Amity by Micol Ostow
1.25 stars
In Amity we follow two alternating timelines with a ten-year time difference. In the first timeline, we are introduced to Connor and his very abusive father and erratic family. They have recently moved into Amity and the house is appealing to Connor’s darker and more sadistic nature. (Pro-tip: If you suspect your child to be a sociopath and have the documentation to back these claims up by psychologists, don’t move into an ancient house.) In the second timeline, we follow Gwen and her family as they look for a “fresh” start after Gwen’s psychiatric break which resulted in time in an institution. Amity is looking to trap anyone it can because, haunted evil house, duh. I am a sucker for these kinds of storylines. American Horror Story: Murder House stole my heart from the moment I realized how truly twisted the house was and what lurked within the walls. So, I’m no stranger to this plot. Ostow tries, but it’s obvious that Amity is targeted to an audience who is much younger. The writing is incredibly juvenile and the characters are caricatures of your typical family gone bad tropes. Ostow’s word choice was also very grating and at times, just plain annoying. This novel tries to spooky and horrifying, but it also kind of reminds of a Goosebumps novel. I’m not talking about the good ones either (because there are some good ones in the batch, but boy, does it have its fair share of bad ones.) Amity appeals to the Goosebumps fan which is not a bad thing and I think that’s a strong suit for many young readers who may stumble upon this book like I did at the ripe age of ten when I binge-read Stine and Christopher Pike novels like no tomorrow. I’ll be real and candid, the writing drew me away from the suspense. I’ve read Goosebumps as an older reader that have captured my attention, so good writing is essential in a horror/suspense novel. Ostow seems to struggle greatly with the concept of stereotypical horror and ambience. Most of her backlist appears to be cute Scholastic Book Fair contemporaries, so that explains it and I think with more work and better editing, this could’ve been more enjoyable and gripping. I will be comparing this novel to Murder House because the more I write my review, the more that I see the striking similarities.
Whimsical Writing Scale: 1.25
The main female character is Gwen. I don’t care for Gwen. I don’t know who Gwen is. She has no passions or hobbies and she reminds of a much dopier Violet Harmon. Violet Harmon as a character worked because she had a great actress to bring her to life. Gwen is as dead as a doornail on the page and nothing can revive that.
Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 1.25
The main male character is Connor. Connor is a wannabe Tate Langdon, but without the mommy issues. He has daddy issues instead and a weird incestual crush on his twin sister (EWWWWWW). He is a sociopath, but not a very believable one. I was being shown and told he was and I was supposed to find his inner “I have a rage that needs to be silenced only through blood” monologues scary, but I kind of found them funny. Again, the reason Tate Langdon works is because he is ruthless and completely driven by rage and anger (which Murder House plays a role), but here I wasn’t buying it.
Swoon Worthy Scale: NOPE
The Villain- Amity? It didn’t really scare me and it was kind of funny. The door will lock on their own, but they don’t have locks. Flies attack people. Things move. You know the drill, but none of it seemed life or death. Even when I was at the 80% mark, I thought to myself that the stakes were so low and uninteresting that I didn’t care how this ended.
Villain Scale: 1.5
Also, I’m sorry but the good ghost subplot who is trying to protect and save Gwen was thrown in at more than halfway through the novel. Out of left field. I love a good protective ghost, but color me disappointed in everything spooky this novel had to offer. (Even the good guys were a snooze fest.)
Character Scale: 1.25
Overall, Amity was not for me. I do think it will find its fans and audience with younger readers who don’t know many horror tropes and aren’t well-versed in the usual haunted house plot. Ostow’s writing just didn’t work for me and in the long run, this novel was unfulfilling for me. I will say that the ending had a nice little bridge of the timelines. Props to Ostow for being a bit more creative (not super creative), but a bit more than where I thought it was going to go. Proceed with caution.
Plotastic Scale: 1
Cover Thoughts: Spooky, scary monster house. That blood looks so Goosebumps-ish.
Thank you, Edelweiss and EgmontUSA, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
1.25 stars
In Amity we follow two alternating timelines with a ten-year time difference. In the first timeline, we are introduced to Connor and his very abusive father and erratic family. They have recently moved into Amity and the house is appealing to Connor’s darker and more sadistic nature. (Pro-tip: If you suspect your child to be a sociopath and have the documentation to back these claims up by psychologists, don’t move into an ancient house.) In the second timeline, we follow Gwen and her family as they look for a “fresh” start after Gwen’s psychiatric break which resulted in time in an institution. Amity is looking to trap anyone it can because, haunted evil house, duh. I am a sucker for these kinds of storylines. American Horror Story: Murder House stole my heart from the moment I realized how truly twisted the house was and what lurked within the walls. So, I’m no stranger to this plot. Ostow tries, but it’s obvious that Amity is targeted to an audience who is much younger. The writing is incredibly juvenile and the characters are caricatures of your typical family gone bad tropes. Ostow’s word choice was also very grating and at times, just plain annoying. This novel tries to spooky and horrifying, but it also kind of reminds of a Goosebumps novel. I’m not talking about the good ones either (because there are some good ones in the batch, but boy, does it have its fair share of bad ones.) Amity appeals to the Goosebumps fan which is not a bad thing and I think that’s a strong suit for many young readers who may stumble upon this book like I did at the ripe age of ten when I binge-read Stine and Christopher Pike novels like no tomorrow. I’ll be real and candid, the writing drew me away from the suspense. I’ve read Goosebumps as an older reader that have captured my attention, so good writing is essential in a horror/suspense novel. Ostow seems to struggle greatly with the concept of stereotypical horror and ambience. Most of her backlist appears to be cute Scholastic Book Fair contemporaries, so that explains it and I think with more work and better editing, this could’ve been more enjoyable and gripping. I will be comparing this novel to Murder House because the more I write my review, the more that I see the striking similarities.
Whimsical Writing Scale: 1.25
The main female character is Gwen. I don’t care for Gwen. I don’t know who Gwen is. She has no passions or hobbies and she reminds of a much dopier Violet Harmon. Violet Harmon as a character worked because she had a great actress to bring her to life. Gwen is as dead as a doornail on the page and nothing can revive that.
Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 1.25
The main male character is Connor. Connor is a wannabe Tate Langdon, but without the mommy issues. He has daddy issues instead and a weird incestual crush on his twin sister (EWWWWWW). He is a sociopath, but not a very believable one. I was being shown and told he was and I was supposed to find his inner “I have a rage that needs to be silenced only through blood” monologues scary, but I kind of found them funny. Again, the reason Tate Langdon works is because he is ruthless and completely driven by rage and anger (which Murder House plays a role), but here I wasn’t buying it.
Swoon Worthy Scale: NOPE
The Villain- Amity? It didn’t really scare me and it was kind of funny. The door will lock on their own, but they don’t have locks. Flies attack people. Things move. You know the drill, but none of it seemed life or death. Even when I was at the 80% mark, I thought to myself that the stakes were so low and uninteresting that I didn’t care how this ended.
Villain Scale: 1.5
Also, I’m sorry but the good ghost subplot who is trying to protect and save Gwen was thrown in at more than halfway through the novel. Out of left field. I love a good protective ghost, but color me disappointed in everything spooky this novel had to offer. (Even the good guys were a snooze fest.)
Character Scale: 1.25
Overall, Amity was not for me. I do think it will find its fans and audience with younger readers who don’t know many horror tropes and aren’t well-versed in the usual haunted house plot. Ostow’s writing just didn’t work for me and in the long run, this novel was unfulfilling for me. I will say that the ending had a nice little bridge of the timelines. Props to Ostow for being a bit more creative (not super creative), but a bit more than where I thought it was going to go. Proceed with caution.
Plotastic Scale: 1
Cover Thoughts: Spooky, scary monster house. That blood looks so Goosebumps-ish.
Thank you, Edelweiss and EgmontUSA, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Have you read Amity? Are you a fan of the haunted house trope? What are some of your favorite horror tropes in movies and books? Let me know down below in the comments!
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