4 stars

This cover creeped me out so much, and in this case, it actually is a good measure for judging the contents. This is creepy in a truly delightful way!

Anna and her family go on vacation in Florence, and they stay in a beautiful villa...that has a terrible, disturbing past (and present, it seems)! As the self-proclaimed black sheep of her family, Anna is used to awkwardness at these kinds of events/gatherings, but not much can prepare her for what happens here. What's most fascinating is that like Lydia in _Beetlejuice_, outcasts like Anna are sometimes the best complements to creepy homes and their other worldly inhabitants.

This was such a fun read. Anna is a GREAT character. She's logical but also open to possibilities, she's creative (both a literal artist and an out-of-the-box thinker), and best of all, she's not unintelligent (I know that's a low bar, but if I have to see one more clueless woman in a horror or thriller especially...!).

While there are a lot of classic (and appreciated) known elements of this genre present, there are also some fun twists and surprises. I really enjoyed this one and will absolutely be looking for more from this author.

An extremely fun family drama wrapped around a ghost story, with a brilliantly biting disaster heroine and a satisfying ending. Excellent audio edition, too. Recommended.

Diavola is a nightmare of a story, and I'm just talking about the Happy Family Vacation part of it. With relatives like these, Anna doesn’t need any enemies.

Her sister Nicole, a control-freak from hell, is only one example. Then you add the malevolent spirit haunting their rented Italian villa, and frankly, I'm surprised at Anna's self-control.

Even before the random noises and creepy presence makes itself known, there is tension in every conversation, danger at every meal, and it reminds me how happy I am to live far from some of my own relatives.

The inevitable showdown comes with one piece of advice: don't get cocky when confronting an evil spirit that's been doing this for centuries.

The narrator was incredible. Easy to understand and when performing dialogue, it was done in a way that easily differentiated between characters without sounding jarring or cartoonish.

Fans of Rachel Harrison (I am a BIG one) will adore this story. The perfect blend of comedy, terror, and navigating complex family relationships. A horror story with depth that will make you feel all types of things.

Anna’s family was a bunch of chumps. They seemingly exiled her and gave up on her without putting in much effort to understand her as a person. Anna, however, was a queen. I understand she wasn’t your typical flawless character, but that was part of her charm. The hot dog photo?! Iconic.

I instantly wanted to read Diavola by Jennifer Thorne just for the cool cover and the subject matter- horror, ghosts and the paranormal. For the Pace family, it’s a double whammy of a toxic family vacation in a haunted house. While vacationing in Italy, most of their days have been planned by an overeager family member. You will want to join in the celebration of drinking wine when the family does because that seems to be the only time that they get along. LOL. Lots of strange, spooky things happen and the family finally flees the house. Anna flies back home early by herself but…Something follows her home. This was one of my most anticipated reads/audiobook. I finished the audiobook in two sittings and enjoyed the narration by Andi Arndt. Read if you enjoyed The September House or Black Sheep, share family gossip with siblings/parents or relate to RPDR Scarlet Envy’s catchphrase “Am I The Drama?” ALC was provided by Dreamscape Media via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ALC! This was my first read by this author and I was drawn in by the cover.

What I liked:
The setting
The pacing
Narrator
Jennifer’s writing was too tier

What I didn’t like;
The ending, I wanted more
The labeling of this book as horror, the horror is very light and I’d put this more as a creepy thriller

All and all, this was a solid read! I’d read more from Throne in the future.

Audiobook rating : 3.5 stars

I have already read diavola and enjoyed the spooky setting and was hoping that audiobook will enhance the whole experience but I'm really disappointed. It's not bad but not anything special either.

First of all , the cover is hauntingly beautiful. My sole reason for requesting the book was the cover. I didn't read the synopsis or any reviews.

This is my first book by Jennifer Thorne and she did not disappoint. This take on the horror story was exceptional and different and turned out really good. Diavola is about Ana who is going on a vacation with her dysfunctional family to Italy. OMG what kind of family though.

There were two part of horrors in this book, a real Ghost and the Ana's whole family. A don't care at all dad, a blame it all on Ana mom n sister, and a twin who wouldn't take Ana's side even when she was right. Her sister Nicole was downright narcissist and gas-lighting Ana whenever she can. And how they made a big issue of a decision she took (no spoilers) just made me boil with rage. I don't even know what was worse. Actually when I think of it, Ana could deal with whatever haunted her much better than her toxic family And she really did, just that.

There are not a single likeable character except Ana. To be honest I was annoyed with her as well for going to the vacay with her toxic family. And then helping them even after they treated her in worst possible way and later when her sister Nicole who been so horrible throughout the book, said the worst thing possible in hospital. That was seriously last straw. Who does that? And if they do, do you still call them your "family"? That was just mean and downright horrible. So nasty was her family that I hated them more than even the spooky thing.

There are good punches in between which kept the tone of the book light and I liked it. I laughed out loud at few times.

What's the horror book without scary jumps? There are many in the whole book, and it sets spooky and even gory atmosphere. I just felt that book was dragged in later half could have cut down but that ending was totally saviour. I was reading it whenever I could because I was hooked on it.

And I get annoyed if epilogue is set several years after the main story but I loved what happened with Ana and other characters. They all deserved what they got, most importantly Ana got her freedom.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, first by this author so will be grabbing other books written by Jennifer Thorne. Thank you so much Jennifer Thorne, Netgalley and Tor publishing group for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.