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 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 review has taken me longer to write than I expected—and not because I didn’t absolutely adore the book (I did). It’s not that I wasn’t fascinated by the characters either; they’re still living rent-free in my soul. I hope I made that clear when I chose Brom Bones for a Favorite Fictional Character post. It’s also not because Christina Henry didn’t craft one of the most unputdownable books I’ve held in a long time. I honestly read until I was too damn tired to keep my eyes open.
What I’ve struggled with is how to review this book without spoiling anything. The plot points I most want you to discover for yourselves are so tightly woven into the fabric of the story that discussing them at all would give something away. And that would be, to borrow a phrase, a crying shame.
What I can say is that this is Ben’s story, and at fourteen, he commands it in a way that many adults can’t manage. He’s not perfect—he makes bad decisions, often because he has the emotional and mental maturity of a typical kid his age—but he’s also a young man who knows who he is and how he fits into the world around him. He's one of those rare young characters I can't help but look up to.
I also want to briefly touch on how impressed I am with the author’s ability to build upon an existing classic while making it completely her own—without compromising the original material or making it feel small or dated. Horseman feels like a natural continuation of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow—a continuation I hope you’ll read for yourself.
6 comments:
Oh, I know the feeling of trying to dance around spoilers. Most books I read are full of twists and turns, especially of the supernatural kind, and it's exhausting to dodge them while trying to convey your enthusiasm for a story LOL. It's intriguing that such a young character would be one you can look upon to. Also intriguing that a Sleepy Hollow follow-up could work so well.
Hi Ryan, found my way here after seeing your comment on Tracy's blog about The Historian, I'm always interested in people who enjoy the same kind of books as me. I will look up The Horseman as it sounds like my kind of thing. Have you read any of John Connolly's 'Charlie Parker' books? I think I would have to name him as my favourite supernatural/horror writer.
He's one of those characters who sense of self, of who he is, is so grounded within himself, it's impossible not to admire him.
Hi! I haven't read any of them, but they've been on my list for years. It's nice to meet you.
I like Henry so I need to read this one
This is the only book I've read by her, but I really would like yo fix that.
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