest and its world unpleasant to visit. Some of my qualms might stem from my age being so beyond the teen target; however, many of the references and atmosphere of this book seem oddly pitched to a much more mature reader than those with a one for the first digit of their age: Mysterious behavior from the "devil" of the title, paranormal heartthrob River, made me keep looking for comprehensible back story for his strange "glow," an ability to make people see and do what he wants, quite a godlike quality that makes him eccentric and callous to most and seems to make him act like more of an ancient being than the guy run away from boarding school with a power he can't adequately control.

Perhaps the other readers who rated this so highly enjoys dipping into the romance and dilemma of Violet White and her twin Luke, unrealistically left to fend for themselves in an old mansion by the sea built by industrialist ancestors whose factories went kaput. When she puts signs up to rent their guest house to fund some groceries, up drives River, exotic and compelling but disturbing with his aura of command and worldliness.

I could actually buy that he was a god or demon playing at being a teenager better than I bought the author's version of events and foundations. I didn't bother to do the math, but I wasn't even comfortable that the validity of the ages and generations here: Their artist parents, away in Europe for an undetermined period, couldn't have been born much later than or , making Violet's age not quite match the family history very well. Perhaps that's one of my complaints here: I wanted to like our female protagonist, but she often came off weak and too tractable, enraptured by the spell of what comes to seem like a darker and darker boy-man.

I felt itchy while inhabiting the pages here, but not in a good way of new skin growing--More like an allergy. I was glad to be done with it. View all 3 comments. First few chapters and my idiocy-radar is tingling. I smell bullshit, drama and crappy romance. Life's too short for me to read crappy books. Jul 20, Keertana rated it it was ok Shelves: Are we all sure I received the right book in the mail, because I'm just a little bit confused. 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 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. 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. 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.

You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings. Apr 22, Kassidy rated it it was amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed this one! The best part about it is the setting. The atmosphere is sooo creepy. It's set in this little quaint town, but you soon realize there are a lot of secrets. At first everything seems so normal, but there's always this feeling that something is wrong. I really loved the main character Violet, she's such an old soul and very unique. The plot is a little slow at first, but you can tell it's building up to something.

Be prepared because it gets really weird and twisted.. I loved the twists throughout the story they kept me guessing and always wanting to continue reading. There is a slight romance, but it's full of distrust.. So it was a little hard to really get into, but I found that aspect of it to be very endearing. I liked the love interest and I'm curious to see where it goes. At the end of the book, I was like "what did I just read..?

This book was exactly what I expected and wanted. It's mysterious, scary, and creepy and the perfect Halloween read! Feb 28, Nafiza rated it liked it Shelves: Two days have passed since I read this book. Two days between me finishing the book and me attempting to write a somewhat coherent review. I will confess to you, though; I am utterly uncertain about how I feel for this book. Did I love it or did I hate it? One thing I am certain of, however, and that is the fact that I am not indifferent to it.

The prose is gorgeous. It is beautiful in just the right amount in just the right places. There is no purple prose spoiling the narra Two days have passed since I read this book. There is no purple prose spoiling the narrative and no awkward metaphors that defy logic. The setting is created supremely well. The Citizen, as the great house is called, is so vividly drawn that it seems like a character in its own right.

A character dripping with mystery, secret passages and hidden letters that reveal melodramatic secrets. I could see the place come to life in my mind and that is evidence of good writing. The most eerie part for me is the image of little children holding stakes and combing the graveyard for the devil. I imagined smudged cheeks, narrowed and determined eyes, thinned lips and a vulnerability at odds with their desire to find the Devil and bring him to justice.

Tucholke presents a very different view of childhood than many of us are accustomed to. Rather than children as beings to protect and coddle, children in this novel are almost feral, surprisingly strong and a little bit eerie. I loved that just like l loved Jack, whose quiet strength won me over.

The pacing seems a bit too slow in the beginning but picks up speed later. I liked Sunshine and I mostly liked Violet. I think she needs to be developed a bit more because though I liked what I saw, I felt that the edges of her character are still being formed, that she is not as defined as the rest of the characters. I thought he was interesting but what I did have trouble with was how he got away with saying disgusting, chauvinistic things without being told directly that it was wrong. Are you evil if you punish another for being evil? What is the meaning of justice and who determines what shape it comes in?

Can you still love someone if he or she acts in ways that go completely against your beliefs and morals? These are some of the questions the book asks and I am still mulling over them. I want complications in the love story, sure I do, and I will love it if there is a justified shift in feelings but this whole business of loving two people at the same time will probably not win me over — not unless it is done superbly well, of course. I like to keep my options open. This is the phase during which teenagers seek to separate themselves from their family and parents in order to assert and construct their own individual identities.

The book, like many other YA novels, has the parents conveniently absent. However, this book constructs the parents in such a way as to make them seem neglectful and not very loving.

devil and deep blue sea

The writing is gorgeous, as I said, and though there is some shakiness where plot construction and story execution is concerned, I am hopeful that Tucholke will grow stronger in her craft as the series progresses. Do I recommend it to you? It is definitely worth a read. View all 5 comments. DNF I was expecting something more, I think the characters are very flat and some things are meaningless to me. Maybe I'm just not in the mood for this right now Jan 19, Katherine rated it did not like it Shelves: Echo, Maine; Coverly Love?: This cover is insanely gorgeous.

Unfortunately, it's the only good thing going for this book. Violet White and her twin brother Luke are living all alone in their family mansion nicknamed "Citizen Kane". With their rich, bohemian artist parents always gone and their grandmother Freddie recently deceased, they are running short on cash to live off of.

So Violet posts an add for renting out the guesthouse in the back. And what do you know, someone takes the offer. River West is gorgeous, charismatic, seductive, and oh so mysterious. Freddie always warned her that the you never know who the Devil is until he is holding your hand Will Violet be trapped in his web of lies? And what is terrorizing this small town? Sweet Jesus, this book had so much promise. First of all, the cover is absolutely gorgeous. I mean, look at it!

And the plot line sounded so interesting, with all this hype about a mystery and thrills that was guaranteed to send chills up your spine. This was about as mysterious as a Scooby-Doo mystery. If anything, this was a rip-off of Twilight. I was expecting American Horror Story type child, and all I got was a romance book. You aren't supposed to do that; wait till the freakin' end!! Second, don't tout this as a mystery book when it is clearly NOT a mystery novel. Violet knew him for only half a day before she decided to eat his face off. However, I think he had a premonition about this book and foretold the future.

Replace the he with she and you have yourself Violet West. Red flag after red flag was given to her regarding River West, and she ignores them completely. Take this for example: Care to join me for an afternoon nap? After knowing him for only about 2 hours and he's already lied to her repeatedly OK!! One does not simply cuddle with someone they just met. Unless you happen to be Benedict Cumberbatch or Theo James. Then we shall make the appropriate arrangements ; But seriously, didn't anyone tell her not to trust strangers?

I don't care how hot you are, he could have cut your head off and strangled you to death. Not that she would have cared or anything River West is the mysterious, sociopathic stranger in question. First of all, I want to apologize to the late great River Phoenix. His image kept popping up in my head whenever I read about this dude. You deserved better, buddy. River was definitely a sociopathic man, and he came off as more creepy than truly frightening.

Luke West is Violet's twin brother. Quite possible the most annoying brother on the planet, all he seems to care about is his receding hairline, groping the ladies and torturing his sister even though she kind of deserved it. Sunshine is the girl next door to them with an unrequited crush on Luke. Why, I have no idea.

And then we have your cast of characters such as Blue, True, and other people with the strangest names in history. I get what the author was trying to do, but it fell flat. Anything else, you ask? Far too many to name. The author did a horrible job with the mystery aspect of the novel, and got way too carried away with the romance aspect.

I don't need to say anything else; this says it all.

A Little Lot of Romance?: As soon as River West comes to town, Violet is immediately overtaken by lust. And then it all goes down the insta-love drain from there So much potential, an epic letdown. There were so many problems with this book that it was torture to read.

I shudder to think where the second book will go, but I can only hope that River gets crushed by a huge boulder and somebody knocks some sense into Violet. Otherwise, it'll be one more big mess!!! Between the Spark and the Burn is the second book in this series coming out in August Mar 24, Amanda rated it it was amazing Shelves: My review can also be found here: I picked this book and it's sequel up at a used book sale in my city for a dollar each.

I've been on a YA fantasy kick lately, and this series looked like it fit the bill. But I didn't have extremely high hopes for this book for some reason. Maybe it's the cover, which in my opinion is kind of mediocre. Regardless, I didn't expect it to be half as good as it was. The writing is incredibly descriptive, but manages to be i My review can also be found here: The writing is incredibly descriptive, but manages to be insightful rather than boring. It is written in a voice that is full of personality and feels refreshingly genuine.

Parts of this book are descriptively gory and graphic. It carries a gothic, Tim Burton kind of air. If that's not your thing, pass on this book, but if you can appreciate that kind of stuff, then you might just fall in love with this book. The character development is done so well that I found myself able to relate to a character that acted in demented and psychopathic ways. I even found myself agreeing with justifications for some really twisted actions. I treasured reading this book.

Luckily for me I also have the sequel. But I think I'm going to put off reading it for a while because I don't want this story to end. This is one of those novels that I will never forget. I would love to see Tim Burton turn this into a movie, as I believe he could capture the atmosphere. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea exceeded my expectations by a mile.

I found myself in love with the writing and the characters especially. They each had so much personality and were a bit eccentric. Every one of them felt like real people. I'm going to be on the look out of anything else by April Genevieve Tulcholke because she truly is an artist. Jan 17, Lainey rated it really liked it. I'll definitely be picking up the second book in the duology.

between the devil and the deep blue sea

Which was why I knocked it down a star. It was creepy, and aspect I was definitely expecting based on what I've heard people say about this book. But you know what it reminded me of? It reminded me of T I'll definitely be picking up the second book in the duology. Obviously, there are no vampires in this, but just the characters and the setting, and I really liked this familiar feeling. Violet reminded me of Sookie a lot, especially how she thought and acted and even the way she dressed.

The first recorded citation of "the Devil and the deep sea" in print is in Robert Monro 's His expedition with the worthy Scots regiment called Mac-keyes , From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This article is about the idiom. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. September Learn how and when to remove this template message.

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