Book Review: Scarlet

Scarlet

by A.C. Gaughen

Goodreads Summary: 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

Review: I have a confession to make before I start my actual review: for most of my childhood - thanks to Disney - I thought Robin Hood was a fox.  As a result, I was not very interested and therefore not very familiar with the Robin Hood legend.  I know the basics, but none of the details, including who Will Scarlet is or was supposed to be.  In a way, it was good because I was able to read the book without many preconceptions.

First off, I really enjoyed the premise of the book.  I love the idea that one of Robin Hood's Merry Men was actually a feisty girl thief in disguise.  I wasn't very surprised at Scarlet's true identity, but nonetheless loved the idea of it.  However, there were a few things that stopped me from really enjoying the book.

I liked that Gaughen kept the writing and speech in style with that time period and consistent throughout; however, personally, I had a very hard time reading it.  It took quite a bit of work for me to decipher what Scarlet actually meant at times.  If I could have changed one thing about the book, it would have been for Scarlet to speak that style, but narrate normally.  Perhaps that would have changed my overall opinion about the book.

The other big thing about the book that I didn't enjoy very much was how Gaughen portrayed Robin Hood.  In most adaptations, Robin is dashing and charming with a fairly jovial, but still responsible, nature.  With this adaptation, Robin - or Rob as he was called - was portrayed as a brooding, tragic hero.  Basically, I felt like the author turned Robin Hood into an emo teenager, which was not how I pictured him at all.  While I like the depth Gaughen gave him, with his past, responsibilities, and burdens weighing him down, it seemed like that became the predominant trait of this version's Robin Hood.

Unfortunately, while I liked the idea of the book, I didn't enjoy the execution of it very much.  However, if you're a fan of Robin Hood, you might still enjoy this interesting spin on a classic tale.  (Call me shallow, but I did love the cover of this book!)

Overall Rating: 2.5/5