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Graphic: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual content, Violence, Car accident, Abortion
Minor: Biphobia
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Stalking, Car accident, Abortion, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Mental illness, Torture, Vomit
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Blood, Vomit, Abortion, Alcohol
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Vomit
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gaslighting
Minor: Abortion
Nevertheless, she remains in the vacation, trying to follow her older sister's strict schedule and focusing on her nieces. As the vacation starts and continues it becomes clear that there's more to this villa than what was advertised in the website.
I liked that Anna was unapologetically herself throughout, even though she did bite her tongue a lot of the time around her family. She's already seen as weird and an outsider by them so it seems like she doesn't want to give them more reasons to cast her out.
The part that I wasn't satisfied with was the Italian context. I felt like there could have been more about the community but they mostly remained in the shadows, putting the American tourists at the forefront. All of them mostly want nothing to do with them (for good reason), but I needed just a bit more from their perspective, maybe one or two chapters from their point of view would have sealed it for me as a solid 4 stars.
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Vomit, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Abortion
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Gore, Vomit
A funny horror/thriller about a family vacation gone terribly wrong? Count me in!
Anna has dreaded going on the annual Pace family vacation, but now that it's finally here, she's determined to make sure there isn't a blow-out fight this time. She just wants to keep the peace and enjoy relaxing at an Italian villa. But that's hard to do with your family members breathing down your neck, especially when they're upset that you don't quite fit the mold they want you to. Anna is blamed for every single thing that goes wrong on the vacation--even the strange noises at night and warnings from the locals to stay away from the villa.
Diavola explores how family dynamics can sometimes create a mob mentality against those who don't quite fit the mold and how they shape us for better or for worse. This novel takes an already terrifying notion--family vacations--and layers it with the horror of a haunted house. The author expertly uses humor amidst the dark and dreary atmosphere to give readers a different sort of final girl who is less "woe is me" and actively fights to right her situation.
Thorne made me love and hate almost every single character, and her writing is truly one-of-a-kind in its combination of horror and humor. I highly recommend it to fans of horror and thriller novels. Just beware that it may incite some dread for your next family vacation.
Graphic: Death, Blood, Vomit
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Infertility, Suicide