January 11, 2010
Verday's debut novel, the first in a planned trilogy, is well-written, but enigmatic and ultimately unsatisfying. Abbey's best friend Kristen is dead, but Abbey knows it couldn't have been suicide as is rumored. Devastated and lonely, Abbey is sleepwalking through her junior year of high school when she meets Caspian, a mysterious boy who tries to help her deal with her grief. He makes her feel giddy and desired, but she's confused and frustrated by their relationship: he runs hot and cold, and he's secretive, too. After Abbey discovers Kristen's hidden diary, she begins questioning how her closest friend could have kept such important secrets from her. The central mystery here is the circumstances surrounding Kristen's death, but little information is gained and nothing is resolved. Caspian is also ambiguous until the last few pages, and there's little supernatural atmosphere despite the focus on Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (Verday's story is set in the same town). The tale unfolds slowly and doesn't lead to a climax, but rather to more questions, which remain left unanswered at the abrupt ending, presumably left to later books. Ages 12âup.
January 1, 2010
Having vanished near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Abbey's best friend Kristen is presumed dead. Desperate for clues, Abbey reads Kristen's diary and uncovers her secret life. Abbey also accrues some secrets of her own: a mysterious boyfriend, late-night visits to the cemetery, two elderly friends. This supernatural romance falters with a stretched connection to Washington Irving's classic tale, but Abbey herself is compellingly real.
(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
November 1, 2009
Gr 7 Up -"The Hollow" opens with the funeral of 16-year-old Abbey's best friend, Kristen, who vanished near the legendary Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and is presumed dead. On the day of the funeral, Abbey is drawn to Caspian, a mysterious young man who comes into and out of her life during the next several months. While she searches for answers to Kristen's disappearance, she meets Nikolas and Katy, the charming caretakers of the cemetery. During a chance visit to a shop in a neighboring town, Abbey discovers Caspian's secret. This inventive tale from a first-time author cleverly interweaves elements of Washington Irving's famous "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" not only in the setting, but also in the characters of Nikolas and Katy. Abbey's narration is heartfelt and authentically written as her emotions fluctuate from grief at Kristen's disappearance to growing romantic feelings for Caspian to raw anguish at learning the truth about him. Unlike many coming-of-age novels, the minor characters aren't given short shrift; instead, Abbey's parents, her classmate Ben, Kristen's mother, and Nikolas and Katy all come vividly to life through unique personalities, characteristics, and pasts. Readers, particularly fans of Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" (Little, Brown) and other supernatural romances, will clamor for the second novel in this trilogy."Leah J. Sparks, formerly at Bowie Public Library, MD"
Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.