Prah, Constantine and Baryeh Reviews: Crane by Stacey Rourke #PCBReviews

Hello folks, and welcome to the second Prah, Constantine and Baryeh review of the year 2018. I start today's post with an announcement. Prah, Constantine and Baryeh reviews will now be posted bi-monthly. The reason? Life gets in the way, unfortunately, and this has affected how many books we can commit to reading as a group. We still aim to bring you our honest 3-for-1 reviews!

Our last read was, Crane by Stacey Rourke, a paranormal.

Here's 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
My review starts with a confession. I've never read the book, watched the various movie adaptations, nor the series based on the legend of the Sleepy Hollow (gasp)! I hope that gives me a unique perspective. At the very least, I can tell you whether you need to have that background before you read this book

The story is told from the POVs of Ireland Crane (Present Day) and Ichabod Crane (1700s). Initially, the jump between centuries and my attempt to make meaning of how Ichabod's story related to Ireland's was confusing. The name Ireland also posed a few problems, as I kept thinking of Ireland as a place rather than a person.

That does not detract from the story, though.  Ms Rourke holds her reader's interest as she weaves a tale of friendship, loyalty, betrayal, forgiveness and love, with surprising burst of humour, with characters the reader comes to care about. I enjoyed the narration very much. Ms Rourke has an impressive grasp of her descriptives that bring the story and actions to life.

The narrative is so beautifully crafted that it made more visible the couple of typos that slipped by the editor's eye. Nevertheless, this is a very engaging story that picks up and doesn't slow down until the very satisfactory end.

I'll definitely want to check of the sequels: Raven and Steam.

And, yes, after reading this book, I'm in search of a copy of Sleep Hollow (Johnny Depp's version 😊), the knowledge of which--is certainly not necessary, but--might add an added layer of appreciation.

A solid 5 stars!

Don't forget to check out reviews from Prah and Constantine.

A bought my copy of this book from Amazon.