[Book Review] Crane By Stacey Rourke & Coffee Shop Of Horrors Ichabod’s Dame

Title: Crane
Series/Universe: Legends Saga, Book 1
Author: Stacey Rourke
Publisher: Anchor Group Publishing
Publication date: May 26th 2014
Page Count: 299 pages
Age Rating: YA & Up (language, blood, gore, violence, vague sexual references)
How I got my hot little hands on it: Received a copy to review
Publisher’s page: Crane

The Horseman is unending,
his presence shan’t lessen.
If you break the curse,
you become the legend.

Washington Irving and Rip Van Winkle had no choice but to cover up the deadly truth behind Ichabod Crane’s disappearance. Centuries later, a Crane returns to Sleepy Hollow awakening macabre secrets once believed to be buried deep.

What if the monster that spawned the legend lived within you?

Now, Ireland Crane, reeling from a break-up and seeking a fresh start, must rely on the newly awakened Rip Van Winkle to discover the key to channeling the darkness swirling within her. Bodies are piling high and Ireland is the only one that can save Sleepy Hollow by embracing her own damning curse.

But is anyone truly safe when the Horseman rides?

My Review

Oh my goodness, I LOVED this book. Of course I’ve had a minor obsession with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow since I first read it in elementary school, so I may be biased ;).

Crane is a very unique and imaginative take on the classic tale that manages to stay true to the essence of the original while adding in its very own dark twists and turns. The story unfolds in chapters that alternate between present day, with the return of the murderous Headless Horseman, and flashbacks to when the original tale took place in the late 1700’s, telling the real story of what transpired all those years ago in Sleepy Hollow.

In the present day, Ireland Crane, a descendant of the Crane line, arrives in Sleepy Hollow to get over her ex and start her new job as guidance councilor at the local high school – Ireland’s arrival also happens to coincide with the return of the Headless Horseman and his bloody rampage. In the past, military buddies Ichabod Crane, Washington Irving, and Rip Van Winkle decide to settle down in the secluded little glen of Sleepy Hollow, but upon arrival they become immediately aware that all is not right with the town and its inhabitants.

The pacing in Crane is fantastic as little by little, bit by bit, chapter by chapter the reader finds out who or what is behind the ghastly murders taking place in both times and it’s just spellbinding watching the mystery unfold. It’s also more than a bit violent and gory in places, and very bloody, as the bodies start piling up.

There’s some romance here as well (Ichabod & Katrina, Ireland & Noah), but while the relationships are important plot-wise, they are not the main focus, in fact we don’t really get to know Katrina or Noah very well at all, only very surface level stuff through the eyes of Ichabod and Ireland, respectively (the story is told through the 3rd Person POV’s of the two Cranes in their perspective times). The vast majority of the focus is on the Horseman and how to stop the murderous fiend, in both times, – as it should be.

I really loved this new and original take on an old classic and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series, Raven, which combines The Legend of Sleepy Hollow with the works of Edgar Allen Poe and sounds absolutely amazing.

As a the perfect compliment to Crane’s fantastic retelling of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, I’m recommending Coffee Shop Of Horrors Ichabod’s Dame – a wonderful pumpkin spice flavored coffee that goes perfect with the classic fall tale.