A review by spooky_librarian
Smithy by Amanda Desiree
4.0
I am so glad Inkshares reached out and sent me a copy of this book. When I’d been informed that SMITHY by Amanda Desiree was going to be an epistolary haunted house novel starring a lovable chimpanzee, there was no way in hell I was going to pass on the opportunity to read it.
Our story is set in Newport, Rhode Island 1972 and six collegiate researchers have joined a very important study to teach a chimpanzee by the name of Webster/Smithy to communicate through American Sign Language. However, they are unaware that Trevor Hall, the home they’ve rented for the study, is haunted. Even more disturbing, Smithy is catching on to something dark and unsettling hiding in shadow, lurking in empty corners, something his human charges can’t seem to see with their skeptical human eyes.
This was such a unique haunted house story! Slow-simmering, creepy, and compelling. While some might become frustrated with the pages of study records outnumbering the accounts of paranormal activity, I was fascinated by both as a person who is intrigued by language acquisition and a lover of all things haunted. I personally appreciated getting acquainted with the young researchers as characters and having a chance to grow comfortable with the bonds formed amongst themselves.
I absolutely loved Smithy and readers will find themselves getting into a habit of anthropomorphizing him as if he were a sweet child. The fact that he was constantly frightened by chilling occurrences throughout this OBVIOUSLY haunted house, only to be chastised by his disbelieving owners was frustrating! (Pay attention to your animals when they start acting weird in creepy houses, people)!
Amanda Desiree succeeded in writing a story that was one of a kind and sure to capture animal-loving audiences with an equal love for the paranormal.
(Thank you so much to Inkshares and Amanda Desiree for this beautiful review copy!)
Our story is set in Newport, Rhode Island 1972 and six collegiate researchers have joined a very important study to teach a chimpanzee by the name of Webster/Smithy to communicate through American Sign Language. However, they are unaware that Trevor Hall, the home they’ve rented for the study, is haunted. Even more disturbing, Smithy is catching on to something dark and unsettling hiding in shadow, lurking in empty corners, something his human charges can’t seem to see with their skeptical human eyes.
This was such a unique haunted house story! Slow-simmering, creepy, and compelling. While some might become frustrated with the pages of study records outnumbering the accounts of paranormal activity, I was fascinated by both as a person who is intrigued by language acquisition and a lover of all things haunted. I personally appreciated getting acquainted with the young researchers as characters and having a chance to grow comfortable with the bonds formed amongst themselves.
I absolutely loved Smithy and readers will find themselves getting into a habit of anthropomorphizing him as if he were a sweet child. The fact that he was constantly frightened by chilling occurrences throughout this OBVIOUSLY haunted house, only to be chastised by his disbelieving owners was frustrating! (Pay attention to your animals when they start acting weird in creepy houses, people)!
Amanda Desiree succeeded in writing a story that was one of a kind and sure to capture animal-loving audiences with an equal love for the paranormal.
(Thank you so much to Inkshares and Amanda Desiree for this beautiful review copy!)