You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Vomit, Alcohol
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence, Blood, Murder
Minor: Suicide, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
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.
Anyway. It was a solid read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Gore, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Diavola follows Anna on a family vacation in Italy, and how the trip continues to affect her after she returns. The book does a good job at creating uncertainty - is it a ghost or is Anna mentally ill? Her family are exhausting and treat her poorly, but they also seem to think something is wrong with her. The haunting could be a metaphor for depression, trauma, or grief, especially with how it affects her.
Unfortunately, I found there was little horror or comedy in the book. It was funny in a snarky relatable way, but not often enough to be hailed a 'comedy'. The hot dog scene was lazy. Most of the characters feel like 2D stereotypes, and the majority of the book is Anna meandering about her life. Any ghostly activity was an inconvenience at best. I wanted more of the haunting, more terror, especially based on other reviews. The ending also felt lazy and convenient. I found it hard to care about any of the characters, and I was most interested in what the ghost was up to but I didn't get enough of it.
There is also a very uncomfortable sex scene which could be interpreted as SA that added nothing to the story.
Overall, it did a good job creating doubt and I enjoyed the snark, but I am left wanting more horror and comedy instead of family drama and narration. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.
Unfortunately, I found there was little horror or comedy in the book. It was funny in a snarky relatable way, but not often enough to be hailed a 'comedy'. The hot dog scene was lazy. Most of the characters feel like 2D stereotypes, and the majority of the book is Anna meandering about her life. Any ghostly activity was an inconvenience at best. I wanted more of the haunting, more terror, especially based on other reviews. The ending also felt lazy and convenient. I found it hard to care about any of the characters, and I was most interested in what the ghost was up to but I didn't get enough of it.
There is also a very uncomfortable sex scene which could be interpreted as SA that added nothing to the story.
Overall, it did a good job creating doubt and I enjoyed the snark, but I am left wanting more horror and comedy instead of family drama and narration. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Mental illness, Abortion, Gaslighting, Alcohol
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Car accident, Abortion, Alcohol
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was very excited to receive an audiobook arc of "Diavola" by Jennifer Thorne, narrated by Andi Arndt.
Friends, this was such a fun time; you need to pick it up ASAP, and I highly recommend the audiobook specifically.
I absolutely inhaled this one… or more accurately, I guess it inhaled me. Jennifer perfectly balances a slowly developing plot with an engrossing overarching storyline that is almost impossible to put down. I’ll be thinking about this book for a very long time and will definitely be revisiting it.
The book follows Anna and her family spending their annual holiday in a beautiful Italian villa, but fairly soon things start to get weird, and then just when you think you’re on board, they get even weirder… This book truly delivered on what you would expect from this setting and so much more. As always with this genre, I would highly recommend going in not knowing too much more but be sure to always check CWs.
I really enjoyed the family dynamics and getting to know Anna, who is a perfectly flawed and chronically underestimated character.
I’m not usually one to compare books to other media, but I could not help but picture this perfectly slotted into the Flanaverse. The family dynamics, flawed characters, and overall haunted vibe had me thinking of "The Haunting of Hill House" on multiple occasions.
I can see this being the ‘vacation horror’ of the summer. I’m going to need someone to read this while camped out in a spooky Italian villa because that is 100% how this book would be best enjoyed. Please report back if you do!
Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook arc. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Vomit, Abortion, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Death, Blood
dark
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Holy ghosts! This was such a 'fun vacation' that I didn't want to put down the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Alcohol
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
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Alcohol
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Blood, Abortion
Minor: Animal death