3.5 "primatology meets gothic horror" stars !!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Inkshares for an ecopy. This was released April 2021. I am providing an honest review.

So much of this book was four star excellent that I feel a little sheepish giving the book 3.5 stars but I will explain why later.

This author very skillfully constructs a most alluring tale through the use of letters, film footage descriptions, diary entries, memos, retrospective interviews and magazine/newspaper articles as well as excerpts from "published books". This is not easy to do at all but our author to did it both effectively and with great interest.

The tale takes place in mid 1970s over an eighteen month span in Newport RI in a decaying old grand house. There, a professor and group of psychology students are in the process of teaching sign language and human life skills to a young male chimpanzee named Webster aka Smithy.
The author has done her research around primatology, language acquisition and experimental psychology to a most proficient degree and this lends not only deep authenticity but also a great deal of fascination for this reader. We are also introduced to a host of college age people and their developing collegiality and friendships. There are strange happenings in the house that leads the reader to questioning not only human/chimp behavior but the possibility of very frightening supernatural elements. Some of this was bloody scary and I mean bloody bejezus scary and I am quite frightened of primates (despite their cuteness) to begin with....

The huge trouble I had with this book is the length. This was unforgivable to me. Way too fuckin long and could easily have been cut down by 50 percent. This is not a literary work where every sentence is a work of art but a horror novel. Cut the book down and you have at least a four star novel but for now we will leave it at a very very good 3.5 stars.

This story was full of atmospheric goodness. I felt like I was in the 70s along with the characters, walking down the halls of the decrepit estate. I loved the scenes focused on teaching Smithy to learn language. I also enjoyed the characters, they each had distinct characteristics and personalities. I wasn't fond of the ghost story aspect, I don't really enjoy paranormal stories but I think readers that do would love it. Overall, I enjoyed many parts of this story.

**I am very late to the game on this review but want to thank Netgalley and Inkshares for the eARC of this wild title.**

I was definitely intimidated by the length of this novel - at 500 pages and with the synopsis describing a research team teaching sign language to a monkey - I wasn't sure there could even be that much depth involved.

Boy, was I wrong. This book ended up being an extremely chilling read, taking place in a ~haunted~ house and involving extremely deep emotions and interactions.

While I expected this book to be interesting in a scientific way ( and it was, ) what I didn't expect was for it to be downright creepy. I don't want to give too much away with this one, but will say to check out this book if you are interested in horror, science, and human/animal interactions.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. Fun horror novel. Perfect for Halloween Month 🎃.

I enjoy when stories are told using journals, letters, etc, as it helps to shake things up for a reader to not get the same ole', same ole'.

But for a Horror or even Thriller story to be told in this fashion, there really needs to be scary or creepy action taking place almost right away, otherwise it's too easy to get lulled into sleep.

I enjoyed the overall story but there was so much potential for more scares in this one that just wasn't taken advantage of and left me feeling a bit put out.

Interesting storyline, but not what I would consider a Horror genre title.

A researcher recruits student to work with a chimpanzee, Smithy, sign language. While working on this study, the students live together in a creepy old mansion. While this book is marketed as “horror”, it doesn’t really rise to that label. An interesting concept, but too lengthy. There were some sections that could have been edited out without compromising the book.

I wasn't able to devote as much time as I would have liked to this title, but I was able to breeze through it just fine.

this was such a great horror novel, the cover was done so simply and spooky. The characters were great and I enjoyed going through this book.

I was really quite intrigued by the cover for this book, but it ended up not being as spooky as it first appeared. The storytelling was dry for me personally. I did like the style of including medical files and other paraphernalia in the book, but unfortunately it's been done better in several different horror novels.

"...I see our lives at Trevor Hall in a new context. At first, when Eric told us about seeing the Dark Woman, and we realized that’s what Smithy might have been trying to describe, I was excited. It gave me a rush to think there could be a world beyond, and Smithy could reach it. But when I really considered the implications, all I could think was, ‘There’s a ghost in this house. This is our house, and it’s haunted.’ Because Tammy’s right: we do have to sleep here—and wake up to find the bedrooms on fire and our lives possibly in peril."

I loved this book. Loved it! It has everything:

1. It's set in the '70s in an old New England mansion.
2. The title character is a chimpanzee that communicates with ghosts.
3. It appears to be incredibly well-researched. Cheers to author Amanda Desiree for the effort.
4. It's written in epistolary style, and no, I won't go on about Dracula here even though I want to.

I enjoyed every moment of this book, even though some might find it overly long at 500 pages. I was eight years old in 1974. Ghosts, haunted mansions, Dark Shadows, and Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp were my life. I feel like this book was written specifically for me. Check out Smithy, one of my favorite reads of the year!

I felt this book was clever in a lot of ways, however, I feel as though it gave me a bit of a deja vu feeling. Not that it was plageutistic or a carbon copy of anything that came before it. I guess it's more it felt similar to many others. There are moments of brilliance where I see the authors unique voice, especially towards into the middle third. However, there were often dampers placed throughout by the author telling rather than showing a characters emotion.

Overall, a good read for someone looking for this type of book, especially for someone who doesn't read 50 books a year. It's well written, suspenseful, worthwhile.

What a fun book! Smithy is an original horror novel that toys with the age old trope of "Is there a ghost or is there not?" but in a way that makes it feel like it hasn't been done 100 times before. I love the format of how everything is told through letters, journal entires, memos, interviews, etc. It was unique, and it really showed a separation of people's personalities and identities as characters. I kind of wish we'd gotten first person perspectives from Wanda since she was one of the more fascinating characters who could easily be written off as a one dimensional antagonist.

I don't like how the novel ends but just because I want ANSWERS! Was the house haunted? Was Smithy just giving in to his nature? I need to know!

Smithy by Amanda Desiree is a horror genre book , but it lacks the basic horror element. The book starts slow, picks its pace in between and ends abruptly. I was expecting some more jump scares and action. It also lacks the eeriness which should be present in the mansion. The cover is reflective of the book description and I liked it.

After reaching the middle of the story my hopes were very high, but the ending was rather disappointing. In the end, I was just like hanging in the middle that what really happened.

I would rate it as a four star book.

I struggle with epistolary novels. It's just not my favorite style. I much prefer to be shown instead of told. Had I known that the entire novel was told in this manner, I would have not requested it. I did attempt it, but it simply didn't keep my attention. The build-up waiting for the horror to happen simply took too long to balance out the writing style. I love haunted house novels and looked forward to such a unique read. The fault, however, lies in my own inability as a reader and not the authors.

A thoroughly enjoyable story all around. A group of young researchers and a professor stay at an old mansion while conducting an experiment into the possibilities of communication with a chimpanzee. The story itself is told through letters written by the students, and documentations of the experiment. The experiment into animal/ human communication drew me in, and the ghost story kept the plot going.

Smithy is a horror story about a group of scientists who want to understand the fundamentals of language acquisition through studying a chimpanzee’s learning of language in a “controlled” home-like environment. To do this, seven individuals of varying backgrounds are required to move into a previously abandoned mansion to teach Webster (nicknamed Smithy) to use sign language as a means of communication, and to document his progress. Over the course of the study unexplained occurrences begin to take place, leading the scientists to wonder whether they are truly alone in the mansion.

This book had a very interesting format. It was written in a “found footage” way with the story being told through various forms of written media including letters, video transcripts, journal entries, published articles and interview transcripts (among others). I found this to be very effective, especially when things start to get creepy as the reader already knows that this is a horror story, so you are able to pick up on weird, creepy happenings that the characters miss.

As you read diary entries & letters from the characters, I feel like I got to know them well. They were all individualised and well defined although there were some decisions that characters made which I felt were not inline with their personality.

Unfortunately, I found the ending to be quite disappointing as there was no real resolution and I felt there was a lot of tension build up throughout and then it just ended rather abruptly in a way that could really have happened sooner.

This book was VERY creepy at points (think the woman in black) and would be enjoyable for people fond of haunted house stories. I also think Smithy would be great as a “found-footage” series or movie.

Thank you to Net Galley and Inkshares for this advanced readers copy.

If you know me you know I LOVE a haunted house. There is something about uncanny spaces that just hits all the pleasure centers in my brain. I will read any haunted house book you put in front of me (so give me some haunted house books, please!)

A group of grad and university students, from different academic backgrounds, are brought to Trevor Hall to work on a project to determine a chimpanzees (Webster/Smithy) capability for complex communication through sign language. Learning as they go themselves, they are noticing quick progress. Which is good as they need to have proof of success to maintain their funding.

Smithy can identify objects, and is picking up the signs. However he is struggling with "woman" and "black/darkness" often signing these two words in place of others, or in places where it just doesn't make sense. Often this is the precursor to Smithy acting up, breaking out of his room, and leading to violent behaviour and mood swings.

While enjoying a trip into town, the students meet some locals, who want to talk about their experiences at Trevor Hall, and regale them with stories of accidental deaths, a history of unexplained fires, and disappearing objects. They all agree on one thing: Nobody lives in Trevor Hall for long.

Is Smithy to blame for the weird things happening in Trevor Hall, or is he communicating with something from beyond the grave?

I really enjoyed this one, but it really does feels horror-lite. There is definitely a haunting happening and a couple of visceral scenes, but I think this is pretty approachable for people who scare easily. I think the epistolary style works really well at building tension throughout.

3.5 Rounded up to 4.

I was approved to receive an e-Galley ARC of Smithy, authored by Amanda Desiree, from NetGalley and the publisher Inkshares for review consideration. What follows below is my honest review, freely given; I am thankful for the opportunity.

I rated this novel 3 stars. My eldest son had learned of Koko and her ability to communicate by using sign language from his school. He had me look up videos of her and watched them intently. I think that is partially the reason this title grabbed my attention, but the unique summary made me request it for review.

I just imagine the seventies as this rogue time for experimentation, recreational and scientifically; declassified information has kept this theory afloat. Rival schools trying to raise primates to use sign language, to have them communicate spontaneously and organically seems completely believable.

Having things presented in journal and video form lent a morbid note to the whole book. I was constantly wondering if any of these characters were dead later in the book, and if I was listening to basically ‘found footage’ from a horrible event.

Ultimately so much of this story frustrated me. After a while I found it irritating that the house seemed oblivious to the otherness going on; being a student of science does not make you blind to things happening right in front of you, with video evidence! I had trouble separating the female characters at times, though that may be a me only problem. The story felt like it was building towards this crest, several times, only to recede.

There was this perfectly written scene of horror, with almost no fanfare going into it. For me, it made the book worth it all, even the parts that fell flat, this whole part is simply magical and right. I thought it was a pivot for the novel. That it was going to come together, stop the hinting, teasing feeling that had taken over the book for me. No such luck.

I think that for me this gave the illusion of having a more solid ending than it really gave; not a fan of that. I also had trouble with a house full of so many people, not one would change their thinking a little earlier in the novel?

What’s scarier in horror movies than children who can’t talk, but can see the ghost? How about a chimp who sees the ghosts and can only communicate through sign language?

I’m one of those very weird people who’s favorite horror movie trope is found footage. This is the first book I’ve ever read that was able to pull off the same vibe. SUCH a treat. With tons of different character perspectives (footage from a cameraman among the group, academic reports, and news clippings), Brandee pulled this off perfectly!

I do wish it hadn’t taken 250 pages to get to the interesting part. This isn’t for readers who want something snappy and to the point (which is usually me). But honestly, by the end I’d become obsessed with all of the characters and could have kept reading. I like... miss them? 😆 (Help, I need human contact. I’ve finally lost my mind from quarantine!)

Smithy is such a good horror book. Amanda does a good job building up the story and setting up the scenery.

The only downside is that there's maybe a little too much buildup. I think there are a few (not many) parts that could have been cut out and make it where the story isn't repetitive about certain things.

Despite that I still really enjoyed the story. I love books that deal with the paranormal and mixing it with teaching a chimp how to use ASL. Smithy is an awesome book where I really liked some characters and couldn't stand others. They are a few characters that I couldn't stand mostly because they seemed really selfish and didn't care about what happened to others around them. I do mean this as a good thing though. I haven't read many horror books that do well with character development. So, typically I don't have any personal attachment to the characters at all.

I am a little sad with how things ended. I get it but I feel bad for Smithy and those around him who were trying to help.

I can wait to read more by Amanda!