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Diavola
Jennifer Thorne skewers all-too-familiar family dynamics in this sly, wickedly funny vacation-Gothic. Beautifully unhinged and deeply satisfying, Diavola is a sharp twist on the classic haunted house story, exploring loneliness, belonging, and the seemingly inescapable bonds of family mythology.
Anna has two rules for the annual Pace family destination vacations: Tread lightly and survive.
It isn’t easy when she’s the only one in the family who doesn’t quite fit in. Her twin brother, Benny, goes with the flow so much he’s practically dissolved, and her older sister, Nicole, is so used to everyone—including her blandly docile husband and two kids—falling in line that Anna often ends up in trouble for simply asking a question. Mom seizes every opportunity to question her life choices, and Dad, when not reminding everyone who paid for this vacation, just wants some peace and quiet.
The gorgeous, remote villa in tiny Monteperso seems like a perfect place to endure so much family togetherness, until things start going off the rails—the strange noises at night, the unsettling warnings from the local villagers, and the dark, violent past of the villa itself.
(Warning: May invoke feelings of irritation, dread, and despair that come with large family gatherings.)
Anna has two rules for the annual Pace family destination vacations: Tread lightly and survive.
It isn’t easy when she’s the only one in the family who doesn’t quite fit in. Her twin brother, Benny, goes with the flow so much he’s practically dissolved, and her older sister, Nicole, is so used to everyone—including her blandly docile husband and two kids—falling in line that Anna often ends up in trouble for simply asking a question. Mom seizes every opportunity to question her life choices, and Dad, when not reminding everyone who paid for this vacation, just wants some peace and quiet.
The gorgeous, remote villa in tiny Monteperso seems like a perfect place to endure so much family togetherness, until things start going off the rails—the strange noises at night, the unsettling warnings from the local villagers, and the dark, violent past of the villa itself.
(Warning: May invoke feelings of irritation, dread, and despair that come with large family gatherings.)
296 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 26, 2024
About the author
Jennifer Marie Thorne
10 books618 followersJennifer Thorne is an American author of books for adults and young readers who writes from a nineteenth-century Cotswold cottage alongside her husband, two sons, and various other animals.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,866 reviews
July 25, 2024
The first thing that attracted my attention to Diavola was this stunningly-disturbing cover. What does it even mean?
I had to know.
Then I read the synopsis, which completely sold me. A Gothic-feeling Travel Horror novel, set in Italy, full of family drama and haunted happenings. Yes, please.
I was lucky enough to receive an audio copy, and definitely recommend that format.
The narration style of Andi Arndt was absolutely perfect for this story, and as a representation of the MC, Anna's, voice. I was transported into the Pace family vacation via this audio.
We follow Anna as she meets her family in Italy, where they have rented a gorgeous historic villa near the tiny town of Monteperso. As Anna tries to settle in, the atmosphere is tense. Her family is complicated.
Mom is always passively-aggressively nagging at Anna about her life choices. Dad seems distant, except when he would like to remind everyone of who paid for their vacation. Nicole, Anna's sister, has their entire itinerary mapped out to the second, and god forbid anyone question it.
Nicole's two daughters are also there, as well as her husband. They seem to be the only ones in the family Anna even remotely gets along with. Thank goodness for them.
Then there's Anna's twin brother, Benny, attending with his arrogant, asshat of a boyfriend, Christopher.
Anna and Benny's relationship is the most difficult to figure out. As twins, their relationship has always been a special one, but it is definitely strained at this point. At times it seems good, at other times, not so much.
Honestly, that's the best way to describe this vacation: strained. Unfortunately, it's not just the family though. The villa itself, is strange and seems to be affecting everyone.
There's a locked tower room, odd noises and an ominous atmosphere that's downright oppressive. I would certainly need a vacation after this vacation.
I was impressed with how immersive this ended up being. When I was in it, I was really in it.
I went through a whole range of emotions and was astounded by the direction it ultimately went. I wasn't expecting a lot of what occurred in the later half of the story. It fleshed out so many layers that were there all along that I feel like I missed initially.
I am already looking forward to reading it again. I would love to annotate it and really just spend some more time with it. It's beautifully executed!
I can't stress enough how gripping and haunting this is. My mind was left reeling, trying to interpret all of the events that went down. The atmosphere is top notch, but it never overshadowed the characters, or the emotions that were raging between them.
I would recommend this to any Horror fan, particularly if you enjoy Travel Horror, or Horror featuring complicated family dynamics. I feel like I know the Pace family inside and out. I'm practically one of them at this point.
Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review.
Diavola has been my greatest surprise of 2024 thus far. I cannot wait to read more from Jennifer Marie Thorne!
I had to know.
Then I read the synopsis, which completely sold me. A Gothic-feeling Travel Horror novel, set in Italy, full of family drama and haunted happenings. Yes, please.
I was lucky enough to receive an audio copy, and definitely recommend that format.
The narration style of Andi Arndt was absolutely perfect for this story, and as a representation of the MC, Anna's, voice. I was transported into the Pace family vacation via this audio.
We follow Anna as she meets her family in Italy, where they have rented a gorgeous historic villa near the tiny town of Monteperso. As Anna tries to settle in, the atmosphere is tense. Her family is complicated.
Mom is always passively-aggressively nagging at Anna about her life choices. Dad seems distant, except when he would like to remind everyone of who paid for their vacation. Nicole, Anna's sister, has their entire itinerary mapped out to the second, and god forbid anyone question it.
Nicole's two daughters are also there, as well as her husband. They seem to be the only ones in the family Anna even remotely gets along with. Thank goodness for them.
Then there's Anna's twin brother, Benny, attending with his arrogant, asshat of a boyfriend, Christopher.
Anna and Benny's relationship is the most difficult to figure out. As twins, their relationship has always been a special one, but it is definitely strained at this point. At times it seems good, at other times, not so much.
Honestly, that's the best way to describe this vacation: strained. Unfortunately, it's not just the family though. The villa itself, is strange and seems to be affecting everyone.
There's a locked tower room, odd noises and an ominous atmosphere that's downright oppressive. I would certainly need a vacation after this vacation.
I was impressed with how immersive this ended up being. When I was in it, I was really in it.
I went through a whole range of emotions and was astounded by the direction it ultimately went. I wasn't expecting a lot of what occurred in the later half of the story. It fleshed out so many layers that were there all along that I feel like I missed initially.
I am already looking forward to reading it again. I would love to annotate it and really just spend some more time with it. It's beautifully executed!
I can't stress enough how gripping and haunting this is. My mind was left reeling, trying to interpret all of the events that went down. The atmosphere is top notch, but it never overshadowed the characters, or the emotions that were raging between them.
I would recommend this to any Horror fan, particularly if you enjoy Travel Horror, or Horror featuring complicated family dynamics. I feel like I know the Pace family inside and out. I'm practically one of them at this point.
Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review.
Diavola has been my greatest surprise of 2024 thus far. I cannot wait to read more from Jennifer Marie Thorne!
April 5, 2024
Honestly wish the ghost had killed everyone in this book.
March 26, 2024
DIAVOLA by Jennifer Thorne
Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: First time! But I also have LUTE on my “to read” pile
Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/978125082...
Release Date: March 26th, 2024
General Genre: Horror, Thrillers, Supernatural
Sub-Genre/Themes: Vacation horror, family dynamics, domestic drama, black sheep, Italy, AirB&B rental, Paranormal activity, visions & nightmares, sibling rivalry, haunted house
Writing Style: Fast pace, witty & sharp, gruesomely detailed, modern, cinematic
What You Need to Know: I read the NetGalley eBook from Tor Nightfire.
My Reading Experience: One of the best things about this reading experience is how it felt like I was visiting Italy. The author, Jennifer Thorne, skillfully immerses the reader in the setting. So refreshing! I didn’t realize how so many of the books I read are set here in the States so it was quite enjoyable to be a tourist in Italy.
Another very personal aspect of this story is the family dynamic. I have rented vacation homes with extended family before and sometimes, the drama experienced in the pages of this book is exactly how family vacations really are.
In a nutshell, the main character, Anna is the black sheep of the family. Her parents have rented an AirB&B in Italy and the whole family is staying there together. Anna’s sister, Nicole, and her husband and their two daughters plus her brother Benny and his partner. The drama begins immediately and it’s incredibly frustrating. Like, enough to actually raise your blood pressure. The unfair accusations, gaslighting, back-handed compliments, nit-picking, and insults, are just a lot. Especially when Anna realizes the villa they’re staying in is haunted.
The scares are real. Thorne doesn’t add anything particularly new to the level of paranormal activity or the variety of hauntings but she is adept at crafting atmosphere and dread. Anna is able to tolerate so much horror! It was terrifying. I would have been out of that house so fast.
But the family does endure and it’s creepy.
As far as haunted house stories go, I think this book adds something unique to the sub-genre in terms of how in-depth it goes with the family issues. The complicated relationships add a layer of frustration and anxiety that manages to up the risk and double down on those spooky vibes.
There were never any lulls in the story–just a perfectly paced tale of one woman’s struggle to convince her distrustful family they should flee from this beautiful house they spent so much money on…you can imagine how that goes.
Final Recommendation:
Comps: Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw, Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: First time! But I also have LUTE on my “to read” pile
Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/978125082...
Release Date: March 26th, 2024
General Genre: Horror, Thrillers, Supernatural
Sub-Genre/Themes: Vacation horror, family dynamics, domestic drama, black sheep, Italy, AirB&B rental, Paranormal activity, visions & nightmares, sibling rivalry, haunted house
Writing Style: Fast pace, witty & sharp, gruesomely detailed, modern, cinematic
What You Need to Know: I read the NetGalley eBook from Tor Nightfire.
My Reading Experience: One of the best things about this reading experience is how it felt like I was visiting Italy. The author, Jennifer Thorne, skillfully immerses the reader in the setting. So refreshing! I didn’t realize how so many of the books I read are set here in the States so it was quite enjoyable to be a tourist in Italy.
Another very personal aspect of this story is the family dynamic. I have rented vacation homes with extended family before and sometimes, the drama experienced in the pages of this book is exactly how family vacations really are.
In a nutshell, the main character, Anna is the black sheep of the family. Her parents have rented an AirB&B in Italy and the whole family is staying there together. Anna’s sister, Nicole, and her husband and their two daughters plus her brother Benny and his partner. The drama begins immediately and it’s incredibly frustrating. Like, enough to actually raise your blood pressure. The unfair accusations, gaslighting, back-handed compliments, nit-picking, and insults, are just a lot. Especially when Anna realizes the villa they’re staying in is haunted.
The scares are real. Thorne doesn’t add anything particularly new to the level of paranormal activity or the variety of hauntings but she is adept at crafting atmosphere and dread. Anna is able to tolerate so much horror! It was terrifying. I would have been out of that house so fast.
But the family does endure and it’s creepy.
As far as haunted house stories go, I think this book adds something unique to the sub-genre in terms of how in-depth it goes with the family issues. The complicated relationships add a layer of frustration and anxiety that manages to up the risk and double down on those spooky vibes.
There were never any lulls in the story–just a perfectly paced tale of one woman’s struggle to convince her distrustful family they should flee from this beautiful house they spent so much money on…you can imagine how that goes.
Final Recommendation:
Comps: Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw, Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
October 2, 2023
Diavola is a fantastically fun horror read. There's really a double-dose of terror in this novel and I'm not sure which one is scarier – the haunted house or the toxic family vacation. (Okay, honestly, yes I do. It's hands-down the family vacation.)
I was a little worried at the beginning – I wasn't particularly invested in the story and I just couldn't get into it properly. Once I made it to around the 30% mark, however, things really picked up and I didn't want to stop reading. I finished the last 60% in one sitting and couldn't help but root for Anna the entire time – her family was truly awful.
The humor in this book is excellent but also kind of … relatable? realistic? Maybe people with non-exasperating families won't appreciate it quite as much, but as someone who once hid in a closet (it was a very large walk-in closet, to be fair) during a family reunion, I could totally relate to the snarkiness and dark humor that Anna used to cope during her Italiantorture holiday. There's also a scene after Anna returns to her job in New York that is just comedic perfection, and it may or may not have made me snort-laugh when I read it.
As far as setting goes, this is the second book in the last couple of weeks that has made me want to pick up and move to Italy (the other was Christopher Golden's The House of Last Resort ) … but I will definitely not be buying or renting any old houses with dark and questionable histories, thank you very much.
And, ooh, that ending! The climax of the story is a nail-biter, for sure, and the epilogue was perfect. I'm not normally a huge fan of books that skip right from the action to an epilogue set years in the future, but this one was like a balm for the soul. You go, girl!
So, yeah, other than the slow start (which was probably just a “me” thing), this book was fantastic and certainly lived up to the author's editor's description of “delightfully unhinged.” If you like your haunted house stories served up with a large dose of family drama, you should definitely give this one a read. 4.65 stars, rounded up.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.
I was a little worried at the beginning – I wasn't particularly invested in the story and I just couldn't get into it properly. Once I made it to around the 30% mark, however, things really picked up and I didn't want to stop reading. I finished the last 60% in one sitting and couldn't help but root for Anna the entire time – her family was truly awful.
The humor in this book is excellent but also kind of … relatable? realistic? Maybe people with non-exasperating families won't appreciate it quite as much, but as someone who once hid in a closet (it was a very large walk-in closet, to be fair) during a family reunion, I could totally relate to the snarkiness and dark humor that Anna used to cope during her Italian
As far as setting goes, this is the second book in the last couple of weeks that has made me want to pick up and move to Italy (the other was Christopher Golden's The House of Last Resort ) … but I will definitely not be buying or renting any old houses with dark and questionable histories, thank you very much.
And, ooh, that ending! The climax of the story is a nail-biter, for sure, and the epilogue was perfect. I'm not normally a huge fan of books that skip right from the action to an epilogue set years in the future, but this one was like a balm for the soul. You go, girl!
So, yeah, other than the slow start (which was probably just a “me” thing), this book was fantastic and certainly lived up to the author's editor's description of “delightfully unhinged.” If you like your haunted house stories served up with a large dose of family drama, you should definitely give this one a read. 4.65 stars, rounded up.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.
April 9, 2024
Diavola is my most disappointing read of 2024 so far. The family is ridiculously unbearable, the MC is very self-centered while also being the biggest doormat, and the supernatural elements aren't unique or interesting enough (a locked room, ghostly children, bad dreams) to make it all worth it.
The first 50% of the book is spent establishing, over and over and over (and over) again, how awful the majority of the Pace family is to Anna while she just smiles along, with very little time spent on the details of the haunted villa. Things got marginally more interesting in the final 25% of the book, but not enough.
On the plus side, the audiobook narrator is good. The only other plus I can think of is that I borrowed this from my library instead of purchasing it.
The first 50% of the book is spent establishing, over and over and over (and over) again, how awful the majority of the Pace family is to Anna while she just smiles along, with very little time spent on the details of the haunted villa. Things got marginally more interesting in the final 25% of the book, but not enough.
On the plus side, the audiobook narrator is good. The only other plus I can think of is that I borrowed this from my library instead of purchasing it.
March 27, 2024
the scariest thing about this book is the fact the ghost had piss-yellow hair.
January 5, 2024
Diavola is the best slow burn horror I've read in recent years. I usually despise any slow burn horror stories because I don't find the pay-off to be worth it. Most of my 2023 horror faves were fast-paced modern horror, but Jennifer Marie Thorne's newest novel, DIAVOLA, has now made me question what type of horror novels I usually enjoy because this pay-off was SO WORTH IT.
Think Jennifer McMahon meets One Italian Summer (Rebecca Serle) on an acid trip, DIAVOLA is a gothic modern horror intertwined with a deep rooted family drama story. Our main character, Anna Pace is the black sheep of her family. Anna, her parents, her sister Nicole and her husband and two kids, and her brother Benny and his boyfriend, are all headed to a remote villa in Monteperso for their family vacation. This gorgeous estate is secluded from the town, but everyone knows exactly about this property, just ask the locals. Infused with humor and horror, DIAVOLA shows exactly what to expect when vacationing with family in a possible haunted house. Is the villa haunted? What's going on with Anna and her family? More than meets the eye when reading this book.
DIAVOLA really is a family drama at its core. The story really dives into a toxic family dynamic that evolves as the mystery and suspense of this book goes on. As the family begins to experience paranormal activity, you can't help but feel like you're staying with this family. I mentioned above that this book has One Italian Summer vibes (on an acid trip), because a lot of the book also takes us around Monteperso and the local Italian scenic towns. I went to Italy last year and I felt like I was transported back to them. I was wondering how this book would end because the slow burn horror and suspense usually doesn't pay off for me, but the ending was more than I could have expected. I was shocked at some developments and loved the gritty and gruesome energy that this book took at its turn. If you like horror novels and hate family gatherings, DIAVOLA is for you!
Think Jennifer McMahon meets One Italian Summer (Rebecca Serle) on an acid trip, DIAVOLA is a gothic modern horror intertwined with a deep rooted family drama story. Our main character, Anna Pace is the black sheep of her family. Anna, her parents, her sister Nicole and her husband and two kids, and her brother Benny and his boyfriend, are all headed to a remote villa in Monteperso for their family vacation. This gorgeous estate is secluded from the town, but everyone knows exactly about this property, just ask the locals. Infused with humor and horror, DIAVOLA shows exactly what to expect when vacationing with family in a possible haunted house. Is the villa haunted? What's going on with Anna and her family? More than meets the eye when reading this book.
DIAVOLA really is a family drama at its core. The story really dives into a toxic family dynamic that evolves as the mystery and suspense of this book goes on. As the family begins to experience paranormal activity, you can't help but feel like you're staying with this family. I mentioned above that this book has One Italian Summer vibes (on an acid trip), because a lot of the book also takes us around Monteperso and the local Italian scenic towns. I went to Italy last year and I felt like I was transported back to them. I was wondering how this book would end because the slow burn horror and suspense usually doesn't pay off for me, but the ending was more than I could have expected. I was shocked at some developments and loved the gritty and gruesome energy that this book took at its turn. If you like horror novels and hate family gatherings, DIAVOLA is for you!
July 20, 2024
My complete review of Diavola is published at Grimdark Magazine.
Jennifer Thorne brings supernatural terror to an already dysfunctional family vacation in Diavola, which follows the Pace family on their ill-fated Italian holiday. Although the family’s surname translates to “peace” in Italian, they are not given a moment’s rest as their rental home turns out to be an infamous haunted house, feared and shunned by the local populace.
The lead protagonist in Diavola is Anna Pace, the black sheep of the family who is treated like an outcast and can never live up to their expectations. Rightfully or not, Anna takes the blame for many of the family’s misfortunes. Thorne reaches a T. Kingfisher-level of narration with Anna: she is smart, funny, and so vibrantly engaging that it’s impossible not to love her.
As in her previous novel, Lute, Jennifer Thorne both embraces and upends the trope of naïve, unbelieving Americans who face a supernatural threat in an historic European setting. Diavola exploits this clash of cultures to great effect, skillfully walking the line between camp and deathly serious horror. At its best, the laugh-out-loud moments in Diavola are worthy of Oscar Wilde’s classic short story, “The Canterville Ghost,” which also features an American family who take up residence in an old European haunted house while expressing a stubborn disbelief in local legends.
Although this approach risks becoming self-parody in less capable hands, Jennifer Thorne’s incisive, sardonic writing strikes just the right balance between humor and horror. She is also an expert at characterization: a large part of what makes Diavola work so well is that the Pace family is so believable in their dysfunction.
I especially enjoyed the final third of the novel, where Thorne brilliantly ties together the various threads of the story while delivering plenty of unexpected twists. I was delighted by Anna’s character growth in this final part of Diavola as she addresses issues of loneliness and belonging while fighting back against the embodiment of fear itself.
Altogether, Diavola is a must-read for horror fans, delivering a thrill ride that is equal parts fun and terrifying.
Jennifer Thorne brings supernatural terror to an already dysfunctional family vacation in Diavola, which follows the Pace family on their ill-fated Italian holiday. Although the family’s surname translates to “peace” in Italian, they are not given a moment’s rest as their rental home turns out to be an infamous haunted house, feared and shunned by the local populace.
The lead protagonist in Diavola is Anna Pace, the black sheep of the family who is treated like an outcast and can never live up to their expectations. Rightfully or not, Anna takes the blame for many of the family’s misfortunes. Thorne reaches a T. Kingfisher-level of narration with Anna: she is smart, funny, and so vibrantly engaging that it’s impossible not to love her.
As in her previous novel, Lute, Jennifer Thorne both embraces and upends the trope of naïve, unbelieving Americans who face a supernatural threat in an historic European setting. Diavola exploits this clash of cultures to great effect, skillfully walking the line between camp and deathly serious horror. At its best, the laugh-out-loud moments in Diavola are worthy of Oscar Wilde’s classic short story, “The Canterville Ghost,” which also features an American family who take up residence in an old European haunted house while expressing a stubborn disbelief in local legends.
Although this approach risks becoming self-parody in less capable hands, Jennifer Thorne’s incisive, sardonic writing strikes just the right balance between humor and horror. She is also an expert at characterization: a large part of what makes Diavola work so well is that the Pace family is so believable in their dysfunction.
I especially enjoyed the final third of the novel, where Thorne brilliantly ties together the various threads of the story while delivering plenty of unexpected twists. I was delighted by Anna’s character growth in this final part of Diavola as she addresses issues of loneliness and belonging while fighting back against the embodiment of fear itself.
Altogether, Diavola is a must-read for horror fans, delivering a thrill ride that is equal parts fun and terrifying.
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July 11, 2024Ugh my last read didn't give me the spooky creepy factor i was looking for😞
I am hoping this one can actually deliver my wish! 🤞🏾🖤❤️
I am hoping this one can actually deliver my wish! 🤞🏾🖤❤️
July 21, 2023
Per my editor: "delightfully unhinged"
March 19, 2024
Anna has never quite fit in with her family, so when they all vacation together in Italy, she knows she needs to tread lightly and just survive.
Her twin is so much better at everything than her, and her older sister, Nicole, is as well. Her mom seizes the vacation as an opportunity to ask Anna a million questions about her life choices and Dad doesn’t miss a chance to remind everyone that they paid for it.
The remote and serene location of the tiny villa of Monterperso seems ideal, however things start to go off the rails, and Anna seems to be the only one noticing.
This was a definite slow burn, haunted house, gothic tale. I really enjoyed the vibes of this one once I got into it, but it took about half the book for that to happen. Because of the long engagement period, I found it easy to put this one down, and struggled, but then things came together and picked up. I really enjoyed reading about Anna’s family, they felt so real. I would think that if my parent’s had paid for my entire family to fly to Italy for a family vacation, they too would constantly remind us that they paid for it! It made me chuckle when the parents said relatable lines like this and I really enjoyed it. This book was pretty spooky all throughout without being gory or in your face scary, just enough creepiness to make you feel a little uneasy. I loved that this was a twist on a haunted house with the ghost story, it made it a lot of fun. The writing was well done and did keep me interested in the story, despite the slow start.
If you are looking for a creepy and unnerving gothic horror book that will keep you wanting for more, then check this one out.
Thank you so much to the publisher, @Tornightfire for both a physical and e-arc of this one and netgalley for the e-arc.
Her twin is so much better at everything than her, and her older sister, Nicole, is as well. Her mom seizes the vacation as an opportunity to ask Anna a million questions about her life choices and Dad doesn’t miss a chance to remind everyone that they paid for it.
The remote and serene location of the tiny villa of Monterperso seems ideal, however things start to go off the rails, and Anna seems to be the only one noticing.
This was a definite slow burn, haunted house, gothic tale. I really enjoyed the vibes of this one once I got into it, but it took about half the book for that to happen. Because of the long engagement period, I found it easy to put this one down, and struggled, but then things came together and picked up. I really enjoyed reading about Anna’s family, they felt so real. I would think that if my parent’s had paid for my entire family to fly to Italy for a family vacation, they too would constantly remind us that they paid for it! It made me chuckle when the parents said relatable lines like this and I really enjoyed it. This book was pretty spooky all throughout without being gory or in your face scary, just enough creepiness to make you feel a little uneasy. I loved that this was a twist on a haunted house with the ghost story, it made it a lot of fun. The writing was well done and did keep me interested in the story, despite the slow start.
If you are looking for a creepy and unnerving gothic horror book that will keep you wanting for more, then check this one out.
Thank you so much to the publisher, @Tornightfire for both a physical and e-arc of this one and netgalley for the e-arc.
July 11, 2024
3.5 Oh yes, a family vacation in the beautiful city of Monteperso, in Italy, staying in a old but gorgeous villa. What could possibly go wrong? All the children now grown, mom and pop pay for this extravagant splurge. Two little adorable grandchildren, with quite a neurotic mother, brother Ben and his very unlikable boyfriend and Anna, the black sheep, and common scapegoat of this family.
This will of course become the vacation from hell, in more ways than one. This villa has quite a reputation, hauntings and things that go bump in the night.
A family novel that reveals how difficult it is to outlive one’s past, whether true or not. Anna’s place in the family is clearly defined, so that when all the malevolent spirits want to show their power, Anna gets blamed.
So, we get a tour of some parts of Italy, learn some local legends and take part in a very unusual haunting. An unusual take on a Gothic haunting. And a look inside a dysfunctional family.
This will of course become the vacation from hell, in more ways than one. This villa has quite a reputation, hauntings and things that go bump in the night.
A family novel that reveals how difficult it is to outlive one’s past, whether true or not. Anna’s place in the family is clearly defined, so that when all the malevolent spirits want to show their power, Anna gets blamed.
So, we get a tour of some parts of Italy, learn some local legends and take part in a very unusual haunting. An unusual take on a Gothic haunting. And a look inside a dysfunctional family.
May 10, 2024
Thorne invents the horror beach read! "Diavola" mixes the haunted house trope with the story of a family vacation. Told by Anna, who is deemed the black sheep by her parents, older married sister and gay twin brother, we accompany the family to a tiny village in Tuscany, where strange occurrences plague the holiday home - and the question arises whether Anna's alleged wickedness is the cause of the turmoil, or whether there's a spirit terrorizing the family.
The idea to craft the family not as a refuge, but as a source of psychological horror - and not by implying any obvious abuse, but by reflecting back to Anna that she is perceived as overall lacking - is of course a great idea, and this narrative core is frankly the only thing truly haunting in the text. While mostly entertaining, the story does start to drag and also doesn't live up to its potential, as the storytelling is rather straightforward and the family members remain functions to evoke Anna's discomfort instead of three-dimensional people.
Still, many creative ideas, and more than solid as far as beach reads go.
The idea to craft the family not as a refuge, but as a source of psychological horror - and not by implying any obvious abuse, but by reflecting back to Anna that she is perceived as overall lacking - is of course a great idea, and this narrative core is frankly the only thing truly haunting in the text. While mostly entertaining, the story does start to drag and also doesn't live up to its potential, as the storytelling is rather straightforward and the family members remain functions to evoke Anna's discomfort instead of three-dimensional people.
Still, many creative ideas, and more than solid as far as beach reads go.
April 17, 2024
not me screaming at this insufferable family while reading
July 7, 2024
Families are terrifying, and I love this book. Two truths, with only one serving to enhance my life in an uplifting, soul-nurturing way. Opening wounds previously inflicted by interred trauma, this book brought it all back to the surface in the most acute ways. This is among the best horror novels I’ve read recently. Expertly blurring the lines between existent and paranormal wickedness, this story hits hard and leaves you questioning who the real ghouls are.
Character I Loved & Hated
Anna was equally interesting and accessible, and her chaotic relationship with her family made her one of the most sympathetic characters in recent memory.
Literally everyone else in this family (except for maybe you Waverly) was reprehensible and deserved much worse fates than they were given.
Themes
Families can cause pain in ways that no other force is capable of.
One Thing I’ll walk away with
Hot dog art
Character I Loved & Hated
Anna was equally interesting and accessible, and her chaotic relationship with her family made her one of the most sympathetic characters in recent memory.
Literally everyone else in this family (except for maybe you Waverly) was reprehensible and deserved much worse fates than they were given.
Themes
Families can cause pain in ways that no other force is capable of.
One Thing I’ll walk away with
Hot dog art
May 16, 2024
The cover is so creepy! SHE'S SMILING AT YOU.
3.5 stars Overall, this was very enjoyable. I wish the gothic/horror elements had been more vivid, and I thought I was going to love the ending , but the plot ended up being a bit more conventional than I had initially hoped. And while there are flashes of wry humor and some zingy comebacks, I wouldn't call this "wickedly funny," either. The humor is actually a bit tricky, because I'm not sure the balance with the darker stuff was there or was sustained in a consistent way, though it certainly does have its moments.
The dysfunctional family stuff is so well done, though, and I have a lot of affection for and identify with Anna in many ways. And after The Villa, my takeaway is that we Americans should think twice about renting massive vacation homes in Italy with our loved ones.
Audio Notes: I liked narrator Andi Arndt's calmness, and I am no fan of screechy hysterics, but when there were actual creepy things going on, I would have appreciated a little more technical skill in showing emotion now and again.
3.5 stars Overall, this was very enjoyable. I wish the gothic/horror elements had been more vivid, and I thought I was going to love the ending , but the plot ended up being a bit more conventional than I had initially hoped. And while there are flashes of wry humor and some zingy comebacks, I wouldn't call this "wickedly funny," either. The humor is actually a bit tricky, because I'm not sure the balance with the darker stuff was there or was sustained in a consistent way, though it certainly does have its moments.
The dysfunctional family stuff is so well done, though, and I have a lot of affection for and identify with Anna in many ways. And after The Villa, my takeaway is that we Americans should think twice about renting massive vacation homes in Italy with our loved ones.
Audio Notes: I liked narrator Andi Arndt's calmness, and I am no fan of screechy hysterics, but when there were actual creepy things going on, I would have appreciated a little more technical skill in showing emotion now and again.
June 2, 2024
if you liked this book, please turn away. i'm not yucking your yum. i'm mad that my yum turned into a yuck.
alternative title: go to therapy so that the ghosts can scare the reader. considering how beautiful and haunting the cover is, i was expecting big scares and not a family drama that just happens to have ghosts hanging around. everyone uses the main character as their emotional punching bag. like she's pretentious and annoying but these people bullied her for existing and are equally annoying, if not more so. they constantly bring up shit that happened years and years ago, they're passive aggressive as fuck, and they get upset about things that didn't happen. there's so much unresolved shit that had nothing to do with the ghosts like there was a random anti-choice sermon in an italian church???? 🥴 why and what was the point of this. in fact, what was the point of a lot of the things that happened??
another reviewer said that this was "an infuriating book written for 'it’s wine o’clock somewhere' 'normal ppl scare me' type millennial women" which could not be more accurate. my last retail job used to attract these type of women all the fucking time and this is exactly the type of book catered to middle class white american women who think that hoarding rae dunn's cheapass shit and shopping at homegoods is equivalent to owning william sonoma goods. i can imagine anna and her family yelling at me at the register for not wrapping their mass-produced $10 plate the way they want me to. italians would probably be offended by this book because it was so overtly pompous in a way that was like "rich white americans live-love-laugh'ing all over a country foreign to them." none of these issues were challenged. if there was an attempt to satirize their ignorance or challenge their tax-evading asses, i would have given this another star but these people just live like this. there were no scares, mostly a lot of irritating shit happening in the family that overshadowed all the creep factor.
i'd like to think that the ridiculous family drama annoyed the ghosts so much so that they couldn't do their jobs in scaring the reader 🤣
alternative title: go to therapy so that the ghosts can scare the reader. considering how beautiful and haunting the cover is, i was expecting big scares and not a family drama that just happens to have ghosts hanging around. everyone uses the main character as their emotional punching bag. like she's pretentious and annoying but these people bullied her for existing and are equally annoying, if not more so. they constantly bring up shit that happened years and years ago, they're passive aggressive as fuck, and they get upset about things that didn't happen. there's so much unresolved shit that had nothing to do with the ghosts like there was a random anti-choice sermon in an italian church???? 🥴 why and what was the point of this. in fact, what was the point of a lot of the things that happened??
another reviewer said that this was "an infuriating book written for 'it’s wine o’clock somewhere' 'normal ppl scare me' type millennial women" which could not be more accurate. my last retail job used to attract these type of women all the fucking time and this is exactly the type of book catered to middle class white american women who think that hoarding rae dunn's cheapass shit and shopping at homegoods is equivalent to owning william sonoma goods. i can imagine anna and her family yelling at me at the register for not wrapping their mass-produced $10 plate the way they want me to. italians would probably be offended by this book because it was so overtly pompous in a way that was like "rich white americans live-love-laugh'ing all over a country foreign to them." none of these issues were challenged. if there was an attempt to satirize their ignorance or challenge their tax-evading asses, i would have given this another star but these people just live like this. there were no scares, mostly a lot of irritating shit happening in the family that overshadowed all the creep factor.
i'd like to think that the ridiculous family drama annoyed the ghosts so much so that they couldn't do their jobs in scaring the reader 🤣
Shelved as 'dnf'
March 29, 2024dnf
Having really liked another novel by Thorne I wanted to like this one too...but I just can't look past the author's bland horror and her depiction of Italy...
Approximately 20% in, and the horror elements feel like tired clichés, served without any pizzazz. Yet, the novel seems to operate under the belief that it is self-aware, even 'smart,' in its usage of tropes. Take, for instance, a scene where Anna, our mc, sees a figure inside the house and knows she's not 'seeing things' because “she understood angles, perspective. This shape was inside the house.” We also get creepy children, and Anna realizes only later that said children are not her nieces because they are speaking in Italian...all of this happens way too early on. Thorne is spoon-feeding us the horror instead of letting it simmer. While I understand that haunted houses/places have been thoroughly explored in the horror genre, Thorne fails to build suspense, relying instead on a series of very 101 horror elements/scenes. Sometimes, making your characters aware of a place’s wrongness from the get-go can work, but Thorne is no Jackson and lacks the skill to pull this off (in the first pages, we get a trite horror line: “Someone’s in here, Anna thought. Listening.”).
And the characters, oh, where do I begin? This type of obnoxious rich American family is everywhere in the media, and despite the promises of satirical depth, Thorne's take on the wealthy is as shallow as a puddle. The so-called "black sheep" protagonist, supposedly 'real' and unlike the rest of her shallow family, is banal, devoid of any real substance. Certainly, she does not make for a convincing problem child nor is she as interesting/relatable a figure as the narrative wants us to believe.
My biggest issue lies with the author's portrayal of Italy and her usage of the Italian language. It's baffling how little effort was put into researching or consulting actual Italians (yes, ideally more than one) for authenticity. What is it with American authors doing the bare minimum research when setting books abroad? At least consult a few people from the country/culture you are intent on representing your book in before you start writing nonsense or just piling on the stereotypes...
→ Thorne, I don't know who told you that "molto bene" is used in the way you think it's used, but they did you wrong (“She hit the galleries on Friday. L’Accademia. The Uffizi. Molto bene. Overwhelming in the best way.”...?)
→ The protagonist tells us that her Italian 'accent' is good (“Her actual facility with Italian wasn’t nearly as good as her accent.”) when surely it should be pronunciation?
→ A few pages in and we already have stereotypes such as Italians being bad drivers, and Italian men being don juans (leering at women/making inappropriate advances)
→ The description of the villa tries hard to convey an understanding of architecture and interior design but it comes across as name-dropping (“alfresco dining”...). Sure, the narrative tries to be sort of self-aware, as the villa is described as “[M]ore Epcot Italy than the real thing”, but it ultimately fails to pull this off as it immediately flexes its art history knowledge: “And yet there was something idiosyncratic about Villa Taccola. The whole house suggested pentimenti,”. And I failed to be amused by a bathroom being described as “you know, a bathroom—” (why bother including this? is this a house tour? 75 questions with vogue?). Thorne's grasp of Italian art and architecture consists of an overuse of the term "Romanesque".
→ And let's not forget the baffling detail of Anna serving herself a "cold prosecco" – because apparently, warm and/or room temperature prosecco is a common occurrence for this moneyed woman who claims to be an enthusiast of Italian culture.
→ Anna's Italian is so good supposedly that when she goes for a drink in a restaurant, she is given an Italian menu (her companions are given English menus)...I do not believe that for a second. Saying a few words in Italian won't magically make Italians give you an Italian menu. I don't get given Italian menus. The waitress somehow compliments her on her translation skills (“Anna translated for the others as best she could, rewarded with a “molto bene” and a wink from the waitress, ”)...but how would she know whether Anna's translation was good or not if she spoke little/no English? And if she did speak English she would not be talking in Italian to Anna, despite the latter (claiming) to know enough Italian to get by.
→ We have a scene of Anna, her brother, Benny, and his bf going into ‘Monteperso’ and passing a tabaccheria/BAR with “four sour-faced Italian men of indeterminate age leaning on the building and smoking cigarettes, seemingly in silence. They all turned to stare at the car as it approached, unsmiling. Benny gave a neighborly wave. They didn’t react. Not even to shift weight.”; 1st of all, if there are no tables outside, would they really be standing outside a tabaccheria to smoke? They would go to a bar with tables outside or a bench or whatever. Also, they would definitely be talking to each other. 2ndly, they wouldn’t be so blank-faced. if anything, if it's an area with little tourism, the locals would look puzzled by the sight of tourists/non-locals; the only instances where they would look more antagonistic is if the tourists in question were to be POC (but Anna & co are white so...here it makes 0 sense other than going for that 'there be strangers' horror trope); 3rdly…waving? What the fuck do you expect? For these elderly men to wave back? When I worked in Venice, I found waving tourists obnoxious, often they seemed uncaring of their surroundings (pushing people aside or getting too close to others), and excepted what…the locals to entertain them? Is this a zoo? An amusement park? Do the locals 'owe' you anything?
→ And don't even get me started on the overuse of "pentimento". It reminds me of how people (especially dabblers of artspeak) like to misuse/overuse 'chiaroscuro'. I understand that the word pentimento sounds cool to non-Italians, and the whole concept will certainly have an ‘edge’, but goodness me don't use it as a metaphor to describe things that have nothing to do with it. Sure, you can use art terms as metaphors for other things, but here, Thorne does it so much it just comes across as obnoxious, and especially ridiculous to an Italian speaker.
Having really liked another novel by Thorne I wanted to like this one too...but I just can't look past the author's bland horror and her depiction of Italy...
Approximately 20% in, and the horror elements feel like tired clichés, served without any pizzazz. Yet, the novel seems to operate under the belief that it is self-aware, even 'smart,' in its usage of tropes. Take, for instance, a scene where Anna, our mc, sees a figure inside the house and knows she's not 'seeing things' because “she understood angles, perspective. This shape was inside the house.” We also get creepy children, and Anna realizes only later that said children are not her nieces because they are speaking in Italian...all of this happens way too early on. Thorne is spoon-feeding us the horror instead of letting it simmer. While I understand that haunted houses/places have been thoroughly explored in the horror genre, Thorne fails to build suspense, relying instead on a series of very 101 horror elements/scenes. Sometimes, making your characters aware of a place’s wrongness from the get-go can work, but Thorne is no Jackson and lacks the skill to pull this off (in the first pages, we get a trite horror line: “Someone’s in here, Anna thought. Listening.”).
And the characters, oh, where do I begin? This type of obnoxious rich American family is everywhere in the media, and despite the promises of satirical depth, Thorne's take on the wealthy is as shallow as a puddle. The so-called "black sheep" protagonist, supposedly 'real' and unlike the rest of her shallow family, is banal, devoid of any real substance. Certainly, she does not make for a convincing problem child nor is she as interesting/relatable a figure as the narrative wants us to believe.
My biggest issue lies with the author's portrayal of Italy and her usage of the Italian language. It's baffling how little effort was put into researching or consulting actual Italians (yes, ideally more than one) for authenticity. What is it with American authors doing the bare minimum research when setting books abroad? At least consult a few people from the country/culture you are intent on representing your book in before you start writing nonsense or just piling on the stereotypes...
→ Thorne, I don't know who told you that "molto bene" is used in the way you think it's used, but they did you wrong (“She hit the galleries on Friday. L’Accademia. The Uffizi. Molto bene. Overwhelming in the best way.”...?)
→ The protagonist tells us that her Italian 'accent' is good (“Her actual facility with Italian wasn’t nearly as good as her accent.”) when surely it should be pronunciation?
→ A few pages in and we already have stereotypes such as Italians being bad drivers, and Italian men being don juans (leering at women/making inappropriate advances)
→ The description of the villa tries hard to convey an understanding of architecture and interior design but it comes across as name-dropping (“alfresco dining”...). Sure, the narrative tries to be sort of self-aware, as the villa is described as “[M]ore Epcot Italy than the real thing”, but it ultimately fails to pull this off as it immediately flexes its art history knowledge: “And yet there was something idiosyncratic about Villa Taccola. The whole house suggested pentimenti,”. And I failed to be amused by a bathroom being described as “you know, a bathroom—” (why bother including this? is this a house tour? 75 questions with vogue?). Thorne's grasp of Italian art and architecture consists of an overuse of the term "Romanesque".
→ And let's not forget the baffling detail of Anna serving herself a "cold prosecco" – because apparently, warm and/or room temperature prosecco is a common occurrence for this moneyed woman who claims to be an enthusiast of Italian culture.
→ Anna's Italian is so good supposedly that when she goes for a drink in a restaurant, she is given an Italian menu (her companions are given English menus)...I do not believe that for a second. Saying a few words in Italian won't magically make Italians give you an Italian menu. I don't get given Italian menus. The waitress somehow compliments her on her translation skills (“Anna translated for the others as best she could, rewarded with a “molto bene” and a wink from the waitress, ”)...but how would she know whether Anna's translation was good or not if she spoke little/no English? And if she did speak English she would not be talking in Italian to Anna, despite the latter (claiming) to know enough Italian to get by.
→ We have a scene of Anna, her brother, Benny, and his bf going into ‘Monteperso’ and passing a tabaccheria/BAR with “four sour-faced Italian men of indeterminate age leaning on the building and smoking cigarettes, seemingly in silence. They all turned to stare at the car as it approached, unsmiling. Benny gave a neighborly wave. They didn’t react. Not even to shift weight.”; 1st of all, if there are no tables outside, would they really be standing outside a tabaccheria to smoke? They would go to a bar with tables outside or a bench or whatever. Also, they would definitely be talking to each other. 2ndly, they wouldn’t be so blank-faced. if anything, if it's an area with little tourism, the locals would look puzzled by the sight of tourists/non-locals; the only instances where they would look more antagonistic is if the tourists in question were to be POC (but Anna & co are white so...here it makes 0 sense other than going for that 'there be strangers' horror trope); 3rdly…waving? What the fuck do you expect? For these elderly men to wave back? When I worked in Venice, I found waving tourists obnoxious, often they seemed uncaring of their surroundings (pushing people aside or getting too close to others), and excepted what…the locals to entertain them? Is this a zoo? An amusement park? Do the locals 'owe' you anything?
→ And don't even get me started on the overuse of "pentimento". It reminds me of how people (especially dabblers of artspeak) like to misuse/overuse 'chiaroscuro'. I understand that the word pentimento sounds cool to non-Italians, and the whole concept will certainly have an ‘edge’, but goodness me don't use it as a metaphor to describe things that have nothing to do with it. Sure, you can use art terms as metaphors for other things, but here, Thorne does it so much it just comes across as obnoxious, and especially ridiculous to an Italian speaker.
May 8, 2024
Diavola is the perfect summertime read if you want a vacation setting but also need some genuine creepiness along with the sunshiny drama.
Anna is the black sheep of the family but despite that she still feels compelled to subject herself to the annual family destination vacation. This year her father has funded a trip (which he continually reminds them) to a remote villa in Italy and Anna may not be the only one who ends up regretting attending this year . . .
This book is a genuine lesson in why you should always google your location/hotel/air bnb before jetting off for relaxation. And it’s also a lesson in listening to the locals. Le sigh. Apparently, none of these people ever read or watched The Ruins where those dummies chose to ignore all warnings as well. Anyhow, before long, strange occurrences begin to happen and Anna and her family are so consumed with their past hurts, feelings of jealousy and general pain in the assery, that they don’t notice things are getting weird until they get dangerously weird. Anna, for her part, is more aware than the rest of them and seems to be the only one alarmed.
This book blends family dramatics with a chilling story and some gruesome moments and I liked it a lot. I’ll be honest here and admit that I mostly didn’t enjoy this writer’s previous book, Lute, which so many seem to adore. I found it unscary and inconsistent and I had to force myself to finish. But this one gets everything right (for me). It has moments of humor, thanks to Anna, that I really appreciated. The humor is dark and sometimes life altering and that’s my favorite kind. Anna’s not perfect but she is a terrific character and I enjoyed reading her story.
The narrator did an excellent job with all of the drama and scary bits. If you’re an audio fan check it out this way.
4 1/2 stars bumped up to 5
CW:
Anna is the black sheep of the family but despite that she still feels compelled to subject herself to the annual family destination vacation. This year her father has funded a trip (which he continually reminds them) to a remote villa in Italy and Anna may not be the only one who ends up regretting attending this year . . .
This book is a genuine lesson in why you should always google your location/hotel/air bnb before jetting off for relaxation. And it’s also a lesson in listening to the locals. Le sigh. Apparently, none of these people ever read or watched The Ruins where those dummies chose to ignore all warnings as well. Anyhow, before long, strange occurrences begin to happen and Anna and her family are so consumed with their past hurts, feelings of jealousy and general pain in the assery, that they don’t notice things are getting weird until they get dangerously weird. Anna, for her part, is more aware than the rest of them and seems to be the only one alarmed.
This book blends family dramatics with a chilling story and some gruesome moments and I liked it a lot. I’ll be honest here and admit that I mostly didn’t enjoy this writer’s previous book, Lute, which so many seem to adore. I found it unscary and inconsistent and I had to force myself to finish. But this one gets everything right (for me). It has moments of humor, thanks to Anna, that I really appreciated. The humor is dark and sometimes life altering and that’s my favorite kind. Anna’s not perfect but she is a terrific character and I enjoyed reading her story.
The narrator did an excellent job with all of the drama and scary bits. If you’re an audio fan check it out this way.
4 1/2 stars bumped up to 5
CW:
July 7, 2024
the best thing about this book is the cover
March 14, 2024
Diavola is one of those books that lives between genres. It wants to be a slow burn gothic horror, but ends up feeling more like a creepy thriller. Which isn’t a bad thing. I just think some people might be going in with the wrong expectations and come out feeling a little disappointed.
Regardless if Anna’s dysfunctional family wants to believe in what’s going on or not, this isn’t a book that hints at something supernatural potentially happening. The ghost is front and center, fully on display. If you want a book that fully commits to being a haunted house narrative, no questions asked, Diavola delivers on that.
But for a haunted house book with some fairly creepy visuals…it’s not exactly frightening. The writing is just too witty and sharp to fully let the creep factor sink in, but it does make for one hell of a fun main character. It almost gives Jack Sparks, if Jack Sparks was sympathetic and someone you actually wanted things to work out for.
Honestly, the most compelling thing about this is the family dynamic. Prepare to be fully triggered if you’ve ever felt like the black sheep. I’m not sure if Thorne meant to spike heart rates with the level of gaslighting, back handed compliments, and frustration overload, but damn, does she nail it. I'm legitimately still irritaed by some of these characters. It’s probably the most haunting thing about this book.
If we got to spend a little more 'time under tension' and less on descriptions of Italy, I think this would have worked a little better for me.
Regardless if Anna’s dysfunctional family wants to believe in what’s going on or not, this isn’t a book that hints at something supernatural potentially happening. The ghost is front and center, fully on display. If you want a book that fully commits to being a haunted house narrative, no questions asked, Diavola delivers on that.
But for a haunted house book with some fairly creepy visuals…it’s not exactly frightening. The writing is just too witty and sharp to fully let the creep factor sink in, but it does make for one hell of a fun main character. It almost gives Jack Sparks, if Jack Sparks was sympathetic and someone you actually wanted things to work out for.
Honestly, the most compelling thing about this is the family dynamic. Prepare to be fully triggered if you’ve ever felt like the black sheep. I’m not sure if Thorne meant to spike heart rates with the level of gaslighting, back handed compliments, and frustration overload, but damn, does she nail it. I'm legitimately still irritaed by some of these characters. It’s probably the most haunting thing about this book.
If we got to spend a little more 'time under tension' and less on descriptions of Italy, I think this would have worked a little better for me.
May 22, 2024
Was I supposed to be scared that this ghost made her duvet look like a sepia filter of piss?
May 27, 2024
such a quick read! every character was insufferable, & it got creepy at times but nothing special. there were also some unnecessary scenes and scenes that could've been developed more
January 23, 2024
Loved this. Thorne really nails the concept of a horror novel that plays out while you are on an absolutely terrible family vacation, two great flavors that go great together.
On the horror side, Thorne has a good mix of familiar tropes and things you aren't expecting. I really enjoy that kind of tightrope walk, and it's also a horror novel that totally shifts styles more than once. It's tricky to do but she really nails it.
On the terrible family vacation side, beautifully done. Anna's family has all these very specific ideas about who she is in a way that will feel familiar to many people with semi-dysfunctional families. They're not a total family disaster, they can manage the vacation all together every so often, but it doesn't seem like any of them actually enjoy these vacations. One of Thorne's little tricks here is that she often won't fully give us the backstory for Anna's tainted family mythology in full detail. Anna is our protagonist and she doesn't seem like much of a screw-up to us, we feel wronged when her family refuses to see her in any other light. And yet, some of these stories make you wonder if you can actually trust Anna. It's very subtly done, not in your face unreliable narrator stuff, but it creates another sliver of tension as she ramps everything up.
One of my favorite things is a horror where I don't know where it's going to go, and that was definitely this one. One of the best horror novels of the year, I can already tell you with certainty.
On the horror side, Thorne has a good mix of familiar tropes and things you aren't expecting. I really enjoy that kind of tightrope walk, and it's also a horror novel that totally shifts styles more than once. It's tricky to do but she really nails it.
On the terrible family vacation side, beautifully done. Anna's family has all these very specific ideas about who she is in a way that will feel familiar to many people with semi-dysfunctional families. They're not a total family disaster, they can manage the vacation all together every so often, but it doesn't seem like any of them actually enjoy these vacations. One of Thorne's little tricks here is that she often won't fully give us the backstory for Anna's tainted family mythology in full detail. Anna is our protagonist and she doesn't seem like much of a screw-up to us, we feel wronged when her family refuses to see her in any other light. And yet, some of these stories make you wonder if you can actually trust Anna. It's very subtly done, not in your face unreliable narrator stuff, but it creates another sliver of tension as she ramps everything up.
One of my favorite things is a horror where I don't know where it's going to go, and that was definitely this one. One of the best horror novels of the year, I can already tell you with certainty.
April 12, 2024
2.8 stars.
Has so many of the familiar issues as other modern horror/thriller books that I am wondering if my issues are actually features of the writing and not bugs. I really think I may just be out of the loop on modern horror writing...
So, what are my issues? Glad you asked:
First, the characters. I am resisting the urge to put the tag “likable” or “relatable” before “characters” because I do not think compelling characters need to be likable or relatable, it’s all based on the story you are telling, but these characters felt uniquely and unrelentingly repelling.
Christopher is an unmodulated asshole, his insecurity and aggression were accidentally bumped up to 11, and he ends up infecting Benny, because there is no clear connection or attraction point, I ended up not caring about Benny pretty early on, because what kind of guy would be attracted to Christopher?
Nicole is your stereotypical “high strung” control freak, but she is also pretty nakedly aggressive toward Anna. There is also a line later in the book about Nicole preferring conflict happen remotely and not in-person, but that seems antithetical to the Nicole of the earlier narrative. In one scene she confronts Anna about an abortion in a church, feels pretty open to direct conflict to me.
The father figures and mother were just 2-D stereotypes, there is not much to report, same with the girls.
The shallowness of the ancillary characters also hits at a larger point, there is so much time spent on referencing the girls "emotional state" and Anna's parents anger toward her and it all doesn't go anywhere. Once the story shifts from Italy, I was convinced the family had died, and they might as well have. The emotional dynamics of the siblings and family just felt like they were placed into a randomizer.
My other issues are with the "mystery" and the tone. The mystery takes a long time to establish, with many visits to locals and small discoveries, only to have the entire mystery solved by a simple internet search.
It feels like this "post-modern: we know we can't scare you, so we'll all just try to get in on the genre with you" approach, where you try to freshen the genre up by demystifying the climax. It largely involves a modern day character undercutting the ghost with their "blaise, devil-may-care" New World attitude that no medieval farmer would ever dare attempt with a spirit! Anna devolves into a psyche fracturing spiral, only to then walk through this house of torment bullying the ghost like they attended the same Middle School. It's annoying and makes all the build up of, "does Anna have a darkness in her..."; "is she just losing her mind?" Feel unimportant and like an elaborate emotional Macguffin.
I just don't think I get what books like this are going for? The characters feel weirdly detached from their own horror story. The lore and character/family dynamics are surface level and any depth, seems, evidenced in how unlikeable the author was willing to make their characters. I don't have to like your characters, but I should care.
Has so many of the familiar issues as other modern horror/thriller books that I am wondering if my issues are actually features of the writing and not bugs. I really think I may just be out of the loop on modern horror writing...
So, what are my issues? Glad you asked:
First, the characters. I am resisting the urge to put the tag “likable” or “relatable” before “characters” because I do not think compelling characters need to be likable or relatable, it’s all based on the story you are telling, but these characters felt uniquely and unrelentingly repelling.
Christopher is an unmodulated asshole, his insecurity and aggression were accidentally bumped up to 11, and he ends up infecting Benny, because there is no clear connection or attraction point, I ended up not caring about Benny pretty early on, because what kind of guy would be attracted to Christopher?
Nicole is your stereotypical “high strung” control freak, but she is also pretty nakedly aggressive toward Anna. There is also a line later in the book about Nicole preferring conflict happen remotely and not in-person, but that seems antithetical to the Nicole of the earlier narrative. In one scene she confronts Anna about an abortion in a church, feels pretty open to direct conflict to me.
The father figures and mother were just 2-D stereotypes, there is not much to report, same with the girls.
The shallowness of the ancillary characters also hits at a larger point, there is so much time spent on referencing the girls "emotional state" and Anna's parents anger toward her and it all doesn't go anywhere. Once the story shifts from Italy, I was convinced the family had died, and they might as well have. The emotional dynamics of the siblings and family just felt like they were placed into a randomizer.
My other issues are with the "mystery" and the tone. The mystery takes a long time to establish, with many visits to locals and small discoveries, only to have the entire mystery solved by a simple internet search.
It feels like this "post-modern: we know we can't scare you, so we'll all just try to get in on the genre with you" approach, where you try to freshen the genre up by demystifying the climax. It largely involves a modern day character undercutting the ghost with their "blaise, devil-may-care" New World attitude that no medieval farmer would ever dare attempt with a spirit! Anna devolves into a psyche fracturing spiral, only to then walk through this house of torment bullying the ghost like they attended the same Middle School. It's annoying and makes all the build up of, "does Anna have a darkness in her..."; "is she just losing her mind?" Feel unimportant and like an elaborate emotional Macguffin.
I just don't think I get what books like this are going for? The characters feel weirdly detached from their own horror story. The lore and character/family dynamics are surface level and any depth, seems, evidenced in how unlikeable the author was willing to make their characters. I don't have to like your characters, but I should care.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2024
Wow, this was such an entertaining read! I loved the creepiness of the haunting, the Tuscon setting, the art and history references, and the dysfunctional family dynamics. Was every page perfect? No. Did I want to drop everything else I was doing just to get back to this story? Yes. Clever, fun, and creepy. This one will stay with you for a while.
June 21, 2024
this sucked.
June 2, 2024
4.25 stars
Delightfully evolved into something unexpected, judging by its creepy cover, I was expecting Diavola to be dark and atmospheric — a 'serious' horror novel. So as the story progressed, I was taken aback (in a good way) by the gradual emergence of its manic humor. If you don't want comedy in your horror, this will likely throw you off, but the combo totally subverted my expectation and worked.
Kudos to Jennifer Marie Thorne for creating this cast of memorable characters: the protagonist is flawed but completely relatable (such a Millennial!) — we also happened to share a similar profession; the bit regarding hot dog killed me in its absurdity and accuracy. And the family members surrounding her are fully rendered as people I love to hate (I wouldn't have mind one bit if the novel gave them even worse outcome by the end).
Diavola ended up delivering what I wanted, and more — the European haunted house vibe was spot on, the addition of an over-the-top dysfunctional family drama, and the almost 'buddy comedy' feel towards the end really made this a great summer horror read. I listened to the excellently narrated audiobook, which further added to the immersion.
**The Book Troop Book Club May 2024 Selection**
Delightfully evolved into something unexpected, judging by its creepy cover, I was expecting Diavola to be dark and atmospheric — a 'serious' horror novel. So as the story progressed, I was taken aback (in a good way) by the gradual emergence of its manic humor. If you don't want comedy in your horror, this will likely throw you off, but the combo totally subverted my expectation and worked.
Kudos to Jennifer Marie Thorne for creating this cast of memorable characters: the protagonist is flawed but completely relatable (such a Millennial!) — we also happened to share a similar profession; the bit regarding hot dog killed me in its absurdity and accuracy. And the family members surrounding her are fully rendered as people I love to hate (I wouldn't have mind one bit if the novel gave them even worse outcome by the end).
Diavola ended up delivering what I wanted, and more — the European haunted house vibe was spot on, the addition of an over-the-top dysfunctional family drama, and the almost 'buddy comedy' feel towards the end really made this a great summer horror read. I listened to the excellently narrated audiobook, which further added to the immersion.
**The Book Troop Book Club May 2024 Selection**
July 14, 2024
"Anna kicked off the annual Pace family vacation with a lie."
Well that was the fastest I've read a book in a long time. I didn't want to put it down and finished it in 3 days!
Full review to come :)
"She can think of few more beautiful things than the mess it makes."
Well that was the fastest I've read a book in a long time. I didn't want to put it down and finished it in 3 days!
Full review to come :)
"She can think of few more beautiful things than the mess it makes."
May 3, 2024
Finally a book that lived up to the “horror” genre for me! It was creepy, disturbing, scary, and definitely a little weird, and I loved every second of it! It’s pretty graphic, but I felt like it all just contributed to the story and made it a great horror!
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