What do you think?
Rate this book
Amityville Awakens
Not yet published
Expected 6 Oct 26- GenresHorror
314 pages, Paperback
Expected publication October 6, 2026
6 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Robert P. Ottone
32 books119 followersRobert P. Ottone is the two-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Triangle and There’s Something Sinister in Centerfield. He is also the author of The Vile Thing We Created as well as the collections Her Infernal Name and Tear Me Open: Fears Unwrapped. A bagel-loving fabulist of spooky absurdity, Ottone enjoys cigars and time with his wife at their home in upstate New York.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 27, 2026
“I think maybe sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. And more often than not, truth is the easiest and most obvious thing.”
The biggest question I've ever had was is the Amityville horror house actually haunted? We've all read the book, seen the movies, seen the Warren's investigation, and the countless other things about this so called 'House of Horrors'. I've always wanted to check this out for myself. Sadly, the current owners don't want haunted enthusiasts inside of their home. I can't say that I blame them. Sigh! Maybe some day.
My love for this haunted house had me jumping and pushing people out of the way to get my hands on a copy of this. A new story about one of the most famous haunted houses in America, I am here for it!! My excitement grew as I started to get into this but was kind of pushed off the more I read. I felt like I was running in a continuous circle with no actual reward.
The start of this was great. It was unsettling and way out there. It was the only way to begin this book. It soon started to veer off in a repetitive motion of been there done that kind of thing. And it kept happening. There were also a few things thrown in to disgust the reader and I'm not sure why the author made it a point to add it. I can't say too much since it would give a lot of way. But the situation I'm talking about ends in the best way.
'Amityville Awakens' was a great addition to the Amityville series. I have a love/hate relationship with this book but it was decent for what it was.
The biggest question I've ever had was is the Amityville horror house actually haunted? We've all read the book, seen the movies, seen the Warren's investigation, and the countless other things about this so called 'House of Horrors'. I've always wanted to check this out for myself. Sadly, the current owners don't want haunted enthusiasts inside of their home. I can't say that I blame them. Sigh! Maybe some day.
My love for this haunted house had me jumping and pushing people out of the way to get my hands on a copy of this. A new story about one of the most famous haunted houses in America, I am here for it!! My excitement grew as I started to get into this but was kind of pushed off the more I read. I felt like I was running in a continuous circle with no actual reward.
The start of this was great. It was unsettling and way out there. It was the only way to begin this book. It soon started to veer off in a repetitive motion of been there done that kind of thing. And it kept happening. There were also a few things thrown in to disgust the reader and I'm not sure why the author made it a point to add it. I can't say too much since it would give a lot of way. But the situation I'm talking about ends in the best way.
'Amityville Awakens' was a great addition to the Amityville series. I have a love/hate relationship with this book but it was decent for what it was.
April 1, 2026
Robert P. Ottone has created something really remarkable with Amityville Awakens. This is a book that is an absolute love letter to the Amityville house and the books, movies, stories, and legends that have sprung up around the notorious home, but it is also completely its own monster.
From the opening pages, this book is scary, mean, and brutal. Yet somehow at its core is a story of love and hope in the face of people and entities that want us to hate and destroy each other. It goes places you don’t expect it will and it does it really fast, leaving myself as a reader completely off balance and having no idea what could possibly come next. If that’s not exactly what you want from a horror novel, I don’t even know what to tell you because I found it thrilling, exciting, and by the end of the book I think Ottone really finds a core of emotional truth to go along with his house (or town, actually) of horrors.
From the opening pages, this book is scary, mean, and brutal. Yet somehow at its core is a story of love and hope in the face of people and entities that want us to hate and destroy each other. It goes places you don’t expect it will and it does it really fast, leaving myself as a reader completely off balance and having no idea what could possibly come next. If that’s not exactly what you want from a horror novel, I don’t even know what to tell you because I found it thrilling, exciting, and by the end of the book I think Ottone really finds a core of emotional truth to go along with his house (or town, actually) of horrors.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was all over the place and not in a good way.
The premise of this book was solid. It's the entire reason I requested the book. Amityville is the stuff of horror legend. The author did a lot of things right with the imagery and the way the infection within the house spread after it was torn down. There were adequate scenes of horror that had the potential to be great scenes of horror had the author taken the time to expand them and increase the sense of dread. Mostly I was left feeling like "so that happened" and it was over much too quickly.
I appreciated the time the author spent trying to flesh out the characters. Unfortunately, a lot of it didn't land because some felt unnecessary (looking at you Marvin) and others had wild details added that went exactly nowhere but felt instead like they were added for shock value only (would Meeker please stand up). The author did make a point to add diversity to the cast and I appreciate that (especially the focus that was put on immigration). Many of the characters acted at odds with the way they were presented initially with little to no explanation given for the shift in thinking and behavior.
There were errors. This might seem nitpicky but when a chair turns into a couch 3 pages later it pulls me out of the story.
There was an overabundance of scare quotes (what a person would call air quotes when speaking) in the first part of the book. So many that I started grinding my teeth in annoyance. Then they just.....stopped. Almost like the author realized or somebody said that there were too many. It was odd because many of them weren't even necessary.
The dialogue was good and flowed naturally. One of my biggest pet peeves is clunky dialogue but that wasn't present here.
There was conflict between characters in the book but much of it was either ignored or resolved with no difficulty. That's not realistic.
The part of the ending that I enjoyed was the depiction of the Big Bad. That was interesting and I liked it. The Final Fight Scene was over much too quickly and far too easily wrapped up. I would've appreciated more conflict between the 2 sides.
This was a disappointing read for me that I feel could've been so much better had page time not been devoted to things that didn't advance the plot and, therefore, had no real reason to be there. I mean, what's the point of making a character a drug addict if nothing happens because of that fact? And do not get me started on the filing cabinet and the dynamite. It was plain 'ol ridiculous.
Edit
This book was all over the place and not in a good way.
The premise of this book was solid. It's the entire reason I requested the book. Amityville is the stuff of horror legend. The author did a lot of things right with the imagery and the way the infection within the house spread after it was torn down. There were adequate scenes of horror that had the potential to be great scenes of horror had the author taken the time to expand them and increase the sense of dread. Mostly I was left feeling like "so that happened" and it was over much too quickly.
I appreciated the time the author spent trying to flesh out the characters. Unfortunately, a lot of it didn't land because some felt unnecessary (looking at you Marvin) and others had wild details added that went exactly nowhere but felt instead like they were added for shock value only (would Meeker please stand up). The author did make a point to add diversity to the cast and I appreciate that (especially the focus that was put on immigration). Many of the characters acted at odds with the way they were presented initially with little to no explanation given for the shift in thinking and behavior.
There were errors. This might seem nitpicky but when a chair turns into a couch 3 pages later it pulls me out of the story.
There was an overabundance of scare quotes (what a person would call air quotes when speaking) in the first part of the book. So many that I started grinding my teeth in annoyance. Then they just.....stopped. Almost like the author realized or somebody said that there were too many. It was odd because many of them weren't even necessary.
The dialogue was good and flowed naturally. One of my biggest pet peeves is clunky dialogue but that wasn't present here.
There was conflict between characters in the book but much of it was either ignored or resolved with no difficulty. That's not realistic.
The part of the ending that I enjoyed was the depiction of the Big Bad. That was interesting and I liked it. The Final Fight Scene was over much too quickly and far too easily wrapped up. I would've appreciated more conflict between the 2 sides.
This was a disappointing read for me that I feel could've been so much better had page time not been devoted to things that didn't advance the plot and, therefore, had no real reason to be there. I mean, what's the point of making a character a drug addict if nothing happens because of that fact? And do not get me started on the filing cabinet and the dynamite. It was plain 'ol ridiculous.
Edit
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Robert P. Ottone's new book, Amityville Awakens could be the start of an entirely new series after viciously awakening an old tale, some say as old as time.
The Amityville Horror originally took place in 1974 by Ronald DeFeo Jr. who killed his parents and four younger siblings. Thirteen months later, while Ronald was in jail, the Lutz family moved in, expecting a peaceful start to the new chapter in their lives, however, 28 days after they moved in, they rushed out like the gates of Hell had opened up. And according to them it had, thus beginning a legend people today are still trying to prove one way or the other.
Amityville Horror is great for book and movie fanatics, since there are three official movies plus the 2005 remake, however, there are 68 movies and counting in the franchise as people keep coming up with new ideas for this supposedly haunted house.
Mr. Ottone's Amityville Awakens however, gives new life to a franchise that has seen practically everything that could happen, at least on film. This book has a dark force slowly slithering its way into a town that has no idea what is going on, only that people are disappearing. Some people feel the dark presence much like Ronald DeFeo claims he did, others feel it by negitive habits being compounded and their weaknesses shown, regardless of their social standing. It's also about friendship, family, faith, and love. A family, whether by blood or choice, struggling to stay together and know that one way or another, their love for each other and their community will see them through the hardest of times.
The emotions Mr. Ottone brings out in the book, the emotional roller-coaster he puts his readers through, are so provocative, so real, that by the end of book readers will be looking at life in an entirely new perspective. The one thing everyone will agree with though, is they need to hold their family close. For without our family, without our faith (regardless of type), without love, what do we have?
The Amityville Horror originally took place in 1974 by Ronald DeFeo Jr. who killed his parents and four younger siblings. Thirteen months later, while Ronald was in jail, the Lutz family moved in, expecting a peaceful start to the new chapter in their lives, however, 28 days after they moved in, they rushed out like the gates of Hell had opened up. And according to them it had, thus beginning a legend people today are still trying to prove one way or the other.
Amityville Horror is great for book and movie fanatics, since there are three official movies plus the 2005 remake, however, there are 68 movies and counting in the franchise as people keep coming up with new ideas for this supposedly haunted house.
Mr. Ottone's Amityville Awakens however, gives new life to a franchise that has seen practically everything that could happen, at least on film. This book has a dark force slowly slithering its way into a town that has no idea what is going on, only that people are disappearing. Some people feel the dark presence much like Ronald DeFeo claims he did, others feel it by negitive habits being compounded and their weaknesses shown, regardless of their social standing. It's also about friendship, family, faith, and love. A family, whether by blood or choice, struggling to stay together and know that one way or another, their love for each other and their community will see them through the hardest of times.
The emotions Mr. Ottone brings out in the book, the emotional roller-coaster he puts his readers through, are so provocative, so real, that by the end of book readers will be looking at life in an entirely new perspective. The one thing everyone will agree with though, is they need to hold their family close. For without our family, without our faith (regardless of type), without love, what do we have?
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is not another rehash of a haunted house story. The house is already gone, bulldozed, erased and somehow that absence only makes things worse. Amityville Awakens takes one of horror’s most exhausted myths and bends it into something unexpectedly bold.
Ottone stops treating the Amityville house as a fixed destination for evil and instead reimagines what it represents. The novel’s most disturbing idea is that destroying the house doesn’t end the haunting—it disperses it. From the ruins, dread doesn’t dissipate so much as seep outward, slowly radiating into the surrounding world. What begins as small, easily dismissed anomalies like flickering lights, missing people, a lingering, unplaceable sense that something is wrong that gradually mutates into something broader, more systemic, and harder to define.
The horror refuses to stay contained. Instead, it adapts. It spreads. It seeps into neighborhoods, lawns, basements, streets, and families like mold working unseen behind drywall. Over time, suburbia itself begins to feel compromised, as though the ordinary texture of everyday life has been quietly infected from within.
Given how thoroughly diluted the “Amityville” name has become over the years, it would have been easy to expect either nostalgia bait or camp. Instead, the novel attempts something more ambitious: a reclamation of the mythology as something genuinely unsettling again.
Overall, Amityville Awakens is a dark, sprawling, and often deeply unnerving horror novel that reframes Amityville as a contagious force rather than a single haunted place. Ambitious, atmospheric, occasionally uneven but easily one of the more intriguing uses of the mythology in years.
Ottone stops treating the Amityville house as a fixed destination for evil and instead reimagines what it represents. The novel’s most disturbing idea is that destroying the house doesn’t end the haunting—it disperses it. From the ruins, dread doesn’t dissipate so much as seep outward, slowly radiating into the surrounding world. What begins as small, easily dismissed anomalies like flickering lights, missing people, a lingering, unplaceable sense that something is wrong that gradually mutates into something broader, more systemic, and harder to define.
The horror refuses to stay contained. Instead, it adapts. It spreads. It seeps into neighborhoods, lawns, basements, streets, and families like mold working unseen behind drywall. Over time, suburbia itself begins to feel compromised, as though the ordinary texture of everyday life has been quietly infected from within.
Given how thoroughly diluted the “Amityville” name has become over the years, it would have been easy to expect either nostalgia bait or camp. Instead, the novel attempts something more ambitious: a reclamation of the mythology as something genuinely unsettling again.
Overall, Amityville Awakens is a dark, sprawling, and often deeply unnerving horror novel that reframes Amityville as a contagious force rather than a single haunted place. Ambitious, atmospheric, occasionally uneven but easily one of the more intriguing uses of the mythology in years.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Amityville Awakens is a deeply unsettling, skin-crawling return to one of horror’s most infamous settings and it absolutely delivers. Robert P. Ottone takes the familiar legacy of Amityville and twists it into something far more expansive and disturbingly fresh, proving that the terror doesn’t end when the house is gone… it evolves.
This is the kind of horror that genuinely gets under your skin. From the creeping spread of unnatural mold to the eerie sense that something is always just out of sight, the atmosphere is relentless. It’s been a long time since a story has truly felt this frightening, one that leaves you uneasy, glancing over your shoulder, and fully immersed in its dread-soaked world.
Ottone doesn’t shy away from the darker edges of the genre. Some moments are genuinely hard to read, pushing into deeply uncomfortable territory, but that’s exactly what makes it so effective. The horror feels earned, woven into the fabric of the story in a way that makes every disturbing image and shocking turn serve a purpose.
What makes Amityville Awakens stand out is how it balances its intense horror with a compelling, interconnected narrative. As the threat spreads beyond a single house and into an entire community, the stakes feel bigger, more chaotic, and far more terrifying.
Dark, twisted, and impossible to put down, this is a bold and brilliantly disturbing take on Amityville. Perfect for readers who crave horror that doesn’t hold back and aren’t afraid to sit with that lingering sense of dread long after the final page.
This is the kind of horror that genuinely gets under your skin. From the creeping spread of unnatural mold to the eerie sense that something is always just out of sight, the atmosphere is relentless. It’s been a long time since a story has truly felt this frightening, one that leaves you uneasy, glancing over your shoulder, and fully immersed in its dread-soaked world.
Ottone doesn’t shy away from the darker edges of the genre. Some moments are genuinely hard to read, pushing into deeply uncomfortable territory, but that’s exactly what makes it so effective. The horror feels earned, woven into the fabric of the story in a way that makes every disturbing image and shocking turn serve a purpose.
What makes Amityville Awakens stand out is how it balances its intense horror with a compelling, interconnected narrative. As the threat spreads beyond a single house and into an entire community, the stakes feel bigger, more chaotic, and far more terrifying.
Dark, twisted, and impossible to put down, this is a bold and brilliantly disturbing take on Amityville. Perfect for readers who crave horror that doesn’t hold back and aren’t afraid to sit with that lingering sense of dread long after the final page.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
First of all, a big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book took me a few chapters to really get into it - this could just be a me thing + I went into this with no prior knowledge of the Amityville story so Everything was new to me (including all the characters I'd end up meeting) - but once I got into the story I quite literally could Not let go. It's such a Tense and mysterious story with chapters that end at he best (but worst for the reader that Needs to know what happens) places.
Add in the fact the writer made interesting choices for the plot that weren't always the kindest of choices for the characters in the book (no actual spoilers here but I certainly Felt for certain characters at times), I got sucked in and stayed on edge until the very end. What a ride.
This book took me a few chapters to really get into it - this could just be a me thing + I went into this with no prior knowledge of the Amityville story so Everything was new to me (including all the characters I'd end up meeting) - but once I got into the story I quite literally could Not let go. It's such a Tense and mysterious story with chapters that end at he best (but worst for the reader that Needs to know what happens) places.
Add in the fact the writer made interesting choices for the plot that weren't always the kindest of choices for the characters in the book (no actual spoilers here but I certainly Felt for certain characters at times), I got sucked in and stayed on edge until the very end. What a ride.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Naturally as a lifelong Horror aficionado, I was magnetized to this title; and this novel definitely did NOT disappoint! The Author takes a well-known premise, then twists and yanks it till he delivers something way beyond previous treatments of the story of the "infamous House on Ocean Avenue." He's unafraid to bring in Spirituality and Religion, both as explanations of the Evil, and as tools to comprehend what the Villagers are facing, as well as to combat the Evil from Ocean Avenue. The novel also accurately riffs on the ease of human devolution in the face of
Chaos, and also on the corrupt insistence post-tragedy and -disaster of denying obvious truth and facts in favor of a breezy cop-out cover-up.
Chaos, and also on the corrupt insistence post-tragedy and -disaster of denying obvious truth and facts in favor of a breezy cop-out cover-up.
April 21, 2026
This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
This story revitalized the old story and kept me on the edge of my seat! I would recommend this book I liked how the houses history was tied into the new story as well.
The house being torn down and letting it truly destroy anything in its reach was intense. Watching what it was capable of was heartbreaking and scary.
I devoured this book so fast. The missing people, the house, and the horror! This is definitely the story I didn’t know I needed to read. I would recommend this book I liked how the houses history was tied into the new story as well.
This story revitalized the old story and kept me on the edge of my seat! I would recommend this book I liked how the houses history was tied into the new story as well.
The house being torn down and letting it truly destroy anything in its reach was intense. Watching what it was capable of was heartbreaking and scary.
I devoured this book so fast. The missing people, the house, and the horror! This is definitely the story I didn’t know I needed to read. I would recommend this book I liked how the houses history was tied into the new story as well.
April 29, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I’ll start by saying I wasn’t familiar with the real story behind the Amityville Horror before picking this up, but after finishing this incredible book, I’m definitely intrigued and ready to learn about it what really happened.
From the very first pages, I was completely hooked. The story pulled me in straight away and kept me glued to the pages throughout. I also found myself really invested in the characters. I’d recommend anyone who like haunted spooky horror stories to read this.
I’ll start by saying I wasn’t familiar with the real story behind the Amityville Horror before picking this up, but after finishing this incredible book, I’m definitely intrigued and ready to learn about it what really happened.
From the very first pages, I was completely hooked. The story pulled me in straight away and kept me glued to the pages throughout. I also found myself really invested in the characters. I’d recommend anyone who like haunted spooky horror stories to read this.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Amityville Awakens separates itself from the tidal wave of titles that have flooded pop culture since Jay Anson’s remarkable book and even more successful film adaptation by being a solid story created by a talented writer.
Ottone takes us away from the titular house and into the town of Amityville itself. The evil that was held inside the brick and wood structure is now loose and much like the infamy of the original case behind the story, it’s infecting the town itself. The characters are solid and believable and the pace is brisk with a few jaw dropping set pieces to leave the reader reeling.
All in all, this is a solid and entertaining story.
Ottone takes us away from the titular house and into the town of Amityville itself. The evil that was held inside the brick and wood structure is now loose and much like the infamy of the original case behind the story, it’s infecting the town itself. The characters are solid and believable and the pace is brisk with a few jaw dropping set pieces to leave the reader reeling.
All in all, this is a solid and entertaining story.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Amityville Awakens by Robert P. Ottone was a solid read for me. Revisiting Amityville, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was afraid of too many cliches or just a retelling, but I was pleasantly surprised. The tension builds in a way that really sneaks up on you, and I loved how real and raw the characters felt to me, which made everything hit harder when things started to unravel. There’s something extra fun about knowing the author is from Long Island too, it was huge bonus for me personally while reading. Overall it was a really satisfying horror book, definitely exceeded my expectations.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This one was a slow burn with a cast of characters, some of which were seriously unlikable.
It definitely went to some very dark places, some of which seemed a little out of place, but I saw where the author was trying to go. Ottone made me feel unsettled in those moments, which is good writing whether I liked those emotions or not.
I loved that the author played into the original story of the Amityville house and extended the horrors instead of rewriting them.
It definitely went to some very dark places, some of which seemed a little out of place, but I saw where the author was trying to go. Ottone made me feel unsettled in those moments, which is good writing whether I liked those emotions or not.
I loved that the author played into the original story of the Amityville house and extended the horrors instead of rewriting them.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
*thanks netgalley for ARC so i was able to give my honest review*
1st off i am a big Amityville fan from watching original to all the remakes so i was well aware of story so that could lead to my bias. Overall this book was an average read that was slow in beginning up picks up speed. I really wanted to like this book more but it was alittle all over the place for me to really enjoy.
1st off i am a big Amityville fan from watching original to all the remakes so i was well aware of story so that could lead to my bias. Overall this book was an average read that was slow in beginning up picks up speed. I really wanted to like this book more but it was alittle all over the place for me to really enjoy.
May 4, 2026
thank you to NetGalley for an ARC to read and review!
this book had potential but I think it fell a little flat. there were parts that were so amazing and that I wanted more of and then parts that I felt were either too cheesy or simply didn’t fit into the story. overall, it was alright and gave a good scare
this book had potential but I think it fell a little flat. there were parts that were so amazing and that I wanted more of and then parts that I felt were either too cheesy or simply didn’t fit into the story. overall, it was alright and gave a good scare
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I received a free copy of, Amityville Awakens, by Robert P. Ottone, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a spooky read, it kept me on the edge of my seat, but I did not like the language in the book at all.
May 11, 2026
A really fantastic, gory, keep you guessing, unable to put down thrill ride of a book! Loved so many of the characters and Ottone’s writing style!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A big thank you to Netgalley for the arc of Amityville Awaken, which I recieved in exchange for my opinion. Anything Amityville Horror is right up my alley! Anytime a new movie or book comes out I'm gonna read or watch it. The pacing of this book is great. It's quick enough to keep you engaged in the story without losing your attention. The way Ottone takes a story that we are all familiar wth and molds it into a new and exciting story with original ideas is amazing and takes talent. The characters were original with some that I liked more than others. I very much enjoyed this story, especially the underlying emotions of the characters. It is not just a horror novel, its a story of hope and resiliance, 3/5 stars!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews