I have never read THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW by Washington Irving. I have seen Tim Burton's movie Sleepy Hollow and parts of the TV series Sleepy Hollow. So, my knowledge of the story of Sleepy Hollow is based on that. Which made this story feel pretty different and slightly less paranormal from what I expected. Not that the story lacks a supernatural angle, for which I'm grateful since I love some magic in a story.

Ichabod Crane arrives in the little town of Sleepy Hollow. He's the new schoolmaster and he quickly befriends Katrina Van Tassel who, like him, loves music and books. However, since he's just a schoolmaster and not a rich landowner like Brom Van Brunt, he has little chance to marry Katrina, but that won't stop them from falling in love. Their romance turns into a passionate love affair and they try as often as they can to sneak away and meet in the woods. All the while hoping that they will not run into Sleepy Hollow's most famous ghost the Headless Horseman. All is well until Ichabod disappears on All Hallows Eve...

Reading THE SPELLBOOK OF KATRINA VAN TASSEL without having read the original story gave me one advantage: knowing next to nothing about the story. Since the original story is very different from the film versions, I didn't know what would happen in some regards. The writing is excellent and I was quickly drawn into the story. I found Katrina to be a very likable person and her friendship with Charlotte Jansen, who has some special powers, made the book intriguing to read. This is a love story, but it's also a story about superstition, the difficulties about being a woman in a man's world, and having the ability to choose your future. Personally, the only drawback I had was I kept waiting for the Headless Horseman to show up! Of course, he's part of the story, just in a more subtle way than riding around decapitating people... I eagerly await the next book by Alyssa Palombo.