Reviews with content warning for Vomit - Diavola

Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

Diavola by Jennifer Marie Thorne

120 reviews

hanarama's review against another edition

5.0

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Wow wow wow! I was completely captivated. Vivid and heavy, hard to tell what's real and what isn't. Absolutely loved the atmosphere, the narration, the allusions to art and architecture.

Content Warnings

madamegorgon's review against another edition

3.75

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A spooky haunted house read backed by a toxic “loving” family. So many moments to make you cringe, give you goosebumps, make you sad, make you angry. Narration was really well done.

It was never really terrifying, but it was enough to make you want to look over your shoulder. And maybe research your next VROB.

Enough back story to give it some meat and meaning.

Lots and LOTS of alcohol use/abuse.

Content Warnings

killmoore_'s review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional funny mysterious sad 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: Yes

I devoured this book. I have no criticism - one of the best haunted house stories I've ever read with despicable characters, lore and rich imagery throughout. Fucking fantastic.

Content Warnings

sargasso_c's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Anna Pace is a role model to black sheep everywhere. The Pace family’s toxic dynamic is captured very well - almost too well - and the horror element is intriguing and well developed.

Content Warnings

pantteri's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

evie95's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

amandaraemor's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Rarely have I read a horror novel that balanced such deep dread with absolute hilarity. The Pace family and their significant others are, in a word, terrible. Their constant picking at Anna starts off almost hyperbolically, until it builds to a level of toxicity that you almost wonder why Anna is not quicker to leave them behind to fend for themselves. The saddest parts of the book tend to be where Anna repeatedly proves she is better than her family’s worst expectations of her—even going so far as to run back into the hellish Villa Taccola over and over again to protect them—and yet still finds herself ostracized. The novel’s end feels only slightly anticlimactic, but perhaps I just wanted to witness one last Pace Family Showdown…Anna’s comebacks are legendary, whether facing off against an ancient Italian ghoul or taking her siblings and parents down a few pegs.

Content Warnings

yandicha's review against another edition

3.75

dark tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

When I first picked up Diavola, I was immediately seduced by its dark, atmospheric charm and the rustic allure of its Italian villa. It’s like “dark academia” collided head-on with a haunted house, and frankly, I was here for it. Thorne’s writing is the perfect blend of moody and immersive—her atmospheric touch made even the slowest moments feel bearable. I especially appreciated the bits of Italian sprinkled throughout—not so much that it felt like I needed a translation app, but just enough to make the setting feel real. The way she weaves Italy’s architecture, art, and culture into the narrative was a standout for me, creating an immersive experience without drowning in excessive detail.

However, if there’s one thing that almost made me slam the book shut, it was the family. Honestly, I’d take my chances with a ghost that has piss-yellow hair before being stuck in a room with these people for an entire week. Toxic doesn’t even begin to cover it. Aside from her young nieces, the protagonist’s family is a nightmare of entitlement, manipulation, and passive-aggressiveness. I spent most of the book hoping she’d stand up for herself, but alas, her spine seemed to be on permanent vacation. She was so determined to avoid conflict that I found myself screaming internally for her to just grow a spine already. Watching her dance around her family’s dysfunctional communication style—because who needs healthy communication, right?— all while pretending she was “protecting” them. Spoiler: she wasn’t.

The pacing, too, was another issue. It’s slow. Really slow. If you’re someone who needs fast-paced action or quick resolutions, this isn’t the book for you. But honestly, the atmosphere—the thick, suffocating Gothic air—did enough heavy lifting to keep me invested. I could almost forgive the plodding pace because I was so wrapped up in the feeling of being in that place. It's like the house and Italy was keeping me hostage.

In conclusion, Diavola is a book that does a lot of its heavy lifting with atmosphere and setting. If you’re in the mood for something dark, eerie, and a little too real when it comes to family dysfunction, Diavola could be your cup of tea. Just don’t expect to leave with any warm feelings towards the characters.

Anyway, fuck Benny. Fuck Nicole. Fuck her parents.

On to some content warnings:
❗Vomit: Yes, there’s a whole sequence that’s pretty tough for emetophobes (I say this as one myself). It’s mostly red wine, so not as bad as it could have been, but still... be warned.
❗Sexual Content: At first, the sexual content was fairly mild, with just a few sentences here and there to subtly highlight certain situations. However, towards the end, a sex scene appears—around page 260.
❗Nudity: There’s non-sexual nudity related to artwork, but a bit of sexual nudity toward the end.
❗Toxic Family Dynamics: If toxic family dynamics are a trigger for you, I’d suggest giving this book a pass, as the relationships are deeply dysfunctional throughout.
❗Blood: Wine and blood are often intertwined, making it easy to mistake one for the other.
❗Abortion: The MC’s abortion is treated as a source of shame by her family.
❗Suicide: There’s a mention of suicide, and the story plays with the idea of ritualistic behavior at some point that could be seen as an attempt at the same.

Content Warnings