The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel

A Story of Sleepy Hollow

By: Alyssa Palombo

Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik

"The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel enchants with a concoction of love, longing, and loss plucked from the bones of one of our most enduring and haunting legends." (Erin Lindsay McCabe, USA Today best-selling author of I Shall Be Near to You)

When Ichabod Crane arrives in the spooky little village of Sleepy Hollow as the new schoolmaster, Katrina Van Tassel is instantly drawn to him. Through their shared love of books and music, they form a friendship that quickly develops into romance. Ichabod knows that as an itinerant schoolteacher of little social standing, he has nothing to offer the wealthy Katrina - unlike her childhood friend turned enemy, Brom Van Brunt, who is the suitor Katrina’s father favors.

But when romance gives way to passion, Ichabod and Katrina embark on a secret love affair, sneaking away into the woods after dark to be together - all while praying they do not catch sight of Sleepy Hollow’s legendary Headless Horseman. That is, until All Hallows’ Eve, when Ichabod suddenly disappears, leaving Katrina alone and in a perilous position.

Enlisting the help of her friend - and rumored witch - Charlotte Jansen, Katrina seeks the truth of Ichabod Crane’s disappearance, investigating the forest around Sleepy Hollow using unconventional - often magical - means. What they find forces Katrina to question everything she once knew and to wonder if the Headless Horseman is perhaps more than just a story after all.

In Alyssa Palombo's The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel, nothing is as it seems, and love is a thing even death won't erase.

©2018 Alyssa Palombo (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

So good!

I loved this book! I love anything Sleepy Hollow related & this was no exception! As for a review calling it just a bodice ripper- yes, there’s sex. Very well written sex scenes, mind you & the book is definitely NOT about sex or even those scenes. It’s a romance story with horror / supernatural elements & like any good adult romance, there is good sex involved. I love how Katrina is written in this book; she reminds me of Disney’s version of Belle in many ways. 5/5 stars from me, and I’ll probably listen to this one again next Halloween season!

Perfect for Halloween season!

Kept me intrigued the whole way. Now I know what happened to Ichabod Crane! One of my childhood Halloween favorites

Wonderful reimagining

Perfect little love story and a delightful reimagining of a beloved story. Perfect for Halloween.

Great Halloween Read

The legend of Sleepy Hollow has always been one of my favorite spooky stories. As a child I was riveted by Disney's version and Alyssa Palombo has brought this tale to life for me as an adult.
The retelling of this classic story follows a headstrong Katrina and gives life to her side of the events that we have all heard before.
This novel was a great read and impossible to put down. I was drawn in immediately and was sorry when it came to a close.

Excellent story weaving

A refreshing take on the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The lives and relationships of the characters are expertly woven with the series of events and the lore and time of the town.

Well-researched, but an unconvincing love story

First off, this author clearly did a lot of historical research when writing this novel. It was really cool to see real events that were happening in America at this time tie into the story. The dialogue between characters was also very fitting for the time period! So, while I loved the history and the retelling of the story of Sleepy Hollow from Katrina's perspective, the love between her and Ichabod felt extremely rushed. I felt like I was not able to build a connection to them early enough, so it was tough for me to root for them throughout the story. The romance scenes felt repetitive and kind of boring. Katrina also felt a bit too whiny and I thought she took advantage of the best character in the book: Charlotte. I want another novel but I want it to be all about Charlotte! 🤣 Anyway, the witchy stuff was a fun twist, and I am happy Charlotte got her happy ending!

The Sleepy Hollow story I've always wanted

I loved this in-depth re-imagining of the classic story. It was a perfect October read and took me right to the Hudson River Valley during the infancy of the United States. Each character was well-drawn, and the narrator did an especially good job of portraying each of them in a unique way.

Outstanding.

Loved it.
Excellent narration.
likeable and unlikeable characters.
Wonderful retelling of classic tales.
Would love to see more works by Alyssa Palombo.

You get what you expect

This is a retelling of the legend of sleepy hollow from the point of view of a character we don't get to hear from in the original. For this kind of retelling, you get basically what you would expect without any major surprises. The writing is decent, but I'm probably not the target audience. While there were not surprises, the ending was decent and it made me wonder what happened to the protagonist after the story ends. #magical #retelling #suspensful #earlyamerica #perspective #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

Perfect Fall Read!

A well-told and captivating story. I enjoyed listening to this on walks as the Summer is changing to Fall.