How to Hang a Witch Blog Tour: Review

How to Hang a Witch
Author: Adriana Mather
Genre: YA Fantasy/Paranormal
Release Date: July 26, 2016
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Description:

It's the Salem Witch Hunt meets Mean Girls in this deliciously suspenseful novel by an author who is a descendant of one the real trial's most infamous accusers.

Samantha Mather has just moved to Salem, Massachusetts from New York City in the wake of her father's mysterious illness. But Mathers have lived in Salem for centuries and Sam is the ancestor of Cotton Mather—one of the architects of the Salem Witch Trials. Her name precedes her, and comes with too many stigmas. Before long, Sam finds herself at odds with The Descendants, a powerful group of girls who also have ties to the trials; only their ancestors were on the other end of the noose.
Before long, Sam realizes she is at the center of a centuries old curse that is tying her fate, as well as her father's, to her new enemies. Can she overcome her family's past and break the cycle of unexplained deaths or will she discover just how easy it can be to hang a witch?

"I am utterly addicted to Adriana Mather's electric debut. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, twisting and turning with ghosts, witches, an ancient curse, and—sigh— romance. It's beautiful. Haunting." —Jennifer Niven, New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places  

How to Hang a Witch is a wonderful young adult fantasy that brings Salem's infamous Witch Trials into the twenty-first century. I've always been incredibly fascinated by the Salem Witch Trials - there's so much interesting history and so many stories surrounding them. On top of my intrigue with that subject, I also have a huge soft spot for anything revolving around witches and magic - so this book went immediately to the top of my wishlist. Modern day Salem with ghosts and a real life curse? Yes, please! I have to admit that I had high hopes for this novel and I'm so happy to report that I wasn't disappointed in the least. The author does a superb job weaving together history, superstition, modern teenage problems, and magic to create one awesome novel that had me hooked from the very beginning. I loved pretty much everything about the book and have no real complaints (except that I wished it could've been longer and possibly a bit creepier, but that's just my personal opinion). The characters were all well rounded with unique traits and personalities - especially our main character, Samantha "Sam" Mather. I really connected with her early on in the story and I loved getting to know her and discover all the strange things about Salem and it's history alongside her. She's smart, a good student, a loving daughter, and down to earth - but she's also lonely and has no real friends due to bad luck (or a curse, as suggested by others) and her straightforward and sarcastic attitude. She was an interesting mix of snarky and sweet - bold but shy at the same time. The book is told from Sam's point of view, which really allows the reader to connect with her on a deeply personal level. By the end of the book, it felt like I had been right beside Sam during the entire story. If you've read my reviews before, you know I'm a huge advocate of the first person point of view - which is no exception with this book.

Every other aspect of the novel was well done - the setting was perfect (obviously), the plot was enticing and full of great supernatural twists, and the writing itself was fluid and had a quick pace. I was sucked into Sam's world from the very first page and I didn't stop reading until I had finished the entire book - which only took a few hours. All of the elements in the novel worked very well together and they came together to create a really fascinating and fun book that fans of the genre will be sure to love. Very highly recommended for fans of paranormal, fantasy, historical fiction, and contemporaries!

Adriana Mather is the 12th generation of Mathers in America, and as such her family has their fingers in many of its historical pies – the Mayflower, the Salem Witch Trials, the Titanic, the Revolutionary War, and the wearing of curly white wigs. Also, Adriana co-owns a production company, Zombot Pictures, in LA that has made three feature films in three years. Her first acting scene in a film ever was with Danny Glover, and she was terrified she would mess it up. In addition, her favorite food is pizza and she has too many cats.

http://www.zombotpictures.com/ 
http://www.twitter.com/AdrianaMather