Summary (from Amazon):
Salem, Massachusetts is the site of the infamous witch trials and the new home of Samantha Mather. Recently transplanted from New York City, Sam and her stepmother are not exactly welcomed with open arms. Sam is the descendant of Cotton Mather, one of the men responsible for those trials and almost immediately, she becomes the enemy of a group of girls who call themselves The Descendants. And guess who their ancestors were?
If dealing with that weren't enough, Sam also comes face to face with a real live (well technically dead) ghost. A handsome, angry ghost who wants Sam to stop touching his stuff. But soon Sam discovers she is at the center of a centuries old curse affecting anyone with ties to the trials. Sam must come to terms with the ghost and find a way to work with the Descendants to stop a deadly cycle that has been going on since the first accused witch was hanged. If any town should have learned its lesson, it's Salem. But history may be about to repeat itself.
Book Stats (from Amazon):
This is an incredibly unique book in my opinion. Not only does it focus on a subject I've never seen explored in fiction before (I'm sure there are other books on the Salem Witch Trials; I've just never personally seen any), it's written by an actual descendant of a real-life historical figure. I've always found the Salem Witch Trials fascinating, and so when I found this book at my local store I was bound to get it.
I will admit, this book may not be for everyone. It does fall prey to the love-triangle cliché, but I didn't find this distracted from the main plot. One of the things I've found other people say about this book is that they find the main character, Sam, irritating, but I found her no more annoying than any other YA protagonist I've read, regardless of gender. In all honesty, almost any YA book you read reviews of, someone will say they find the protagonist 'whiny' or some other variation of that. If you ask me, Sam wasn't much whinier than one would expect given the situation she was in - without spoilers, dealing with a ghost, a curse, an extremely ill father, guaranteed enemies and uncertain friends.
This book balanced spooky, dramatic, original, and fun perfectly. The characters were quirky and fun, the plot was riveting, and the historical context only served to make it even better. I have to say, I still can't think about this book or anything to do with the Salem Witch Trials without remembering the time I accidentally brought my t-shirt from Salem to wear for gym class at a very conservative school and had to wear it inside out to avoid the awkward explanation (probably an overreaction, but that's beside the point). I believe the shirt was from the prison in Salem; I remember it was dark red, and had a witch on it with the caption 'I did my time'.
I'm not sure there's much more I can say about this book without spoiling it. I will say there are some extremely unexpected plot twists, and overall the entire book is a roller-coaster ride that's almost impossible to put down. I'd recommend it for anyone 13-14 and above, as there is some dark material within it, but as always it's up to you what you think you can handle.
5/5 stars!
