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A review by shaun_dh
Diavola by Jennifer Marie Thorne
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2⭐️ The plot had such promise—family drama and haunted houses? Hell yeah, I’m in. It was the execution that fell flat for me
The pacing was the most glaring problem. It felt way off. By the second page, we’re told the house is creepy. There’s no build up, unsettled feelings, or feeling of dread that I think makes a great horror book. It reads fast in some places and incredibly slow in others. The ending (which I actually loved) felt rushedand I wish we had been told what all happened to her family. There’s just one throw away sentence that their lives were all messy. I know Anna doesn’t know, but bc it’s written in third-person, Thorne could have told us
I also felt like Thorne wrote like, “and this thing was super creepy” rather than just letting the reader feel creeped out. Like, don’t TELL me it’s creepy, SHOW me it’s creepy through ~*fEeLiNgS*~. It reads like she isn’t confident in her ability to set the tone…or maybe she is just bad at that, I haven’t read anything else by her to compare
I don’t have this much family drama (even though I am for sure the black sheep) so maybe I’m just lucky that I don’t get it, but the animosity Anna’s family felt towards her felt very unrealistic. Like, they unnecessarily blamed things on her that anyone with a clear head could see were in no way her fault…?And the brother’s boyfriend was VERY unnecessarily aggressive towards her. For what? Is this really a thing that happens in families? I think it was an attempt to add to the drama, but it all just felt ridiculous
This is just a stylistic preference, not a fault of Thorne’s writing, but I don’t think I like books written in third person
I also found it very unnecessary for her to fuck La Dama Bianca. Or, at the very least, write the ghost sex better…?
Overall, it wasn’t BAD—I don’t regret reading it, but I had very high hopes for this and I am left disappointed
The pacing was the most glaring problem. It felt way off. By the second page, we’re told the house is creepy. There’s no build up, unsettled feelings, or feeling of dread that I think makes a great horror book. It reads fast in some places and incredibly slow in others. The ending (which I actually loved) felt rushed
I also felt like Thorne wrote like, “and this thing was super creepy” rather than just letting the reader feel creeped out. Like, don’t TELL me it’s creepy, SHOW me it’s creepy through ~*fEeLiNgS*~. It reads like she isn’t confident in her ability to set the tone…or maybe she is just bad at that, I haven’t read anything else by her to compare
I don’t have this much family drama (even though I am for sure the black sheep) so maybe I’m just lucky that I don’t get it, but the animosity Anna’s family felt towards her felt very unrealistic. Like, they unnecessarily blamed things on her that anyone with a clear head could see were in no way her fault…?
This is just a stylistic preference, not a fault of Thorne’s writing, but I don’t think I like books written in third person
Overall, it wasn’t BAD—I don’t regret reading it, but I had very high hopes for this and I am left disappointed
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol
Moderate: Self harm, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Cursing, Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Pregnancy