Prah, Constantine and Baryeh Reviews: Crane (The Legends Saga #1) by Stacey Rourke

The calendar tells us that it’s officially spring, but the weather says otherwise. Nothing to do about it, but read, read and read some more. This month we went for something spooky which is not normally my thing, but dang, this book was amazing. Remember to stop by Constantine and Baryeh’s blogs to see what they thought about it.

The Blurb

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

First of all I must mention how brilliant the writing is. This story was the perfect example of what ‘show not tell’ was all about. I could see everything happening as if it was a movie rather than words on a page. Ms. Rourke is incredible with her descriptions, scene setting, and dialogue.

I’m not normally a mystery or thriller reader, but this book made me do a one-eighty. I was amazed at how quickly I read it. Ireland was funny as hell with her sarcastic sense of humor and tough ass manner. Let me tell you that she goes through a lot in Sleepy Hollow, but it was all so cool. The gore and the pain wasn’t so appetizing, but everything else was. Especially how she embraced her curse- I didn’t see that coming at all and yet if fit the story so well.

I had two issues with this story, which didn’t take away from me loving the book. First of all it flopped back and forth between Ireland and Ichabod’s stories, which was frustrating because I wanted to see what happened to both of them. I would almost hold my breath when a chapter ended because I didn’t know whose story would be told even though I knew whose story I wanted continued. It was a tad bit frustrating.

My second issue, very minor, was that I didn’t understand the purpose of the first death in the story. I don’t recall the guy being mentioned again, but maybe I was so enthralled with everything else going on that I missed it.

No matter what I saw as the minuscule shortcomings of this book, it was amazing. If I could rate it higher than a five I totally would.

I give this book five out five sword shaped chocolate bars and a huge round of applause.

I purchased my copy from AmazonUK