Diavola

By: Jennifer Thorne

Narrated by: Andi Arndt

Anna has two rules for the annual Pace family destination vacations: Tread lightly and survive. It isn’t easy when she’s the only one in the family who doesn’t quite fit in. Her twin brother, Benny, goes with the flow so much he’s practically dissolved, and her older sister, Nicole, is so used to everyone—including her blandly docile husband and two kids—falling in line that Anna often ends up in trouble for simply asking a question. Mom seizes every opportunity to question her life choices, and Dad, when not reminding everyone who paid for this vacation, just wants some peace and quiet.

The gorgeous, remote villa in tiny Monteperso seems like a perfect place to endure so much family togetherness—until things start going off the rails—the strange noises at night, the unsettling warnings from the local villagers, and the dark, violent past of the villa itself...

Jennifer Thorne skewers all-too-familiar family dynamics in this sly, wickedly funny vacation-Gothic. Beautifully unhinged and deeply satisfying, Diavola is a sharp twist on the classic haunted house story, exploring loneliness, belonging, and the seemingly inescapable bonds of family mythology.

(Warning: May invoke feelings of irritation, dread, and despair that come with large family gatherings.)

©2024 Jennifer Thorne (P)2024 Dreamscape Media

Cover art drew me in

It was darker than I expected, but it was an interesting experience even if a bit too long.

Overall - a nice good scare

Okay! This is an old school scare with ghosts and curses and all the scary feels. Anna is the black sheep of the family but they include her on this fabulous vacation to Tuscany, Italy where her parents have rented a beautiful villa for all of them to stay in. Immediately, Anna starts having thoughts and feelings about the place. Because, of course, she had to google it before she left. It has a history, a very dark history. I enjoyed this one. I connected with Anna and my heart hurt for her, Four stars though because some parts of the book seemed to drag a bit.

It’s alright

The authors writing style is pretty good but the story is long and more focused on the family than the actual horror.

Hooked

I was not expecting to like this story and ended up loving it! I stayed up late and woke early to keep listening! It was captivating for me. The story never gets slow. The narrator is great. Thoroughly entertaining.

How absolutely strange

And weird this book is. I did actually enjoy it. It was so totally unique