Reviews with content warning for Violence - Hollow

This is a fun Sleepy Hollow retelling in graphic novel form! I discovered this book through my library's digital catalogue and immediately saw it as the perfect read for spooky season. The story follows Isabel "Izzy" Crane who has just relocated to Sleepy Hollow with her family and experiences the town's obsession with its history first-hand. She's a bit sceptical, but quickly drawn to Vicky Van Tassel, who is basically royalty due to her family's connection to the town. Yet despite the fame, Vicky is struggling with always being expected to fulfil her family's role and never being allowed to have her own dreams and ambitions. Then there is Croc Byun, the school's resident Jokster and a classmate of Izzy and Vicky who quickly gets drawn into their story!
I loved Hollow's take on the source material and how it created its own story. Vicky is in danger as someone is hunting down the Van Tassels and Izzy as well as Croc are trying to protect her against them. I liked that the villain wasn't who you'd expect
It's NOT the horseman, instead he's one of their allies!
though I did feel like he was very obvious and one-dimensional. I liked the friendship between Vicky, Izzy and Croc they made a great trio! The budding romance between Vicky and Izzy was also cute, they had great chemistry!

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itsjoenna's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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shaipanda's review

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Omg I LOVEDDDD THIS!!! Definitely one of my new favorite graphic novels I’ve read :) I loved the characters, the diversity, the art style, the plot everything was just done so so wellll
I was also really happy to find that as someone who has never read the full Sleepy Hollow story I was able to fully follow the story and graphic novel.
I’m sure there are additional layers to the story that I would gain if I read the original story and then reread this so I might do that at some point but for now I was really happy that I could still understand and appreciate this novel without that

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dinipandareads's review

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

TL;DR: I knew I was going to enjoy this graphic novel the minute I started reading it! You'd think a story about the legend of sleepy hollow would not be my jam (as a notorious scaredy) and normally, you'd be right, but this had a cosy mystery + modern take to it that made it more fun than scary. It would be the perfect addition to your spooky season reading lists!

I adored the illustration/art style and the colour palette captured the autumnal/spooky vibe perfectly! I also loved the diversity in the story with the inclusion of queer and POC characters. I don't know how much of a twist this is on the original sleepy hollow tale but I found it really fun and I loved the character twist for the headless horseman—it was totally unexpected but had me laughing out loud because it was awesome.

Izzy, Vicky, and Croc were such great characters with their own distinct personalities. Croc was a cute himbo jock who was a great friend to Vicky. I loved the "coming of age" aspect that we get to see for Vicky in particular. She faces a lot of pressure to live up to and carry the van Tassel name and instead of enjoying the role she was "born to embrace", the pressure has become a burden. Izzy brought a relatable outsider perspective to a town that was fully and weirdly obsessed with the spooky legend but I loved the unexpected yet strong friendship/bond that forms between the trio.

The only parts of the story that I wished had been better developed had to do with the villain and the romance. I wished that his purpose was actually explained because I didn't get it and I wished the romance had been less rushed (it escalated very quickly). Overall though, a great Halloween-y read that's perfect for those who aren't big fans of spooky things but love a cosy mystery with an intriguing plot and wonderful characters!

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ashylibrarian's review

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Hollow is a fun, unique twist on the classic haunting story of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The town of Sleepy Hollow is obsessed with the literary history and the legend of the headless horseman. After being forced to move here due to her mom's work, Izzy is not too impressed. She finds all of the hype a bit much and doesn't believe in ghosts...that is until she is chased down by THE headless horseman. Choosing to confront them, Izzy learns a truth that could be fatal.

This is a charming graphic novel that brings together three unlikely heroes who are set forth to find answers, discover who they want to be, and protect each other along the way.

This can be read at any time of the year, and I think it will make a great spooky season recommendation.

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indeedithappens's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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spooderman's review

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adventurous dark emotional lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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melaniereadsbooks's review

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Thank you to BOOM! Studios and Netgalley for an arc of this one!

200 years after the events of Washington Irving's "Legend of Sleepy Hollow," the town celebrates every year...awesome for most, kind of torture for Vicky Van Tassel, who is made to play Katrina in the festival every year. When Izzy Crane moves to town, she senses something strange is happening that the smiling faces of Sleepy Hollow might not realize.

I knew almost nothing about this book going in other than it was queer. I'm gonna be honest, I didn't even know it was based on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I loved it though! It was so cute and Izzy is such a great character! Also Vicky is an incredible versatile mid-size queen and I love her character design so much!

This was super cute and I enjoyed reading it immensely!

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