Title:
Author:
Standalone
Number of Pages:
Date Read:
Genre:
Synopsis (Found on
Goodreads.com)
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 with her history, 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. As she'll do again. And again. And again.
Inspired by a true-crime story, Amity spans generations to weave an overlapping, interconnected tale of terror, insanity. danger, and death.
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 with her history, 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. As she'll do again. And again. And again.
Inspired by a true-crime story, Amity spans generations to weave an overlapping, interconnected tale of terror, insanity. danger, and death.
My Review:
This book is based on the Amityville House in New York.
This book was alright. I was creeped out at times but it wasn't overall terrifying. There was some gore and blood but not as much as I would expect in a horror novel even though it is YA. There have been more gore filled books that are not considered horror that I have read. There was a bit suspense but I often found myself waiting for the characters to figure out what I already knew. Also as I was reading the book I was noticing the similarities and differences between the book and the Amityville murders and the paranormal happenings I read about. Some are clear, such as the red room and the murders.
This book is told in alternating perspectives between Conner and Gwen. The two main characters are separated by 10 years when they lived in the Amity house. Conner lived in the house first, then 10 years later Gwen and her family moved in. Both families lasted about 28 days in the house.
Conner is a twisted sociopath. No joke, he has all the symptoms of a sociopath- he lacks empathy, he can disassociate himself from others and situations, he has been known for torturing animals. The only real person he connects with and may actually love is his twin sister Jules. He has a mother, a father and a younger brother but they don't bring out any emotion (save for anger) from him. I also think his obsession with Jules is creepy. His family life is not too great either. His mother is a battered wife, his dad is abusive to his mother and brother and his brother is a small 6 year old child whose been beaten by his father. Jules is very sympathetic to her younger brother and mother but Conner is not.
Conner is a sick person. He has an unnatural fascination with blood and enjoys the smell, taste and look of it. I guess since he doesn't have many emotions he is not scared of the paranormal occurrences that happen in the house. He gets more excited by them and enjoys the twisted dreams he has. He can feel that Amity is alive and evil and he welcomes its power into himself. He does acknowledge that there is something wrong with him and he calls himself evil on a few occasions. He basically allows himself to be possessed by the house.
Gwen is a girl with mental issues. Her and her family move to Amity after she was released from a mental hospital. Her mom thought the move to the country would be good for her. Gwen knows right off that something is wrong at Amity. Her first night a corpse girl appears to her. Since Gwen has a fragile mind, it seems like she is more attune to Amity and she sees things as what they really are. She hears voices, she feels a presence touching her and she has what her doctors would call hallucinations, but are really the house showing her its true intentions. Gwen also believes that she can make things happen with her mind. A sort of telekinesis. She has an aunt who is also attuned to the paranormal, when also senses that the house is evil and who thinks Gwen is not crazy.
The house also changes her brother Luke, making him seem crazy, withdrawn and murderous. He spends a lot of time in the boathouse and the basement of the house where the red room is. Everytime Gwens goes to the third floor sewing room something paranormal happens to her. Gwen also has dreams like Conner though not as twisted as his. Gwen keeps seeing the corpse girl and another girl who calls herself Annie. It seems like Annie is trying to help Gwen prevent an event that happened years ago that tends to cycle every few years. In the end, I couldn't tell if what Gwen was seeing was real or if it was what her mental illness made her mind see.
Amity itself was a character although not one that talked or anything. It had an evil presence and was ripe with bad history. Amity seemed to know things and seemed to choose one person in the family who lived there to share it's knowledge with. The house seemed to have things it wanted and it used the evil power within it to get what it wanted. It was creepy.
All in all not a bad book.
This book was alright. I was creeped out at times but it wasn't overall terrifying. There was some gore and blood but not as much as I would expect in a horror novel even though it is YA. There have been more gore filled books that are not considered horror that I have read. There was a bit suspense but I often found myself waiting for the characters to figure out what I already knew. Also as I was reading the book I was noticing the similarities and differences between the book and the Amityville murders and the paranormal happenings I read about. Some are clear, such as the red room and the murders.
This book is told in alternating perspectives between Conner and Gwen. The two main characters are separated by 10 years when they lived in the Amity house. Conner lived in the house first, then 10 years later Gwen and her family moved in. Both families lasted about 28 days in the house.
Conner is a twisted sociopath. No joke, he has all the symptoms of a sociopath- he lacks empathy, he can disassociate himself from others and situations, he has been known for torturing animals. The only real person he connects with and may actually love is his twin sister Jules. He has a mother, a father and a younger brother but they don't bring out any emotion (save for anger) from him. I also think his obsession with Jules is creepy. His family life is not too great either. His mother is a battered wife, his dad is abusive to his mother and brother and his brother is a small 6 year old child whose been beaten by his father. Jules is very sympathetic to her younger brother and mother but Conner is not.
Conner is a sick person. He has an unnatural fascination with blood and enjoys the smell, taste and look of it. I guess since he doesn't have many emotions he is not scared of the paranormal occurrences that happen in the house. He gets more excited by them and enjoys the twisted dreams he has. He can feel that Amity is alive and evil and he welcomes its power into himself. He does acknowledge that there is something wrong with him and he calls himself evil on a few occasions. He basically allows himself to be possessed by the house.
Gwen is a girl with mental issues. Her and her family move to Amity after she was released from a mental hospital. Her mom thought the move to the country would be good for her. Gwen knows right off that something is wrong at Amity. Her first night a corpse girl appears to her. Since Gwen has a fragile mind, it seems like she is more attune to Amity and she sees things as what they really are. She hears voices, she feels a presence touching her and she has what her doctors would call hallucinations, but are really the house showing her its true intentions. Gwen also believes that she can make things happen with her mind. A sort of telekinesis. She has an aunt who is also attuned to the paranormal, when also senses that the house is evil and who thinks Gwen is not crazy.
The house also changes her brother Luke, making him seem crazy, withdrawn and murderous. He spends a lot of time in the boathouse and the basement of the house where the red room is. Everytime Gwens goes to the third floor sewing room something paranormal happens to her. Gwen also has dreams like Conner though not as twisted as his. Gwen keeps seeing the corpse girl and another girl who calls herself Annie. It seems like Annie is trying to help Gwen prevent an event that happened years ago that tends to cycle every few years. In the end, I couldn't tell if what Gwen was seeing was real or if it was what her mental illness made her mind see.
Amity itself was a character although not one that talked or anything. It had an evil presence and was ripe with bad history. Amity seemed to know things and seemed to choose one person in the family who lived there to share it's knowledge with. The house seemed to have things it wanted and it used the evil power within it to get what it wanted. It was creepy.
All in all not a bad book.
Rating:
C+
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