Raising the Horseman

A spin on the Headless Horseman legend - in the modern world.

Kat van Tassel is the direct descendent of Katrina van Tassel and has lived with the responsibility of carrying the name her whole life. As the 200th anniversary of the Headless Horseman haunting approaches Kat wants nothing more than to be kept out of the whole superstitious town and their celebration. She's feeling more and more confined by the pressure of continuing her family legacy, marrying her long time boyfriend, and managing the family estate. When Isadora moves to town Kat starts to see a world where she leaves Sleepy Hollow and has a life outside of the confines of her legacy. With her family fearing this they give her Katrina's diary so Kat can see just how real the legend is. As Kat learns more about her ancestor and namesake she learns that she may not be so different from her.

I really enjoyed this book. I love any book that has spooky undertones (or overtones) and this book set in the town of Sleepy Hollow has just that. The legend of the Headless Horseman is so engrained in the town and it's people that a lot of the curriculum in the high school centers on it.

Getting to read from the perspective of both Kat and Katrina made me connect with both of them - they are both so much alike and I loved seeing Kat learn more about herself from Katrina's experiences. Then, the tie in of the legend was perfect.

I'm familiar with the legend of Sleepy Hollow (as I believe most are) but I haven't read the book. This book made me bump up that book on my reading list so I can see, first had, what allowed this book to be created so many years later. Highly recommend!