In the wake of The Twilight Saga, another supernatural romance
rears its ugly head, this time taking on Irving''s The Legend of
Sleepy Hollow. After the death of her best friend, Abbey feels
abandoned and alone. She tries distracting herself by creating
perfumes, but true distraction comes in the form of Caspian, the
"total hottie" she meets in the Sleepy Hollow cemetery. Abbey
quickly falls head over heels in love with Caspian, although she
struggles with his mysterious and elusive demeanor. Just as things
seem like they are back to normal, Abbey makes two discoveries: she
finds Kristen''s secret diary that reveals she was hiding something
from Abbey, and she learns Caspian''s true identity. On the verge
of a breakdown, Abbey''s world slowly begins to unravel when she
realizes Sleepy Hollow may hold more truth than legend.
At first glance, Verday''s book appears to be overflowing with
fabulous potential. The stunning cover art and legendary premise
lure readers into thinking this hefty tome is worth the time
investment, but the story line drags, disappoints and quickly falls
flat. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is the obvious catalyst for the
story, but other than the setting, Abbey''s obsession with the
tale, and the quotes that open each chapter, it is unclear as to
how the legend relates until the last few chapters. Unfortunately
readers might not feel compelled to stick it out to the very end
after reading countless pages describing Abbey''s mundane activies
like mixing scents, baking cookies, organizing her uncle''s office
or working on a science fair project. Although the book will
definitely sell itself, it is not well written and readers may be
disappointed. This scheduled trilogy may be a series to pass up if
budgets are tight.
----VOYA April 2010