The Titanic meets the delicious horror of Ransom Riggs and the sass of Mean Girls in this follow-up to the #1 New York Times bestseller How to Hang a Witch, in which a contemporary teen finds herself a passenger on the famous “ship of dreams”—a story made all the more fascinating because the author’s own relatives survived the doomed voyage. Samantha Mather knew her family’s connection to the … Samantha Mather knew her family’s connection to the infamous Salem Witch Trials might pose obstacles to an active social life. But having survived one curse, she never thought she’d find herself at the center of a new one.
This time, Sam is having recurring dreams about the Titanic . . . where she’s been walking the deck with first-class passengers, like her aunt and uncle. Meanwhile, in Sam’s waking life, strange missives from the Titanic have been finding their way to her, along with haunting visions of people who went down with the ship.
Ultimately, Sam and the Descendants, along with some help from heartthrob Elijah, must unravel who is behind the spell that is drawing her ever further into the dream ship . . . and closer to sharing the same grim fate as its ghostly passengers.
Praise for How to Hang a Witch:
“It’s like Mean Girls meets history class in the best possible way.” —Seventeen Magazine
“Mather shines a light on the lessons the Salem Witch Trials can teach us about modern-day bullying—and what we can do about it.” —Bustle.com
“Strikes a careful balance of creepy, fun, and thoughtful.” —NPR
“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. The characters are vivid and real. I. Could. Not. Put. It. Down.” —Jennifer Niven, bestselling author of All the Bright Places
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LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! The author really outdid herself here by bringing the history of the Titanic into Salem. I am rooting for a third book, and Sam and Elijah to be together. PLEASE bring a third book!
I absolutely loved How To Hang A Witch, and couldn’t wait to read Sam’s story continue to unfold in the follow-up, Haunting The Deep. Just like the first book in the series, I devoured this one in less than 24 hours. Adriana Mather has a wonderful way of mixing history with engaging storytelling that not only entertains but also serves a lesson—the first regarding bullying and the second with privilege.
In Haunting The Deep, Sam is not only struggling with her ability to see ghosts and do magic, but with how to deal with and process the events of book one. Her whole world was turned upside down, and all she wants to do is forget it ever happened by pretending everything is normal. But her life isn’t mundane anymore and the supernatural world is not done with her yet. Her normal is a different kind of normal now and as she’s pulled into another curse/mystery, she either has to accept it and find a way to break it/solve it, or suffer the consequences that come with ignoring it.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and hope there will be a third in Sam’s story.
Haunting the Deep (Knopf, 2017) is the sequel to How to Hang a Witch by #1 NYT bestselling YA author, Adriana Mather. In Mather’s second YA paranormal thriller, we pick up six months after the ending of How to Hang a Witch. It’s spring time, and Samantha Mather has been avoiding magic and the Descendants of the Salem witches, ever since they were all almost hanged to death.
>“…they’re descended from the accused Salem witches and I’m descended from the stodgy Puritan minister, Cotton Mather, who hanged them.” – p. 6
But the Descendants need Sam as part of their circle now, especially since Alice and Susannah have been receiving psychic warnings about something bad about to happen in Salem – again. This time, it accompanies Salem High’s upcoming Spring Fling dance, which is Titanic-themed. At the same time, and perhaps not coincidentally, Sam begins receiving mysterious packages by a long-dead relative who survived the sinking of the Titanic. When she touches the enchanted objects, she is transported to a strange alternate replica of the ship on the days before it sank, where the doomed passengers are all enjoying themselves, and Sam herself begins to forget who she really is. Only when Alice points out that these enchantments not only endanger Sam but other people does Sam finally agree to join their circle and embrace her magical gifts to help save the day once more.
The best part about this book, in my opinion, is that we got way more of the teen witches: Alice, Mary, and Susannah. I felt they were a bit underutilized in the previous book, so I was delighted this book centered more on them and their coven sisterhood with Sam. We also finally get to meet Sam’s father, and Jaxon’s character takes a backseat to some strange magic while we have the return of the seventeenth-century spirit whom Sam’s in love with, Elijah. But the second-best part about the book are the enchanted objects and the creepy revisits to the Titanic, where Sam plays the role of an Edwardian young lady courting a young man. IMO, Mather should really try her hand at writing full historical fiction (with paranormal elements, of course), as the historical scenes were thoroughly engaging and – dare I say? – even better written than the contemporary ones.
I adore how Mather gave a voice to the immigrants and third-class passengers who didn’t survive the ship’s tragic fate. Also, I love the way she wrote their Irish accents; I could hear them so clearly in my head. The idea of putting on a dress and being transported into another iconic time and place is such a fascinating concept to me; I could read a whole series about that alone. Given everything I loved about it, there were a few things I would’ve wanted a deeper explanation for. Namely, it wasn’t entirely clear why the perpetrator (not spoiling who!) wanted Sam to stay on the Titanic with them. I get why they needed her to summon someone else (again, no spoilers), but why try to keep Sam there, deluded, on the ship forever too? That part didn’t seem to be explained. But maybe it was and I was just reading too fast because I was too excited to see what would happen next.
Above all, the world-building in this series so far has made me a fan. The many ways spells can work in this world, such as through potions, writing, ritual, or enchanted artifacts, keeps the stories creative and fresh. I really hope Adriana Mather is working on a third book in this series, as I can’t wait to see where she’ll transport us next. I’ll be the first in line to go with her!
The magical adventure continues for Samantha Mather, whose family is connected to the sinking of the Titanic. But this adventure may be more than she is prepared to handle. I am excited to see where this series continues from here. I feel this tale isn’t is over as so much is left open. I also looked up the author’s backstory, which tells me that there is definitely a possibility for a third book.
Lovedddd it so much
This has been an amazing series and I’m hoping there will be a third installment.
I’ve always been fascinated by the story of the Titanic, and I really enjoyed Ms. Mather’s spin on it. The mix of paranormal elements and historical events was intriguing. Ghosts, a spell, and a mystery to be solved… once I started reading, I couldn’t stop!
Haunting the Deep by Adriana Mather is another very informative piece of writing on how something terrible happened to a bunch of people.
Can Sam and the Descendants be able to figure out what happened on the Titanic?
Sam Mather and the Descendants
Sam Mather is back again, but this time in the spring. Sadly, the budding friendships I saw in the first book didn’t continue right away in this installment, but that changed throughout the book. Sam is a great character, and I hate how she is forced to have to do something when she doesn’t want to. She comes even more out of her shell here and can do things that she thinks are great. What I like about Sam is that she is trying to be a normal kid with that not being possible when she sees ghosts. Another thing that I like about her is that she is coming out of her shell and speaking more of her mind. Especially with her dad.
The Descendants are back, and they are still great from the first book. Alice is still the boss of the group, Susannah is the second, and with Molly being the last. These three try to talk to Sam after the events, but it doesn’t work out that way. That is until they need Sam’s help with something. The Descendants are a great group of girls that just need to feel like they belong somewhere.
Elijah
I know I didn’t talk about him in my last review much. Elijah is another character back from the last one. His presence and helpfulness aren’t as significant as it was in the previous book. It is great to see him so frustrated sometimes.
The Villian
The villain is someone that I didn’t expect at all. I am awe of the way that Ms. Mather was able not to let slip on who it was until the climax. I fell for all the red herrings but couldn’t link them to the ship.
Five Stars
How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather is another excellent book. Ms. Mather did a great job of bringing her family’s history to life for all of us to read. I am intrigued about how she did this book, and I love the whole connection to the Titanic that was themed throughout the book. Sam and the Descendents do get closer, and I love it. I am giving this book five stars and recommending it to anyone that loves a paranormal mystery.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Haunting the Deep by Adriana Mather.
Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.
Titanic, another one of my childhood obsessions (both the history & the movie). Sadly Jack Dawson was no where to be found, but that did not diminish the fun. A modern blend of teen angst and magic, made this a fun read.
A journey into the Titanic’s past, where ghosts are trapped and forced to relive its sinking over and over for all eternity. And it looks like Samantha will get to join them… or will she find a way to save the ghosts, her friends, her family, and herself? Definitely another great suspecful story filled with magic. I truly hope this series continues.
Read October 3, 2017
Loved this book! I’m glad I read it..the first one was great also!
Amazing! Couldn’t put it down!