Review-Amity

I don't usually read books or watch movies about possessions, evil entities, or the like mainly because I think the whole concept is a little...fake, but when I heard that this book was loosely based on the events of the Amityville Horror (which I've not yet watched but hope to soon) I decided to give this book a shot.  Years before I had actually picked up another of Ostow's novels, Family, loosely based on Charles Manson and the cult following he gathered, but never read it, so when I decided to read this novel I wasn't entirely sure what to expect because Family was told in verse.  This novel, although not told in verse, had a certain flow to it that reminded me slight of Shatter Me (although the plot is VASTLY different).  Personally I like books like that and wish that I could write with that kind of beauty but I do know that they're not everyone's favorite, so if prose like that isn't your thing I would recommend at least reading a few chapters of this book to get a feel for the writing style.  On the back of the book it also said that this book would "satisfy even the most demanding horror fans", which I think is true.  Depending on how easily you scare this novel might or might not give you the heebie-jeebies, and while I fall into the "might not" category just because of how often I watch/read things like this I was very pleased with how deliciously twisted it was.  I was also greatly amused with the way the story was told; a male and female POV, one in the past and one in the present, was expertly woven together in such a way that, despite being two separate story lines, came together to create a nice parallel between the stories and enhanced the overall plot.  For me this whole book was a quick, enjoyable read and the only problem I had with it was some slight confusion here and there which could have been because I was reading an ARC or just something that I was missing for some reason.  Overall I was just thrilled with this entire book and I can't wait to have a finished copy on my shelf.  Fans of creepy stories should read a few chapters and then, if they find it to their liking, pick it up and read it, because it's a YA novel that could fall into the horror genre, and in my mind there aren't enough of those so when you find one you have to snatch it up ASAP, and because of this novel I hope to read Ostow's Family sooner rather than later, although who knows if that will really happen.

Out August 26, 2014

4.5/5 dust spirits

*Thanks to The University Bookstore kids department for letting me borrow this ARC and thanks to Egmont for providing them with it in return for an honest review.