The Haunted by Jessica Verday

Note: I greatly recommend you read The Hollow first before The Haunted.

After a summer spent reclaiming her sanity and trying to forget the boy she fell in love with–the boy who must not exist, cannot exist, because she knows that he is dead–Abbey returns to Sleepy Hollow, ready to leave the ghosts of her past behind. She throws herself into her schoolwork, her perfume-making, and her friendship with Ben, her cute and funny lab partner, who just might be her ticket to getting over Caspian once and for all. But Abbey can never get over Caspian, and Caspian has no choice but to return to her side, for Caspian is a Shade, and Abbey is his destiny. They are tied not only to each other, but also to the town of Sleepy Hollow, and to the famous legend that binds their fates–a legend whose dark truths they are only beginning to guess…. (From Amazon.ca)

*** Possible spoilers ***

Like The Hollow, this is a pretty chunky book and long. Unlike the first book though, I found the pace of this one to be more faster, perhaps because much more happens in this plot. However, although I am glad the plot is quicker and more interesting, I’m also pleased to see her writing has not changed and is still as good as The Hollow. I love the way the story is written. The town is still quaint and descriptions are still done in nice detail. It’s the writing style that really gets me into reading this book further.

What’s another great feature in this book is you get to piece together more about Kristen and the mystery guy she was going out with. There’s also a few additions of characters into the story which adds more mystery into the plot. Vincent stands out the most because not only is he a jerk but he also has a reason why he’s suddenly into the picture. Vincent also delivers a great cliffhanger in the ending which makes me just want to scream for the third book to come out right away! an evil naughty side of me thought Aubra got what she deserved. She’s such a snotty little thing so I had no sympathies for her when she came with the waterworks.

The chemistry between Caspian and Abbey is still there but I feel it has intensified into a whole new level. It’s almost like a heart wrenching romance because they’re so nice together, but yet they can’t physically be together and that just adds more drama to the romance – which I absolutely love. Now that Ben is in the picture, it adds the typical love triangle (sort of) but unlike most of them where I find I like one better than the other, I like both Ben and Caspian. Ben of course, would be the better choice, as he’s physically there.

I am really looking forward to the final installment of this trilogy. I love the writing style, the great character development and chemistry between the main couple, and with the cliffhanger ending it’s hard not to be impatient! Those that had trouble with The Hollow, keep going! this book is much better and worth the read!

I give it 9.5 out of 10.

Review of The Hollow

The Hollow

First I have to add, this is one of the most beautiful covers I have ever seen. It definitely caught my eye and I was drawn to it. I recently picked up the second book of this trilogy: The Haunted (which I have yet to start!)

When Abbey’s best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is dead…and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. Then she meets Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen’s funeral, and keeps reappearing in Abbey’s life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he’s the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again…but also special. Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen’s betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her—one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian, as well as her own sanity. (Taken from Amazon.ca)

I will warn you all ahead of time: be prepared for a VERY LONG novel. Although 544 pages may not seem big, the book is filled with endless descriptions of sounds, sights, and smells. The plot is quite slow moving. In fact, it’s very slow moving. I was about halfway through the novel and I was still wondering where this was going. I don’t really recommend this to people who just want a fast moving plot to read through in one sitting. It’s just not done with this book. This book was meant to be slowly read, taking in the setting, and the descriptions but at the same time reading a slowly evolving plot.

So then we ask; did I enjoy this book or not? I’d have to say despite the slow moving plot and there were a few times here and there where I almost gave up reading it. However I really did like how the scenes were described, the smells were so well written I could almost literally smell them myself. It felt as if you were there, as the descriptions were rich and filled with the Legend of Sleepy Hollow references. I thought Sleepy Hollow was a nice quaint little place to live in and just the way it was described really took me there. (I wouldn’t mind living there myself!)

There is a sense of mystery throughout the novel, regarding Kristen’s death and it still remains unsolved. I thought Abbey was a likable character although she did not stand out as much and could be considered “normal” (as opposed to characters we are used to reading). I did like reading about her hobby on making perfumes. I thought that was interesting and haven’t read a character that’s set in present day who is into that sort of thing. It’s definitely different. Abbey’s relationship with Caspian is nice to read, although I wish more was added to it. The story behind Caspian is a bit obvious and easy to guess but it was still an interesting read. I wanted to know more about Kristen and her secrets. There was so much more to go into but not much has been revealed.The mystery surrounding Caspian, Nikolas, and Katy was interesting, however it was a little predictable. It was well thought out though, and it ties nicely with the Sleepy Hollow legend.

I think this is a perfect novel to read around Autumn/Halloween. The setting is perfect and suits the season, and although the plot was slow moving, and reading the book felt like a very slow walk in the park, I suggest to stick with it and read it through. It’s a beautifully written book and certainly deserves to be read.

I give it an 8 out of 10.