Oh my, this freaking book!! I had previously read another title by the same author – The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence, which was reviewed here – but it didn’t blow me away. It didn’t help that it was one of the first historical fiction novels I ever read, but the story itself didn’t really stick with me.

This new release, however, has quickly become one of my favorite books I have ever read. And it’s different from anything I’ve ever read as well, which makes it that much more special. I devoured it in just a few hours over the course of two days.

I learned so much from this reading experience, not only about the original story but also about history – both from what the book provided and from my own research. And I grew incredibly fond of the characters – only to have my heart shattered, but I am sure I will forgive the author someday…

I’m very sorry if you are out of time, but this will be one long ass review so, buckle up and let’s get to it!!



PLOT & WRITING

This is a feminist retelling of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, which I had absolutely null knowledge about up until now. I think it is a good thing that I had never read the original story or watched any of the modern adaptations, as that would certainly have spoiled the book for me.

According to the author’s note, she considered the original story to be sexist – which is not surprising, considering it was published, and most likely written, in the early 1800’s. Being so, Palombo decided to write the story from a woman’s perspective instead, making Katrina the main character and narrator.

Although the plot is not of her own making, the author was able to make it hers by adding several of her own elements to the story. I very much enjoyed the magical realism that was interwoven with reality itself throughout the book. Well, at least I consider it magical realism… There are some characters with ‘superhuman’ abilities, as well as a few esoteric and occult practices, which are a great addition to the story and make it even more interesting.

Palombo’s writing is flowy and easy to read, even with the old English playing a huge role in the book. It was simply delightful, and the language kind of rubbed off on me… I’m pretty sure I’m going to be speaking rather old-fashionedly for a while after this read!

Oh, and of course this has its spooky parts, considering the legends it features. There are several eerie moments throughout the novel, although I would consider this to be a romance above all, only sprinkled with creepy, supernatural elements. If you’re looking for a lighter Halloween read, this is the book for you – it features All Hallows’ Eve parties and everything!!



CHARACTERS

This is a slightly large book, so the author had room to develop her characters – which she did, for the most part. I feel as though the main characters were very well-developed, but the side characters not so much. This happens in a lot of books, of course, since the side characters barely make an appearance most of the time. If I’m honest, it doesn’t really bother me, I am not that picky when it comes to character development unless it is severely lacking, which is not the case whatsoever.

We meet a lovely cast of characters – with a couple of exceptions, of course – who see their happiness crumble before them, while they are powerless and not able to do much about it. It is a truly heartbreaking story, and it made me tear up. Considering I hadn’t cried while reading up until September, that fact alone should tell you something 😅

I’ve noticed that Palombo usually writes female main characters that are ahead of their time, and that is something I’ve come to appreciate over time. Since she writes historical fiction, however, it is important to be realistic and not write extremely liberal characters who always get their way – it wouldn’t be realistic, and the author successfully portrays that.
I developed a deep connection with Katrina. Although she ‘lived’ in a very different time, I could really relate to her on a lot of things and was able to feel her every emotion – which is probably why I cried 😄 This girl just has the most heartbreaking fate, I swear!!

Her friendship with Charlotte, the town’s midwife and herbalist’s daughter, is heartwarming. They are childhood friends and have always been inseparable, their friendship helped by that of their mothers. I would love to be able to hang out with these two, they are so much fun and full of love.

And can we talk about our love interest?? Oh my goodness, what a catch! I would marry this Ichabod guy any day, really. He’s well-read, a straight-up gentleman, and he can play and sing?? Hell yeah! He is too nice for his own good, though, too honorable a man. And everyone knows good people end up getting screwed over, unfortunately.



THE HISTORICAL ASPECT

There are several interesting aspects of this book that stand out, historically speaking. Firstly, the role of women, how they should behave, and how they are regarded. Obviously, marriages were not based on love, and a woman should always keep her virginity until the night of her wedding. She should not have her own opinions, and definitely should not disagree with her husband’s opinions and/or views. Thankfully, our main character, a well-read and educated young woman, tries her hardest to stand up for herself – though, sometimes, the men overpower her either way.

Secondly, it is shown to us how tarot reading and herbology, for example, were often mistaken for witchcraft. The women – for it was mostly women – who worked with these things were often feared, no matter how helpful their herbs and spells were. Imagine what they’d think of women who have visions!!

Lastly, the historical context of the story itself, which involves politics and such. It is set in New York not long after the American Revolution War. It is very interesting how the author portrays the different characters in New York, who are mostly of Dutch descent. They are all bilingual and keep talking about how they are “a new nation”, and mentions of the War are prominent throughout the book, starting with the legend of the Headless Horseman.

Now, I am not one to gravitate towards historical fiction novels, but I must admit that they are growing on me. I just love reading about the stuff I’ve studied – and when I don’t know much about the historical period, I will go ahead and do my research, which enriches my reading experience and, of course, extends my knowledge. What’s not to love, right? Watch me spend all of my money on historical books from now on…



MORE BOOKWORMS!

Our lovely main character, Katrina, is rather fond of books, just like us. She loves to go outside and read in the peace of her garden, usually in the company of her cute and loyal dog, Nox (which is Latin for ‘night’, if you didn’t know).

I also found her remedy for a broken heart to be quite entertaining:

You have read too many books, a vicious little voice hissed inside my mind as I hurried back up the stairs, tears stinging my eyes. You are a romantic fool, Katrina Van Tassel. Back in my room, I vigorously brushed the tears away and opened Macbeth again. A tale of tragedy and blood sounded like exactly what I needed.

Overall, The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel is an unputdownable, heartbreaking read filled with folklore and lovely characters. The historical setting makes it super interesting and sets the perfect mood for this time of year. I wish I could read about this love story forever, and that my heart hadn’t been shattered by the author

I typically enjoy retellings and I’m a huge fan of Sleepy Hollow so I thought this would definitely be one I would enjoy. This was a miss for me. I wasn’t expecting the romance between Katrina and Ichabod or the amount of sex that was in this. I didn’t connect with the characters or find myself rooting for certain aspects of the storyline. This one fell flat for me. I was expecting much more and didn’t get a quarter of the atmosphere, scenery and spookiness that I was expecting.

This was a really cute story. Easy to read and quick to finish.
I wouldn't call it a great work of literature, but it was a pleasant easy read.

These chilly mornings and chunky sweaters have me reaching for atmospheric, fall reads. Okay, who am I kidding, I went straight into fall mode right after my early September birthday when temperatures were still hovering near 100! So supernatural tales might not have been sending shivers down my spine while I was lying in pools of sweat, but now that fall is well and truly here, I am living for darker tales and what screams autumn more than a Sleepy Hollow retelling?

Katrina Van Tassel is the sole daughter of a wealthy farmer. Though she could easily have her pick of the most eligible bachelors, Katrina prefers spending her time with books and her dog – clearly a girl after my own heart. Unfortunately for Katrina, the one man determined to have her is the one she despises above all others: Brom Van Brunt. As children, the pair were thick as thieves as a threesome: Brom, Katrina, and Charlotte. Everything changed the day Brom branded Charlotte a witch; as Sleepy Hollow’s favorite son his words certainly have weight. Charlotte was effectively cast an outsider, still unmarried at 20, while it would appear Katrina’s father would love nothing more than to see his daughter married into the Van Brunt family.

Then a young man arrives from Connecticut. Ichabod Crane will be Sleepy Hollow’s schoolteacher, along with taking on pupils for music lessons. As the days stretch into weeks, Katrina and Ichabod become close, far closer than teacher and pupil, all the while Brom still vies for Katrina’s hand. A disastrous All Hallow’s Eve leads to Ichabod’s abrupt disappearance: did he abandon Katrina when she needed him most or could the legends of the Headless Horseman be true? Could Ichabod have been taken by the ghostly rider?

It should come as no surprise that I think Alyssa and her books are great. She’s a #HistoricalFix darling – we love her!! – and her novels have a way of completely enchanting me. Her books are slightly doorstop-length, but she writes in a way that I find myself flipping the pages at a blinding pace. The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel, for example, is just over 400 pages. I read close to 350 in one sitting. Short chapters (think a few pages max) plus incredibly engaging characters and plots make for stories I literally can’t put down!

Despite my enthusiasm for this one, I have to admit I was expecting something a little more on the paranormal side, particularly with its title. That said, apart from the Horseman and Charlotte’s herb concoctions, The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel was far more a romance than anything else, though a romance I found myself falling for. I was swept up in Katrina and Ichabod’s torrid affair, their secret nighttime trysts in the woods, and held my breath as I waited to see the consequences of their actions. It pains me to stop myself here, but saying anything more about these two would result in massive spoilers!

Although The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel has more sex scenes than spells, I was thoroughly enamored and found myself practically glued to the pages. It should say something about Alyssa’s skill as a writer that this over 400-page novel was just shy of a one-sitting read. Great characters and an engaging plot definitely made reading this one a breeze and I love retellings that explore other sides of the story. I do wish there was a bit more of a moody, broody quality to the story rather than the overly large emphasis on romance, but I really enjoyed this one and it’s the perfect time of year to sink into its pages! Alyssa has yet to let me down and I’m already anticipating her next release!

I have never been a big fan of spooky books or movies so I have never read the original Legend of Sleepy Hollow but this story intrigued me and I was not disappointed. This is the story of the original legend but in female voice and with very real human emotions. I couldn’t put it down!

The story is in the first person by Katrina Van Tassel. The use of this method makes the story unforgettable and page turning. You feel her sentiments for both Ichabod Crane and Brom Van Brunt. Her love for Ichabod is deep and passionate, as is her dislike of Brom. You are rooting for the young lovers and crushed when everything goes horribly array. Katrina’s despair over the way life has cruelly twisted is excruciating.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it. It can be enjoyed by teens to adults. It is a very human twist to an old legend. Even though I knew the outcome from the folktale, I had to keep reading. It leaves the reader wondering if the supernatural or human hands were behind the reckoning.

This was not at all what I expected. It was more of a historical romance than a paranormal romance. I was expecting the latter, but got the former. I was expecting magic to be a much more prevalent element of the story, and while I guess there was what you could consider magic present it is not what I consider magic or a magic system. I think had I read the description a little more closely I wouldn't have expected it to be so paranormal. That being said the book is a great retelling of the original Sleepy Hollow telling and I feel that Palombo did the original tale justice by keeping key elements and spinning her own tale around it.



As far as the romance goes, it was very insta-lovey. I really don't care for that in any romance and this being historically based it just didn't fit the theme. The propriety of the times and the characters just didn't fit their actions. Katrina, our main character, is supposed to be a feminist character for the time. She is well educated, reads all the time, and is headstrong and speaks her mind. From that perspective I can see why this would have a feminist spin. However she makes alot of rash decisions and often leads with her emotions.



Much like the original tale, Katrina is pursued by both Ichabod Crane and Brom Van Brunt until Ichabod's untimely demise. Every suspects our favorite pumpkin headed Hessian has spirited him off to the underworld but as the description of the book says, nothing is as it seems. Katrina and her best friend Charlotte vow to solve the mystery of Ichabod's disappearance. Along the way they find things they did not expect, and Katrina learns that her love may not have abandoned her afterall.



Overall, I think it is my fault that I thought this was a paranormal romance. It was a good romance, I just wasn't expecting it to be what it was. Once I realized it wasn't what I was expecting I was able to enjoy it for what it was. I also went on to read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving and the story made alot more sense to me. Palombo did a great job with this retelling.

review

A retelling of the legend of sleepy Hallow from the perspective of Katrina . You guys would know her if you have read the legend of sleepy hallow , the female lead who is shown as a puppet and naïve , is the lead and portrayed as a feminist in this one .

First off , the cover gave me winter chills and the name of the book gave away Halloween chills. Thats why i requested and read the book.

Characters
Katrina , Katrina Van Tassel is the only kid to the Van Tassel family is so fond of books and has dreams of Headless Horseman regularly.
Charlotte , is the best friend of Katrina and called a witch by brom.
Ichabod Crane , the school teacher and teaches music to katrina.

Location

The book is situated in the legendary sleepy hollow where many ghosts wander.

Plot
Love is a thing even death won't erase.
A total historic - romance fiction.

The book starts off when Ichabod comes to sleepy hollow and falls in love with Katrina. Then the events leading up are the retelling of the legend.

My reviews
The writing style was good in a total historical fiction - romance way.
Since the book is focussed on Katrina , there are many doubts in the book.
Brom is surnamed Van brunt from the beginning but switched to Brom Bones which is not explained.
The scenery is not over or under discription. It is enough to picture.
Best pick for
Historical fiction
Romance

Thank you, NetGalley for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a fan of the Sleepy Hollow story; therefore, I was really looking forward to reading this book. I enjoyed reading the book as it was written from Katrina's point of view. The retelling of the classic story takes the reader on some unexpected twists and turns. The book is perfect for a spooky October read.

I have never read the classic The Legend of Sleepy Hollow so I have no idea how close this comes to that but after reading this I feel the need to read that and compare. What does one do when characters in a book become more than just characters and you've invested your time in them, like part of your life actually. It does take time to read and absorb what your read so you do become invested then what happens when an event or series of events happens and you feel as if your heart's been ripped out and stomped upon ? #thisbookthatfeeling I am now in recovery mode after reading this. I know I need a light easy read after this. Again another fascinating historical you will learn about the area from. This book is a perfect Halloween type book if your heart can take the ache accompanying it.
How is it I've never heard of this author? I need to read more by her right away!
Pub Date 02 Oct 2018
I was given a complimentary copy of this book by St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Thank you. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have always loved The Legend of Sleepy Hollow so I was excited to read The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel and it did not disappoint!

I struggled to get through this book, which was surprising and disappointing since I enjoyed Palombo's previous books. The entire first half consists of a saccharine-sweet love story and lots of sex. It's not until the halfway point that the plot really kicks into gear. I was not enamored of Katrina or Ichabod, and I mostly skimmed the last third just to see how it would end. I'm glad I did because the ending did bump it up a notch in my estimation and even made me shed a tear. I know a lot of people are loving this book, but I guess I was expecting something more spooky and thrilling.

I do like what this book attempted to do. Th legend of Sleepy Hollow from Katrina's point of view. From the name, we gather there will be more supernatural elements than the original. I like these ideas, but am a bit disappointed. For starters, the name suggests Katrina is a sort of witch; she is not, she sometimes sees visions, and alternates between ignoring them and trying to heighten and make them clearer. The actual story I liked, but it dragged on waaaayyyyyy too long. The source material, the original is 100 pages long approximately, and this book is about 400. There is so very much time wasted in those pages as well. Just the tiniest little things will take up pages upon pages. To sum it up, good idea but needs to be shorter and a different name to reflect there isn't much ( if any at all really) witchcraft.

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.

But when romance gives way to passion, Ichabod and Katrina embark on a secret love affair, sneaking away into the woods after dark to be together – all while praying they do not catch sight of Sleepy Hollow’s legendary Headless Horseman. That is, until All Hallows’s Eve, when Ichabod suddenly disappears, leaving Katrina alone and in a perilous position.

Enlisting the help of her friend – and rumored witch – Charlotte Jansen, Katrina seeks the truth of Ichabod Crane’s disappearance, investigating the forest around Sleepy Hollow using unconventional – often magical – means. What they find forces Katrina to question everything she once knew, and to wonder if the Headless Horseman is perhaps more than just a story after all. In Alyssa Palombo's The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel nothing is as it seems, and love is a thing even death won't erase.

This is a retelling of Sleepy Hollow and the headless horseman told by Katrina. I really liked the love between her and Ichabod. Really could not stand Brom at all. I felt bad that Katrina's dad would not listen to her and her happiness but then again in that time period women married who their father' chose. I think the author did a great job in telling this story. The only thing that bothered me is how much time Katrina put into finding out what happened to ichabod but didn't seem to care about what would happen to Brom.

Hmmm.... if I was rating this as a spooky, magicy book(like the blurb led me to believe) then it would get a super low rating. BUT if I were to rate it as a romance, it was decent(though romance really isn't my thing).

I wanted a lot more magic and eeriness than this book delivered. I'm not a fan of romance, so I felt that the blurb was somewhat misleading. (Yes, it talks about love, but the witchiness that was mentioned in the blurb was fleeting). I had been anticipating a supernatural book with some romance, but instead I got a romance with a wee bit of supernatural.

The writing was okay and suited the period the book took place in.

I didn't hate this book, but if I had known ahead of time how heavy on the romance it was, I wouldn't have picked it up.

Well...this isn't Disney's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".

The story of Sleepy Hollow has been told many different ways. This time, we view this story from Katrina's point of view. She - the object of Ichabod and Brom's attention and fighting. While we know the fate of poor Ichabod, this takes the well known story and adds a history and romance.

More than that relationship - is the friendship of Katrina and Charlotte. And really, that's what I enjoyed the most. The Ichabod/Katrina stuff was like....jr. high versions of "sexy"

Regardless of that, this was a nice read for this time of year.

Thank to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Ok you guys, this book has been on my radar for months. I love Halloween and I can’t tell you how obsessed with Sleepy Hollow and the Headless Horseman I have been….basically since my youth.

I watched the Disney movie over and over again and to this day continue to watch it at Halloween because it’s just that good! And don’t even get me started on how many time’s I’ve seen the Tim Burton adaptation…..like way way way too many times and every time I am legitimately scared of that damn Horseman! So to say my expectations were high for this book is a drastic understatement.

When I opened the book to start reading, I will admit, I was actually kind of scared because I was worried that it wouldn’t live up to my expectations. Palombo is an excellent writer and I have enjoyed her other books quite a bit, so I had confidence that I would love this one just as much as the others, so I bit the bullet and jumped in.

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.

But when romance gives way to passion, Ichabod and Katrina embark on a secret love affair, sneaking away into the woods after dark to be together – all while praying they do not catch sight of Sleepy Hollow’s legendary Headless Horseman. That is, until All Hallows’s Eve, when Ichabod suddenly disappears, leaving Katrina alone and in a perilous position.

Enlisting the help of her friend – and rumored witch – Charlotte Jansen, Katrina seeks the truth of Ichabod Crane’s disappearance, investigating the forest around Sleepy Hollow using unconventional – often magical – means. What they find forces Katrina to question everything she once knew, and to wonder if the Headless Horseman is perhaps more than just a story after all. In Alyssa Palombo’s The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel nothing is as it seems, and love is a thing even death won’t erase (summary from Goodreads).

This book was a hard one to review. On one hand, I loved it but on the other, I needed more—-I needed more of The Horseman. He is such a central character in the classic story and in this book he’s been more marginalized. This book is meant to be more about Katrina and Ichabod’s romance and ultimately Katrina’s life and loss which means naturally the Horseman would take a backseat, but I just felt like I needed more—especially at the end.

I won’t spoil the ending for anyone but I felt like the ending was fitting and worthy of the ghost story and Sleepy Hollow canon, but I think I just needed more Horseman.

Warming up to Ichabod as a romantic interest was surprisingly easy. If I had any reservations with this book it was that I couldn’t visualize Ichabod as a romantic character, but it was easy to adore him. He was charming, honorable, and romantic. I loved that about his character.

I was actually worried that I would have a hard time visualizing Ichabod Crane as sexy and attractive, but I think that Tom Mison’s Ichabod Crane in the recent TV adaptation made that more likely. Let’s be honest, he’s just plain sexy and I think that helped me gear up to this of Ichabod as a romantic figure. In the novel itself, I thought the author did a great job and building the tension and romantic interest between Ichabod and Katrina. It was believable and tender and even though it was a whirlwind courtship, I found it even more romantic because of the whirlwind!

I admittedly was frustrated with Katrina’s character early on in the book. When we first meet her she’s privileged and naive. She seemed to have more of a school girl/first love interest in Ichabod which I found frustrating. But I was thrilled to see how they grew into their relationship in such a short time. I enjoyed watching Katrina’s character grow over the course of the book as well. It was very clear that her experiences and choices changed her and she was very much NOT the naive school girl by the end of the book and I absolutely loved that about this book. I was completely engrossed in her story the more I read. I love books like that that sneak up on their readers. It gave a realistic demonstration of how life and your choices change you. Well done!

What stood out to me though and why you should read this book and not dismiss it as just a retelling or romance, was the relationship between Charlotte and Katrina. This book is just as much about them as it is about Katrina and Ichabod, if not more so about their friendship. Charlotte and Katrina’s relationship was intimate and illustrated how complex and real their friendship was. They had disagreements, secrets, and fights just like real friends would and I thought that added a lot of depth and interest to the overall story.

This book was an excellent fall read and I absolutely loved the mood of this book. The characters and plot were interesting and I was actually surprised by the ending. I honestly thought it would go in a completely different direction, but I liked being surprised.

I actually kind of hope that Palombo writes more stories set in Sleepy Hollow. I think Katrina definitely had enough ghost stories to fill a couple more books!

If you are on the hunt for a Halloween read this year, I can literally think of nothing better than this book. It’s so Halloweenie and fun! Do yourself a favor and read this book on a dark stormy night in front of the fire!

Challenge/Book Summary:

Book: The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel: A Story of Sleepy Hollow by Alyssa Palombo

Kindle Edition, 432 pages
Expected publication: October 2nd 2018 by St. Martin’s Griffin
ASIN B079DWS56D
Review copy provided by: Publisher/Author in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own
Recommendation: 4.5 out of 5
Genre: Historic fiction, romance
Memorable lines/quotes:

The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel is best summed up as a retelling of Washington Irving's, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow from Katrina Van Tassel's perspective. This may seem obvious to many by the title but for those less familiar with Irving's original story, Katrina Van Tassel, is pretty much the only female 'real' character we have in that story. In that tale she is sort of the beautiful, sweet, yet most likely brainless, love interest of Ichabod Crane and Brom Bones.

While this book did start out slow for me, hence the 4-star rating rather than 5, I was completely enamored with Palombo's ability to create the feel of time and the place of Sleepy Hollow. I felt the atmosphere was richly developed and I had no trouble picturing it all in my mind, from the Van Tassel farm, to the little town, to the woods surrounding the Hudson River, everything was as it should be. I loved the development of Katrina's character and the strong friendship that was displayed between her and her best friend, Charlotte. I always enjoy a book with strong female friendships and this one was particularly beautiful for anyone else who may enjoy that sort of thing.

The secret courtship between Katrina & Ichabod was definitely a slow burn but once lit...it was on fire. Be prepared for sexy times - I was a little surprised by the sexy times - so, if you aren't into that, beware, it's here. If you love that stuff, this is the book for you.

As this love was developing, the first half of the book, I was really getting anxious for my spooky stuff. Where is the headless horseman? I wondered on more than one occasion. Then it happens, one night, All Hallows Eve, of course, that will change Katrina's life forever. Her world is shattered and through the help of her BFF, Charlotte, and her long-time friend/domestic help, Nancy, she does her best to rebuild herself and to find out what happened that night after her parent's Halloween party.

I cannot say too much more about the plot without giving things away. I understand this is a story many of us know but I think being told from a different perspective, the author was able to bring a lot of new life and details into this well loved tale. I was impressed with this, the second half of the book really kept me engaged and I loved the way it wrapped up.

Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity and am excited to see what other readers think of this one. Great job with release date as well - October is the PERFECT month to read this book!

I have a weakness for re-tellings. This one had me completely sucked into the story from the first line:

Washington Irving got it wrong.

Katrina Van Tassel tells her story. All the characters are there.....Ichabod Crane, Brom Van Brunt, the Headless Horseman. Only the tale doesn't unfold as Washington Irving told it. Katrina meets Ichabod, immediately forming a friendship with the new schoolmaster, which soon turns to romance. They begin sneaking off into the woods to meet. But the schoolmaster really has nothing to offer....he's poor and has no social standing. Katrina's father prefers his daughter choose Brom Van Brunt. But, Katrina wants nothing to do with him. Then Icabod disappears. With the help of her friend Charlotte, Katrina searches to find out what happened to Icabod....all the while worrying that the ghostly headless horseman might not be just a legend.

I loved getting the story from Katrina's point of view. She enjoys Icabod's company because they have similar interests, but she is afraid she will be forced into a marriage with Brom because of money. In a time where women were controlled by their families, Katrina wants a life with someone she can love. When Icabod disappears, she is determined to find out what happened to him, even if she has to call on the witchy talents of her best friend to accomplish it.

The Legend of Spooky Hollow is one of my favorite spooky reads for fall. This story puts a brand new spin on a favorite classic tale! I loved it! I feel the author stayed true to the feel of the classic, while giving it a completely new direction. Definitely a great book to read in October!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from St Martin's Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Alyssa Palombo for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advanced copy.

A crispness in the air lets you know October is here and the time for some spooky reads is upon us. This is my first one for this month and a retelling of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” from Katrina’s perspective sounded right up my alley. I was really excited for this one. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations and it was more sleepy and hollow than I wanted.

Palombo has given us, in her words, a feminist retelling of the classic tale. She has taken some liberties, as often is the case in a retell and I was fine with her choices. For myself, I don’t care if jack-o-lanterns weren’t around in the 1700, or the type of tarot cards she used was historically inaccurate -they served the story. I’m not convinced of the feminist claim, other than the fact that Katrina is a fully flushed out character and the story is told from her perspective. I guess giving her more agency in the events might be enough for a case to be made. I appreciated the fact that she made Sleepy Hollow, an actual place, “otherwordly” as to allow for superstitions to breed and magical events to take place.

Katrina is an only child of a wealthy farming family when Ichabod Crane come to town. He is to replace the schoolteacher and he supplements his meagre income by conducting music lessons for those in town. The two begin an illicit affair and eventually fall in love and want to get married. But not if Brom Bones has anything to say about it. He has threatened Crane more than once, warning him to stay away from Katrina. Once childhood friends, he is obsessive about making Katrina his wife. However, Katrina will have nothing to do with him after he ruined her best friend Charlotte’s life by spreading a rumour that she is a witch. Charlotte and her mother are healers and know the of the special properties of different herbs. But only those close to Charlotte know that she has a special intuition because if people in the town knew, they would turn against them. Brom knows better than to label her a witch but he has turned cruel since becoming a man. Katrina’s father has been putting a lot of pressure on Katrina to accept Brom as he believes this to be a good match. Her father has high hopes of joining their two farms together knowing that this will provide for his daughter long after he is gone. But Katrina knows her heart and it is set on Crane. She is crushed when her father declines Crane’s proposal to court his daughter. And now Ichabod has gone missing. Everyone in town has heard the tale of the Headless Horseman. Could Ichabod have fallen as one of his victims? Or did he really just abandon Katrina after being denied by her father. Was he just after her fortune after all? Or did something fouler take place. Katrina must have answers and she is not above using magic to find out.

So I loved the premise of the story and the outline sounded so exciting. Once I started to read, however, it fell rather flat for me. I did not relate to Katrina at all, finding her rather unlikable. She was self-centred, a rotten friend to Charlotte, and rather spoiled. Also, I needed Ichabod to be stronger and sexier. I don’t really know what his appeal was. He deferred to Katrina a lot, well she was bossy, but he never took matters into his own hands. He was supposed to be of high moral character, but the first thing he did after coming to town was to bed the teenage daughter of the man whose house he was staying at and food he was eating. Then snuck around for months, sleeping with her. Uhmm, yeah - not so moral after all. There was something about the writing style that bothered me. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it was off-putting. Plus, the story really dragged on. I wanted to stop a couple of times and if I had put it down, there wasn’t enough of a draw to make me pick it up again. I would have loved more magic, and one spell would have been nice. Given that this was a Headless Horseman tale, there should have been a stronger connection to the tale. It was weak at best.
There was a lot of potential for a rich story. I didn’t enjoy this one. It really was more of a sleepy (a really yawn) and hollow (with no substance) tale.

Why was I interested in this book?
As a kid, very few things frightened me more than the thought of the Headless Horseman galloping down the hill in my neighborhood (blocks from one of the busier intersections in Omaha) while I was on my way to my grandparent's house. As an adult, I have read Washington Irving's story and have heartily enjoyed various adaptations of the story beyond the Disney short. And since I'm not completely heartless, I thought the story with a romantic twist might be fun for the upcoming season of spookiness.

What Didn't Work (for me)
Erin Bow has written one of my favorite posts ever about book reviews. (https://www.erinbow.com/single-post/2013/10/07/Cilantro-and-Werewolves-Advice-to-Authors-on-Bad-Reviews) She wrote it from the perspective of a writer reading reviews, but I like to keep her thoughts in mind when I'm a reader reviewing books too. And I thought a lot about the concepts of cilantro and werewolves while I was reading The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel.

In Bow's parlance, a person's reaction to cilantro is a matter of taste. Some people just don't like cilantro. The same goes for book genres. Generally, I'm not a big fan of YA romance, supernatural or not, but there are exceptions. In fact, the biggest surprise of the year for me was how much I enjoyed Maggie Stiefvater's All the Crooked Saints. It was a book I probably wouldn't have read if I hadn't won it in a contest. So I knew going in that The Spellbook of Katrina Van Vassel wasn't in my ideal choice of genres and I was ready to make allowances for that.

But still... Ichabod and Katrina were just *so* perfect together. Everyone (other than Brom and Katrina's father) loves them both together. Isn't a protagonist allowed to have flaws? And for a being social outcasts (due to Brom's insensitivity), Charlotte and her mother seem to do pretty well...aside from being shunned at parties. Also, everyone has a ton of free time and older adults are miraculously absent from goings-on. It was many of the things that I (perhaps unfairly) pin on the YA genre.

To return to Bow's thoughts on reviews, the concept of werewolves is this: a reader brings their own agenda to a book. "This biography of Teddy Roosevelt was pretty good, but it didn't have nearly enough werewolves in it for me." Obviously, werewolves in a nonfiction biography of Roosevelt is an unfair expectation. I don't think I am being unfair when I expect a book called The __Spellbook__ of Katrina Van Tassel, set in Sleepy Hollow, released in October to have some strong supernatural aspects. And this story really doesn't. There are some dreams and visions and a bit of off-scene action that we are meant to take as supernatural. Mostly, this book is a star-crossed romance that is eventually complicated by a missing person mystery (that no one bothers to really investigate until two years later).

The actual spellbook of the title is the book of regional lore that Katrina begins to write as she is Ichabod-less and trying to find some joy in the second half of the book. It's a very nice metaphor, but not what I was expecting.

I feel like there were many opportunities when Palombo might have taken the story in a direction that might have resulted in more tension in the plot, but those are werewolves that I shouldn't bring into this book.

Overall
If you're looking for a romance between two young people in sort-of 1790s New England with a little paranormal pumpkin spice seasoning, The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel might be the book for you. If you're looking for a story that veers closer to the more recent movie or television adaptations of Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleep Hollow," gallop past.