Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
Way better than I anticipated. I loved Anna, loved how angry she was. I wish I knew more about how the family dissolved. Fuck them.
dark
mysterious
medium-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
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"I am not a lost lamb. I am a black sheep."
This line alone will make this a must recommend book.
Diavola was not at all what I expected, in the best way. Anna is a bitch and I absolutely adore her. This book is for everyone who sees their mom's name pop up on the phone and immediately dread it.
This line alone will make this a must recommend book.
Diavola was not at all what I expected, in the best way. Anna is a bitch and I absolutely adore her. This book is for everyone who sees their mom's name pop up on the phone and immediately dread it.
3 stars was the best rating I could give this. It was a pretty silly ghost story. Had good humor and pretty good suspense. However, I felt like when the main character (sorry, spoilers) returned back home with the ghost, it kinda lost me. It felt like the story switched or went off course during the writing process and I was just fully expecting something else. Like how in shows or movies who have lazy storylines and just certain characters don’t appear anymore but are only mentioned? Yeah that’s how it felt when the entire family (whom I felt like their presence was pretty important to the storyline) just went back to their homes and that was it. Only phone calls to the main character was all that happened but seriously nothing else. Just brief “mentions” and never show up again. Like “okay so all that during their stay in Italy was for nothing” feeling. Didn’t hear much about what happened to them other than “yeah their lives suck now” but THATS IT. I did like the ending though, left me satisfied. Could’ve been better honestly. I can’t say I HATED it but it was more like a “yeah that’s a book I read” feeling.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Yes
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
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
Diavola balances on the line of an interesting question - what is scarier, the haunted Italian villa, or the family vacationing there?
I have seen negative reviews circling around the unlikable characters and the protagonist that seems to try at every opportunity to alienate the reader rather than give them someone to identify with and project into. The family dynamics feel like when you’re watching a sitcom and internally screaming, “Oh my god just TALK TO EACHOTHER!”
And it’s true - but the way history of the villa crept in around this squabbling family may not have worked if they were a strong united front. For my money, it was interesting in itself to watch the haunting unfold with no one I particularly felt like rooting for apart from the kids and the cats.
Bonus points for a horror novel set in Italy that never veered into Catholic priest/exorcism territory.
This one is worth a read - a page turner that doesn’t give you a clean cut hero or a fairy tale ending - if you’re into that.
I have seen negative reviews circling around the unlikable characters and the protagonist that seems to try at every opportunity to alienate the reader rather than give them someone to identify with and project into. The family dynamics feel like when you’re watching a sitcom and internally screaming, “Oh my god just TALK TO EACHOTHER!”
And it’s true - but the way history of the villa crept in around this squabbling family may not have worked if they were a strong united front. For my money, it was interesting in itself to watch the haunting unfold with no one I particularly felt like rooting for apart from the kids and the cats.
Bonus points for a horror novel set in Italy that never veered into Catholic priest/exorcism territory.
This one is worth a read - a page turner that doesn’t give you a clean cut hero or a fairy tale ending - if you’re into that.
mysterious
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
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
The real horror here was the family, and honestly, they were way more unsettling than anything supernatural. The tension and toxicity were thick, but the pacing dragged in spots, which dulled the impact. Still, it had just enough creepy moments to keep me turning the pages, but the conclusion was a bit silly in my opinion.