“Marrying forbidden love, devoted friendship, and the supernatural with Palombo’s signature passion for music, storytelling, and heartbreaking choices, The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel enchants with a concoction of love, longing, and loss plucked from the bones of one of our most enduring and haunting legends.” – Erin Lindsay McCabe, USA Today bestselling author of I Shall Be Near to YouWhen … I Shall Be Near to You
When Ichabod Crane arrives in the spooky little village of Sleepy Hollow as the new schoolmaster, Katrina Van Tassel is instantly drawn to him. Through their shared love of books and music, they form a friendship that quickly develops into romance. Ichabod knows that as an itinerant schoolteacher of little social standing, he has nothing to offer the wealthy Katrina – unlike her childhood friend-turned-enemy, Brom Van Brunt, who is the suitor Katrina’s father favors.
But when romance gives way to passion, Ichabod and Katrina embark on a secret love affair, sneaking away into the woods after dark to be together – all while praying they do not catch sight of Sleepy Hollow’s legendary Headless Horseman. That is, until All Hallows’s Eve, when Ichabod suddenly disappears, leaving Katrina alone and in a perilous position.
Enlisting the help of her friend – and rumored witch – Charlotte Jansen, Katrina seeks the truth of Ichabod Crane’s disappearance, investigating the forest around Sleepy Hollow using unconventional – often magical – means. What they find forces Katrina to question everything she once knew, and to wonder if the Headless Horseman is perhaps more than just a story after all. In Alyssa Palombo’s The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel nothing is as it seems, and love is a thing even death won’t erase.
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Palombo has conjured up a dark, sexy twist on Washington Irving’s classic tale. The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel will satisfy romance fans who crave a dash of spine-tingling horror
A delicious read, perfect for the Halloween season (or anytime, really!). I was immediately drawn into the sweet love story set in a small town full of suspicions about the legendary Headless Horseman. Although protagonist, Katrina Van Tassel, finds herself in a seemingly hopeless situation, she is mighty and bold in her quest to remedy it. She is a superb character who I greatly admired. This is a fabulous book that I will not soon forget.
Very well written, it pulls you right into the story. The characters are so well done that you feel that they are there with you. Great Read.
An elegant retelling of the legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Spellbook of Katrina van Tassel is an enjoyable read, especially as the autumn draws near and we enter the Halloween season.
The novel recreates the whirlwind courtship of wealthy heiress of Dutch descent Katrina van Tassel and Ichabod Crane, a newly arrived schoolteacher in reduced circumstances. Fearing Katrina’s father’s disapproval, the couple nonetheless plan for Ichabod to propose during the annual celebration of All Hallow’s Eve at the van Tassel estate in upstate New York.
After his suit is rejected, Ichabod leaves the party, dejected but promising Katrina to see her soon and that “All will be well.” Yet that night, the young man and his horse vanish into thin October air, and the only traces of him ever found are a hat fished out of a nearby stream and a shattered pumpkin. The villagers believe that he had been abducted into the underworld by The Headless Horseman, the specter of a revolutionary war soldier haunting the woods of Sleepy Hollow at night.
Yet Katrina is not convinced.
After a few weeks of anxious waiting for any news, Katrina, expecting a child fathered by Ichabod, agrees to marry the arrogant Brom van Brunt, whom she deeply distrusts, in order to secure her child’s future. But as months and then years go by, she cannot forget her first lover and is tormented by not knowing his fate.
One day, Katrina enlists the help of her friend Charlotte, who has a vast knowledge of medicinal and magical properties of herbs, to induce a vision that would once and far all tell her what happened to Ichabod. She goes ahead with the plan, despite Charlotte’s warning that knowing the truth might shatter the fragile peace she has built for herself.
Imbued with the chilling, ominous atmosphere of Washington Irving’s classic tale, The Spellbook of Katrina van Tassel is a meditation on love, loss, resilience, and the power of societal norms in the early decades of the American independence.
I was immediately hooked by this feminist retelling of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Romantic and darkly gothic, this mesmerizing tale brings sensitive new life to the well-known characters, weaving that complexity to a bittersweet conclusion that feels fresh, even for those familiar with the legend. I was spellbound – fitting, given the title!
A magnificent retelling of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow from Katrina’s perspective. The period details are lush and vivid, transporting the reader to rural New York in the full flush of autumn. The book is deeply atmospheric, but never at the expense of character. Katrina shines as a headstrong, spoiled-sweet heroine, chasing the life she desires. Love, longing, and loss all tug at your heartstrings, and you’ll feel your heart yearning right along with Katrina. An excellent read full of romance, mystery, and dark doings.
I loved this book because it is everything I love to read most…. historical fiction, witches and spells and of course Old Hallows Eve. I really loved how this author brought Katrina’s story to life. If you enjoy books that are mystical and magical you’ll love this.
Marrying forbidden love, devoted friendship, and the supernatural with Palombo’s signature passion for music, storytelling, and heartbreaking choices, The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel enchants with a concoction of love, longing, and loss plucked from the bones of one of our most enduring and haunting legends.
The perfect combination of sweeping romance and eerie thriller, The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel will haunt you in all the best ways. Palombo’s deft touch brings new life, fierce female spirit, and pulse-pounding suspense to the Sleepy Hollow milieu.
An enthralling lovers’ tale woven from ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, ‘ Alyssa Palombo’s captivating story, told through the eyes and heart of Katrina Van Tassel, is like visiting a treasured childhood friend and finding out all her secrets.
The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel is a feminist retelling of the legend of Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow. I was looking forward to reading it, because it’s exactly the kind of story I enjoy. Spooky, paranormal, romantic stories with strong heroines are my jam. Unfortunately this book left me wanting more. It is slow-paced and I found the first part especially, excruciatingly boring. I am usually a fast reader but it took me awhile to finish this book, I kept putting it down and wasn’t in any hurry to pick it back up.
I wasn’t a fan of Katrina and Ichabod’s love story, it was too insta-lovie for my taste. I thought both Katrina and Ichabod were one-dimensional and not very interesting and I found the writing style a little dry. I wasn’t immersed in the story, which I should have been based on the setting. I wanted The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel to be more atmospheric, more spooky, and just more.
My only regret in reading this book is that it wasn’t outdoors on a crisp fall day, leaves fluttering off the coloring trees, dusk nearing, rendering everything just a little romantic and a little creepy. Because this book is exactly that. Palombo takes the familiar story of the Headless Horseman and twists it into an incredible historical romance, from the point of view of Katrina Van Tassel, the woman at the center of it all. I devoured this book in two late nights, it’s that gorgeous and readable.
Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the early readers copy.
“You are not in control of your destiny.”
Divination, Superstition, Hallucination, Tarot Cards, Spells even witchcraft- all are found in a book that also makes for a very sweet love story.
The setting is Sleepy Hollow in the late 1700’s. The lovers are Ichabod and Katrina, a very sincere, and well intentioned couple struggling to be together despite her father’s opposition. A terrible tragedy happens which impacts the whole town, especially the lovers. Some revert to “witchery” to find answers to the disaster, only to realize there are things one is better off not knowing
This is a wonderfully entertaining book, especially for those who love Washington Irving’s tale. There is great suspense, especially regarding the Headless Horseman, Ichabod, and Brom Bones.
It’s definitely a novel to read!