How to Hang a Witch
Author: Adriana Mather
Samantha Mather lived in New York with her dad and step-mother Vivian until her father suddenly fell into a coma. With medical bills mounting, Vivian sells their NYC apartment and moves them to Salem, Massachusetts. Samantha's grandmother owned a house there before she died, and they can live there while Samantha's father is hospitalized. Immediately, things do not go as planned. As a relative of Cotton Mather, a proponent of the Salem witch trials, local descendants of those killed in the trials take a disliking to her. Strange things begin happening....accidents, injuries, deaths. Samantha has felt cursed all of her life. Maybe it's more than a feeling. Maybe she is actually cursed. With the help of a friendly spirit that only she can see, Samantha works to unravel the mystery causing harm to descendants on both sides of the infamous witch trials.
This book is an enjoyable read. The mystery is engaging and the plot moves along at a nice speed. The suspense kept me reading until the very last page. While definitely a YA book dealing with teen social issues alongside the witch trial, history of Salem, etc., the plot is not juvenile. As an adult, I still enjoyed the story. There is no sex, graphic violence or anything that would make this book inappropriate for middle grade aged students through adults. It does have a witchcraft theme...if that isn't your bag, then I'd pass this one by.
How to Hang a Witch is the first book in Adriana Mather's series about Samantha Mather. Luckily I have the second book, Haunting the Deep, on my TBR shelf waiting for me! Interestingly enough, Adriana Mather is actually a descendant of Cotton Mather just like the main character in her series.
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