Thank you to the publisher for an early copy of Horseman by Christina Henry! This was a highly anticipated book for me and I did read it before release day, but have not got around go sending my review. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and visiting Sleepy Hollow once again with a different perspective to the original story. As a horror reader, I have really fallen in love with Christina Henry’s writing, and in this book you can tell her writing has evolved through the years. The queer representation in this book was greatly done. I truly felt that aside from the original Sleepy Hollow story and the horrorific events that occurred in the book, that the story was more of a coming of age story. It also felt very YA for me, which is getting harder for me to read as I get older. Unfortunately this was not my favorite book by her but I would recommend it to some of my subscribers looking for a coming of age story with horror.

If I was the author; Henry, I would be afraid that the ghost of Washington Irving would come out of his grave and kill me! This book was such a 'wanna be sequel' that it was a mockery. And evidently Christina Henry knows nobody that could EVEN POSSIBLY be trans gendered. She is OBSESSED with the subject of this, that it ruined what could have been a good story.....

Okay, this authors works are evidently NOT for me. This is the 3rd (the first two i DNF'd half way thru) book that I have attempted to read or listen to by her, and I actually finished listening to it. The only thing that was even clever about this book was that she used some of the characters from the original literature classic; The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow. The story was so SO predictable by the first 25% of it, that it just becomes more and more of a joke. There were some timidly suspenseful scenes that just never worked out to be scary, where as Henry really could have made this a very creepy and scary story. It just did not work as 'A tale of Sleepy Hollow'.
I can and would only recommend this to a 12 year old who is just starting to experiment with monster tales. I was SO glad that i did not spend money on this one.
Thanks NetGalley
I won't be reading anymore of her works......sorry. IMO; skip this one.
2 🥱🥱

In this novel that draws strongly from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Christina Henry has created a haunting sequel that digs deeper into the tale of the Ichabod Crane, Brom and Kristina, and the Horseman.

It has been more than thirty years since the Horseman chased Ichabod Crane from Sleep Hollow. Brom and Katrina are married and are now raising their grandchild. Fourteen-year-old Ben loves to play “Sleepy Hollow boys” and reenact Crane being chased by the Horseman. But one day while playing, Ben and a friend stumble across a headless body in the woods. Could the Horseman have done this?

Ben is now determined to find out the truth about the Horseman, a being she longs to ride with. Why does he have such a pull on her? Could it be because her grandmother, Katrina, always wants her to dress like a girl and do girlish things even though she is a tomboy who loves to wear breeches and roam the woods?

She learns from her grandfather (a man she had no clue was her grandfather) about the Kludde, a creature he claims followed someone to Sleepy Hollow from Germany. Is the Kludde responsible for the mysterious deaths that have taken place?

The Horseman was unputdownable from the first page. I love The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and this book only adds to my pleasure of that timeless tale. It is the perfect sequel to that story, answering many of the questions it left in my mind while creating a few of its own. The setting is wonderfully creepy, the characters are well-developed, and the story is magnificent.

If you are looking for a spooky gothic horror novel to get you in the mood for Halloween, Horseman: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow by Christina Henry is a great choice. Horseman is essentially a sequel to Washington Irving’s famous tale, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. That story was written two hundred years ago, but still is still relevant. In the original story, Ichabod Crane, a schoolteacher, has set his sights on winning Katrina Van Tassel’s hand in marriage. Crane is awkward and skinny and is competing with “Brom Bones” Van Brandt who has loved Katrina since he was a boy.
Washington Irving described Sleepy Hollow as a place where a dreamy influence pervades the atmosphere and the residents believe the town is bewitched and rife with ghosts and hauntings. The best known and most feared is the “headless horseman,” an apparition believed to be that of a dead soldier who had been decapitated by a cannonball during the American Revolutionary War, a decade earlier. In his story, Brom Bones is annoyed with Crane’s attempts to woo Katrina, and late one night plans his revenge. Crane believes in all of the local ghost stories, particularly the headless horseman. After going for a late night ride, Crane is chased by the headless horseman. Racing to reach a bridge that the horseman cannot cross, Crane is too slow. The horseman heaves his head at Crane, knocking him off his own horse. Crane is never seen again, but Irving hints that Crane’s tormentor was really Brom Bones and that Crane left town because he was ashamed.
Henry has taken Washington Irving’s story as the factual background and reimagined it to take place 20 years later. Brom did marry Katrina and is the wealthiest farmer in the town. They are raising their granddaughter Bente who is a teenager. By this point in the life of the town, it is still secluded and dreamy and ghosts are accepted as being real. Bente does not identify as being female, and the townsfolk are largely accepting of her gender determination, even calling her “Ben”. Ben can sense that that there is unrest in the spirit world, and this is supported when boys start dying in gruesome manners. It is up to her and Brom to save the town from the horror that has settled over it.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Horseman to everyone who liked the original. It has all of the atmospheric mandates of a gothic horror: ghosts, ghouls, evil incarnate, spooky places, etc. It was a great mixture of sci-fi and horror. Plus it was satisfying to watch Ben mature and change. A good comparison would be The Turn of The Screw by Henry James and its retelling in present times by Ruth Ware in The Turn of The Key.

It may seem that I’m out of season for this one, but for me, it’s scary stories year-round! I absolutely loved Christina Henry’s Horseman. This author is known for writing novels reminiscent of classic fairy tales, so she’s been on my radar for some time. This book takes place some decades after the events of what we know as the classic headless horseman tale. The granddaughter of Katrina Van Tassel and Brom Van Brunt at 14 years old has always felt she were a boy. Ben enjoys playing in the dark forest, and discovers the body, sans head and hands, of a local village boy. Could it be the horseman has returned to terrorize the residents of Sleepy Hollow? Full of family secrets, various nods to the original Washington Irving legend, and struggling gender identity in a Victorian-era small town. I was captivated and quickly finished this in about 2 days. Age group would be teens-adults.

Fans of the tale of Sleepy Hollow are surely curious about Christina Henry's take on the matter, Horseman. Christina Henry is well known for her fairytale retellings, usually with a horror twist, and that is why I just knew I had to give this book a try.

It's been twenty years since the events of Sleepy Hollow, yet the town still remembers the legend of the Headless Horseman well. Especially young Ben, who loves to play pretend with these stories at the center.

Then one day, a headless body is found. This finding changes the course of history for Ben, the rest of the Van Brunt family, and even the town. However, none of them know it yet.

"Blood is its own kind of magic. It sustains life. It carries our history, all the blood that came before us…"

Wow. I knew that Christina Henry would find a way to make the tale of the headless Horseman her own, but I was not expecting this! Horseman is an absolutely fantastic read. One that is thrilling – and easy for fans to jump right into.

You don't need to know the whole legend to follow and appreciate this tale. All of the foundations are laid out for the readers, from the history of the Van Brunt family to the whole town – Crane included.

What blew me out of the water was not the horror part of this tale – but the human side of things. Ben's character is so human and so profound. There were a lot of surprises there, but I think they flowed so nicely into the original tale of the Horseman. I loved every bit of it.

I was surprised by how hard Horseman hit me emotionally. It got me tearing up a time or two – and that is something I was NOT expecting. I was expecting to shake in my boots if anything. Well done, Christina Henry. Well done.

Years after the events of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" Katrina and Brom Bones are raising their grandchild, the teller of this atmospheric tale. And what a tale Ben tells (and lives): children are being taken. The old man outside of town knows way too much. And the horseman, who was supposed to be a legend, is riding... Steeped in the old world and old traditions, Ben's town is going to face a reckoning. Henry brings new flavor to all her retellings, and in this one, Ben is struggling to be recognized as Brom Bones' grandson, despite being born his granddaughter. It's a poignant tale of a child growing up and trying to find his rightful place in a town the world has left behind. Recommended.

Wow! I was very pleasantly surprised by this Sleepy Hollow spin-off from Christina Henry. Thoroughly enjoyable, and will compel anyone to pick up the classic (or watch the wonderfully camp Johnny Depp flick).

Everyone knows about the Horseman in Sleepy Hollow. The story was that the headless horseman chased after the school teacher Ichabond Crane. Ichabond disappears for good. Did the headless horseman get him? Twenty -five years have passed. It opens with a girl named Bette who lives with her grandparents as her parents died when she was just a baby. Bente calls herself Ben. She doesn’t like wearing dresses or acting like a girl. She is 14 years old and loves playing in the woods nearby. She is playing Sleepy Hollow Boys with her only friend Sander. They hear horses coming, so they hide only to follow them. A boy is found dead. He has lost both hands and his head has been decapitated. She listens to the group of men discussing what caused the horrible murder. There is talk that it is the headless horseman. Is it possible or did someone else killed the boy? Ben is called a with by the dead boy’s father and wants to kill her. Ben is saved by her grandfather. Will the villagers find who killed the boy? Will Ben be safe?

Have you read “The Legend of Sleeping Hollow? “. It’s about a teacher named Ichabond Crane who falls in love with the richest girl in Sleepy Hollow, Crane gets told a story of the Headless Horseman. Crane does get to meet the Heaadless Horseman and disappears. In this sort of sequel, Ben is the one who discovers the truth about her parents death and wonders how many other secrets are in Sleepy Hollow. There are unexpected twists and turns in this delightful horror novel that I enjoyed. There is also written in the novel about transgender issues. I was delightfully surprised by this horror book. The secrets and surprises held my interest. I didn’t want the book to end! It’s an excellent horror novel.

Ever since picking up Henry’s book LOST BOY a few years ago I’ve been in love with her books and she quickly became an auto-buy author for me. I love the Legend of Sleepy Hollow so I was anxious to see what new spin Henry would bring to the Headless Horseman. While I love her writing this one wasn’t my favorite of her books – it was bound to happen! This book is leaning more towards a sequel than a retelling since it takes place decades after Ichabod Crane is chased out of Sleepy Hollow by the Horseman. With so much time passing the newer generations believe it just to be legend and the details are slowly forgotten. That is, of course, until the body of a young boy is found without its head.

I think things felt a little messy or just disconnected for me. It’s hard to explain because I was enjoying it while reading enough to easily finish it. Just a few pieces didn’t work the best for me in this case. Henry is still an auto-buy for me and I’m dying for her next book already!

An interesting take on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow several years down the road. It’s a bit spooky but not super scary. Tough issues that confront us even today are tackled. It was a good read.

The Headless Horseman story is just that ... a story, right? Everyone in Sleepy Hollow knows the story, but no one actually believes it. Even Brom Bones who claims to have been there when the Horseman chased the skinny Crane fellow out of town, no longer really believes in the old story.
Now, some two decades after the supposed events when the Horseman scared off ol' Ichabod, fourteen year old Ben van Brunt and some of the Sleepy Hollow boys often spend their playtime reenacting the Horseman exploits. When the youths discover the headless body of a child in the woods near town they start to question the stories and whether or not they may actually be real.

I've really come to look forward to each new Christina Henry book. Her dark takes on established stories and legends have really been thrilling and well-told. When I saw Horseman I thought it was perfectly natural for Henry to take a new look at The Legend of Sleepy Hollow story, and then I wondered how she could take a dark look at a story that is already pretty dark to begin with.

This book is a departure for Henry in that it isn't a re-telling of a legend or an alternate telling of an old story or a different viewpoint of a familiar legend. Horseman takes a youthful look at a story which, if true, is pretty darned frightening.

Henry plays with time in an interesting way here. The story is told in first-person, present tense, but it's twenty years after an inciting incident and it's still a couple hundred years in our past. The twenty years works well as it's more than a lifetime for our narrator, Ben, but not so long that there aren't people in town who remember when the Headless Horseman went on his wild ride. In fact Ben's uncle is Brom Bones - the man who claims to have witness the event.

But the book is less about the Horseman (if there is one) and more about Ben van Brunt. Ben, you see, is a girl. At least by the standards of the day, Ben would be considered a girl and she's got more than one old man looking to make her a bride. But Ben vehemently fights against the idea of being a girl. In today's world, Ben would be non-binary or gender neutral.

Because this is still rather uncommon (at least I haven't read many books with non-binary/gender neutral characters) the book becomes about Ben's gender identity without addressing it head-on. We don't know how Ben's friends or family feel about Ben's taking on the male persona. We don't know why Ben feels this way (and to be fair, that may be too big a question to put forth). What is Ben's future if not as a bride (remember, this is 1700's rural New York).And oh yeah, there may be a horseman out there killing people. Is that important?

For me, this was one of the weakest of Christina Henry's books. The Headless Horseman tale is really more of a bookend to a story about a girl named Ben.

Henry tries to wrap it up and bring the story back to the more famous tale with which we are familiar, but it tends to feel a bit tacked on.

Looking for a good book? Author Christina Henry has got a lot of really great books and I'd happily recommend most of them to any reader, but Horseman is one to skip for now.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a wonderful read for this time of year. I really enjoyed all of the characters and the general story was very intriguing. I wasn't a fan of the third act as much as I thought I would be and there were a few things that were left unanswered that I hoped we would learn more about, but I would definitely recommend this as a quick read for spooky season.

The headless horseman tale was one of my favorites as a kid. I watched the Disney cartoon repeatedly growing up. When I saw that this book was coming out I immediately put in on my TBR list.

This is the story of Ben van Brunt, a 14yr old that was born a girl but sees himself as a boy. He is raised by his grandparents after his parents die when he was very young. They live in the small village of Sleepy Hollow where tales of the headless horseman are believed to be true by many of the residents. One day Ben is playing in the woods with his best friend, Sander, when a child's headless, handless body is discovered. Ben is drawn to the woods and feels a bond with the legendary horseman. Is he real? He is determined to discover the truth about the horseman, the murder as well as the truth of his parents death. Is there something even more terrifying in the woods killing the villages residents?

I really enjoyed this tale of Sleepy Hollow. Christina Henry did a great job keeping true to the story and yet making it unique and suspenseful. There is a lot of tension and many heart pounding moments that make this a true cannot-put-down story. Highly recommend

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review #Horseman #NetGalley

This one surprised me. I've never read any of Christina Henry's retellings/reimaginings, so I had no idea where this story might take me. Talk about a twisty, horrifying tale! It was as dark as the night, and as dreamy as the stars.
Told from the POV of the granddaughter of Brom and Katrina, it's not your parents' Sleepy Hollow. Sure, the town hasn't changed, but the nature of the monster has. The story has influenced the townspeople and infected them with fear, and the outcome is wonderfully nightmarish.
As an added bonus, the granddaughter, Ben (Bente), offers a look into life as both a woman and a transgendered person in a time when it wasn't great to be either. But, Ben is lucky to have the protection of a powerful and loving family.
My decision to give 4 stars instead of 5 rests solely on the fact that a few parts were sluggish or awkward. The story's outcome is well worth the time, though, as it's basically a fairytale for adults and left me full of wonder.

First time I've read anything by this author and wow I can understand why others like to read her books, its the perfect mixture of spooky, and eerie, set in a re retting of a story that everyone knows.

I think that this book excelled in its overall concept, spooky and atmospheric writing, and the main character. I think that the main character was well realized but other characters in the book were a bit two-dimensional, especially the villain. I think this book was at its best when describing the chilling and yet somehow beautiful atmosphere of Sleepy Hollow. I like how Ben sort of created the Horseman with her belief and I really enjoyed the ending. This was an inventive take on the classic. I can't say that the writing style was my favorite, overall, but in the end I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Horseman is definitely different than I thought it would be, but in a really good way. Ben van Brunt is always true to himself, no matter what society thinks. I loved how Ben grew to understand his grandmother better even when they didn’t see eye to eye on things.

The spin on Sleepy Hollow’s legend was very interesting and well thought out. I enjoy when an author can stay true to the original tale, but give it their own designs. Christina Henry is a Master of this.

Horseman is the perfect book for the spooky season!

I received an advanced review copy of this book via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Christina Henry has a record of retelling well-known stories, but providing a new and different perspective. In this case, the story being retold is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, originally by Washington Irving. Perfect for the spooky season!

Henry’s retellings often include greater representation than was present in the original tales, including LGBTQ characters that were absent in previous accounts, and Horseman does not diverge from this pattern. We learn very early on in the story that Ben Van Brunt, the grandchild of Abraham Van Brunt and Katrina Van Tassel, was born Bente Van Brunt, and, while originally identified as female, does not himself so identify. Ben spends a good portion of the plot asserting his male identity, bristling at indicators that he should behave in a more ladylike fashion, embrace marriage and eventual motherhood, and not cavort about in the dirt and the trees. Henry includes problematic and very white examples of womanhood and beauty (emphasizing Ben’s grandmother’s disordered eating to “retain her girlish figure” and his mother’s fair skin and blue eyes as being “the very vision of feminine beauty”). Examples which arguably have been included in such a fashion to preserve an historically accurate perspective, but which could, perhaps, have had a more nuanced approach. To my mind, there are other ways to capture that dichotomy that do not further emphasize western beauty ideals, especially if you’re already rewriting the story.

Another point of contention I have with the book is just how very expository it is sometimes. There are places in the narrative where it would have been nicer to be shown, not told, the motivations of the characters, the foundations and histories of the townspeople, and the reactions and responses to events. The use of exposition rushes the story forward artificially and took me out of it during pivotal or heightened moments, thus undercutting the suspense that was so carefully built.

Horseman is still a book worth reading if you’ve been enamored of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow or if you want an easy and entertaining halloween read. It was lovely to see a trans character not defined by trauma, but exploring their identity and emerging self-assured and confident, as well as beloved, believed and ultimately supported by family. It was also wonderful to revisit a Sleepy Hollow of many years later and discover the real nature of the Headless Horseman.

Henry’s imaginative spirit and very evident fondness for the tales we were told as children shines through in this book. It is clear that she wants to examine and expand the worlds that were built for us in the past and she is, ultimately, successful. I wouldn’t say the book left me terrified or haunted, but it does remind the reader that, sometimes, we create our own demons.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Definitely not my typical read. For some reason I don't do much paranormal, but I do enjoy it. I also never did head The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow and thankfully that didn't affect this book. However, I feel if you had you may enjoy it a bit more, but only because you would have more backstory. That is just a guess so it would be interesting to see what someone had to say that's read both. You know me, I go in blind so I will not give anything away. I will say it's a perfect book for spooky season.