Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Diavola by Jennifer Thorne

13 reviews

lorenipsum's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Suicide, Gaslighting, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, and Murder

whatzoreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, Vomit, and Death

Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Cursing

Minor: Animal death, Suicide, Medical trauma, and Abortion

louiepotterbook's review

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

---

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

mooreeg2's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Prior to reading the book it gives you the Warning: "May invoke feelings of irritation, dread, and despair that come with large family gatherings."  I've never heard something more accurate.  60% of the time I was so annoyed with this family dynamic and I wanted to yell at them! The other 40% was me wanting the MFC to stand up for herself a little more, or maybe more directly.  Of course, these characters needed to be who they were for the story to unfold the way it did.   

Nothing about this book is what I thougt would be and it was refreshing.  The story starts off with what appears to be a typical, at least for this family, family vacation and slowly morphs into the vacation of nightmares.  

If you want a haunted family vacation in Italy, read this book.  

My only dislike was the ending. It was a good ending! But I wanted a little more detail and closure/ follow-up with certain family members.  It felt a little open-ended.  

There are a few triggers, but nothing extreme. Most of these area  briefly mentioned with no great detail.  

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Murder, Vomit, Violence, Suicide, Abortion, and Medical trauma

cassieopeia's review

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

---

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

clairebonney's review

dark tense medium-paced

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Bullying, and Death

Moderate: Murder, Suicide, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Sexual content, and Cursing

Minor: Abortion, Animal death, and Infertility

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. 

---

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

carolibrary's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Suicide, Murder, and Vomit

mmccombs's review against another edition

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!)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Body horror, Murder, and Death

Moderate: Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

minimicropup's review

dark funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I loved how haunting this was on every level, but it wasn’t scary. It was my fav style of slow burn with gradually escalating eeriness. 

 

Energy: Unsettled. Evasive. Resentful.  

Scene: 🇮🇹 🇺🇸 Set in Tuscany, Italy, at Villa Taccola and later in Manhattan, NY

Perspective: We follow an artist working in advertising spending their vacation with their parents, brother & his new boyfriend, sister & brother-in-law, and two nieces at a Villa in Italy that their parents rented. When our main character returns home, we see the impact of the vacation on their life. 

 

🐩 Tail Wags: How we were shown the full range of family dynamics. Our uncertainty about Ana and the dangers. Caputring the ‘stranded in a foreign place’ unease as things escalate. The ending. 

 

🤔 Random Thoughts:

In the first 60% it felt like a literary fiction where we get to know the family and characters. Around 60% it was more suspenseful with a bit of cozy horror (but not entirely cozy horror either). I love both those genres, so it was a fun read for me. 

 

I loved the ending and I didn’t mind what was left to reader interpretation, but I wish I could ask the author what they think happened around some of the plot points.

 

The family felt so real. It wasn’t over-the-top personality disorders; it was more like the clashes and misunderstandings every family has maybe just dialled in a bit differently. Everyone seemed so average until they weren’t anymore. That said, omg, Nicole was SO annoying complaining about her husband and kids, but it really worked for the story. 

 

----

 

🎬 Tale-Telling: Direct, haunting, and a little poetic. 

🤓 Reader Role: Little ghost sitting on Ana’s shoulder, watching everything unfold and getting glimpses into her thoughts and motivations.

🗺️ World-Building: Immersive, cinematic, especially in Italy but even in NYC. I want to watch this as the movie on screen that it made in my mind.

🔥 Fuel: Is the family’s concern for Ana justified? What has happened in her past? Or are they being too hard on her? Is she being too hard on them? Who or what is in the villa? And how far does its power go?

📖 Cred: Paranormal realism with some suspended disbelief unhinged moments. 

🚙 Journey: Watching a movie on a long plane ride.

 

Mood Reading Match-Up:

• Dry summer heat. Splashing in the pool. Kids laughing. Pouring wine. Chopped garlic. Skeleton key turning. Gravel driveway. Car horns honking. Rain in Manhattan. Airplane engines.  
• Vacay haunts with baggage
• Ghostly occult possession meets slow-burn contemporary fiction family drama

 

Content Heads-Up: Suicide (graphic, on page). Abortion (off page). Cat death (brief). Alcohol use. Blood, injuries, bruising. Death. Financial insecurity. Narcissism. 

 

Rep: Gay. Bisexual. Heterosexual. Cisgender. White and ambiguous Americans, peripheral Italian characters.

 

📚 Format: Library Audio

 

My musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Moderate: Blood and Death

Minor: Alcohol, Abortion, and Animal death