Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Diavola by Jennifer Thorne

10 reviews

amina_writes_books's review

lute was better. Felt the story didn't actually start until page 133.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Blood, and Body horror

Moderate: Alcohol and Alcoholism

louiepotterbook's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Bullying, Child death, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Violence, Gore, Misogyny, and Pedophilia

cassieopeia's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Violence, Abortion, Alcohol, Death, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Gore, Animal death, Blood, Cursing, Murder, and Vomit

Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts

chainsawheartbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“Could you back the fuck off for two seconds? I am monologuing!”

Beautiful. Haunting. Raw. 

This book was a masterpiece, pure art in its finest form, and I started this at the same time as a hot spell swept the UK which felt both fitting and slightly terrifying at the same time.

I was transported to Italy, visiting all these beautiful places but always returning to the dreaded Villa Taccola, just like the Pace’s. And despite by immediate distaste for some of them, I kept wanting them to leave the villa, money and belongings be damned!

The writing was just incredible and the atmosphere fluctuated between family holiday to pure malice so excellently. When I picked this up I knew I’d enjoy it, but never to the extent that I did. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Blood, Gaslighting, Cursing, Stalking, Alcohol, Grief, Suicide attempt, Abortion, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Gore, Vomit, Child death, Suicide, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Car accident

nrogers_1030's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic relationship, Blood, Cursing, Gore, Violence, Vomit, Death, and Alcohol

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Child death, Abortion, Pregnancy, Infertility, and Sexual harassment

mmccombs's review

dark funny tense fast-paced

5.0

When I picked up this book, I (for some reason) anticipated more of a gothic horror vibe, but this was truly straight HORROR at its best. Lots of bits that made me go “agh no!” out loud, a very atmospheric (and wonderfully Italian) setting, and a really interesting family dynamic all worked together to create a rich, creepy tapestry. I loved that Anna and her black sheep relationship to her family directly impacted and influenced the ghost story.

I loved that she got a bit snarky with the ghost, it became a relationship in its own right and made for some funny moments (which were definitely welcome when I was freaking out thinking about a ghost licking her foot). I also appreciated that she never reconciles with her terrible family and let the “rot” do its thing, truly awful people lol

All in all, I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this read, would definitely recommend for a scary summer read (maybe even on a family vacation just to keep it interesting!)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Body horror, Murder, and Death

Moderate: Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

alite428's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Blood

Moderate: Self harm, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Gore, Death, and Violence

Minor: Abortion

_geminigenres's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I enjoyed this book. I believe it can be easily adapted. I think the twists/change in scenery made it feel a little longer than expected but it could be how annoying the family is. They did not deserve the main character, Anna. She turned out to be THAT girl. 

The main twist that I did like is that it went from a haunted house story to a haunted object story. Although I felt that it was weird that Anna kept the object.

Anyway. It was a solid read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Murder, Blood, Death, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Abortion

Minor: Vomit

nadiajohnsonbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A tense family vacation to Tuscany turns into a vivid and intimate gothic horror in this wild ride of a novel. Being new to Thorne's work, I came into this book with zero expectations, but I was immediately drawn in by the cover and the book's apparent inspiration in the vibrant contrasts of Florentine Renaissance art.

The protagonist Anna is a flawed, cynical artist working an unsatisfying design job and nurturing deeply toxic relationships with, apparently, everyone in her family. Her codependent twin brother, her insecure sister, her judgmental mother, and her father, who thinks the best way to deal with family tension is to ignore it outright. The only relations with whom she has a genuinely positive connection are her two young nieces who don't understand why their mother sometimes says mean things about Auntie Anna. At the start of the story, Anna is arriving in the Florentine hinterland to spend a couple weeks sharing a vacation rental with all of them.

Villa Taccola has all the aesthetic charm you'd expect from a Tuscan villa, but things are tense from the moment Anna arrives. Of course, much of the building tension comes from her unhealthy family dynamics, but that can't explain all of it. The family begins to notice strange sounds and shapes, unexplainable little disasters, and the locals all seem to be avoiding them.

To be honest, Anna probably jumps to the ghost conclusion sooner than I would, but there is no question that something is very wrong with Villa Taccola. Something that goes all the way back to its Renaissance roots.

The dread in this story may have started at a simmer, but the terror is at a full rolling boil for the last third of the book. The haunt itself plays with the genre's conventions while still managing to surprise.
 
What starts as a classically creepy vacation haunting turns into something much more intimate, playing on both the nature of toxic family ties and Anna's own significant personal issues. If you like a messy protagonist, Anna is the perfect disaster to pick apart.

The audiobook narration was great, capturing all the incongruous and contradictory facets of Anna's mind.

Very glad that I read this book, and I will definitely seek out more of Jennifer Thorne's writing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Murder

Moderate: Suicide, Alcohol, Child death, Violence, Vomit, Gore, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Abortion, Blood, Death, and Confinement

rhiannonafternoon's review

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was a stay up until 2am to finish read. A haunted house in Tuscany set to ruin the “perfect” family vacation? This was a masterfully written build beginning with your typical haunted villa moments; door slams and temperature changes, escalating into lost days and two women scorned who just won’t quit. Anna’s life experiences contribute to every well thought out move from beginning to end, and I’ll be thinking about La Dama Bianca for a long time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol and Vomit

Moderate: Self harm, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Confinement, Blood, Body horror, and Gore

Minor: Animal death