Audiobook Review – Horseman: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow by Christina Henry, Narrated by Em Grosland (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Horror/Dark Fantasy
Length: 8 hours and 45 minutes
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Release Date: September 28, 2021
ASIN: B08T6PF5D9
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed Audiobook from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars
“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 30 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”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed this as an audiobook from the library.
Thoughts: I have always loved The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and I always really enjoy Henry’s stories, so I was very excited to read this book and it did not disappoint. This book follows Brom’s daughter (who identifies as a boy), Ben. It’s been more than 30 years since Ichabod Crane was chased from Sleepy Hollow by Brom. Suddenly boys are being found dead in the woods and Ben is hearing something from the woods as well. What unravels makes Ben question both his sanity and his family’s past. I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was well done.
This book is creepy, dark, and a bit gorey as well. I enjoyed the way the story unfolded, there are some excellent twists and turns here and it kept me engaged and guessing. I loved Ben, Brom and Katrina, they were very well done characters.
In addition to the creepy mystery of the fast-decomposing murdered boys being found in the forest, Ben is struggling to get her grandmother (Katrina) to accept her identity as a boy. This was an interesting side story and ties into the whole mystery of the Horseman as well.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I really enjoyed this. It is a dark and creepy extension of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It was very well done and entertaining to read. I would recommend this story to those who like dark, slightly supernatural mystery types of stories or to those intrigued by the original Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Henry is an author I always really enjoy and this was another excellent story by her.
