CC’s ARC Review: Diavola by Jennifer Thorne

4★

Title: Diavola
Author: Jennifer Thorne
Genre: Horror
Type: Standalone

Published: March 26, 2024

As an artist and outcast, Anna Pace begrudgingly agrees to meet her family for a Tuscan vacation. As she tries to sidestep the accusations and arguments, the villa seems to present its own diversion of curiosities, bringing Ana back into the forefront.

“I’m not a lost lamb. I’m a black sheep. These are two very different things.“

In this narrative, the overarching genre of horror is pervasive, yet themes of isolation and agency are weaved into Ana’s character. The prose are descriptive and evoke enough imagery to satisfy the grotesque and also convey the oddities. As the story begins with a measured pace, the oppressiveness of Ana’s family is strongly felt, but then the cadence explodes and takes an unexpected and twisted path.

Throughout reading, I sympathized with Anna’s plight because her family is awful. As Anna starts to acknowledge her own idiosyncrasies and what has been exposed, I was curious to see how it would all end. Plus, the art elements enriched the plot. Diavola is a gothic tale with complex layers that would appeal to those seeking a haunted story.

*An ARC was provided for a review.*