Amity

By Micol Ostow

Here is a house of ruin and rage, of death and deliverance.
Here is where I live, not living.
Here is always mine.

When Connor's family moves to Amity, a secluded house on the peaceful banks of New England's Concord River, his nights are plagued with gore-filled dreams of demons, destruction, and revenge. Dreams he kind of likes. Dreams he could make real, with Amity's help.

Ten years later, Gwen's family moves to Amity for a fresh start. Instead, she's haunted by lurid visions, disturbing voices, and questions about her own sanity. But who would ever believe her? And what could be done if they did?

Because Amity isn't just a house. She is a living force, bent on manipulating her inhabitants to her twisted will. She will use Connor and Gwen to bring about a violent end as she's done before.

Inspired by a true-crime story, Amity spans generations to weave an overlapping, interconnected tale of terror, insanity, danger, and death.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lerner Publishing
• Release date: Aug 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781512403299

Micol Ostow

Micol Ostow has written over fifty works for readers of all ages, including projects based on properties like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, and Mean Girls. In addition to Nancy Drew, she currently writes the bestselling Riverdale novels and comics based on the original Archie Comics characters. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, two daughters, piles and piles of books, and all the streaming channels. In her past life she may have been a teen sleuth. Visit Micol online at MicolOstow.com.

Reviews for Amity

[jljaina · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

My thoughts are very mixed on this story. I enjoyed the original Amityville Horror movies so I was very curious about this book.

The book follows to perspective of two different families live in the Amityville house. Or Amity as it is named by the first family. The house is fully given it's own personality. And is apparently feminine. The first family has the teenagers Conner and Jules who are twins. Ten years late the teens are Luke and Gwen (only 11 months apart). The book follows a one month timeline for each household while living there. So we get parts of the story from Conner's perspective and part from Gwen.

Before I go into too much here, to best understand what is going on I highly suggest you see at least the first movie. It sets the stage a bit better. This book seems to go with the assumption that you have seen it. Certain references (the locks, boathouse, red room, etc) make a lot more sense this way.

The author goes off on an odd mix of being very descriptive one moment, then vague the next. This book definitely requires imagination to fully grasp what is going on (again seeing the movies helps). To me, it reminds me of a B-rated movie. Not really scary for the most part. In fact some scenes amused me in a twisted way. Yet underlying tones throughout the book can be a bit creepy I suppose. It didn't get to me that way but I can see how it could.

Conner is one twisted, messed up guy. Ugh, every time I was stuck in his head I almost felt slightly ill. I though I had a twisted side for enjoying reading/watching horror, but this guy thrives on living it! I wish I could have gotten a better feel for his sister but since it is from his perspective, it is quite contorted. Gwen I kind of liked but I never felt like I got to know her, even though I was inside her head. All I got was everyone, including herself, thought she was crazy.

What I did like was the author took a little extra time researching the framework of the original house and incorporated certain historical backrounds. And also added a few and embellished it seems, but still, I like seeing that the author did his homework before writing this.

There are several spots that seem to repeat themselves. I can tell the author was trying to press a point but using the same sentence multiple times within a page or two of each other comes across as a bit redundant and instead of focusing on the stress point I am more irritated for reading the same thing. There was one time I though I lost my place in the book because of this.

Overall, not a bad book to read. I can see how it can be creepy. I like the psychological aspects. Giving the house more personality was interesting. While I liked how some parts were descriptive and almost poetic, there are just as many parts that need some fine tuning or need to be a little less vague. I am all for using my imagination but if I had not seen some of the movies, I fear I would be more lost than not trying to read this. Recommended for fans of the movies just for kicks!

**I received an eBook copy of this for review from Egmont USA. All opinions expressed are strictly my own.*

[amym53 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

"Here is a house of ruin and rage, of death and deliverance,seated atop countless nameless unspoken souls.Here is where I live, not living.Here is always mine." Amity has a way of psyching out the people that live there based on the individual. The story is told from dual perspectives of the twins Gwen and Conner and spans the time frame of 10 years. There was a mild creep factor of blood flowing from faucets and ghosts with a gun shot wound to the head appearing in mirrors . "She was a part of me, Amity. Growing, gaining power, every day. Amity wanted me.And I welcomed her in." Conner is drawn to the evilness of Amity and Gwen is scared and wondering whether she's really crazy. I lost interest in parts but overall I was hooked wanting to find out what was going to happen in the end.

[amandacb_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I couldn't even get through this book, which is disappointing since I love, love, love the premise. Ostow's writing is curt and puerile, even for a horror young adult novel. For a horror YA novel done in a sophisticated, terrifying manner, read "The Night Gardener."

[ad_astra_8 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Meh. I get scared easily so I don't watch many scary movies. I do however love to read horror (as long as the violence isn't too descriptive - I can't handle a whole lot!). That being said, this book did nothing for me. There were a few spooky parts, but nothing downright scary. And everything seemed so cliched. Seeing a ghost standing behind you when you look in the mirror? Check. Blood coming out of the faucet? Check. Family thinking you're hallucinating? Check. Something happening to family pet? Check. Witches, ancient burial grounds, nexus of evil, psychotic characters? Oh yeah. The characters were flat. I didn't care about anyone in that house or what they were doing. Not one of them tried to resist what the house was doing so I didn't feel the least bit invested in any of them (which made the ending very bizarre when there was no indication that any of them were trying to fight the house). The house was also supposed to be a character but again, it felt flat. A couple things drew me out of the story. The main characters Connor and Gwen are alternately telling the story but their voices sound EXACTLY the same. I needed to check often to see who I was reading or look for a family name to clue me into who I was reading about. I was also surprised that the editors allowed the six year old American boy to talk about the water coming out of the "taps" instead of faucet. That and talking about the putting the kettle on for tea sounded very inauthentic and European to me and pulled me out of the story. If you're looking for a great YA horror story, try Anna Dressed in Blood. It's phenomenal and worthy of your time!

[lesindy · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The premise of this book sounded awesome. I have seen all the Amityville movies, even the remakes. I read all the fiction books. I even watched all the documentaries. I was hyped when Netgalley said I was accepted to review this book.

It fell apart midway. This is a YA book, which is fine with me. The subject matter is a bit adult, an abusive father and crazy psycho brother who tortures animals. Then it switches to a Carrie-type girl. Yes, I'm being serious. She has psychic powers. Or thinks she does.

So the story flips between the crazy boy and the "crazy" girl. The Amityville house, with the Defeo family is never talked about. I suppose this is before them, or maybe in some alternate reality where the DeFeo murders never happened. The townsfolk are unhelpful asses, like in most small towns in horror movies/novels.

The ending is predictable in the psycho boy's case. Gwen, the Carrie-type girl's ending, isn't. But you never know if what she experiences is real, or if she's just cray.

The book's ending is really rushed, and it keeps flipping back and forth between the two families. The Kindle version has different fonts, so it's easy to see who we're reading about.

I'd suggest this book for older teens who like horror. To compare this to Stephen King is a bit much, but every horror book mentions "If you like Stephen King you'll like XXX." I like Stephen King, and no I did not like this book. It was OK.

[manka23 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The word eerie doesn't even cover this book, it's more like morbid. Micol Ostow writes a horror novel that is so visually descriptive that it chills you to the bone. The characters are surprisingly three dimensional, which you don't really expect in this kind of book. The flash backs between the two time periods confused me at times, but for the most part I think it worked really well. I have always liked the Amityville Horror movies and this book filled me with the same fear. Amity is the creepiest book I've ever read and I'm so glad I picked it up.I received a copy of this book to review from Netgalley and Egmont USA

[allyofthedawn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was honestly a little surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. The was it was written worked really well, with the story hopping back and forth in time from Day One ten years before to Day One present.
My only real problem with this book is that it felt a little bit unfinished. There were a few place where it felt like there was foreshadowing, or a detail that would soon be learned, but nothing ever came of those moments.
Overall, a rather enjoyable read though.

[darkfaerietales_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: Amity was a disturbing novel that I couldn’t get through, though I think fans of horror will have more success.Opening Sentence: Here is a house; bones of beam and joints of hardware, stone foundation smooth, solid as the core of the earth, nestled, pressed, cold and flat and dank against the hard-packed soil and all of its squirming secrets.The Review:Amity is a house, but she is more than that. She lives for twisting minds and carrying out gruesome, violent plots. Connor’s family moves to Amity ten years before Gwen’s does, but both have terrifying stays. Connor cannot sleep without having horrible dreams of death and vengeance, and they’re starting to grow pleasant to him. Amity could help him make that destruction a reality. Gwen’s family, seeking a new beginning, moves later on. She is plagued by vivid visions and madness. Both will see firsthand the affects of Amity’s twisted will.I couldn’t get through this novel. Part of it is that horror really isn’t my thing. It’s disturbing and weird and scary, which, I guess, is the point, but I’ve never really understood that point. Why chase after something that will only give you nightmares? I’ve seen one of the Paranormal Activity movies and that was more than enough to last a lifetime for me. Nevertheless, I attempted to go into this book with a clear mind. Sadly, even an open mindset couldn’t force me to enjoy this book.It was a very morbid story, loosely inspired by the events at Amityville Horror house, but not retelling them. I never watched Amityville so I can’t be expected to know the similarities between the two, but after getting thirty percent of the way through this novel I never want to. It was strange and odd and chilling. Those are good enough qualities for a horror novel to have, I guess, but I could not handle how dark it was. I also found the main characters annoying and vindictive and couldn’t relate to either of them at all. Probably a good thing, seeing as they both were having horrible visions in a terrifying haunted house sort of setting. Another thing, however, was that I was very confused by the novel. I didn’t fully grasp what was going on a lot of the time. Some of that was the flashbacks between the two time periods, in which Connor the sociopath and Gwen were residing in Amity.Let’s talk about Gwen’s family real quick. They go to get the house for a fresh start, and because it’s dirt cheap. It’s creepy, old, and weird stuff starts happening. Don’t you think the horrible stories about Amity and the super small price are a red flag? But no, Gwen’s family buys it anyway. Aw well. Have fun with that, even though every single warning sign is screaming. Don’t you think this sounds like the start of many different horror books or movies?I feel that this book succeeded in important aspects of its genre, and I think that horror fans will have a grand old time. The book was well-written. Me being me, I could not stand the disturbing tone and and the confusion caused by the flashbacks. I got about thirty percent of the way through and I just couldn’t handle it. Then I had nightmares for three days straight. That’s horror for you!Notable Scene:“It’s so weird.” I followed her gaze.“What? The way the house is, like, sideways?”It was weird, kind of. Whoever designed Amity was trying to make the most of the land they had to work with, I guess; since the lot was deeper than it was wide, the house sat perpendicular from the road. So it was the side that looked out at you as you pulled up the drive, not the front.And it did look out at you, eerily. That’s what Jules meant. That Amity sensed you.FTC Advisory: EgmontUSA provided me with a copy of Amity. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[sunset_x_cocktail · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received a copy from Netgalley.

I'm not really sure how to review this one. A lot of the time I couldn't decide if I was fascinated by this book or if I hated it. The story is told from the point of view of two teens ten years apart, Conner and Gwen both of whom move into the Amity House. Initial thoughts were the start of the story was kind of dull and I didn’t like the characters much at all. Final thoughts if I had been reading Gwen’s story alone I would have given the book a much higher rating.

I just simply did not like Conner at all. To me he came across as blasé and full of himself. His attitude annoyed me. Its clear right off there is something not right with this guy, it didn’t make me want to understand him more. His personality made me very uncomfortable. Yes, there were some quite vile and creepy scenes from his story and even though I didn’t like it, I kept reading.

Which I suppose in a way is just what I’m looking for in a horror novel, I don’t want a comfortable read, I want to be chilled and squicked out.

Gwen was much easier to understand and sympathize with as a character and at least for me much more likeable. She’s not right in the head either, but I found it easier to read her story. Out of the two storylines, I found hers to be the more frightening. Some delightfully ghoulish and vivid imagery and a built in sense of dread and a sense of unable to know what’s real and what’s not.

(Personally I think this book would have worked just as well with her story alone. Flashbacks through visions or nightmares could have told snippets of Conner’s story and wormed its way into Gwen’s conscious and plot. But that’s just me.)

I felt it worked very well as a haunted house story for a YA audience so certainly recommended for anyone looking for something creepy and different.

Thank you to Netgalley and Egmont USA for approving my request to read this title.

[ceeceelaws-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was given a copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unscripted review.Growing up, I was a horror film junkie! While Freddie, Jason, and Michael pumped my adrenaline, they never caused me any nightmares. What scared me was The Exorcist, Chainsaw Massacre, Jaws, and The Amityville series. For in my mind, these were the real horrors that lurked in the shadows. After all, they were loosely based on real stories, right? Recently, I’ve noticed a fad in which authors are rewriting stories to fit the young adult group, and why not? I think it’s a brilliant idea that gives our teens a variety of literature to choose from. This novel in particular has interlaced two of the Amityville stories, a decade apart, into a chilling tale!I applaud this author, as she has done a great job of writing a novel that terrifies, thrills, and disgusts! The brilliance of her work is in the details, and the story background was above and beyond what I expected. The narrative is bounced between two teens, whose lives have been abruptly changed by the entities involved, expertly. I must add that although she leads you down a twisted path, the most heinous of acts are left to the reader’s imagination. As expected, there are some bloody scenes, a few mentions of abuse, and some vivid descriptions of a demented mind. I loved it! I highly recommend this to mature young adults, high school being the youngest, and adults who love the paranormal!