Horseman: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow
Author: Christina Henry
Publisher: Berkley Books
Released: September 28^th, 2021
Received: NetGalley
Warnings: Attempted rape, kidnapping, domestic abuse

Fans of the tale of Sleepy Hollow are surely curious about Christina Henry’s take on the matter, Horseman. Christina Henry is well known for her fairytale retellings, usually with a horror twist, and that is why I just knew I had to give this book a try.

It’s been twenty years since the events of Sleepy Hollow, yet the town still remembers the legend of the Headless Horseman well. Especially young Ben, who loves to play pretend with these stories at the center.

Then one day, a headless body is found. This finding changes the course of history for Ben, the rest of the Van Brunt family, and even the town. However, none of them know it yet.

“Blood is its own kind of magic. It sustains life. It carries our history, all the blood that came before us…”

Wow. I knew that Christina Henry would find a way to make the tale of the headless Horseman her own, but I was not expecting this! Horseman is an absolutely fantastic read. One that is thrilling – and easy for fans to jump right into.

You don’t need to know the whole legend to follow and appreciate this tale. All of the foundations are laid out for the readers, from the history of the Van Brunt family to the whole town – Crane included.

What blew me out of the water was not the horror part of this tale – but the human side of things. Ben’s character is so human and so profound. There were a lot of surprises there, but I think they flowed so nicely into the original tale of the Horseman. I loved every bit of it.

I was surprised by how hard Horseman hit me emotionally. It got me tearing up a time or two – and that is something I was NOT expecting. I was expecting to shake in my boots if anything. Well done, Christina Henry. Well done.

Thanks to Berkley Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.