Adriana Mather
Adriana Mather has published 7 books across 3 series. The recommended reading order starts with How to Hang a Witch (2016).
Adriana Mather is the author of the How to Hang a Witch and Killing November series of books. Her family roots connect to Sleepy Hollow, the Salem Witch Trials, and the Titanic, themes that resonate in her writing. Mather is also an actor and producer, known for her role in the award-winning film Honeyglue. She is a co-owner of Zombot Pictures, a production company focused on feature films. Her debut novel, How to Hang a Witch, introduced readers to a world where family history and supernatural intrigue intertwine, establishing her distinctive voice in young adult fiction. The Killing November series further explores these elements, drawing on her unique background to craft compelling narratives. Mather's work often features strong connections to the past and the enduring impact of history on the present.
Shelf & Shadows
Order of How to Hang a Witch Books
- Tagsyoung-adulthorrorfantasyromancechildrenparanormal-romanceDescriptionThis is a story that understands how the past never really lets go, especially when your ancestor was one of the women who condemned the Salem witches to death and you've just moved back to the town that hasn't forgotten. Samantha Mather finds herself thrust into a Salem that still seethes with old grudges, where the descendants of the accused have neither forgiven nor forgotten, and where being a Mather makes you a target for a very specific kind of hatred that has festered across centuries. What begins as social exile quickly spirals into something far more sinister when Sam realizes the harassment isn't just high school cruelty—there's something genuinely wrong in Salem, something that seems determined to make her pay for sins committed over three hundred years ago. Mather weaves together contemporary bullying with genuine supernatural menace, creating a story where the line between historical guilt and present danger blurs in unsettling ways, and where Sam must navigate both the vicious social hierarchy of her new school and mysteries that reach back to 1692. It's a sharp, propulsive read that treats the Salem witch trials not as distant history but as living trauma, and asks what it means to inherit a legacy you never chose.Publication date2016Amazon rating4.6/5
- Tagsyoung-adulthorrorromancechildrenparanormal-romancefantasyDescriptionSamantha Mather returns to Salem, where the weight of her ancestor's legacy—Cotton Mather, the infamous witch trial judge—still clings to her like fog off the harbor. This time the ghosts aren't content to whisper from the shadows: they're pulling her toward the ocean, toward shipwrecks and drowned secrets that have waited centuries to surface. The Descendants, that tight circle of families bound by Salem's darkest history, are once again tangled in supernatural danger, and Sam finds herself navigating not just the living but the restless dead who refuse to stay buried beneath the waves. Mather weaves historical horror with contemporary teenage life, letting the supernatural seep into every corner of Sam's world until there's no separating the past from the present. The stakes feel personal and immediate—this isn't just about solving a mystery but about survival, about whether Sam can untangle herself from the sins of her bloodline before they drag her under. The prose moves with the rhythm of the tide, pulling you deeper into Salem's haunted waters, where every revelation brings Sam closer to truths that might have been better left in the deep. If you loved the first book's blend of history, horror, and heart, this sequel plunges even further into the darkness that made Salem infamous.Publication dateOctober 3, 2017Amazon rating4.7/5Print length352LanguageEnglishPublisherKnopf Books for Young Readers
Order of Killing November Books
- Tagsyoung-adultthrillersuspensechildrencrimehistorical-fictionDescriptionNovember Adley arrives at the Academy Absconditi with nothing but questions and a target on her back. This isn't your average boarding school—it's a fortress where the world's deadliest assassin families send their children to master the art of killing. November doesn't belong here. She wasn't raised in this shadow world of contracts and codes, yet somehow she's been thrust into its center, surrounded by students who've been training to kill since they could walk. The Academy's stone halls echo with centuries of secrets, and November quickly learns that survival means more than acing tests in poison theory or blade work. Someone wants her dead, and the list of suspects includes every perfectly trained killer in her class. As she navigates a curriculum designed to turn students into weapons, November must uncover why she was brought here and who's orchestrating the attempts on her life—all while learning to fight back against adversaries who've spent their entire lives preparing for this. In a school where trust is a liability and everyone has blood on their hands, November's greatest weapon might be the very thing that makes her different: she still has something to lose.Publication dateMarch 26, 2019Amazon rating4.6/5Print length416LanguageEnglishPublisherKnopf Books for Young Readers
- Tagsyoung-adultsuspensechildrenhistorical-fictionthrillermysteryDescriptionWhat happens when you're the target and you don't even know why? November Adley wakes up in a school for assassins with no memory of how she got there. Everyone around her has been trained to kill since childhood. She hasn't. But someone wants her dead, and the Academy of strategists and killers might be the only place she can learn to survive. The catch? She has to figure out who's hunting her before they succeed. Mather builds a world where trust is currency and every conversation could be your last. November is sharp, vulnerable, and completely out of her depth—which makes her dangerous in ways the other students don't expect. The romance simmers beneath layers of deception. The action is swift and unforgiving. This is YA thriller territory with teeth. The mystery unfolds in tight, clever beats that never let you settle. You'll second-guess every character, every motive, every alliance. It's Killing Eve meets boarding school, with a protagonist who has to weaponize her confusion just to stay alive. If you want a book that keeps you turning pages past midnight, this is it.Publication dateMay 5, 2020Amazon rating4.7/5Print length432LanguageEnglishPublisherKnopf Books for Young Readers
Order of Standalone Novels
- TagsromanceDescriptionWhat happens when your mother's midlife crisis collides with your teenage survival plan? Adriana Mather delivers a sharp, funny exploration of family chaos that refuses to play by the rules. This is a mother-daughter story that flips the script. No gentle coming-of-age here. Instead, Mather gives us messy, complicated women navigating the wreckage of expectations. The prose crackles with wit. The stakes feel real. When your mom decides to blow up her life, you don't get to opt out. You're along for the ride whether you like it or not. Mather understands that family dysfunction isn't always tragic—sometimes it's absurd, sometimes it's hilarious, and sometimes it's the only way forward. This novel captures the strange intimacy of watching someone you love unravel while you're still figuring out how to hold yourself together. It's about control and the loss of it. It's about the stories we tell ourselves to survive. Most of all, it's about what happens when the person who's supposed to have all the answers suddenly has none. Mather writes with the confidence of someone who knows that comedy and heartbreak aren't opposites—they're neighbors. Mom Com is a standout for readers who want their family drama served with a side of irreverence and a whole lot of heart.Publication dateNovember 14, 2023Amazon rating4.2/5Print length356LanguageEnglishPublisherBlackstone Publishing
- Tagsyoung-adultromanceDescriptionThe Breakup Artists by Adriana Mather operates in the space where teenage social engineering meets moral consequence. This is a novel about the business of ending relationships—professionally, methodically, and for profit. The premise is sharp: a group of students who specialize in orchestrating breakups, hired by those too cowardly or calculating to do the work themselves. What begins as a lucrative side hustle becomes something darker when the protagonist is forced to confront the human wreckage left behind. Mather doesn't romanticize the work; she examines it, turning over the ethics of manipulation like a stone in sunlight. The stakes escalate as personal entanglements blur professional boundaries, and the machinery of deception begins to turn on its operators. This is young adult fiction that refuses to soften its edges. Mather writes with a clear-eyed understanding of teenage cruelty and the seductive logic of control. The prose moves quickly, propelled by schemes and counter-schemes, but underneath runs a current of genuine moral inquiry: What do we owe each other? When does influence become harm? The Breakup Artists doesn't preach, but it doesn't let its characters—or its readers—off the hook either. It's a book about power, complicity, and the moment when you realize you've become the villain in someone else's story.Publication dateJune 4, 2024Amazon rating4.4/5Print length368LanguageEnglishPublisherBlackstone Publishing, Inc.
- Tagsyoung-adultfantasyromancemysteryDescriptionThe air hums with forbidden magic, and in a world where souls can be stolen and bodies traded like currency, one young woman finds herself caught in a dangerous game she never asked to play. Adriana Mather conjures a realm where alchemy isn't just about transmuting metal into gold—it's about the far more perilous art of shifting consciousness itself, where identity becomes fluid and nothing, not even your own skin, is guaranteed to remain yours. In this atmospheric standalone, Mather weaves a tale thick with intrigue and shadowed by the kind of moral ambiguity that makes you question every alliance and every choice. The stakes are visceral and immediate: when the boundaries between self and other dissolve, when your very soul becomes a commodity in someone else's scheme, survival demands more than cunning—it requires you to hold fast to the essence of who you are even as everything around you shifts and transforms. With her signature blend of historical richness and dark fantasy, Mather delivers a story that pulses with tension, where every chapter peels back another layer of conspiracy and every character harbors secrets that could unravel everything. This is magic at its most unsettling and most seductive, a meditation on identity wrapped in the cloak of a spellbinding thriller.Publication dateAugust 4, 2026Print length368LanguageEnglishPublisherFeiwel & Friends
Frequently Asked Questions about Adriana Mather
Adriana Mather writes books that are best read in the order they were published, especially within her series. The Order of How to Hang a Witch begins with How to Hang a Witch, followed by Haunting the Deep. Next is the Order of Killing November, starting with Killing November and continuing with Hunting November. Mather also writes standalone novels, including Mom Com and The Breakup Artists, with Alchemy of Souls forthcoming. Reading the books chronologically allows readers to follow the development of her storytelling and any interconnected elements within the series.
A good starting point for Adriana Mather's books is the first novel in her Order of How to Hang a Witch series, which is How to Hang a Witch, published in 2016. This book introduces readers to her distinctive voice and the magical elements that often feature in her work. Following this with Haunting the Deep, the second book in the same series, provides a natural progression. Alternatively, readers might choose to begin with Killing November, the first book in her Order of Killing November series, if they prefer a different set of characters and plotlines.
It is generally recommended to read Adriana Mather's books in the order they were published, particularly within her series. The How to Hang a Witch series, which includes How to Hang a Witch and Haunting the Deep, should be read in that sequence. Similarly, the Killing November series, comprising Killing November and Hunting November, is best experienced by reading Killing November first. While some standalone novels can be read independently, following the publication order provides a consistent experience of her writing.
Adriana Mather writes both series and standalone novels. Her series include the Order of How to Hang a Witch, which has two books, and the Order of Killing November, also with two books. In addition to these series, she has written standalone novels such as Mom Com, published in 2023, and The Breakup Artists, published in 2024. Her upcoming book, Alchemy of Souls, is also listed as a standalone novel. This variety offers readers different ways to engage with her work.
Adriana Mather has written a total of seven books that have been published or are scheduled for publication. This includes two books in the Order of How to Hang a Witch series: How to Hang a Witch (2016) and Haunting the Deep (2017). She also wrote two books in the Order of Killing November series: Killing November (2019) and Hunting November (2020). Additionally, she has authored three standalone novels: Mom Com (2023), The Breakup Artists (2024), and the forthcoming Alchemy of Souls (2026).
The first book Adriana Mather wrote was How to Hang a Witch, published in 2016. This novel is the initial entry in her Order of How to Hang a Witch series. It introduces readers to the world and characters that form the basis of this particular narrative arc. The publication of How to Hang a Witch marked her debut in writing novels that delve into themes of witchcraft and hidden societies, setting the stage for her subsequent works.
Adriana Mather's most recent book is The Breakup Artists, which was published in 2024. This novel is part of her collection of standalone works. Prior to this, she published Mom Com in 2023. Her upcoming book, Alchemy of Souls, is scheduled for release in 2026, which will become her newest publication upon its release. Readers can look forward to her continued output of fiction.
Adriana Mather writes young adult fiction that often incorporates elements of fantasy, mystery, and contemporary themes. Her books frequently feature strong female protagonists navigating complex social dynamics and supernatural occurrences. The How to Hang a Witch series delves into the world of witches and secret covens, while the Killing November series explores themes of espionage and boarding school intrigue. Her standalone novels, like Mom Com and The Breakup Artists, tend to focus more on contemporary relationships and humor.
Tiffany D. Jackson
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We verified the reading order for Adriana Mather's books by cross-referencing official publication dates, ISBN databases, and publisher catalogs.
Last verified: July 2026
Shelf & Shadows. (…). “Adriana Mather Books in Order.” Retrieved …, from https://www.shelfandshadows.com/authors/adriana-mather