Haunting the Deep is a Standalone book from the author of How to Hang a Witch. While the story line is different in this book I think that in essentials you will have wanted to read How to Hang a Witch first to understand the bad story, especially the relationship between Sam, Jaxson, and Elijah, something that I will talk more about in a bit.

In Haunting the Deep we return to Salem Massachusetts several months after the end of How to Hang a Witch. Life has become fairly mundane for Samantha Mather, something that she revels in. However, sadly for our dear Sam things won't stay that way and they are also never what they seem.

I really enjoyed getting back into Samantha's world, I had to do a little digging in my head to remember all the little details that hop from the first book to this one, things that I won't talk about here because I don't want to give away any of the first story. What you need to know is that after a harrowing and horrific experience when Samantha first moved to Salem she's finally found a group of kids to call friends, gossip has started to slow down, and has begun to settle into her new life. As a reader though, we know that this can not stay the same and it isn't long before Samantha's world is once more turned upside down. The one person she thought she could count on always being there begins to act oddly and pull away, the group of girls (the Descendants) who she is reluctant to call friends but finds herself needing become more than she could have ever imagined. Keeping her secrets from her father become harder and harder and the boy she may have loved is gone....or is he?

I love how Adriana weaves history into her stories, I love even more than this history is personal to her, it lends to the authenticity of her characters feelings and their motivations. I loved in this book, and am trying to thing of a way I can apply it to my daughter's schooling, how the entire school rallies around this one theme (the Titanic) and not only is it the theme for the 'Spring Fling' but in conjunction the history and literature teachers are having their students study the history of the Titanic. I love the underlying story of repression and how societies classes were viewed in the early 1900's. I found that you can see a lot of links between what we see happening on the Titanic and with our society today. This is not an overtly political book, don't think I am saying that at all, but I think if you are paying enough attention you can see something in here that you'll say still stands today and should be considered. Why is the 'villain' a villain in this book, it isn't as simple as being a 'bad person', there is an entire history here that brings about what happens in this book and I found it to be an interesting look both into the past as well as at our current world.

Now, the one part that makes me go with a 4 instead of a 5 on the star rating for this book and I am certain this is strictly a me problem. The relationship and dynamics between Sam, Jaxson, and Elijah. I am struggling with this because I feel like though there was some magic involved we are watching the true feelings of one character get either shoved under a rug or completely trampled on, and it is painful to watch. ( )

Samantha Mather is still trying to recover from events that happened in Salem six months before. She started seeing ghosts, was almost hanged and was betrayed by someone she had once trusted. Her family ties to the Salem Witch Trials caused magic and spirits to become a part of her life. She's hoping that all goes away. But, when she starts seeing victims of the Titanic disaster....ghostly figures dripping sea water....she knows it's not going away.

Haunting the Deep is the second book in the How to Hang a Witch series. Samantha finds that her life is tied to the sinking of the Titanic. But the strange events aren't just effecting her....some of her friends and her father are also getting pulled into the situation this time. Strange dreams, packages showing up on her porch, weird feelings and strange artifacts....what's going on? And how can they stop it?

I enjoyed this book. It's a great follow up to How to Hang a Witch. Samantha has found a home in Salem....but her life isn't easy. The supernatural and magic just seem to crowd in on her. Makes for a great suspenseful story. This book is definitely YA, but not juvenile. As an adult, I still enjoyed reading the story. Samantha is an intelligent main character. Her friends, father and the other supporting characters aren't well developed, but do help move the plot along. They all have their quirks and personalities. All in all, it's a well written book. The fact that the author is actually descended from Cotton Mather and survivors of the Titanic sinking add another facet of interest to this book.

The front cover-art is great!! It really draws attention to the book.

I can't wait to see what the next book will have in store! I will definitely be reading more of this series!

( )

Really enjoy Mathers stories. Looking forward to reading more. ( )

Tags: Fiction, Titanic fans, Magic, Fantasy, Time travel, spells, romance

Literary Merit: Good, an easy, quick read

Characterization: Very Good

Recommendations: Yes for readers who like time travel, magic, Titanic, fantasy, bits of history intertwined in fiction

Reading Level: YA, Middle Grades 6-9

Haunting the Deep is a sequel to the book How to Hang a Witch. Even though this is a sequel, I do not think you must read book #1 in order to read book #2. The author did a nice job of giving an overview of the plot from book #1. The book was a fun, easy, and enjoyable read. I think this book is best suited for younger readers grades 6- to possibly some readers in 9th.

Sam thinks she is over with all the ghosts and magical events after How to Hang a Witch. She quickly realizes that is not the case. From strange dreams, paintings and old family letters that bring spirits to life for her, she is taken back to the Titanic, through her dreams, to find answers from her family’s past. The present and past become intertwined as Sam jumps from one reality to another. There are some mysteries to solve and a romantic situation that keep you wanting more in this page turner. Working with characters from the past, The Descendants try to prevent another disaster with the infamous ship, Titanic.

I really enjoy stories about the Titanic, so I loved the parts of the book when she was transported back in time. I enjoyed reading the parts where the author talked of Titanic events and talked about/encountered some of the passengers that were on board. At the end of the book, there is an Author’s note. In the Author’s note, you find out that the letters (from the book) are actually letters that were in the author’s family. The author has ties to the Harpers, Myra Haxtun Harper and Henry Sleeper Harper. She expresses how these stories may have never been uncovered had her grandmother never pass on these pieces of history. I really liked reading the author’s note to learn how she was inspired to write this book. ( )

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would have a deep and obsessive attachment to a YA paranormal romance series, and yet here we are. It’s a bit more than a year since I read the bananas kooky and super awesome “How To Hang A Witch”, and I was waiting with bated breath to finally get my hands on book two of the series. I knew that it was going be a series, and that I’d be able to gallivant with my beloved witch Samantha and her ghost boyfriend Elijah once again. The moment that I found out it was finally coming out, I was excited. And when I found out that the main plot point involved The Titanic, oh man….

If I were more cynical or less inclined to give this series all the passes because of my affection for it, I’d probably call out Mather for taking another part of her personal family history to fuel this book (if the next one takes place during another significant event that her family happened to be a part of I will start to really question). But as of now I’m just happy to be along for the ride. Mather has really fallen into a strong stride with her characters now, as Sam no longer feels like she’s trying to hard to be cynical and her friendship with The Descendants is on easy and natural footing. I was worried that bringing her Dad into the dynamic might make things a bit tricky, especially since he doesn’t know about his ex-wife Vivian being a witch who tried to curse him and Samantha, only foiled because of Samantha’s own dabbling in magic. But luckily, he adds a new foil for Sam to interact with, another skeptic who she is trying to hide herself from.

The Titanic theme was a little harder for me to swallow, though I did overall enjoy it enough. I think that my reticence is less because of how Mather approached it and more because I worked in an exhibit that was all about the Titanic during my museum days and I’ve been pretty burned out on the topic ever since. It also made some of the inaccuracies more glaring than they would have been otherwise. For example, there is mention of the Steerage passengers being locked behind gates so that First and Second Class had access to the lifeboats first. Yeah, that didn’t happen, so it was a little disheartening that that ‘fact’ was kept in, especially since I was under the impression that Mather did the research before writing. Plus, yeah, I have the skeleton in my closet that I did indeed see “Titanic” in the movie theater four times, and so my lingering embarrassment paints my judgment. It wasn’t even because of Leo and I don’t really want to talk about it…

But hey, let’s be real. I’m not here for the Titanic plot line. I’m mostly here for Elijah, the handsome and mysterious ghost who had to leave his lady love Sam behind when he crossed over at the end of “How To Hang A Witch”. Or did he? Spoiler alert, he did not.

I really like Elijah and Sam as a couple, mostly because while Elijah does have his old world ideas of chivalry and protecting her, Sam shuts that shit down and he respects her and her decisions. He isn’t in this one as much as he was in the first book, but when he is there it’s really great and romantic. Plus, that kind of lets Sam show off that she is more than her love life, and given that some of the more popular paranormal romances stumble in this regard, it’s refreshing to see her have her own agency and personality. True, there’s a bit of a kerfuffle regarding Jaxon, the boy next door who is also keen on Sam (damn love triangles), but the good news is that Sam doesn’t really waffle or question where her heart is. She knows exactly who she wants, and so this love triangle is basically defunct, which is the best kind of love triangle. True, it adds for needless tension that I just kind of skipped over, but it made it easier to hate Jaxon, which I was down for.

OH, and the female friendships are in full swing in this book! In “How To Hang A Witch” there was an enemy situation between Sam and the Descendants, but now that the conflict has been resolved Sam, Alice, Susanna, and Mary are BFFs for life and it’s good seeing positive female friendships in a YA novel. We also are getting to know each of them a bit more, and I can only hope that this continues because I need to know more about all of them. Especially Alice, that sassy and snarky Queen Bee!

Overall, “Haunting The Deep” continues a series that I’m still totally invested in. I hope I don’t have to wait long for the next one, as I’m not sure I can go for another year without another Elijah fix. ( )