This was such a good read with the horror elements and it’s slight Gothic atmosphere. I believe that this is an author to definitely keep an eye on and will recommend two friends.

This book is about Anna and her family as they take a nice, relaxing vacation in a haunted Italian villa. What more could you ask for?

The TLDR version of my review: If you know anything about me, you’ll know I love stories about haunted houses. I especially love when a haunted house story is about more than just the ghosts. Sometimes it’s the human aspect that’s more interesting. This book delivered on both ends. It had characters that were interesting to follow with a dysfunctional family dynamic. It also delivered on the creepy end of things. I really enjoyed reading this book. I felt that it breathed new life into the haunted house trope.

The detailed version:
The characters were well written and intriguing. I’d read a book about this family even if there were no ghosts. Any interactions between characters felt real. Some characters will inevitably be irritating. Others, like Anna, you’ll root for. I loved the way the author used the dysfunctional family to help fuel the story. The haunting aspect of the story was also really good. Without giving too much away, the supernatural aspects were well done. I liked how the Pace family reacted to the strange things happening. I really loved the backstory for the haunting at Villa Taccola.

The descriptions of Italy will make you feel as though you’re there, which is perfect for this kind of story. When things start getting sinister, you really feel the tension and dread as the characters try to rationalize what’s happening. I really enjoyed the contrast between the beautiful descriptions of Italy and the horrific imagery.

The style of writing kept me on my toes. I found myself wanting to keep reading, even when nothing ghostly was happening. I was entertained the entire time, even when it was just the family interacting with each other. When I wasn’t reading this book, I was thinking about it. I’d recommend reading this late at night or early morning for extra creepy factor. Just beware of any dreams which may ensue.

Overall, I think this was the perfect haunting book in my opinion. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author in the future. I’d recommend this book to anyone. Thank you to Tor Nightfire, NetGalley, and the author for the ARC.

I DNF at approx 1/3 into this one just because I found it slow and not really advancing in a way I was enjoying.

I loved:
-the Italian setting
-the creepy house
-the family tension sometimes made me laugh

I didn't love:
-the speed things were moving forward
-how mean the family was to each other
-I wanted more spooky horror

This had a lot of potential but just wasn't doing it for me!

Thanks to Tor Nightfire and Macmillan audio for a copy of this book.

I am not always a fan of the haunted house story, but if anyone can make me love it, it's Jennifer Marie Thorne (who, incidentally, somehow made me love a paranormal story once before, so I sense a theme!) In this book, we meet Anna, who is off to Italy for a family vacation in a rental house in a small town outside of Florence. She's not particularly keen on this vacation, as her family has not exactly treated her that well on vacations past, but she is trying to suck it up for the sake of a pleasant trip.

On her way to the house, her taxi driver tried to convince her not to go. And soon enough, Anna will find out why. The cool thing about this book is that not only is Anna contending with whatever creepiness factor is messing with the house, but dealing with her very messy family, too. They treat her pretty terribly, shame her for stuff that is not shame-worthy, and basically call her the black sheep to her face, and then wonder why she's not thrilled to hang out with them. So throw this wildly messy dynamic into a house where all kinds of weirdness starts to happen, and you have a recipe for the vacation from hell.

The setting was great- the Italian countryside pulls in the reader much like it does Anna and her family, but the atmosphere and isolation make it feel appropriately eerie. And look- I shan't say much more, for this is a mystery and thriller after all, but suffice it to say I was completely drawn in. Also, I love when a thriller can make me care about the characters, and this definitely delivers.

Bottom Line: Incredible atmosphere, messy family drama, and a touch of humor to compliment the eeriness, I positively devoured Diavola!

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Omar

Some will say that we are haunted by our past, that our actions haunt us for life, or even our loved ones are a lich that feeds from us, but in Diavola by Jennifer Thorne, there is actually a ghost.

Diavola starts with Anna Pace arriving early to Italy for her family vacation. She wants to have a proper vacation before meeting with her family and having to be on guard every time during the trip.

From the start, there are comments about her lateness, her job, her appearance, and the constant questions of why she broke up with her ex-boyfriend and his not being there. While Anna tries to ride the waves of her family vacation in the beautiful Tuscany house the family is renting, she cannot shake the feeling that something feels off about the house.

The villagers cross themselves when they learn where the family is staying. There are the sounds of whispers in the halls, and strange lights during the night, and Anna can swear that she sees a person looking out from the window on the side of the tower, but the tower is locked and on closer inspection it doesn’t have windows.

It all comes to a crash when her nieces start to talk about the strange kids they want to play with, her sister Nicole gets pushed, and her brother’s boyfriend leaves after a fight.

Anna sees a blonde woman in her dreams, in the condensation in the bathroom mirror, and feels her behind her. There is something wrong with the house and it wants Anna and her family.

Diavola was an interesting book that kept me on edge from beginning to end. Anna Pace was haunted by more than one ghost and was ready to fight to survive from the beginning.

The Pace family is an interesting bunch. There is Anna’s mother who seems to only want to have the vacation to have something to talk about to her friends back at home, and her father who only wants to read his books and tell everyone how he paid for everything. There is Nicole, Anna’s older sister, with her husband Justin and their two girls, Waverly and Jade. Nicole has a schedule for the whole vacation, and they need to stay on it to experience everything. At the same time, there is Benjamin, Anna’s twin brother, with his new boyfriend Christopher who is expecting a luxurious vacation that goes with his luxurious life. There are other characters in Diavola, but those are the other inhabitants of the Villa Taccola, who make themselves noticeable to the Pace family, and invite them to stay there forever.

While the premise of the book is a ghost story with a paranormal tale, it also takes the reader through the struggles of being the black sheep of the family; of having your family blame you for anything that goes wrong with their lives and having to learn to have a tight skin around them.

Sure, the ghost is trying to kill the Pace family and it puts them through hell in that Tuscany house, but it helps Anna finally free herself from the Paces.

Reading Diavola made me want to have a vacation in Italy too, but I also second guess future family vacations. It also renews my belief in not opening doors you are told not to open.

If you are a fan of ghost stories and the haunting that comes with family vacations, then I recommend Diavola. Just remember not to take something that is not yours.

“I’m not a lost lamb. I’m the black sheep.” 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻

It’s vacation time with the Pace family, and our main character, Anna, is reluctantly meeting the rest of her family in Italy to stay at a villa. Anna is a free spirit and entirely different from the rest of her family; she’s also, infuriatingly, the punching bag.

This story is both a tale about a toxic and dysfunctional family and a tale about a super creepy Italian villa. It all fits quite well, and unlike most horror stories, nothing feels gratuitous. There’s just the right amount of drama, eerie and disturbing moments, and character development. The balancing act between dialogue, character development, spooks, and gore is masterfully done. There’s also a ton of Italian history that absolutely immersed me into the setting.

The family drama had me rooting for Anna until the last page, especially coupled with her haunting experiences and her dark wit. Anna was THAT BITCH, and some people may say this dragged, but I loved every unhinged moment.

This was darkly funny, sent shivers down my spine, and I was deeply invested in Anna’s family relationships. There were a few twists that left me shook, and the ending and epilogue couldn’t have been done better. Sometimes books like these fall flat at the very end, but I think this was perfect. I definitely recommend this as a summertime horror read!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for this ARC & finished copy. Many thanks to Dreamscape Media as well, the audiobook was well done and a delight to listen to!

Jennifer Thorne, the author, has delivered with this well written haunting thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptive setting of the story, and how it made me feel that I was placed into the book at times. The author did a great job in my opinion, as I grew to dislike the FMC, yet was rooting for her simultaneously. I did enjoy the origin background story of how the hauntings began, and reminded me of a Mike Flanagan show (i.e. Haunting of Hill House/Bly Manor). So if you enjoy those shows, this would be up your alley.

Jennifer also wrote a great family dynamic that involves jealousy, resentment, and overall complicated feelings and emotions. As written in the GoodReads synopsis - it definitely "invoked feelings of irritation, dread and despair" that is associated with family gatherings.

It's been a while since finishing this digital ARC that I am thankful Netgalley and the publisher allowed me to read. However, since finishing it, this story has lived rent free and still haunts me at times. I definitely have recommended and encouraged my fellow bookstagram peeps to pick up and read. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

This was such a wonderfully dark historical horror! I loved all the sltwusts and how the characters changed throughout the story. 👀

What's more frightening than your own family? This book delivers toxic family dynamics and all the drama your heart desires. I'm not sure which element was scarier, the familial horror or the paranormal elements of the story. I love the ambiance and spooky, gothic mood of the story. Haunted house books are my favorite reads because the tension builds throughout the story leaving me totally creeped out.

This book is perfect for readers who love to be spooked, or readers who crave stories about drama and family tension.

This was an oddly humorous dark fiction. I think I was expecting more direct and obvious horror components but I loved the gothic vibe. Gaslighting is a huge favorite of mine, so when the family was turning on the FMC I loved it. It felt like two separate books- when they were in Italy and when they were back home. This created a small disconnect for me, but I was able to catch up. I loved the horror imagery when they were in Italy. When they were back in NYC, it became more... humorous horror. Like she accepted the haunting and just rode along with it. Very entertaining read and I definitely want to read more by this author.

The first thing that attracted my attention to Diavola was this stunningly-disturbing cover. What does it even mean? I had to know.

Then I read the synopsis, which completely sold me. A Gothic-feeling Travel Horror novel, set in Italy, full of family drama and haunted happenings. Yes, please. I was lucky enough to receive an audio copy, and definitely recommend that format. The narration style of Andi Arndt was absolutely perfect for this story, and as a representation of the MC, Anna's, voice. I was transported into the Pace family vacation via this audio.

We follow Anna as she meets her family in Italy, where they have rented a gorgeous historic villa near the tiny town of Monteperso. As Anna tries to settle in, the atmosphere is tense. Her family is complicated.

Mom is always passively-aggressively nagging at Anna about her life choices. Dad seems distant, except when he would like to remind everyone of who paid for their vacation. Nicole, Anna's sister, has their entire itinerary mapped out to the second, and god forbid anyone question it. Nicole's two daughters are also there, as well as her husband. They seem to be the only ones in the family Anna even remotely gets along with. Thank goodness for them.

Then there's Anna's twin brother, Benny, attending with his arrogant boyfriend, Christopher. Anna and Benny's relationship is the most difficult to figure out. As twins, their relationship has always been a special one, but it is definitely strained at this point. At times it seems good, at other times, not so much.

Honestly, that's the best way to describe this vacation: strained. Unfortunately, it's not just the family though. The villa itself, is strange and seems to be affecting everyone. There's a locked tower room, odd noises and an ominous atmosphere that's downright oppressive. I would certainly need a vacation after this vacation.

I was impressed with how immersive this ended up being. When I was in it, I was really in it. I went through a whole range of emotions and was astounded by the direction it ultimately went. I wasn't expecting a lot of what occurred in the later half of the story. It fleshed out so many layers that were there all along that I feel like I missed initially. I am already looking forward to reading it again. I would love to annotate it and really just spend some more time with it. It's beautifully executed!

I can't stress enough how gripping and haunting this is. My mind was left reeling, trying to interpret all of the events that went down. The atmosphere is top notch, but it never overshadowed the characters, or the emotions that were raging between them. I would recommend this to any Horror fan, particularly if you enjoy Travel Horror, or Horror featuring complicated family dynamics. I feel like I know the Pace family inside and out. I'm practically one of them at this point.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review.

Diavola has been my greatest surprise of 2024 thus far. I cannot wait to read more from Jennifer Marie Thorne!

This was so creepy! This book had me picking my feet up off the floor so the ghosts couldn't get me. I really enjoyed the setting and the switch up that happens. I sometimes get bored with gothic stories because it's like, ok the place is haunted, now what? This author did such a great job with the 'now what' part of this book! Also as annoying as this whole family was, the drama was wonderful.
All those great things and for some reason I have to give this a 3.25. I'm not sure if it was the pacing, the cringy monologue at the end, or the fact that I read this in a day. But I didn't have as much fun as I was hoping I would while reading this.
The second half of this book had some great energy though, and lol the hotdog boardroom scene was amazing. I think maybe there was a few different tones happening so the overall feeling was a bit choppy for me.
All in all a creepy story with lots of great writing [just something missing for me personally]. I will definitely be reading more from this author, because I think there's potential for me to really love her writing!

I wasn't really sure what I was going to get with this book, but I had seen it getting some good reviews so I was excited to give it a shot. And overall I think it was quite decent. I don't think I was blown away by any means, but Thorne did a good job not only creating a great sense of unease throughout the novel, the tension is tight for pretty much the whole thing - not only because of the ghost element but because of the family drama as well. It reminded me somewhat of the Haunting of Hill House show when everyone was older, and despite knowing that a lot of the behavior directed towards the main character was toxic it's mundane enough that you find yourself questioning it. The idea of setting a haunting in a family vacation was a smart one, especially with Anna being the black sheep. The sheer amount of mental gymnastics that this family participated in was wild, but somehow it seemed completely believable. All in all with some horrifying imagery, terrifying moments, enough family dysfunction to fuel a sitcom, and a snarky heroine Diavola was as refreshing as gelato on a hot summer day. I don't think it quite reached a level of becoming a favorite of mine for the year but I certainly won't hesitate to recommend it to shoppers looking for a good horror novel and wouldn't mind hand selling it either. Thorne has proven that she can break out the big guns, and I'll be curious to see what she comes up with next. Tor Nightfire has certainly been hitting it out of the park with the majority of their titles and I hope it continues!

😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱
The number of times I sent this emoji to my buddies during reading power hour.

Diavola might be the most unsettling book that I’ve ever read. I don’t read too much from the horror genre, but I dabble. And I do watch horror films. So I don’t think it’s just me being a baby. 😂

When I saw this book cover, I had to read it!

This one plays out as a slow burn with plenty of eerie details sprinkled throughout the early chapters. I felt like I was in an A24 horror film. With cinematic prose and a truly ominous setting, I was ensorcelled by this book. If I wasn’t so scared, I probably would have read this all in one night. For my own well-being, I had to take breaks reading at night — especially after my daughter, Mabel decided to randomly say “oh hi monster” to the dark shadowy corner of my bedroom. 😱😅

I loved the shift in the story about halfway through the book, and I did not see that ending coming.

I highly recommend for horror fans and readers looking for an unsettling read.
My rating: 5⭐️

Thank you @NetGalley and @TorNightfire for the e-arc! Opinions are my own.

What a rollercoaster of a book! Diavola takes you on a family vacation, with the family you don’t like. It is dark humor combined with horror aspects made it such a unique, fun read. With so much foreboding as we are waiting to see what is going to happen on this hellish family vacation. The dysfunctional family was relatable and comical. The main character was one of my favorites in awhile. The way she handled the criticism from her judgmental family and coworkers with snark and sarcasm was perfect. And the ending was something I did not see coming, but really liked how it played out.

As the black sheep of the family, Anna Pace anticipated the tensions of their yearly family vacation. But their trip to Tuscany turned out to be much more challenging when external forces came into play.

This book was quite slow to begin with, but thankfully it gained momentum in its latter half. I enjoyed the ambiance and the various characters, even as flawed as they were. I definitely felt for Anna and rooted for her. The storyline was interesting, and I liked how it ended.

Diavola is the story of survival and resilience. It would appeal to readers who enjoy haunted house stories intertwined with toxic family dynamics.

Holy fecking hell! This is one of the best books of 2024-- it's only March, but I'm calling it now!

Part vacation nightmare and part folk-horror/family drama, Diavola hits all the sore spots you'd expect from a family vacation, but really truly goes into the depths of gritty despair.

It's dramatic right from the get-go and the sibling rivalry was so uncomfortably familiar to me that I felt myself cringing in recognition.

Anna has always been the "fuck-up" in her family; her parents still goad her about her ex boyfriend and how lovely he was while her sister is happily married with two sweet kids. Benny her twin brother is bringing his new partner to meet the family on this Italian vacation. Anna is used to biting her tongue around her family and being blamed for things, but when their Italian villa starts to come alive at night Anna decides to get to bottom of it and confront the ghostly inhabitants.

I wasn't prepared for just how creepy Diavola got-- I'm a seasoned horror reader and I had to stop reading this at night because it was spooking me! The story takes a sharp turn almost into the absurd towards the end, but then where so many other books would fail it manages to wrap things up with a tiny seed of doubt about the whole affair still remaining for the reader.

I'm obsessed with this book! I loved the author's other folk horror book Lute and loved Diavola even more. Moving Jennifer Thorne onto my "auto-buy" list!

I really enjoyed this book and Jennifer's writing, this being my first by this author I am glad to have her on my radar and I have to check out some of her other books soon.

I thought this was a unique and intresting take on a haunted house. The pace was great, and I loved the ending. I wish the backstory of the villa was explored more though, it was fascinating and creepy and I just wanted more of it. I was not expecting as much wit, sarcasm, and dry humour but it was a fun addition to the story all the while also being angered by this completely unhinged and pretty toxic family dynamics and STILL maintaining the spooky atmosphere.

And how great is the cover? I'm obsessed with it.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group | Tor Nightfire for sharing a digital copy. As always, opinions are my own.

Read this if you enjoy: horror, thrillers, vacation from hell, dysfunctional families, haunted houses, gothic, supernatural, drama, sibling rivalry.

𝟮.𝟱 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗦 𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗗 𝗨𝗣
I most definitely had some high expectations going into this one because of the stunning cover and the intriguing premise, but I am sad to say that it let me down in more ways than one.

The whole first half of this book was an absolute slog to get through, but things did pick up in the second half. It had its eerie moments, but never once was I dying to know what would happen next. The painting aspect was my favorite part, hands down. However, I wasn’t fully sold on the “explanation” for the happenings.

This book was not BAD by any means, it just wasn’t nearly as creepy as I was expecting. The constant bickering between the family members was pretty annoying. I kept thinking that maybe the finale of the book would make me change my mind and forgive the aspects of the book that didn’t quite hit for me, but it sadly didn’t. Then again, maybe my high expectations set me up for a bigger disappointment overall.

Diavola is spine-chilling and delivers on all fronts for horror fans. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time as I read this story that blends a classic haunted house tale with a sharp exploration of family dynamics.

From the eerie atmosphere to the palpable sense of dread, this will grip you from the start and have you thinking far after you’ve finished. This is a must-read for lovers of ghost stories and anyone who loves the deliciously unsettling feeling of someone lurking just behind them.