Wake the Hollow

It should be known, first and foremost, that I'm a sucker for anything related to Sleepy Hollow. I grew up addicted to the wonderfully chilling story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman. So it's no surprise that when Gaby Triana's book made its way onto my radar, I snatched it up without hesitation. Sleepy Hollow is steeped in such rich lore. I had high hopes that Triana would put her own spin on it. Spoiler alert: I was right.

First off, I loved that this book wasn't simply a retelling of the same story. While it definitely borrows some of the atmosphere and the tension, Micaela's experiences are on a level all their own. I could feel the anxiety on the page from the moment that Mica stepped foot into her childhood home. True to its roots, the Sleepy Hollow here has this overall aura of the supernatural. Things that might have felt odd anywhere else, feel completely normal. Triana had no problem convincing me that Mica's life was destined to be special, and I was definitely on board.

As events unfolded, this brilliant sense of doubt started to overcome me. Mica didn't know who to trust, and to be honest neither did I. Which was so wonderful. There are plenty of times where I've figured out an ending well before it comes to fruition. In this case, I was ecstatic about the fact that I had no idea where things were going. Mica was rushing pell-mell into the unknown, and all I could do was hold on tight. The paranormal part of this, mixed in with the expertly woven mystery, created a book that I just couldn't put down. I was so terribly annoyed every time I was interrupted while reading this. You could have cut the tension with a knife.

Now, I admit that the ending left me a little cold. I'm not sure how I wanted this to end, and it's possible that I was just too invested to ever really be happy with whatever happened, but it didn't vibe for me. The good news is that this barely registered on my overall scale for this book. Wake The Hollow had me so swept up, that I wasn't really bothered. I was more upset that it had come to an end.