Heads May Roll, Book Review: The Secret of Sleepy Hollow

Just in time for Halloween, I read Andi Marquette’s latest offering, The Secret of Sleepy Hollow.

Main character Tabitha “Abby” Crane, is a doctoral student working on her thesis involving the history, significance, and importance the Legend of Sleepy Hollow has on a township. She is also looking for clues into her own ancestral roots, as she is a direct descendant from none other than Ichabod Crane who mysteriously disappeared indefinitely some 200 years ago.

 She travels to the quaint town of Tarrytown, aka Sleepy Hollow, to embark on a week of research. Immediately we are drawn right up to the Historical Society building, anticipating what century old secrets lie await inside.

Marquette masterly paints the small town vibe with its rows of salt-box style homes, Victorian lampposts, and tree lined streets that are synonymous with the New England feel. Her ability to describe the town so perfectly, made me want to visit and to spend time venturing out into the glens looking for the headless horseman myself.

We are treated to hours of Abby deep in her research, scouring the documentation and letters from long past. And it is here, that I would have loved to have seen extensive excerpts from the pieces Abby was studying, because I believe Marquette’s imagination would have flourished in doing so. She has a real talent for catapulting the reader centuries back which is most evident in the dream sequences Abby’s character succumbs to during her stay.

 I found myself immersed fully into the lore of Sleepy Hollow, and in wanting to hypothesize along with Abby and the secondary characters as to what happened to Ichabod Crane- so massive accolades all around to Marquette for creating a fantastical and intriguing version of events.

My only real issue with this novel is just as it is with most all of lesfic writing- capturing the relationship between the two women love interests. Author after author in the lesfic world seems to believe that when the women characters get near each other or breathe near each other or even barely brush hands together, a lightning bolt of electricity erupts throughout their bodies and thighs?? 

I actually have electricity running through my body 24/7 due to my spinal stimulator and it does not feel like love. Or lust. It's an aggravating tingling sensation like when you hit your elbow. And if I have to see the words "sparks" One. More. Time. Just for the record, I have blown up a microwave by standing too close to it. Those are sparks.

I felt the continuous use of “sparks” and “trembling of spine” did a huge disservice to the work that Marquette so beautifully wrote elsewhere throughout the novel. I almost felt like she had someone else write the romance part of the story line because it severely lacked the unbelievable prose found throughout the meat of the of plot.

Also, while I have a generic dark-haired Katie character as said love interest for Abby, I have no idea as to what Abby herself looked like. I don’t have to be able to personally identify with a character, but I would like to be able to identify them in a line-up if needed. When Marquette wrote of Ichabod, Katrina, and Brom Bones from the past, I had no problem picturing their faces, stature, or mannerisms. But in comparison, with the Abby and Katie characters, I could never get an idealized version of them. Luckily, they both had plenty of personality to carry them through, but it would have been nice to have been able to envision them in a physical sense.

It is abundantly clear that Marquette is an expert on the workings of Irving Washington’s original folklore and it is that knowledge I found to be the true masterpiece within this story. She is clever in portraying a unique spin on the events and giving us a plausible explanation as to who exactly Ichabod Crane was. Heads may even roll over this theory.

Bottom line- this one is a Bookmark. I believe with just a few adjustments in the romance department, this could be an epic take on Sleepy Hollow. Read it for the twist and completely fresh insight on what the Legend could be about. And read it for the nerd in you that loves history. But allow the romance between Abby and Katie to be a side of mushy filler. I think with those expectations, you’ll be quite pleased with it.

NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review.
http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Sleepy-Hollow-Andi-Marquette/dp/3955335151/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446340875&sr=8-1&keywords=andi+marquette