January 2018 Book of the Month | In a nutshell: bewitching tale of love, suspense and witchery
Adriana Mather’s story of a young girl overcoming a centuries old supernatural feud is a heady combination of intrigue, romance and ghostly goings-on. The central character is descended from Cotton Mather (as is the author), notorious for his part in the Salem Witch Trials, and when she returns to the town, Sam’s presence reawakens an old curse; soon people are dying. New York-raised Sam won’t stand for any kind of bullying – human or paranormal – and is determined to find out exactly what’s going on. In this she’s helped by hunky, if long-dead Elijah. Bold, resolute and with the sarky outlook and deadpan delivery of a latter-day Buffy, Sam is a great character, and this hugely entertaining while Mather also cleverly parallels the 17th century witch trials with the kind of bullying young people face today, making this rewarding reading in lots of different ways. ~ Andrea Reece
The trials of high school start to feel like a modern-day witch hunt for a teen with all the wrong connections to Salem's past in this thrilling, creepy and romantic New York Times bestseller."e;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."e; Jennifer NivenAfter Sam's father is hospitalised, she has to move from New York to Salem with her stepmother, Vivian. Unfortunately, Sam is related to Cotton Mather, one of the men responsible for the Salem Witch Trials, and to say she feels unwelcome in Salem is an understatement... She is particularly unnerved by The Descendants, a mysterious and tight-knit group of girls related to those persecuted in the Trials. At the same time, she must deal with Elijah, the handsome but angry ghost who has appeared in her house, and her new neighbour Jaxon only complicates things further. When a centuries-old curse is rekindled, Sam finds herself at the centre of it. Can she stop history repeating itself?
