I wasn’t able to finish this book. Because of this, it is my policy not to review the book on my site or on Goodreads/Amazon. I also didn’t mark it DNF.

I have always loved The Legend of Sleepy Hollow so I was so excited to read this one. It was a really well written retelling. I enjoyed the characters and the female perspective.

As a reader fascinated by The Legend of Sleepy Hollow since childhood, I’m enticed by any writing related to the subject. This is the most compelling and satisfying of all I’ve read. Smart, romantic, spooky, heartbreaking and hopeful…this was a thoroughly engrossing and enjoyable read.

I absolutely love retellings, especially when it's a retelling from the female perspective when the story is traditionally male. This romantic retelling of the sleepy hollow story from Katrina's perspective was a wonderful. It is so atmospheric and a perfect book to read in the fall! I did feel it was much heavier on the romance than the spookiness that I was thinking it'd be, but I still enjoyed reading very much!

From a historical standpoint, this was great. The expansion of the world and setting was fantastic to read about. I loved reading the passages about Charlotte and her mom and watching Katrina’s witchy powers grow.
The story itself? I don’t know if it was just my mood while I was reading it, but I found the storyline really depressing, especially after Ichabod died. I was mired down in Katrina’s grief and had a hard time reading about her despair and intense suffering.
I’m also really confused about the headless horseman. Is he real? Did he kill Brom? What is his relationship with Katrina? I would’ve really liked for him to be more present in the story!

My first lower-than-four-star rating for this author. A feminist Sleepy Hollow retelling that fleshes out the eponymous character and her romance with Crane. Doesn’t quite hit the emotional highs of Palombo’s first two novels, but an atmospheric historical fiction. ★★★½

I received a free arc from Netgalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

I didn't like it! Which makes me very sad as I love the Sleepy Hollow legend. But I just could not enjoy this novel.

I couldn't stand Katrina and how manipulative she was. She reminded me of every girl in high school who "had to have a boyfriend" to feel important. But I also didn't like how she felt sorry for herself when the consequences followed her actions. What did she expect was going to happen?

While I didn't mind the love scenes, there was just no connection for me. I didn't feel anything except exasperation that Ichabod fell into (in my honest opinion) Katrina's trap. I don't know if its a sign im getting older, but sometimes common sense seems to be missing in too many stories involving love. It makes it close to impossible to enjoy.

Also, there's no magic! So why have spellbook in the title? In the legend, there is the implication of magic, and (to be fair) there is second sight/visions in the novel. But I honestly expected more. Second sight and visions are nice, but where are the curses?

Sad to say that I have to rate this 1 out of 5 stars.

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

I had such high hopes for this one. I'm a huge Sleepy Hollow fan. I think this is one of those cases where my expectations were just so different from the book. I take ownership o that. This one just wasn't for me.

I didn't know what I would think about this book from just reading the synopsis. I found this to be a well done retelling of "Sleepy Hollow" that I enjoyed reading. It's a certainly entertaining take. I'm glad I got the chance to read it.

"When Ichabod Crane arrives in the spooky little village of Sleepy Hollow as the new schoolmaster, Katrina Van Tassel is instantly drawn to him. Through their shared love of books and music, they form a friendship that quickly develops into romance. Ichabod knows that as an itinerant schoolteacher of little social standing, he has nothing to offer the wealthy Katrina – unlike her childhood friend-turned-enemy, Brom Van Brunt, who is the suitor Katrina’s father favors."

-Awesome retelling of Sleepy Hollow. If you love a good Gothic tale this is definitely the one for you! Story is filled with love, suspense and mystery. I had me swoon over Ichabod. Lots of twists and turns. Give it a read!

A retelling of the famous American story sleepy hollow, from a different perspective. This book was okay but I would not read again.

Cute romance novel with an interesting and still spooky spin in the legend of sleepy hollow. Would reccomend to any one wanting to read something a little different.

This book was such a good book. I read it and enjoyed it very much. I highly recommend it to anyone.

As the seasons change, so do my reading tastes. I love it when a book I am reading reflects a sort of seasonal mood. For Autumn, I like books that are spooky, chilling, or cozy. And so, if you are similar to me in taste, you’re in luck because I have got some recommendations to make to you! The first recommendation for your list? The Spellbook Of Katrina Van Tassel by Alyssa Palumbo.

The Spellbook Of Katrina Van Tassel is somewhat of a different perspective on The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. It is told from the point of view of Katrina Van Tassel (as you could guess from the title). She’s the only child of a wealthy landowner in Sleepy Hollow, NY. One day an itinerant music teacher named Ichabod Crane arrives in town. Different from the other men Katrina has known, she finds herself drawn to him and they bond over common interests. Eventually they turn from friends to something more. Unfortunately, Ichabod disappears. Some blame a headless horseman. Katrina isn’t sure if he has abandoned her or not, but she must go on with her life. And so, we get this view of what comes next after the headless horseman allegedly takes Ichabod away.

Some books are just meant for reading with your fall candles burning. This book is one of them. I know some people didn’t care for the romance in this book or the adult times. But, I’ll double down and say I loved those bits. Palumbo weaves an atmospheric tale and an original take on an old legend. I loved how she breathes new life into the Headless Horseman and completely fleshes it out. Katrina seems completely real and her reactions and choices not at all out of line.

I am actually genuinely glad that I listened to the audiobook of The Spellbook Of Katrina Van Tassel. It was a good end of August listen. I felt like I was transitioned right into fall, what with the creepy atmosphere and all. Barrie Kreinik is the narrator. She does an excellent job and rarely gets overdramatic or comes across as slow or boring. The audiobook is 13 hours and 34 minutes long. It is an absolute must listen for my fall obsessed friends.

I did not finish - I have tried reading this book on multiple occasions and just could not get into it.

I enjoyed this retelling of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The story takes a lot of the same path of the original legend, but expands in places that feel natural to the legend. Katrina feels securely rooted in the story, but not so much that she can't be understood by a modern reader. The writing was great and I was captivated by the retelling. Highly recommended.

I don’t want to bash it because it definitely wasn’t the worst, but it was unnecessarily long!! Finally when I reached 46% I was thinking, “omg when will this pick up?” as well as “this is not what I was thinking”. I was under the impression that this would be a more eerie read but it read more like a never-ending, repetitive, romance novel about Katrina and Ichabod. I knew that this would be a factor in the story but how many times do I have to hear Katrina talk about Ichabod asking for her hand in marriage? How many times must we learn that she loathes having to hide their relationship? I mean, come on! I get it already and I’m getting bored with it. Still, I decided to finish because I wanted to get to the eerie creepy portions of the read and just when it felt like it was happening, it would be snatched away just as quickly. I honestly also kept reading because I usually despise the Romance genre and I figured I would try some in the month of February and this just happened to sneak up as one without me realizing! I did like how the author tied Palombo into being an important speaker and the reasoning for her retelling was interesting.

I think this book had the potential to be so much more. It lacked the creepiness vibe that I was searching for. I also had a hard time feeling sympathy towards Katrina which I think was necessary to enjoy the book. I believe others may really enjoy the read but going into it, it is important to realize the genre of “historical fiction” is a little light and it was much more of a romance that I just did not enjoy. The more I thought about the potential and my reading experience, the less I enjoyed it. It could be for someone else. Just not for me.

This book has been picked up several times, but each time I try to get into it, I just...can't. I loved the original Legend of Sleepy Hollow story, as well as the Sleepy Hollow movie, but for some reason this one couldn't grab me and suck me into the story. Thank you for the opportunity to read this title.

The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel is a retelling of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. While I normally enjoy a good retelling of an old story, this novel felt cliched and a bit like it's trying too hard at the romance angle. It just could not hold my attention and unfortunately became a DNF read for me.

Many thanks to Alyssa Palombo, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Netgalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review. Well. It took me forever to finish this book. Too much mushy. I liked all of the characters, even Brom. I liked the town. I liked the ghost stories. I. Just. Couldn't. Get. Hooked by anything. I'm not a romantic. I didn't realize this was going to be that sappy. I would have appreciated more vitriol.