The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! đ
dani17731's review against another edition
4.0
âIt wasnât that people didnât care; it was that they accepted horror in exchange for wonder.â
Christina Henry does not miss! I really enjoyed this retelling/update of Sleepy Hollow. Fourteen-year-old Ben loves to play Sleepy Hollow boys in the woods with their best friend, Sander. But when they stumble across the headless body of a child in the woods near the village, the sinister discovery makes Ben question everything the adults in Sleepy Hollow have ever said. Could the Horseman be real after all? Or does something even more sinister stalk the woods?
This story packed a lot into few pages. Ben* is the granddaughter of the larger than life Brom and the beautiful and wealthy Katrina, and has been raised by them after the death of her parents when she was young. She loves being wild and free and living up to her infamous grandfather, as well as trying to outrun the expectations and restraints that society places on girls and women during this time period. Ben was an interesting character and I had no idea how their story would end. I loved the world building here, and the lore of the Headless Horseman was fun to figure out. I felt a great sense of unease while reading, and thatâs exactly the type of horror/thriller I enjoy. The atmosphere was fantastic and made for a fast-paced read.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy.
*
Christina Henry does not miss! I really enjoyed this retelling/update of Sleepy Hollow. Fourteen-year-old Ben loves to play Sleepy Hollow boys in the woods with their best friend, Sander. But when they stumble across the headless body of a child in the woods near the village, the sinister discovery makes Ben question everything the adults in Sleepy Hollow have ever said. Could the Horseman be real after all? Or does something even more sinister stalk the woods?
This story packed a lot into few pages. Ben* is the granddaughter of the larger than life Brom and the beautiful and wealthy Katrina, and has been raised by them after the death of her parents when she was young. She loves being wild and free and living up to her infamous grandfather, as well as trying to outrun the expectations and restraints that society places on girls and women during this time period. Ben was an interesting character and I had no idea how their story would end. I loved the world building here, and the lore of the Headless Horseman was fun to figure out. I felt a great sense of unease while reading, and thatâs exactly the type of horror/thriller I enjoy. The atmosphere was fantastic and made for a fast-paced read.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy.
*
Spoiler
I believe that Ben is written as being a trans boy, but I didn't include that in the above review because some people may see it as a spoiler.erinc82's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this one! It held my interest and was fast paced.
abookishwasp's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
adevilsmind's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Minor: Transphobia
theobscureboleyngirl's review against another edition
2.0
âNobody from the Hollow ever went beyond that place where the track ended. That was the realm of beings that we didnât want to disturb.â
Tim Burtonâs 1999 horror classic, Sleepy Hollow, ranks among my favourite movies and it is at the top of my watchlist every October. When Henry announced that she had wrote her own retelling of the classic tale, I immediately went to NetGalley to request an ARC and pre-ordered my own copy for good measure. When my request was denied, I was actually a bit relieved since I knew I wouldnât have been able to wait until Halloween had I been approved, and I was anticipating a haunting, atmospheric read that would be perfect for spooky season.
The beginning of this book had everything I was looking for in a great fall read, the creepy vibes were on point, the beloved characters were familiar and I could not have been more excited after the first few chapters. Unfortunately, thatâs where my enjoyment ended. The Headless Horseman is truly terrifying, a villain of epic proportions and he is left as an under developed side character that had very little connection to the events unfolding in the book.
The mix of Victorian society and modern issues made for a choppy story. The question of the main characterâs gender identiy becomes a central point but feels poorly handled and much like an add on when it has very little bearing on the rest of the story. Given the unusual mix of themes, I was expecting a twist similar to M. Night Shyamalanâs 2004 thriller, The Village, where {spoiler alert} the whole community is actually living in modern time, but isolated from the rest of society. That wouldnât have necessarily made for a better book but it might have explained the use of this key plot point.
At the end of the day, I wanted to love this book. I was sure that I would enjoy any tale told with these characters and in this setting but in the end, they were the only reason I was able to finish this book at all. Earlier this year, I read The Mermaid by Henry and enjoyed it but was disappointed by the extremely short conclusion which was also present at the end of this book. Iâm not sure if that is a trademark of Henryâs writing but it makes me reluctant to pick up more of her books in the future.
TWâ ď¸ Death; child, parent, murder, dismemberment, sexual assault, physical assault, patriarchal society views.
Tim Burtonâs 1999 horror classic, Sleepy Hollow, ranks among my favourite movies and it is at the top of my watchlist every October. When Henry announced that she had wrote her own retelling of the classic tale, I immediately went to NetGalley to request an ARC and pre-ordered my own copy for good measure. When my request was denied, I was actually a bit relieved since I knew I wouldnât have been able to wait until Halloween had I been approved, and I was anticipating a haunting, atmospheric read that would be perfect for spooky season.
The beginning of this book had everything I was looking for in a great fall read, the creepy vibes were on point, the beloved characters were familiar and I could not have been more excited after the first few chapters. Unfortunately, thatâs where my enjoyment ended. The Headless Horseman is truly terrifying, a villain of epic proportions and he is left as an under developed side character that had very little connection to the events unfolding in the book.
The mix of Victorian society and modern issues made for a choppy story. The question of the main characterâs gender identiy becomes a central point but feels poorly handled and much like an add on when it has very little bearing on the rest of the story. Given the unusual mix of themes, I was expecting a twist similar to M. Night Shyamalanâs 2004 thriller, The Village, where {spoiler alert} the whole community is actually living in modern time, but isolated from the rest of society. That wouldnât have necessarily made for a better book but it might have explained the use of this key plot point.
At the end of the day, I wanted to love this book. I was sure that I would enjoy any tale told with these characters and in this setting but in the end, they were the only reason I was able to finish this book at all. Earlier this year, I read The Mermaid by Henry and enjoyed it but was disappointed by the extremely short conclusion which was also present at the end of this book. Iâm not sure if that is a trademark of Henryâs writing but it makes me reluctant to pick up more of her books in the future.
TWâ ď¸ Death; child, parent, murder, dismemberment, sexual assault, physical assault, patriarchal society views.
sprainedbrain's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
cyireadbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Horseman is the first novel that Iâve read from Christina Henry. Based on the blurb and the novelâs description, I was excited to start reading the book. The cover is creepy and mysterious enough to pique any readerâs interest. But like most things, you canât judge a book by its cover. Not to say that I didnât like the book. I did like it, but I didnât jump out of my seat or had sleepless nights while reading it. I probably just expected a lot more than a bad dream kind of novel.
No doubt the characters are developed. But Iâm not sure if a Dutch-based town was an appropriate setting for a novel as dark as Horseman. Perhaps my reluctance on having a Dutch town is partially due to my being unfamiliar with pronunciations and the daily vernacular (Oma, Opa, etc.)
The storyline flows nicely, with occasional surprises sprinkled throughout. But there werenât enough surprises in my opinion to get that âunputdownableâ vibe. Three likable stars.
I received a digital ARC from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
No doubt the characters are developed. But Iâm not sure if a Dutch-based town was an appropriate setting for a novel as dark as Horseman. Perhaps my reluctance on having a Dutch town is partially due to my being unfamiliar with pronunciations and the daily vernacular (Oma, Opa, etc.)
The storyline flows nicely, with occasional surprises sprinkled throughout. But there werenât enough surprises in my opinion to get that âunputdownableâ vibe. Three likable stars.
I received a digital ARC from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
suvata's review against another edition
5.0
⢠Horror ⢠Retelling ⢠Fantasy ⢠5 Stars
In this atmospheric, terrifying novel that draws strongly from "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," spinning an engaging and frightening new story from a classic tale.
Everyone in Sleepy Hollow knows about the Horseman, but no one really believes in him. Not even Ben Van Brunt's grandfather, Brom Bones, who was there when it was said the Horseman chased the upstart Crane out of town. Brom says that's just legend, the village gossips talking.
More than thirty years after those storied events, the village is a quiet place. Fourteen-year-old Ben loves to play "Sleepy Hollow boys," reenacting the events Brom once lived through. But then Ben and a friend stumble across the headless body of a child in the woods near the village, and the discovery makes Ben question everything the adults in Sleepy Hollow have ever said.
Could the Horseman be real after all? Or does something even more sinister stalk the woods?
#Bookstagram #ChristinaHenry #Horseman #SleepyHollow
In this atmospheric, terrifying novel that draws strongly from "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," spinning an engaging and frightening new story from a classic tale.
Everyone in Sleepy Hollow knows about the Horseman, but no one really believes in him. Not even Ben Van Brunt's grandfather, Brom Bones, who was there when it was said the Horseman chased the upstart Crane out of town. Brom says that's just legend, the village gossips talking.
More than thirty years after those storied events, the village is a quiet place. Fourteen-year-old Ben loves to play "Sleepy Hollow boys," reenacting the events Brom once lived through. But then Ben and a friend stumble across the headless body of a child in the woods near the village, and the discovery makes Ben question everything the adults in Sleepy Hollow have ever said.
Could the Horseman be real after all? Or does something even more sinister stalk the woods?
#Bookstagram #ChristinaHenry #Horseman #SleepyHollow
christopherwilson13's review against another edition
2.0
this inspired me to watch "Sleepy Hollow," so that was nice. really good movie!