Hollow

Hollow by Karina Halle is a Gothic dark fantasy romance retelling of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow with witchcraft and some elements of dark academia.

Kat Van Tassel and both her parents are witches - as are many in Sleepy Hollow, but it is no longer safe for witches in America, so they must keep it hidden.

Hollow is told not only from Kat’s perspective, following her through her fathers’ death and her best friend/betrothed Brom’s disappearance to being told she is to attend the Sleepy Hollow Institute - secretly a school for witches, but equal time is given to Ichabod Crane, called Crane, who is a new professor at the school - and, naturally, a love interest for Kat.

When Brom returns as mysteriously as he disappeared and the Headless Horseman starts terrorizing the town, Kat, Crane, and Brom - besides making for a complicated love triangle - have to figure out what’s going on before everyone dies.

The dark romance in Hollow is not my thing, but the parts that were my thing - the witchy Gothic dark academia and the obvious familiarity with the inspirational source - were entertaining and a fun escapist read.  Be warned - you will want to read the sequel “Legend” as this ends with some story threads unresolved, and that’s exactly what I am doing next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the review copy for my honest feedback.

Edit to add: I did read Legend; it was a quick read. I’m not going to review it separately. It felt more like the resolution of the setup from Hollow (with a lot more sexy times). It was worth it to finish the story but definitely not a standalone.