The Haunted by Jessica Verday

Title: The Haunted
Series: The Hollow Series #2
Author: Jessica Verday
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children’s
Copyright © 2010 by Jessica Miller
Jessica Verday’s Website
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The Haunted at Goodreads

Synopsis:

An impossible truth. An impossible love.

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....

The sequel to The Hollow, The Haunted takes place a few months after we leave The Hollow. Abbey had just found out Caspien is a ghost and has went to live with her Aunt Marjorie for the summer. Just as she feels like she is making her way in the world, it’s time to return to Sleepy Hollow. Abbey and her friends begin another journey and it’s their Senior year! Will things work out?

• Abbey – found out that Caspien is a shade or ghost. She has had a difficult time dealing with this reality and now, there may be more secrets tucked away.
• Caspien – the ever-loving friendly ghost that haunts Sleepy Hollow, or more specifically, Abbey. He broke her heart in The Hollow, can he fix it now?
• Ben – is one of the only friends Abbey still has. He kindly volunteers to help her make-up her science grade so she can still graduate on time, plus she is throwing in Funyuns on the side. They become closer than ever. Can they ever be more than friends or will Caspien and the memories of Kristen get in the way?
• Aunt Marjorie – is Abbey’s supportive aunt who is filled with wisdom Abbey would be smart to heed.
• Cacey – is new to Sleepy Hollow and has an addiction to Coke (Coca-Cola). She is knows things about Sleepy Hollow that an outsider should not know.
• Uri – is Cacey’s partner in crime.
• Kame and Sophie are two other newbies in the town of Sleepy Hollow. They have a purpose to serve, but who knows what it is?
• Aubra Stanton – is a young woman that Uncle Bob hired to work at the ice cream shop. Abbey knows her from school, she is a cheerleader who soon finds herself in a giant scoop of trouble.
• Beth – is a girl from school who is attempting to be friends with Abbey. She is sweet and well-meaning.
• Vincent Drake – is like the worst being ever. I despise this guy! I can usually persuade myself to like a villain at least a tiny bit, but nope, not even a droplet of hope for him. He makes the ebie-gebies sound like a warm cup of hot chocolate on the coldest day in Antarctica. LOL!

So, I loved this book even more than I loved The Hollow. Jessica still provided the same mystery and romance but upped the action. Wow! The things that happened in this book amazed me and even scared me a little. I wasn’t sure who I should trust sometimes.


One of the things I love about this series is, even though there is a love triangle (of sorts), it isn’t like the ones that are typically written. There’s no fighting, no jealousy, just people trying to get by the only way they know how.


Abbey has so many irons in the fire in this installment. She is dealing with her mom’s drinking, figuring out her feelings for Ben…and Caspien, convincing her parents to support her dream of owning her own perfume shop, and last, but not least, accepting her destiny. Some of Abbey’s questions get answered, but many remain unknown – and there are even more questions brought to life.


Sometimes I think Abbey is strong and then she falls a little bit; however, she is only human. Her acceptance of all that is bizarre in her world is amazing. She does it with such finesse. And just as she is accepting everything, these really odd individuals start showing up…Revenants.


When Jessica writes a book, she knows how to put a few surprises in the mix. I love this series and would recommend it to anyone.

My reviews for The Hollow Series:
      The Hollow (#1)
      The Haunted (#2)
      The Hidden (#3)

The Hollow by Jessica Verday

Title: The Hollow
Author: Jessica Verday
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Copyright © 2009 by Jessica Miller
Jessica Verday’s Website
Jessica’s Blog
Jessica’s Facebook
Jessica’s Twitter
The Hollow at Goodreads

Synopsis:

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.

It’s been a while since I read The Hollow; but, I loved it so much that I wanted to review it before I did The Haunted and The Hidden. This group of books is based around The Legend of Sleepy Hollow; which I have never really cared for, however, The Hollow Series brought Sleepy Hollow to life for me.

• Abbey – and her friend Kristen grew up in Sleepy Hollow surrounded by Washington Irving’s lore. They are fascinated with the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery where Washington Irving is buried and they manage to spend a lot of time there. Abbey finds solace in visiting his grave and telling Mr. Washington her problems.
• Kristen – is Abbey’s best friend and confidant. They shared everything. When Kristen dies un-expectantly and rumors of suicide and drug use surround her death. However, Abbey believes that she may have been murdered. Then Abbey learns that Kristen has been keeping a very big secret, one that may have ended her life. Abbey believed she knew everything there was to know about Kristen, but there are skeleton’s lurking in the closet.
• Ben – is a friend of Kristen’s from school. He and Abbey will bond over her death and find comfort in one another. Ben is smart, funny, and caring. He gives Abbey room to grieve while remaining a constant in her life.
• Caspien – is a mysterious boy that Abbey meets at Kristen’s funeral. There is something truly unusual about Caspien. When the truth is revealed, it may send Abbey for a nose dive.
• Nikolas – is a “caretaker” at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. He and his wife, Katy, may be the only people who can answer Abbey’s questions about Kristen’s death and the mystery that surrounds Caspien.

Abbey is having a heck of a Junior year, her best friend dies, she meets a mysterious boy, she learns her best friend was keeping an important secret from her, instead of making perfume she is working at her uncle’s ice cream shop, and she has a feeling that things are certainly amiss in Sleepy Hollow. The secrets she learns may very well send her over the edge.

I loved the mystery in this book. At times it was like a scary ghost story and at others, a deeply romantic love story. Jessica created a world full of lore and emotions that will keep you reading until the very last page. I was drawn into the story from the very beginning, feeding on Abbey’s emotions and possibly her delusions. Each page held a new question, a new mystery, a new revelation.

A definite must read! So go, go read it now…there are still two more books in the series.

 My reviews for The Hollow Series:
      The Hollow (#1)
      The Haunted (#2)
      The Hidden (#3)