Raising the Horseman
Serena Valentino
#Raisingthehorseman #netgalley #goodreads #review #serenavalentino #headlesshorseman #sleepyhollow #scary #YA #LGBT
From the New York Times best-selling author of Disney’s Villains series comes a ghostly new stand-alone novel that reimagines The Legend of Sleepy Hollow through the eyes of a modern teen.
Amazon Summary:
The two-hundredth anniversary of the Headless Horseman's legendary haunting of Sleepy Hollow is approaching, but Kat van Tassel wants nothing to do with the town's superstitious celebrations. As a descendant of the original Katrina van Tassel, Kat knows she’s expected to fulfill her ancestor’s legacy by someday marrying her longtime boyfriend and running the prestigious family estate. But Kat dreams of a life outside Sleepy Hollow. Then Kat meets Isadora, a new girl in town who challenges Kat to reexamine those expectations, opens her eyes to the possibility that ghosts are real, and makes her question who she truly wants to be . . . and be with. When Kat is given the original Katrina’s diary, a new legend begins to take shape, one that weaves together the past and the present in eerie ways. Can Kat uncover a two-hundred-year-old secret, and trace its shocking reverberations in her own life, in time to protect what she truly loves
My Review:
8.5/10
Let me start with the author and writing. This is a Serena Valentino book, so I knew the writing was going to be good. And since it is Serena Valentino, i knew it would be haunting. and Boy was it haunting. The way she brought the Horseman to life was truly incredible, it felt so real that for somehone who doesn't get scared easily found it quite scary. This was also a lvoe story that didn't dissapoint. I also enjoyed how the story switched from two perspectives, which was intergenerational. That being said, I did not like the characters names so much. It was confusing for me because both perspectives are from a variaition of Kat, so it did get a little jumbled while reading.
Next are the characters. The main character is on the LGBTQ spectrum, which was a good change. She falls in love with another female, and it was quite refreshing. I like how we as a younger generation can appreciate all the options young people can read about. Literally 50% of my TBR or reading are LGBTQ.
OVERALL:
This book was fun to read #alwaysthankfulforDisney but there were some points where it could've been better. Any fan of the Headless Horseman would love this book. It was especially nice because I am reading it during pride month.