Haunting the Deep by Adriana Mather - ADVISABLE

Mather, Adriana Haunting the Deep (How to Hang a Witch #2), 334 pages.  Knopf (Random), 2017.  $18.  Language: PG-13 (40 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: G (danger)

Months after surviving the deadly hands of her evil stepmother, Samantha Mather is still trying to pretend that the whole incident didn’t happen, especially since she hasn’t seen Elijah, the handsome ghost, since that dreadful day.  The Descendants at her high school are trying to get her to join their circle, but she’s not interested until her dreams start to be haunted.  Each night she is drawn on board the Titanic, and seems to be an actual passenger, with no memory of her modern life.  Who is trying to draw Sam into that fated voyage and what does it have to do with her ability to see and interact with ghosts?

I wish I had read the Author’s Note before reading the story.  I thought I kind of a=odd that Mather would shoehorn her family’s history into the Titanic’s history.  Knowing that they really are connected in the ways mentioned made so much more sense.  It does make me wonder what other important events Mathers have been involved with throughout history.  Again, however, Sam is left in complete ignorance of who she is fighting against and why until the very end of the story.  My favorite characters usually know at least a little earlier so that they go into battle at the end with their eyes wide open, instead of being a dupe – but that may just be personal. 

MS, HS – ADVISABLE.  Cindy, Library Teacher