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bookjunquettes's review
Evening, my delicious crumpets!!
How are my darlings this fine December eve??
As promised, I am delving back into the world of book reviews and started with one that holds a special place in my heart: Crane by Stacey Rourke.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has always held a very special in my heart, for obvious reasons. And trust me, Stacey does not disappoint!
How I've gone so many years without reading this beauty, is beyond me!
Without giving too much away, Stacey manages to bring varying aspects and characters of the Hollow into the story, in a wonderful mismatch of old and new lore.
From the first chapter to the epilogue, this story was a wild ride! Finished in barely a day, so you know the story was amazing!
Please! Go forth! Find this wonderful book, the first in the Legends Saga, and devour it, much as I did!
Until next time, my darlings!
~ Tara xx
How are my darlings this fine December eve??
As promised, I am delving back into the world of book reviews and started with one that holds a special place in my heart: Crane by Stacey Rourke.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has always held a very special in my heart, for obvious reasons. And trust me, Stacey does not disappoint!
How I've gone so many years without reading this beauty, is beyond me!
Without giving too much away, Stacey manages to bring varying aspects and characters of the Hollow into the story, in a wonderful mismatch of old and new lore.
From the first chapter to the epilogue, this story was a wild ride! Finished in barely a day, so you know the story was amazing!
Please! Go forth! Find this wonderful book, the first in the Legends Saga, and devour it, much as I did!
Until next time, my darlings!
~ Tara xx
mellhay's review
3.0
I was drawn into the story because I love the Headless Horseman stories. This is a twist on that tale with a lead to more to come. We follow the murder's of the Headless Horseman in both times. There is more to the story than simply a headless man cutting off heads.
****FULL REVIEW****
*This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com, at my request.
The Van Tassel's helped build this town. Now, Tarrytown has just had Vic Van Tassel murdered in a hotel parking lot. Decapitated. Ireland Crane has only been in Sleepy Hollow for one week, and now has the cops at her doorstep. Vic Van Tassel's body was found with her last name carved into his chest. The police think it's a copy cat of the old legends. But tell Ireland to keep an eye out, with her last name she just might become a target...wanting to act out the legend with an actual Crane. Ireland finds an old man claiming to have woken from a sleeping spell because the Headless Horseman has returned. He's to teach her how to control the horseman, but he finds she's branded with the Headless Horseman's mark. What does it mean?
I had the pleasure of listening to this story. Karen has vocalized this story in voices slightly different for each character in sound and persona. I got a kick out of her drunken slurring in the first chapter. We do get a story from past and present, in which Karen has different sounds in speech for different time frames. The dialog for the characters in the past is something I didn't ever grow accustom to, though did feel to get better toward the end of the book. Each word spoken felt stiff and as if it was a sentence of it's own. I know it's of a time that is speech is proper and people watched what they said, but there didn't feel as if there was a flow to the words spoken. The story and narration of the rest of the story (past and current) along with dialog in present time were read with flow.
We get two stories in one. Boy oh boy do they parallel each other! We get Ichabod's story as he falls for Katrina and his friends, Washington Irving and Rip Van Winkle. The story of Ichabod's life isn't as it's told in Irving's books, and there's a very good reason for that. We get Ireland Crane's story in the present as she's new to Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow. And how Ireland's life gets flipped upside down with Rip van Winkle waking in a secret room in her basement. Ireland's life is extremely similar to Ichabod's life, yet the two stories are unique in their own telling. Reading Ichabod's story gives us answers as things escalate in the present time, and fall into similar events as Ichabod's time. There is a reason for all of this.
We follow the murder's of the Headless Horseman in both times. There is more to the story than simply a headless man cutting off heads. There is also a question I'm curious to see explained in relation to the Headless Horseman. How to control him. There is indication of a talisman, which is in two forms. But also, there seems to be control in way of 'payment' (per say) which is used. It seems to me others could use this 'payment' method to make a deal and control the Headless Horseman at any time. I'm curious to see how this plays out in the series.
I was drawn into the story because I love the Headless Horseman stories. This is a twist on that tale with a lead to more to come. I felt for Ichabod and those around him. I was irritated by Rip's actions in the new town they arrive in, he's different in present though. I guess he's slept that desire away? lol. Ireland feels as she's a hard shelled character in the beginning. She's moved to Sleepy Hollow to start anew and leave things in the past, an ex-fiance that's turned her from her desires. The things she's unknowingly done here in Tarrytown are going to be an obstacle for her. But she's got a chance at a relationship, maybe. Ireland starts to grow toward the end of the story. She starts to let people in again in her life. She starts to accept what she learns of herself now too.
As the story here is finished, there is more to come. A mystery of who knows about the control of the Horseman. Ireland needs to find out. I'm curious as to what Ireland comes across with Rip as they search to find out who knows the secret that was buried in tales about the Headless Horseman.
****FULL REVIEW****
*This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com, at my request.
The Van Tassel's helped build this town. Now, Tarrytown has just had Vic Van Tassel murdered in a hotel parking lot. Decapitated. Ireland Crane has only been in Sleepy Hollow for one week, and now has the cops at her doorstep. Vic Van Tassel's body was found with her last name carved into his chest. The police think it's a copy cat of the old legends. But tell Ireland to keep an eye out, with her last name she just might become a target...wanting to act out the legend with an actual Crane. Ireland finds an old man claiming to have woken from a sleeping spell because the Headless Horseman has returned. He's to teach her how to control the horseman, but he finds she's branded with the Headless Horseman's mark. What does it mean?
I had the pleasure of listening to this story. Karen has vocalized this story in voices slightly different for each character in sound and persona. I got a kick out of her drunken slurring in the first chapter. We do get a story from past and present, in which Karen has different sounds in speech for different time frames. The dialog for the characters in the past is something I didn't ever grow accustom to, though did feel to get better toward the end of the book. Each word spoken felt stiff and as if it was a sentence of it's own. I know it's of a time that is speech is proper and people watched what they said, but there didn't feel as if there was a flow to the words spoken. The story and narration of the rest of the story (past and current) along with dialog in present time were read with flow.
We get two stories in one. Boy oh boy do they parallel each other! We get Ichabod's story as he falls for Katrina and his friends, Washington Irving and Rip Van Winkle. The story of Ichabod's life isn't as it's told in Irving's books, and there's a very good reason for that. We get Ireland Crane's story in the present as she's new to Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow. And how Ireland's life gets flipped upside down with Rip van Winkle waking in a secret room in her basement. Ireland's life is extremely similar to Ichabod's life, yet the two stories are unique in their own telling. Reading Ichabod's story gives us answers as things escalate in the present time, and fall into similar events as Ichabod's time. There is a reason for all of this.
We follow the murder's of the Headless Horseman in both times. There is more to the story than simply a headless man cutting off heads. There is also a question I'm curious to see explained in relation to the Headless Horseman. How to control him. There is indication of a talisman, which is in two forms. But also, there seems to be control in way of 'payment' (per say) which is used. It seems to me others could use this 'payment' method to make a deal and control the Headless Horseman at any time. I'm curious to see how this plays out in the series.
I was drawn into the story because I love the Headless Horseman stories. This is a twist on that tale with a lead to more to come. I felt for Ichabod and those around him. I was irritated by Rip's actions in the new town they arrive in, he's different in present though. I guess he's slept that desire away? lol. Ireland feels as she's a hard shelled character in the beginning. She's moved to Sleepy Hollow to start anew and leave things in the past, an ex-fiance that's turned her from her desires. The things she's unknowingly done here in Tarrytown are going to be an obstacle for her. But she's got a chance at a relationship, maybe. Ireland starts to grow toward the end of the story. She starts to let people in again in her life. She starts to accept what she learns of herself now too.
As the story here is finished, there is more to come. A mystery of who knows about the control of the Horseman. Ireland needs to find out. I'm curious as to what Ireland comes across with Rip as they search to find out who knows the secret that was buried in tales about the Headless Horseman.
millennialbookreview's review
2.0
I was a bit disappointed by this book, as it had an interesting hook and I’ve liked other works by this author. This book failed to meet my expectations though. There isn’t really much character development or agency by the main character. The plot wasn’t very engaging, until the very end, and then events happened so quickly, they were hard to follow and understand. This book seemed to focus more on setting up book #2 than in telling its own story. All in all, a miss for me.
missjessie182's review
5.0
I love retelling of classic well know stories, but what I love more is retelling that are so good you can’t put them down or stop reading them for a second. This is a one sitting type of book. I don’t think this book could have come out at a better time, I am a fan of the new TV show Sleepy Hollow, I was missing it and picking up this book helped fill that need for the show, but it was somewhat better than the show. I love how Stacey was able to link Pasted and present day clearly with marked chapter and an easy to follow timeline. It wasn’t overly written or confusing like you can run into with crossing timelines. I like that her writing was fun, easy and at times light and the humor was great. I can’t wait for the next book in the series as well as checking out her other books. I perfect take on a legend that I love. 5 out of 5 stars.
kilt5314's review
5.0
Excellent Twist On a Favorite Classic
I have loved The Legend of Sleepy Hollow since I saw the Disney version as a kid. Crane takes everything about the tale that we know and turns it on its ear. Great storyline, unique plot, interesting characters.
Bottom-line: Make it your next creep-fest of a read.
I have loved The Legend of Sleepy Hollow since I saw the Disney version as a kid. Crane takes everything about the tale that we know and turns it on its ear. Great storyline, unique plot, interesting characters.
Bottom-line: Make it your next creep-fest of a read.
betterbeereading's review
3.0
Mi trovo in tremenda difficoltà perché non so davvero come iniziare.
Ho finito di leggere Crane diverse settimane fa e non sono ancora riuscita a chiarirmi le idee su quel che penso della storia narrata dalla Rourke.
Storia spaventosa, esattamente come speravo che fosse? Assolutamente sì.
Protagonista forte e combattiva? Mmmm, non esattamente.
Trama che scorre a perdifiato? Nì.
Una storia d'amore che non spunta dal nulla? ... *scuote amaramente la testa*
Crane aveva delle ottime premesse che però a mio parere non sono state sfruttate a dovere.
Una delle cose che non ho molto apprezzato è stato lo spezzare la narrazione con flashback sul passato di Ichabod. Flashback certamente utili per comprendere gli avvenimenti del presente ma che hanno inevitabilmente rallentato lo sviluppo narrativo della storia di Ireland. La scelta di alternare i capitoli ha in un certo modo anche penalizzato i due filoni temporali. Da una parte la storia di Ichabod Crane non è stata abbastanza sviluppata, si è svolta troppo velocemente, dall'altra quella di Ireland ne è risultata eccessivamente diluita.
Mi aspettavo qualcosa di più, che non ho trovato. La lettura mi ha anche un pò annoiata tanto che sono andata avanti più per forza di volontà che per curiosità di sapere come andasse a finire. Tuttavia il mio giudizio non è completamente negativo. Volevo delle atmosfere paurose e le ho trovate. Speravo in un pò di mistero e quello di certo non è mancato! Adesso devo solo decidere se vale la pena o meno proseguire con la lettura del secondo libro o fermarmi al primo. Ammetto di essere abbastanza curiosa di scoprire come la Rourke abbia deciso di sfruttare gli scritti di Edgar Allan Poe in Raven!
Ho finito di leggere Crane diverse settimane fa e non sono ancora riuscita a chiarirmi le idee su quel che penso della storia narrata dalla Rourke.
Storia spaventosa, esattamente come speravo che fosse? Assolutamente sì.
Protagonista forte e combattiva? Mmmm, non esattamente.
Trama che scorre a perdifiato? Nì.
Una storia d'amore che non spunta dal nulla? ... *scuote amaramente la testa*
"Hello?" Ireland called out in a breathless squeak. If anyone actually answered, there was a high likelihood her heart would leap from her chest, give her a quick nod, and scurry off to save itself."
Crane aveva delle ottime premesse che però a mio parere non sono state sfruttate a dovere.
Una delle cose che non ho molto apprezzato è stato lo spezzare la narrazione con flashback sul passato di Ichabod. Flashback certamente utili per comprendere gli avvenimenti del presente ma che hanno inevitabilmente rallentato lo sviluppo narrativo della storia di Ireland. La scelta di alternare i capitoli ha in un certo modo anche penalizzato i due filoni temporali. Da una parte la storia di Ichabod Crane non è stata abbastanza sviluppata, si è svolta troppo velocemente, dall'altra quella di Ireland ne è risultata eccessivamente diluita.
Mi aspettavo qualcosa di più, che non ho trovato. La lettura mi ha anche un pò annoiata tanto che sono andata avanti più per forza di volontà che per curiosità di sapere come andasse a finire. Tuttavia il mio giudizio non è completamente negativo. Volevo delle atmosfere paurose e le ho trovate. Speravo in un pò di mistero e quello di certo non è mancato! Adesso devo solo decidere se vale la pena o meno proseguire con la lettura del secondo libro o fermarmi al primo. Ammetto di essere abbastanza curiosa di scoprire come la Rourke abbia deciso di sfruttare gli scritti di Edgar Allan Poe in Raven!
malus23's review
2.0
In looking for headless horseman based stories lately, I've been finding some really really bad ones. This was one of the better examples, relatively. Very low bar there though. It felt like occasionally there were random moments put in that didn't have a solid enough purpose to matter. Rather uneven as far as trying to be comical or serious.
smkean's review
4.0
an interesting modern blended with old tale. I love when authors take an old story and make it real again. The dual storytelling from two strong character as well as the blending realism with the fiction you know from sleepy hollow in this is well done, I liked the characters personalities, their interactions and am looking forward to reading more.
pn_hinton's review
5.0
The legend of Sleepy Hollow has always fascinated me. One would think that it was because I watched the Disney cartoon at a young age but that’s not it. It is just something that has always fascinated me. If anything is to blame, it’s that one episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark?
That is why I was excited to pick up this book. I figured it would be another new and interesting YA take on the lore, like the Jason Crane series.
Despite what the cover indicates, it is not “teen” book. Crane in this book a high school counselor in her mid-twenties. I enjoyed Ireland as a character. She is witty and has a dry sense of humor which I can dig since it matches my own. The author also chose to use Washington Irving, Rip Van Winkle, and Ichabod Crane as real characters in the flashbacks. This helped to further add her own flavor to the Headless Horseman lore. And it did a good job of explaining how the ‘legend’ was born. It was interesting to see all the characters from the original story. There were also nods to the other movies and books about the tale. And the tension between Brom and Ichabod was still present.
And Ichabod! This version is not the neurotic one from the Tim Burton movie. It is not the waifish gold digger from the Disney cartoon either. And before you get up in arms about that statement, re-watch the cartoon and be honest. He was a gold digger. This was an Ichabod with courage and strength and is on par with the one on the current Fox show. /swoon
I don’t want to give too much away because of the risk of spoilers on this but it is an engaging read. There are quite a few twists and turns that the story takes until it reaches the climax. One complaint the ending felt a bit rushed in trying to tie up loose ends and set the stage for the next one. It was a mad dash to the end, but not enough that I felt patronized. The opening up for the next book was enough of a draw without being a complete cliffhanger. So that is always a perk as well especially in cases where you may not be able to pick up the next book right away.
I will likely pick up the rest of the series, as my wallet allows it, so I can finish Ireland’s story. If you like the Sleepy Hollow lore like me then you will not regret picking this one up.
That is why I was excited to pick up this book. I figured it would be another new and interesting YA take on the lore, like the Jason Crane series.
Despite what the cover indicates, it is not “teen” book. Crane in this book a high school counselor in her mid-twenties. I enjoyed Ireland as a character. She is witty and has a dry sense of humor which I can dig since it matches my own. The author also chose to use Washington Irving, Rip Van Winkle, and Ichabod Crane as real characters in the flashbacks. This helped to further add her own flavor to the Headless Horseman lore. And it did a good job of explaining how the ‘legend’ was born. It was interesting to see all the characters from the original story. There were also nods to the other movies and books about the tale. And the tension between Brom and Ichabod was still present.
And Ichabod! This version is not the neurotic one from the Tim Burton movie. It is not the waifish gold digger from the Disney cartoon either. And before you get up in arms about that statement, re-watch the cartoon and be honest. He was a gold digger. This was an Ichabod with courage and strength and is on par with the one on the current Fox show. /swoon
I don’t want to give too much away because of the risk of spoilers on this but it is an engaging read. There are quite a few twists and turns that the story takes until it reaches the climax. One complaint the ending felt a bit rushed in trying to tie up loose ends and set the stage for the next one. It was a mad dash to the end, but not enough that I felt patronized. The opening up for the next book was enough of a draw without being a complete cliffhanger. So that is always a perk as well especially in cases where you may not be able to pick up the next book right away.
I will likely pick up the rest of the series, as my wallet allows it, so I can finish Ireland’s story. If you like the Sleepy Hollow lore like me then you will not regret picking this one up.
mlboyd20's review against another edition
5.0
First I would like to thank the author for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Doing such does not sway my review in any way.
When I was a child, I loved reading about different legends and lore. This book brought back those years to me, spun a contemporary take on them and gave me comfort in the creepiness of the story. Comfort of the known and comfort with the fact that this author didn't just tell me about the legends but treated them with honor and respect.
The author breathed a new life into the legendary characters and stories. She provided a means to bring them all together while creating a story of her own. She is spot on with the mannerisms of the era's and you can feel the historical attributes as if you were right there at that time and place. The story flowed so well and the interactions of all the characters felt like the author fine tuned each and every one of them before she even wrote it, giving each their own persona and sculpting it to perfection which meshed all the different layers together in a way that not many storytellers can.
The story itself is dark but mixed with character cockiness, stubbornness, sarcasm and humor. I found myself laughing out loud, wanting to hide in terror, ready to punch a little punk who was claimed by "The La Brea Tar Pits of asshole-ism," call the white coats, silently creep on the neighbor because he's like everywhere, and more. Any story that can take you through all these emotions and not lose you as a reader plus take it back and forth from past to present seamlessly is a keeper and one to shot praises of it from the rooftops.
This book is not for younger children, but I can see teens through adults glued to the pages. I can see this book being shared from one booklover to another to another and so on. I look forward to further legends books by Ms. Rourke and I think I'm going to do some catching up on those that I loved as a child.
When I was a child, I loved reading about different legends and lore. This book brought back those years to me, spun a contemporary take on them and gave me comfort in the creepiness of the story. Comfort of the known and comfort with the fact that this author didn't just tell me about the legends but treated them with honor and respect.
The author breathed a new life into the legendary characters and stories. She provided a means to bring them all together while creating a story of her own. She is spot on with the mannerisms of the era's and you can feel the historical attributes as if you were right there at that time and place. The story flowed so well and the interactions of all the characters felt like the author fine tuned each and every one of them before she even wrote it, giving each their own persona and sculpting it to perfection which meshed all the different layers together in a way that not many storytellers can.
The story itself is dark but mixed with character cockiness, stubbornness, sarcasm and humor. I found myself laughing out loud, wanting to hide in terror, ready to punch a little punk who was claimed by "The La Brea Tar Pits of asshole-ism," call the white coats, silently creep on the neighbor because he's like everywhere, and more. Any story that can take you through all these emotions and not lose you as a reader plus take it back and forth from past to present seamlessly is a keeper and one to shot praises of it from the rooftops.
This book is not for younger children, but I can see teens through adults glued to the pages. I can see this book being shared from one booklover to another to another and so on. I look forward to further legends books by Ms. Rourke and I think I'm going to do some catching up on those that I loved as a child.