This was a fun, modern take on the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I actually hated the original version and found it dark, heavy, and bleak, but found this retake delightful.

I liked that this book had representation, we need more of that! However the rest of the story fell flat for me. Jumping back and forth in time can be confusing sometimes and I just want to focus on one story. It was nice they took a fresh perspective to an older story but I wanted more from it. Also the main person being over the historical event of the town is too much like Hocus Pocus.

Sleepy Hollow is a real place and so is everything else that was written in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It is about to be the 200th anniversary of the legend and the current Kat Von Tassel is completely uninterested in over it all. Her parents are convinced she's going to marry her boyfriend who she discovers is actually a jerk and starts hanging out with the new girl in town, who incidentally was related to Ichabod Crane. Kat's parents are concerned about her lack of interest in their heritage and give her the diary of the first Kat and she learns that they have a lot in common. It's neat that Kat is romantically interested in the female Crane but other than that the whole story fell flat. I listened to it as an audio and the narrator did a good job.

Fun, campy retelling of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I enjoyed the current and past timelines the author played with.

This book balances adaptation of the original story with modernization, giving us both Katrina's take of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the same sort of story playing out in the modern era. There are some interesting ne elements at play but isn't terribly compelling.

A great retelling/continuation of the headless horseman folk tale. I loved the character growth and self exploration in this novel. The dual narrator and going back and forth between past and present really helped to add to the suspense of the novel. A great spooky season read!

I honestly couldn't get past 20%. This book was boring, repetitive, and downright confusing. I was very excited at first, who doesn't love the legend of sleepy hollow. But it soon became a frustrating read that I dreaded listening to. The characters were frustrating. Her boyfriend was a flaming red flag from the get-go. The rules and the town made no sense. I couldn't even tell you half of what I read or what happened because I kept zoning out.
I couldn't stand the characters, their choices, their drives. But Kat most of all who is epitome "Not like other girls" to the point of mind-numbing.
Just bad in almost every way.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC and audiobook.


Description from NetGalley:
The two-hundredth anniversary of the Headless Horseman's legendary haunting of Sleepy Hollow is approaching, but Kat van Tassel wants nothing to do with the town's superstitious celebrations. As a descendant of the original Katrina van Tassel, Kat knows she’s expected to fulfill her ancestor’s legacy by someday marrying her longtime boyfriend and running the prestigious family estate. But Kat dreams of a life outside Sleepy Hollow.

Then Kat meets Isadora, a new girl in town who challenges Kat to reexamine those expectations, opens her eyes to the possibility that ghosts are real, and makes her question who she truly wants to be . . . and be with.

When Kat is given the original Katrina’s diary, a new legend begins to take shape, one that weaves together the past and the present in eerie ways. Can Kat uncover a two-hundred-year-old secret, and trace its shocking reverberations in her own life, in time to protect what she truly loves?

I really enjoyed this. The narrator did a great job, and the book is well written. I’m pretty sure this is the first of Kat and Isadora’s adventures in Sleepy Hollow as well. It is a mirror/retelling of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, which did leave me wanting some more. The diary pages did not read like diary pages, more like a second timeline, but I understand the set up.

Overall: 4/5

Kat van Tassel is the newest in a long ling of Katrina’s. She is a legacy. She is part of the town of Sleepy Hollow’s history. That history is celebrated every year, and this year, Kat missed it. She was engrossed in reading a book and missed the celebration of dusk a few days before Halloween. Sleep Hallow and its legend is a very big deal in her town. The schools are devoted to it, every business has something akin to the legend, etc. After missing the ceremony, Kat’s mom Trina begs her daughter not to go out after dark because: Beware the Headless Horseman.

Kat joins her boyfriend as they try to raise the spirit of the original Katrina. Kat has not desire to be there, but a good thing happens she meets Isadora Crow. Isadora is new to town. She is not into all the hype just like Kat. The two hit it off and discover that it is okay to more than like a person.

After that night Trina gives Kat the diary of the original Katrina. The story starts alternating between the two timelines. Both the reader and the characters see the similarities in Katrina’s and Kat’s realities. And the story moves forward.

I enjoyed this retelling. The author did a great job of incorporating characters such as the original author Washington Irving, as well as Ichabod Crane, Mr. Toad, etc. While the story is slow moving, it’s a slow burn romance with a little supernatural mixed in. Parts of the story, mainly the big reveal was predictable, but fits well with the story. There are certain characters I used to love in the original and now hate, but new characters have taken their place.

This was a great spooky tale for all ages. There is a scene where a tree bleeds on two girls, but that is as graphic as it gets. It is ready made to be a Disney movie. How the author incorporate the Headless horseman is unique and has me wanting more. And more could be available. The author steals a line from the Never-Ending Story twice: “But that’s another story”, so maybe there will be a sequel.

So, if you are looking for something atmospheric, and just a tad spooky for your October reading, pick this up in print or audio. It is well worth it. And as they say in Sleep Hallow, Beware the Headless Horseman.

With the 200th anniversary of the Sleepy Hollow's legendary Headless Horseman sighting fast approaching, Kat Van Tassel, descendant of Katrina Van Tassel, is thrown headfirst into a life that eerily mirrors that of the Original Katrina. When Kat starts reading her diary and notices many similarities in their lives, she seeks a way to change her life while still embracing everything that made her ancestor worthy of a place in Sleepy Hollow's history.

Raising the Horseman is written in alternating times. In present day, we meet Kat Van Tassel, reigning Katrina, daughter of Trina, who struggles through high school and a relationship with a gaslighting boyfriend. When she meets Isadora Crow, she begins to see her life from a new perspective.

When Kat reads Katrina Van Tassel's diary, we are transported to the past where Katrina, in a relationship with Brom, first meets Ichabod Crane. Katrina is immediately taken with Ichabod, but her life is consumed with her relationship, thoughts of the future she'd like to have and the ones her parents expect, and, of course, tales of the Headless Horseman.

Katrina's entries and the chapters spent in her past were fantastic. Katrina is a strong, intelligent character that knows what she wants and goes for it even if she may find out it was a mistake in the end. She doesn't spend a lot of time on regret, just moves right along. It was wonderful reading her entries and I was delighted any time she appeared in the story.

Kat, on the other hand, felt much like a caricature of a Gen Z teenager. Reading her chapters felt like ticking all of the stereotype boxes and the hot button topics. I did like that they addressed gaslighting and that Kat worked out in the end what to do with her relationship. However, it felt more like it was in the book just because it is a hot issue at the moment. It didn't have a parallel to the past or something that would have made it feel more genuine.

Overall, the story is good. Exciting at times and a little spooky. I would recommend this to teens who are looking for something a little spooky or are fans of the original work. I would definitely recommend the audiobook. The narration lends to the story. Sleepy Hollow feels like a story that needs to be told aloud and this audiobook does that well.

I listened to this one with Zach on our way to and from school and we finished it up on the drive back from Reno. We both really enjoyed it for different reasons: I loved it for the modern twist on the Headless Horseman story and Zach loved it for its spooky vibes, mysterious plot and dynamic characters. I think this will be a new thing we do on the way to school and home from school from now on.

Every descendant of the original Katrina Van Tassle is named after her. They are fated to inherit the family business, land and wealth so long as they share a name. They have been blonde and beautiful for generations and marry burly men who take their last name and work the fields. Kat is different. She thought she loved Blake... but she loves to read and wants to go to college out of town. Will fate have her follow in her legacy's footsteps, or will she be free to make her own way? Read on to find out!

What I love:
I love the play on names.
There are so many literary allusions and homages to the original text that it makes my English teacher soul happy.
I love the modern romance aspect.
I love the twist on the legend. None of the characters are whom you thought you knew... all of them are different in a delightful way!
The Headless Horseman - oh man. Even though he's a ghost, he may be my favorite character in this story!

The narrator was okay, though definitely not impressive. The story tried to hard to merge Disney Sleepy Hollow with the original story snd the 90s movie. And, the time jumps made it hard to stay focused. But, a good book for teens that could use an understanding of gaslighting.

So.Much.Potential… So.Much.Disappointment
I had such high hopes for this book. I’ve read other books by the author and some have been great. Her name was my initial draw for this choice. Also, I’m going to be teaching The Legend of Sleepy Hollow this year, and I was so excited to pair this as an alternate perspective, leading to so many great lessons and assignments. Alas… There will be no such pairing.

The story is just lackluster. It is told from two different perspectives: the “original” Katrina Von Tassel and her great-great-great whatever granddaughter Kat. (Yes, the family names the daughter in each generation some version of the original). But from the beginning it was clear that there would be lots of leaps of faith.

The story establishes over and over how tradition rules the land - Each generation of Kats is expected to stay in Sleepy Hollow and may try her childhood boyfriend, then take over the family estate. If the daughters are the descendants, and the family keep tradition and doesn’t modernize, why is Kat’s father’s last name Von Tassel? Did he actually take her mother’s last name?
There is a lot of mention of the Hessian soldier who was the headless horseman, yet no description of him.
The modern storyline is almost nonexistent. It’s Kat texting with people and reading the diary of the “original” Katrina (yes, that’s what she’s called). And repeating the same things over and over.
As she and Isodora Crow read about Mr. VonTassel calling Ikabod Crane , “Mr. Crow,” how can anyone (well, Kat and her mom … Isadora knows) possibly never make the connection to “big reveal”?
The whole story was boring and seemed very “phoned-in” by the author. Referring to candles in the woods “looking like little points of light” - really? Umm … they ARE little points of light.
On top of all of this, the narrator was horrible. Her voices are so caricature, and so cartoony, it was almost as if she was mocking the story itself. It seemed like the narrator realized how bad the book was, so decided to lean into that and make the audiobook even more ridiculous.
I’d pass on this and hope the author gets her mojo back for her next attempt.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #Disney Audiobooks for the ALC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you NetGalley and Disney Audiobooks for the audio-ARC of this title.

Kat van Tassel can't wait to leave her hometown of Sleepy Hollow. However, she comes from a long line of women named Katrina who have lived in Sleepy Hollow for generations and carry the legend of the Headless Horseman with them. As the 200th anniversary of the haunting of the Headless Horseman approaches, Kat's mother gives her a diary belonging to the first Katrina of her line, which offers Kat some clarity about her family history and the legend that permeates her life.

I recognize that I'm not the target audience for this book, but I was excited to read it for readers advisory for teens. I think Raising the Horseman suffers from a similar issue that the other titles in this Disney retelling collection: it would have done better as a middle grade novel. The writing style and plot are more reminiscent of middle grade, but the characters are 17/18 and dealing with problems like toxic and abusive relationships, pressure to get married, etc. I liked how these topics were presented for a younger audience, but it really did feel like it was for a younger audience.

I'm giving this 2.5 stars, rounded to 3. I don't think it's a bad book and I do think some of my teens would enjoy it, especially gearing up for Halloween. It's an atmospheric story with some lovely wisdom about interpersonal relationships sprinkled throughout, I just can't get past the confusion in audience.

A queer retelling of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I fell in love with this book almost instantly. I did not want to put it down and will be buying the audiobook when it comes out. It flips between two time periods, but it is still easy to follow.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 🎧

Just in time for Halloween comes a sequel to the story of Sleepy Hollow and the Headless Horseman in this twisted fairy tale. I’ve always loved the story of Sleepy Hollow and this picks up in the present with the descendent of Katrina van Tassel. Plus, it’s so fun to hear the story from Katrina’s perspective of what happened with the Headless Horseman, Ichabod Crane and Sleepy Hollow.

Thank you @netgalley and Disney Audiobooks for selecting me to listen to this advanced copy of #RaisngTheHorseman.

#netgalley
#readmorebooks
#twistedfairytales
#mybookishlife

Kat Van Tassel doesn’t hold much stock in the stories of her ancestors. A headless horseman who rides through the night protecting her family from harm. There is no such thing. Only fairytales. Kat in fact longs for nothing more then to get out of Sleepy Hallow and explore the world. Yet when things start to happen in town, including a newcomer, will Kat learn that fairytales are not always what they seem and that some ghosts are very much real.
I loved this book. It was such a fun way to come at a legend so many of us know and love. Balancing the book with the original Katrina’s story was just the perfect way to tie the two stories together beautifully. I would love to hear more of this tale. I hope that this is not the last time we hear from Kat and of the ghosts from Sleepy Hallow.
Thank you so much to Disney and Netgalley for allowing me access to an advance copy of this title.

Valentino's modern take on the retelling of Ichabod Crane's story (which follows Katrina Van Tassel and her female descendents) is a spooky and beautiful coming-of-age story that touches on friendships, relationships, family, traditions, and personal values. Framing Kat Van Tassel's coming life decisions inside her famous ancestor's own story recorded in her diary emphasizes not only traditional family values, but also the importance of making decisions for one's self. A clever and thoroughly enjoyable tale for Autumn lovers and MG/YA readers, "Raising the Horseman" is a definite must-read!

Even the premise of this book couldn't save it for me--it was predictable and wasn't as compelling as I'd hoped it would be.

The narrator can make or break an audiobook. Unfortunately, the latter is true in this case. The narrator reads in a slow monotone, changing only to an annoying high pitched shriek when she’s portraying adult figures in the story. I barely lasted 20 minutes before I had to give up. I like the premise of the book and will look for a print version to read