Robin Hood is given a fresh, feminine twist in this romantic retelling from the point of view of "Will Scarlet"Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance, from debut author A. C. Gaughen. Posing as one of Robin Hood's thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. When the heat turns on up the band of thieves as the Sheriff of Nottingham seeks revenge, the romance burns strong between Scarlet and her flirtatious fellow outlaws. Helping the people of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in. It's only her fierce loyalty to Robin-whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her-that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.
Review:
I have to be honest: I had been holding off reading Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen for quite a while now. It's not that I didn't want to read it, because I did. I mean, the cover and summary make it look fantastic! However, I was worried that it wouldn't be as good as I hoped, or that I wouldn't like it nearly as much as I wanted to. I recently decided to dive in, though, and my worries were thrown right to the wayside, because I LOVED this book! Scarlet was an incredibly fierce main character, and the plot and writing were excellent. Truly, I don't think this book could get much better..
One of the biggest reasons why this book rocked my role was because of no one other than Will Scarlet! Fierce, independent main characters are one of my favorite types, and that was just the case with Scarlet. From the first page, it was easy to see she was someone you didn't mess with, especially if you were the "bad" one in the situation. I just loved how she told everyone how it was, especially the boys, and how dedicated she was to the townspeople, even when her heroic actions put her own life on the line. What I especially loved about Scarlet, though, was how she wasn't perfect. She was impatient, reluctant to trust, and a bit irrational, but it truly added more greatness to her character, especially when she worked on those characteristics throughout the book. I also just loved the character of Robin Hood. He was just as well developed as Scarlet, and seeing how giving and genuine of a guy he was made me love him all the more. I especially loved seeing him interact with Scarlet, because not only did they have great chemistry but also they constant batter was hilarious as well as well done to say the least. The other two boys in their pack were just as amazing and devious as Scarlet and Robin Hood and characters I adored seeing evolve as time went on.
The plot in this was also nothing but suspenseful, twisty, and well crafted. What I liked most about it, though, was Scarlet's voice. It was a little hard to get into at first because of how she spoke, but the end, it truly added a great edge to her character and made her all the more relatable. I especially enjoyed seeing her tell of the different events occurring in her village as well as her reoccurring acts to save the people of the town- it added lots of little twists and turns to keep me glued to the pages! The romance was equally awesome, because not only did it surprise me in more ways than one, but it also add me guessing to the end who (if any) Scarlet would end up with.
The only aspect of this book I wasn't too pleased with was the ending. It was a bit more open than I would've liked it, and I don't know if this is just my thirst for more story talking or an actual concern, but either way, I would openly welcome a sequel or two.
Lastly, A.C. Gauhen proved to be an amazing writer within this one, as mentioned before. She perfectly nailed Scarlet's voice, and I adored how authentic and creative she made everything...from the setting, to the characters, to the plot events, everything was nearly perfect.
Addicting as well as fierce, Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen is one debut I couldn't get enough of to tell the truth, so my advice for you: get your hands on a copy of this one ASAP. It's worth the money, no doubt about it!
Grade: A
Source: Publisher via Netgalley (Thanks, Walker Books!)
I was wondering how people where going to like this one. I saw it a few weeks ago and have been curious but a little hesitant about it. I love strong female leads, they make the book for me.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad this book is getting such positive reviews! I've been iffy about reading it, but now I'm definitely going to give it a chance. :D
ReplyDeleteI have been anticipating this one for awhile now and am so glad to see you enjoyed it. I can't wait to pick up my own copy!
ReplyDeleteI mostly enjoyed this book too but am struggling to write my review for whatever reason. I really hope there is a sequel as there is a lot more Robin Hood story that could be told!
ReplyDeleteI just finished Scarlet and I absolutely loved it; it was a great twist on Robin Hood. Scarlet is a fantastic heroine and the secondary characaters were really good, too; loved Rob's little band and the villains were really awful and easy to hate, which makes for a good read.
ReplyDelete