This is the first trilogy, in a long time, that my first reaction upon finishing the last words was a "content" sigh, followed by realization and then denial (no, it can't be over, I want more).

I will not bother to individually comment on the books, other than to say that while the first book in the trilogy (The Hollow) was a little slow to begin with, Verday really did a fantastic job keeping me patient and in my seat; eager to know more about Abbey's world.

The great thing about this trilogy is that it doesn't pretend to be anything it's not.

It doesn't promise the reader this focused and intense connection to Washington Irving's Sleepy Hollow. Yes, it takes place in the town of Sleepy Hollow; and certainly we have the main characters of the story (the headless horseman, Katy, and Ichabod Crane...or his descendant).

Now, don't get me wrong, the story isn't perfect, but I don't think it's meant to be. It was, finally, in The Hidden, that I got to see what was so great about Caspian. I`ll be honest, I didn't really like him all that much, but I was mostly indifferent. This book showed personality, humour that I got, and finally compassion that I could see, for his "Astrid"; for her life.

The Revs are a really interesting part of the story. They are kind of like angels and also kind of like reapers (I think Verday may have been watching a lot of Supernatural or Dead Like Me), but instead of defining them, she acknowledges they are beyond human comprehension. I vastly approve of this approach. As a professor, I disliked, repeated to me on several occasions:"You don't know what you don't know". And even if we do know, there's no guaranteeing we can comprehend at an appropriate level. This is a great way of acknowledging "the hidden", with an air of mystery and not trying to explain something that just is. I can accept that.

Even this idea of twin souls; yin and yang; soul mates-it's woven in a way where it is not a question of fate. Not all twin souls have to end up together. Like Washington Irving's mate did, you can move on. You can choose to live. And that was something I held onto.

I think the only reason I did not give this book five stars is because of this need to hold onto the idea of living. I did love Abbey and Casper (the friendly ghost) together, but I wanted her to be selfish and choose life. I desperately wanted her to move on, but then in came the changing of time and Kristen was in the mix and I knew. I knew that the complexity of the decision was totally beyond me. I don't think even I'd know what to do if I were in that situation.

Oh yes, and before I forget, that sex scene. Goddamn, it had ME blushing. That. Was. Hot. Multiple times? Hells yeah. Bathroom scene? YESSSS. Okay, okay. I am calm. It is rare when you get "good" sex in teen books. LOL.

Overall, I really enjoyed this trilogy by Jessica Verday. The books are not an emotional rollercoaster ride and they all lead to what you can expect--a bittersweet ending (which is a good thing, in this case). I wish I could have more to read, but my hopes are high for Verday to write another series instead.

Verdict: I sentence Jessica Verday to a day of watching Supernatural reruns (yay).