Salem Witch Haunt

by Theresa Sneed

5 stars Salem Witch Haunt totally nails time travel, December 13, 2015 By sknight It's very hard to write time travel and I keep a watchful eye on it when I know about it, but Theresa Sneed has accomplished time travel so well, I find myself in awe of how she did it. Twists and turns at every point in this tome. I love how she wove in the true history, which includes her own many greats-grandmother, Susannah Martin, who was one of the "witches" hung for no more reason than the rants of young women. I loved how I was transported back in time to 1692 to the Boston area. She described it perfectly and now I want to go there. I love how the main character, Bess Martin (also a fictional descendant of Susannah Martin in the book), is transported back in time. It's not what I thought would happen as the first thing she does is get captured and taken to an Indian Village. This part was great and unexpected, and plays a part in the plot throughout the book. I think it might also be the impetus of a sequel. I hope that's true because I really did enjoy this book and couldn't put it down. I spent many nights reading into all hours of the early morning, then struggling to get up to go to work. But that's not a complaint; just the hazards of a reader with a good book. 5 stars RIVETING! By Saguaro Blossomon October 1, 2015 This book held me spell-bound from the beginning and then kept getting better and better. At the end, I found myself wishing there were more pages to read. Sneed is an excellent writer with a wonderful, engrossing story to tell. It has a clever, satisfying twist at the end. That she is a descendant of the people she writes about enriches the story. You can feel her love of the topic and personal involvement in these lives even though the story is fictional. Excellent read! Author Theresa Sneed delivers another compelling story in her new novel SALEM WITCH HAUNT. When Bess Martin’s life suddenly spirals back to 1692, she discovers that she is about to watch the events of the Salem Witch trials unfold—including the hanging of her ancestor, Susannah Martin. Bess is torn between trying to set things right in a volatile and dangerous time period, while struggling with her attraction to Hezekiah, the ancestor of her best friend, Trent. SALEM WITCH HAUNT is full of adventure, suspense, and romance, all set in a fascinating historical era. Highly recommended! – Heather B. Moore USA Today Bestselling Author ***** When she finds herself thrust back in time, 17 year old Bess Martin, a senior at Danvers High, sets out on a mission to save her 11th great-grandmother from the gallows-tree. With a near-perfect knowledge of the historical events about to unfold, Bess knows the untimely fate of many. The problem is that Bess has inherited her grandmother’s sharp tongue—a tongue that caused her grandmother to be tried and hanged as a witch in Salem Village, 1692. Can Bess stop the hangings and change the course of history, or will she share her grandmother’s fate? From the 9th great-granddaughter of Susannah North Martin, accused and hanged as a witch, comes SALEM WITCH HAUNT, a realistic time-travel steeped in suspense and intrigue with a touch of sweet romance.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Time Travel, Young Adult, Fiction, Halloween, Paranormal

346 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 22, 2015

About the author

Author Theresa Sneed graduated cum laude with a BA in education, and though she loves teaching, she is currently taking a break from it to pursue a writing career.

Her books are unique, each story taking you places you have never imagined before. She writes across four genres—mystery and suspense, fantasy, historical fiction/time travel, and realistic paranormal. All of Theresa’s books have elements of sweet romance, and while none of her books have profanity or sexually explicit scenes, each book is intriguing and white-knuckle intense—the kind you can’t put down.

The No Angel series is the story of a guardian angel with an attitude and the ever present, but misunderstood spirit world. Earth Angel is the fourth books in the series. There will be a minimum of four more to come.

The Sons of Elderberry series has one book out called Elias of Elderberry. Harry-Potterish, with the addition of fairies and elves, this book has been her best-selling, especially in Europe. Theresa anticipates another three to five books to finish that series.

Escape is the story of a 15 year old girl abducted by a corrupt sheriff in the 70’s. He keeps her captive in his cellar for five years until she escapes with his truck and his young daughter. Escape is book one in a three book series.

Salem Witch Haunt was intended to be a stand-alone book, until the shocking ending made it apparent that her characters were not finished telling their story.

All of Theresa Sneed’s books may be purchased through Amazon or links on her website at www.theresasneed.com. She loves hearing from her readers and may be contacted through her website or through her email at tmsneed.author@yahoo.com.

Reviews

[♏ Gina☽ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story drew me in from the first page and didn't let me go until the last - and even then, it didn't really let me go as I'm still thinking about it and looking forward to reading the sequel.

Bess Martin is in the woods with her little brother in 2015 when strange things begin to happen. She can't find her brother, it's turned misty and foggy, and something just doesn't feel right. Little does she realize how "not right" things are. She suddenly finds herself in 1692 - not only that, she finds herself in 1692 Boston, where the witch hunts are beginning.

As someone who knows her history, not to mention being a direct descendant of one of the innocent women accused of witchcraft and hung, Bess has more than a small problem on her hands. If she interferes, she changes history with long-ranging effects on the current time that cannot be known. If she tries to defend the innocent women, she will also be accused of witchcraft and persecuted. If she does nothing, innocent people die. And then there's love - both in 2015 and now in 1692.

The author does a great job of describing life in 1692, from the way people dressed, to the superstitions that ran rampant, to the illnesses that quickly became life threatening, and Boston before it became the metropolis we know today.

I included this book on my "history" shelf because the author herself is a descendant of one of the women hung for witchcraft, and during the trial, she uses actual transcripts from the trials of the "witches" that were kept by a judge.

Some reviewers found the book slow to start, and some said it was geared more towards young adults. Neither was true for me. Without the details given in the beginning, some things during the story may not have made as much sense. I think anyone who loves a good witchy story filled with historically accurate details will enjoy this book. I sure did!

[BookLoversLife · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I won a copy of this from the Goodreads giveaway, this in no way affects my thoughts.*

This was all kinds of awesomeness!! I loved everything about it, from it's wonderfully written and engaging characters to it's well researched and developed setting. It grabbed me from the start and didn't let go. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Full review to come.

[Annette Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 for me! I had some issues with the beginning of the book and the main character “playing dumb” and not realizing what time she was really in. But other than that loved the book! It was so much fun to read and really enjoyed the descriptive language used.

[Emily || Bookstagram🎀 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book drew me in. Took me only a few days to read it. The way she time traveled and witnessed real historical events and even her grandmother she tried to save. She found a new understanding of not just the people in that time but the native Americans when she spent some time with them. I learned so much from reading this and I recommend it to everyone who asks me.

[Sam Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

SPOILER WARNING: (not too big of a spoiler though) I thought this was such a great book. It had wonderful historical accuracy and has a wonderful love interest that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end of the book. The author takes you on an adventure as Bess, the main character questions her friends, faith, and beliefs. It had great detail and shows Bess adjusting to the people around her as she travels back in time. She makes decisions that keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering what she will do up until the very end. However, the only reason I gave this four stars instead of five is that this book does not focus on the Salem witches, as she doesn't spend very much time actually IN Salem village, as much as she does away from the city with her love interest, or with the Indians that kidnapped her. However, this book is very historically accurate and while even I came to read about witches and what is was like for villagers in Salem village, I was very pleased with this book and it quickly became one of my new favorites. I would recommend this to anyone looking for romance, drama (-ish), and historical fiction. Or anyone looking to write a story about the Salem Witch Trials and want some insight or examples of novels about it, or just want to know about anyone in it. Because this author does not leave out much.

[Terri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bess is the descent of a woman hanged during the Salem Witch Trials. She is transported through a rift in time to the actual time of the Witch Trials and can't keep her mouth shut - only to find herself accused.

The basic story was interesting and I did like the twist at the end. That said, I did this as a buddy read and both myself and my friend found ourselves wanting to smack some sense into Bess. By biggest issue is how she denied she was in the past for a LONG time despite all that was happening and didn't really seem worried at all about her family and their panic at her disappearance.

Though I love time travel books and books about Salem, this one just had a protagonist I disliked.

[Leslie Deese Garvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this series! Not since the Da Vinci code have I been so drawn into a book that I read it almost nonstop. I read the whole series in 4 days.

The characters were well developed and it was easy to get invested into their lives. The story really made me want to learn more about the Salem Witch Trials. Even more interesting that the author was a descended of one of the women wrongly accused of witchcraft. Really like how she showed the human side of this dark time and gave a view into how the families felt. Would love to hear more about how she felt doing the research and writing this book.

[Bob · Rating 2 out of 5]

They really should warn you when you're picking up a young adult novel. Granted, some of them aren't half bad. Unfortunately, this isn't one of those. Not only was this a young adult novel, it was a young adult romance novel, adding to my disdain of it. And not only was this a young adult romance novel, it read like it was written by a teenager. It had some interesting premises, but it really missed the mark in executing them. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone over 16.

[Melba Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a most interesting book. I literally could not put it down until I finished it. The story is so cool and has such a crazy twist that I did not want to stop reading. The characters were well written and there was no profanity or explicit sexual activity at all. Most refreshing and still kept the story intriguing. There must be more to come.

[C.L. Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book ok. I was excited to read it because of the history behind the Salem Witch trials but sadly there wasn't as much as I thought there would be. I also thought the main character was oblivious about what was happening for far too long. The part when she was taken by the Indian tribe could have been a completely different story and I didn't understand it's importance at all.

[Jenn H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has enough truth weaved into it to make you believe it’s happening before your eyes and yet bough fiction to know that it’s not. Throw in a dash of romance and some unlikely friendship along with time travel and witch trials and you have a book that will keep you reading long into the night - hope you don’t work tomorrow!

[Wayfaring_Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the oddest books I've ever read. You absolutely cannot predict a single thing or twist in this story. Every chapter and plot twist is a complete surprise. It's very much a stereotypical indie book. So go into it expecting old school indie book writing. But it really is very unexpected in every way. No swearing and no spicy scenes were also much appreciated.

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to rate this at 2.5 stars but rounded up to 3 for the plot twist near the end.

The storyline was interesting but the writing was too YA for my taste. Continuity issues, editing errors, and superfluous characters degraded what the story could have been.

[Omjan 7059436653 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book

I read the book in a day. I found that the storyline line was filled with historical facts and a pleasant escape from reality. I will be searching for the additional books in the series.

I highly recommend this book.

[Elaine Plourde · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed this book. The author really had to have a great imagination for the idea of this book. She did a terrific job.

[Christy Earls · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omg I loved this book and cant wait to read the sequel.

[Kayla Maynor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing in every way!!!

I loved every piece of this epic love story. Just when you lose hope....bam! Draws you back in. I cannot wait to jump into the 2nd book!

[Stormi Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story. Already on to the next. So full of history and I hate to put them down.

[gracie :) · Rating 2 out of 5]

OKAY BUT THE PLOT TWIST THO :O

[Peggy Lesko · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book keeps you interested and moves along nicely. There are so many typos! The author needs to get a new proofreader!! They don’t detract from the story so go ahead and enjoy the book.

[Sheila Summerhays · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Wow! Wow!

I loved this book! Well-researched, it kept my historical-fiction interest from beginning to end. I delighted in the author's family connection. Her reminders of 2015 (I'd like to see her with a tablet) amused me.
Who should read it? Anyone interested in historic fiction.
Way to go, Theresa!

[Hillary Marek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating

A true adventure that takes twists and detours I never in a million years would have aligned with the Salem Witch Hunts but Theresa Sneed has woven the events into such a rich tapestry, one is left to question, how much of this story might be real.
Fiction? Fact? Fantasy? Who cares it was FABULOUS!

[Talia]

Great read

I absolutely loved this book. I couldn't put this book down once I started reading it. The author does such a great job telling this story and the twist at the end was great. I really hope there will be a sequel

[Andrea Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Twist!

Overall, I enjoyed this story. The first part was entertaining enough to keep me reading and I liked it, but I was really pulled into the story toward the end. It had some great twists!

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book sounds great! I hope to win, read it and enjoy the story ... If I win, the review will be updated once I finish the book :)

[Linda Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book

It was a great book I could hardly put it down. Fast paced and surprised filled. The information about the witch trials was very good.

[Amanda]

I decided to DNF this book 99 pages in. It wasn't the worst thing I've ever read by any means, I just wasn't really interested in the story enough to make it through the rest of the book. I found the main character extremely frustrating and annoying, and the events were so all over the place that I couldn't hold my focus. I purchased the book because it takes place in my hometown, but the constant namedropping of Danvers and Danvers High was just annoying...it felt forced.

RANT START (SPOILER WARNING)

I don't understand how it took 99 pages for Bess to realize she had time traveled. You find yourself in Salem Village, surrounded by people in old time clothing, with no technology and no running water, people talking about witchcraft, an Indian tribe kidnaps you and whips you for talking out of turn...and you STILL think that somehow you just stumbled upon this secret, barbaric community in 2015. SERIOUSLY?! Also, she completely forgets about Seth and Trent for the weeks that she is with the tribe...I just have no patience for this girl.

Side note: I think my teenage self would have actually really enjoyed this.