How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather

Summary:

Samantha Mather (yes, as in Cotton Mather-one of the men responsible for the Salem Witch Trials) moves with her stepmother Veronica to Salem, Massachusetts from New York City after her father is hospitalized and comatose in New York City. The popular girls in her new school are descendants of the accused woman from the Salem Witch Trials and refer to themselves simply as The Descendants. Obviously, being a descendant of Cotton Mather, Sam is not too popular with is group. In fact, she quickly becomes a pariah to the entire town who sees her as something of a human plague who has brought bad fortune to the town. It is assumed, and Sam questions this herself, that Sam is cursed due to her ancestry. In this novel, and in this fictionalized version of Salem, many of the townspeople people that the accused where actual witches, although not evil. Sam also encounters a ghost haunting her house who lived during the trials. Sam attempts to break the cycle of bad luck that seems to surround her and everyone she encounters, but will she succeed?



Review:
Witches are pretty much my favorite subject to read about, ever, so to say that I was very excited to read this recently released debut novel is no understatement. The fact that the author is actually a descendant of Cotton Mather, as her protagonist is portrayed to be, was quite interesting as well. Unfortunately, this novel turned out to be my most disappointing read of the year so far (and I don’t think any other book will top it). I don’t even know where to start with this one. I thought that the summary sounded intriguing, but the execution was basically a mess. I think the story would have been much stronger if it was told as a straight contemporary, especially without the inclusion of the ghost. The plot seemed to get really silly really quickly. Also, there was a ridiculous romance between Sam and the ghost (I think his name was Elijah). First of all, the ghost is no longer human. Second of all, this guy would be over 300 years old if he was alive. Thirdly, it’s just the most illogical and irrational romance ever, even for a teenager-not to mention totally unnecessary. There was also way too much time spent on the awkward and ill placed romance. I didn’t like the main character either she was described as being tough and sarcastic but came off as much more of a Bella Swan type character (see romance with old, dead guy). The plot was very cheesy and messy. I really didn’t care about any of the characters, and I thought the villain was ridiculous and predictable. Goodreads is showing that this book is the first in a series. If they publish a sequel, I will be both shocked and horrified. I think this is a case in which the book was considered more because of the novelty of the author being an actual descendant of Cotton Mather than because it was actually a good book. Sorry, but I honestly can’t imagine any thinking this is a good book. Some teenagers may be entertained by it, but I would certainly never teach it as I feel that it has no literary merit whatsoever.