The haunted house plus possession plus insane family tensions all on a vacation in Italy? This was an amazing ride, with ebbs and flows of pace, but all pretty great. The best part is Anna's attitude - she claps back whenever needed, takes control when needed, and still tries her best to give her frustratingly hard-headed family what they need. And the haunted house elements were just enough to be spooky, but never too much to verge into crazy gore horror - a perfect balance to me. I will look forward to more spooky tales by Thorne!

Absolutely loved this! First time I’ve been genuinely creeped out by a book in quite a while. Haunted house stories can often flop for me, but this one was just what I’d been looking for. Horrifyingly creepy and subtly eerie at once, building sense of dread throughout, relatable main character, messy family dynamics, incredible setting, and hilarious dark humor. Can’t wait to read more from this author!

This book made me want to go to Italy reeeaal baaad. But, you know, maybe skip the haunted villa portion of the story and just do a casual trip without evil spirits. That would be ideal.

Diavola was a great slow burn horror story. The tension builds as the characters become certain that the lovely Italian villa they have rented in Tuscany for their dysfunctional family trip has a dark entity stalking the halls and a mysterious tower that shouldn't be opened under any circumstances...and that's just to start with.

I loved the descriptions in this. The story has some very spooky moments. Some of the messed up family dynamics became repetitive and got in the way of the haunted house plot, which I was invested in and wanted to read more of, but overall this was a solid read that kept me engaged to the end. And oh, what an ending it was! I love a book that goes off the rails in the final portions. It really fills my cup.

Ghost stories are one of the most common kinds of stories in horror, so it's always a bit of a challenge to try to innovate on its tropes and ideas. Recently, writers like Allison Rumfitt or Gwendolyn Kiste have been trying to expand on what a haunting can represent through media, and in my opinion it is this interest in taking the old but trying to converse with it in a novel way that has made the subgenre come alive again.

Jennifer Thorne's Diavola is another intentful reimagining of classical ghost tropes to invoke something more novel in our conversation about haunting and being haunted. In this case, Thorne places the story in Tuscany, where the not-so-nice Pace family goes for a vacation. Anna, the story's protagonist, is the black sheep of the Pace family, and she is haunted both by a literal ghost, but also the residual haunting of her family's perception of her past actions.

The story's conflict ultimately resolves around who Anna is now in comparison to who Anna was, and how difficult it is for her family to forgive her past indiscretions (if they can even be understood to be indiscretions) as Anna has grown into her own self. So much of the book can be attributed to Pace family malice toward Anna, a malice that is felt and mirrored by the malevolent presence of a predatory ghost trapped in their Tuscan villa rental.

The book really swings wide by exposing the way that the Pace family thinks and feels about Anna, about their projected narrative of Anna's life even as Anna herself hides a deeper truth none wish to acknowledge. The book's plot makes a major turn in the last third of the book; the transition the book makes is still thematically part of the big swing Thorne seems to be making about how toxic family relationships have the potential to throw lives completely out of balance. The book uses Anna's haunting as a means to inspect Anna's own identity and performative meaning-making, which thus attributes a kind of dual-purpose for the book's major metaphor about haunting or being haunted. The ghost of La Dama Bianca is a fascinating presence in the book so far as it juxtaposes two different conversations about how we frame identity and autonomy in and through relationships.

The book is also quite funny in places, where it is clear that Thorne is having a lot of fun. It's rare to discover a book with a genuine sense of humor that is still provoking worthy conversation about complicated and emotional themes. Diavola offers a triumphant laugh as it works through unsettling material, both domestic and supernatural.

I think this is yet another fine addition to the folk-horror/ghost story genre, definitely worthy of reading and reflecting on.

Disclosure statement: I received a copy of this book from the author's publicity team in exchange for review. My opinions have not been influenced by either publisher or author in any capacity. Any thoughts are entirely my own.

I loved Lute so much, so I was very excited to receive an ARC of this one. It was SO good. I loved to hate every member of Anna's family because they were just so terrible to her. These characters were despicable, and I found myself constantly wondering why they treated her so terribly - like someone just be kind. Thorne did an AMAZING job writing a highly dysfunctional family. The family dynamics were often MORE disturbing to me than the actual ghost shenanigans, which to me means she nailed it.

The atmosphere was SO well written. The bits in Italy felt like they had that surreal, hazy quality of an Italian summer vacation, and I was here for it. As the ghostly presence became more and more prevalent in Anna's life, there was a creeping sense of dread, and I found myself genuinely worried for her. Thorne really did a great job conveying these feelings of despair and hopelessness.

Overall, the plot was very well executed, and I felt a serious sense of pressure building. If you like horror, this is a do not miss!

A slow burn, with a nice payoff! This is a story filled with the horrors of toxic family dynamics, the pressures of having to keep your shit together, and (maybe) a haunting, all set against the back drop of a beautiful, Italian vacation. And I loved it!

It was the right amount of unhinged, and Anna may be one of my new favorite characters. She tells it like it is and has a ICONIC method for dealing with the supernatural. So much fun!

Featured in this reading vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L8g5amE0jE

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions remain my own.

This was my first read of the year and I had a great time with it. I enjoyed the setting, the overall story of the villa that we peace together and the “black sheep” trope. However, I found the pacing a little bit strange. Certain moments just felt very repetitive and went on for a lot longer than they should, making the story a bit frustrating. I also thought the reasons for our main character to be treated so badly by her family just didn’t quite make sense. Lastly, I didn’t connect with the writing. There were so many “scary” scenes that were written quite plainly and didn’t make me feel unsettled or uncomfortable and that’s definitely what I was looking for.

BLOWN. AWAY.

It’s been a couple days since I finished this book, but I can’t stop thinking about it; that’s how much I loved this book. How can 2024 already have so many amazing releases?!

But, as usual, I’m getting ahead of myself…..

When Anna joins her family for a vacation in Tuscany, she immediately senses something is “off” about the farmhouse her parents rented. Not only do the locals stiffen and back off whenever they mention where they’re staying, but there’s a weird vibe whenever they enter the 500-year old building. It all seems to go back to a locked tower room, but Anna can’t quite figure out what to make of it. Being the black sheep of the family anyway, Anna must balance her growing panic with her family’s skepticism and distrust. Can she save them in time…or will they succumb to the power lurking within Villa Taccalo?

Like I said, this book blew me away. It’s a slow burn thriller that just builds at that perfect pace to make you feel the rising tension and panic grow to a boiling point. It’s so deliciously good, I was furiously turning pages by the end.

And what makes the story even better is that it’s not just a supernatural entity that’s doing some haunting in this one. Anna’s family are some first-class villains that provide enough real-world madness and chaos to keep things on their toes. They keep Anna and the reader questioning just about everything, which makes everything hazy, in that creepy way. And there’s some great creepiness that abounds with them, trust me (muwahaha!)

This book is a MUST READ for thriller fans, hands down. I cannot stress that enough. It will keep you up at night and wanting more from this author. I cannot wait for her next spooky creation!

This book quickly became a book just like a thousand others, characters I hate doing dumb this for too long and not keeping me even slightly invested in what is happening at all. Boring as hell and not worth the time to read.

So I’m already calling that this will be one of my fave reads of 2024. I. Could. Not. Get enough. I stayed up wayyy past my bedtime and finished it in one night. I literally couldn’t put it down. I freaking loved the FMC, Anna. She was always just herself and sassy AF. Her family was literally theee worst. But, the writing is the freaking star of this book. It was so atmospheric and I constantly felt impending doom through the whole book. I also felt like I was in Italy on my villa and walking through museums. It was just A++. If you like horror books pick this up. You will not be sorry

Jennifer Thorne returns to horror with her upcoming novel Diavola. This is one vacation you do not want to take. Well, probably. I’d be interested. A haunted villa in Tuscany? Sign me up! But Anna is not having a good time. And if I was with her family.. I wouldn’t be either. If you want to figure out which is scarier, The Pace Family or La Dama Bianca, pick this up when it releases from Tor Nightfire on March 26, 2024.

The family dynamics here would be almost unreadable if Anna wasn’t so much fun. Because wow, I would not have lasted a day. It is apparent immediately that Anna is the black sheep of her family. Even her twin brother can’t be relied on for support—not with a boyfriend in tow who is determined to see her ruin the vacation. Really, the only person on her side is her niece. Which only makes things worse for both of them.

So, things in Villa Taccola are tense. Which is just great if you’re a ghost. Who thinks of a haunting when you have plenty of reasons to be on edge? But some things can’t be explained by family trauma. And plenty of those things happen in these pages. This was a well done haunting. The tension ramps well, breaks at the right points, and lingers where it should. The reactions feel believable, too, which is always a delight to see.

And by believable I don’t mean rational. Would you be rational in a haunted house? One of my favorite things in horror is when the circumstances that make it horror intensify everything around it. Those family dynamics? Throw in genuine fear, lack of sleep, and the unexplainable. Diavola is a powder keg—and Anna is the powder, fuse, and match. And La Dama Bianca is going to push everyone toward that explosion.

Anna as a main character was the best choice for this story. Her voice is hilarious, quick, and scathing. I can totally see her family doesn’t like her, and I am one hundred percent against their assessment. Anna rocks. I would be friends with Anna. Her family could seriously benefit from some perspective. Also, of note: Anna is important to have as the narrator because she is the only one who speaks Italian.

The Italian aspect was so much fun for me. I am Italian, I studied the language in college, and I’ve been working on the DuoLingo course off and on for a while. This book motivated me to pick it back up, and my first returning lesson was describing a scary hotel. Not concerning at all. But the language aspect is so important to the story. It effectively isolates Anna even further. Yes, they need her. She’s their translator. But it also means she bears the weight of responsibility. And she is–unfortunately–the only one who can understand what is going on.

If it wasn’t clear by now, I loved this book. The suspense genuinely got to me. The ending was one I didn’t see coming, but absolutely did. You know those endings when all the pieces slot into place as you’re reading? It was immensely satisfying. All the family drama was an emotional gut punch at times, and if you’ve been reading my reviews for any time at all you know that’s always worth extra points with me. Most importantly, though: I had so much fun. Diavola was an experience I’d like to revisit, preferably in Italy.

Anna reluctantly goes on a family holiday. As an outsider from the group who does not mince her words, she experiences that these types of meetings more often than not end in arguments. But the beautiful, secluded villa in Italy is too tempting to turn down, until it turns out that this house has a dark history and the locals avoid the property for good reason.

Great horror story in which the reader is terrified by both the entity in the holiday home and the terror of the family dynamics that Anna has to cope with. The story has a good pace, it is nice and exciting and there is enough variety between backstory and spooky moments. I was a bit bothered by the often recurring descriptions of sweat 'on the small of her back' and 'between her breasts' when it comes to Anna - there are also other ways to describe that a woman is hot .
Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading it!

Jennifer Thorne is a master in atmospheric horror. Diavola is a slow-burn, unique horror set at the eery farmhouse Villa Taccola. What this book does so well is mirror the horrors of the story with the horrors of real life. Anyone who is interested in the synopsis will enjoy the vibes of the story and the cover alone is sure to draw a lot of eyes - which the book years! I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

I was beyond excited when I got an arc through NetGalley for Diavola. Such an amazing slow burn horror that'll consume you from the beginning. The main character, Ana, is the "typical" black sheep that on her family's yearly get togethers at different air b&b has to endure the toxicity of her family, while trying to stay sane and survive. On her arrival to Monteperso, Italy, Ana feels the ominous air in the Tuscan Village as soon as she steps her foot inside the villa. Absolutely stunning how the author immerses you into the Italian retreat, the art and beauty of the landscape. The setting of family interactions is relatable and scary. Im a new fan of Jennifer Thorne.

This book gave me nightmares! Actual nightmares! The shortest summation for tone and plot I can devise is “haunted Fleabag”. I loved it.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! The way I screamed when I got this one in the mail! I am so thankful to Tor Nightfire, Jennifer Marie Thorne, and Netgalley for granting me both physical and digital access to this one before it hits shelves on March 26, 2024.

The Pace Family is heading to Italy for a family vacation. Anna is less than thrilled about the chaotic bunch getting together in a foreign country, especially when she's the only one fluent enough to do anything. Upon arriving at Villa Taccola, their entry is anything but welcome, with stray cats running everywhere, phantom doors slamming shut now and then, and even a mysterious, window-less tower that they've been forbidden from unlocking, but they hear scratches coming from within... Yeah, I'd pack up and go home... I'm not doing all that...

The Pace family turns a blind eye and powers through, but the spirits of the villa are powerful. One in particular, La Dama Bianca, has latched onto Anna and won't let go. Of course, her family mistakes these reactions for her normal mood swings and sour attitude, so she's on her own in defending the family and herself from this hundreds-of-year-old spirit who is out for vengeance.

The end was a bit predictable, but goodness me, I love a good haunted house story, and that's precisely what I got.

Refreshing twist on a haunted house story with not only a ghost but twisted family dynamics plus the setting was so visceral I want to stay in the house in Italy even if it’s haunted

This book has serious problems in its pacing.
The first half is painfully slow - filled to the brim with useless description of every corner of italy visited by the protagonist and her family, every dish they eat at this or that restaurant, and drama that doesn't really serve the purpose of a horror book. It laks focus.

The second half is a little bit better, but here we are again: useless informations about NY city life, and even one entire chapter about a work meeting that serves no purpose.

The finale is anticlimactic, Anne's monologue is a cheap expedient to explain everything that was left behind in pages and pages of pointless family drama (that half the time the story doesn't need to go forward) and looong description of nonsense

This was SO FUN! Scary, perfectly paced, and just plain fun to read. Anna's family is INFURIATING though. Be warned: nearly every interaction with any member of her family will raise your blood pressure, and not in a fun, scary way. I had to take several anger breaks.
As annoying as the side characters were, it didn't lessen my enjoyment of the story in the slightest! If anything it made me empathize with Anna even more. So glad I managed to fit this into my year. It's definitely in my top 5 of books I read in 2023.

Thank you @tornightfire for the #gifted copy of this book!!

Who doesn’t want to go on a large family vacation filled with drama, dysfunction, haunted houses and everyone’s individual neurotic behaviors. Sounds like a great escape, am I right? This book was SO well written! This atmosphere in this book was the absolute best as its descriptions were so rich! Between the house, the haunts, the setting in Italy…I could literally feel the fear that seemed to shroud the entire family, especially Anna. Anna was so easy to love as she was always trying to prove herself to her family. I’m glad she never really gives up and keeps her sassiness! Her family was the absolute worst…they could all fall off a cliff and I wouldn’t lose any sleep! Ha! Ok but really, if you’re looking for an epic horror book you MUST check this one out. It’s one of my favorites!