My Thoughts: Scarlet (A.C. Gaughen)

(Goodreads Blurb)
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. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff 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.




My Thoughts:
The lore of Robin Hood and his merry men is one of my favorites, I watch every movie that comes out and saw the brief TV show. I admit I haven't read many books on the subject.

I was drawn to this retelling in particular because it's from the view of Will Scarlet, who is actually a girl in disguise. She has a lot of secrets that she keeps even from Robin, the leader of their little band of do-gooders. Scarlet along with Robin, Much and Little John steal from the rich to give to the poor. Scarlet definitely hold her own, being quite skilled with a knife. The sheriff hires Guy of Gisborne to track down and capture Robin Hood. But it's Scarlet that has the most to be afraid of if she were to be captured.

I'll start with the writing. It was difficult for me to get past the way the author had Scarlet speak. I imagine it was supposed to be reminiscent of that time period, but all it ended up doing was annoy me. Especially the overused word of "were" in particular. It made the writing less flowy.

I found the story to be very predictable, nothing happened that I didn't really expect. Even though the character of Scarlet was different, this tale of Robin Hood was fairly like all others I've known. However, I still enjoyed it and read it straight through.

I wish we could have seen more action between Scarlet and Robin. Robin was my favorite character. He was everything you imagine Robin Hood to be. I didn't get enough of him. The moments we did get between him and Scarlet had that push-pull make you want to scream JUST KISS EACH OTHER ALREADY feeling (which are the best). If you've seen the TV show Robin Hood, this book is kinda similar, especially with the storyline of Guy of Gisborne. As far as the other thieves in Robin's band, Little John really didn't do much for me. I wanted to just yell at him "BACK OFF SHE'S ROBIN'S!, but held my tongue. Haha. Much was, well Much. Endearing.

Favorite Quotes:
" That's how it were between me and Rob-he'd say such things that made my chest feel like porridge instead of a heart, and just when I thought it might mean something more than me being a fool girl, he'd pull away sharp."

"It's not that I see through you, it's that I see you. You don't want anyone to see you, but I do."

"My heart cracked open and clear dropped out of me."

"He didn't look angry now. He looked lost. I felt lost. I stared at him and my heart broke fresh again. Loving him felt like drowning in his ocean eyes, like a tide I couldn't hold back, crashing on me again, filling me up with hurt and shame and despair. standing so lose to him, all I could think were the hundred things I should have told him long ago. A hundred moments I'd lost because I were scared and weak and shameful."

Bottom Line: Overall, Scarlet was a solid retelling of an old tale with a twist. 3.5/5