Review for Scarlet

(Isn't this just an awesome cover?)

Scarlet

Author: A.C. Gaughen

Genre: Young Adult Retelling

Pages: 292

Source: I OWN IT!

Summery from GoodReads…

Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance.

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.

The Good

OMG! I feel like such a fangirl, I want to reread this book already! (and let me tell you that never really happens.) I've been looking forward to this book for a long time and earlier this year I won a t-shirt for it from the author so it's safe to say I had high hopes. So beyond telling you that I was totally drooling over Rob I’d like to say that this was just a FUN book! I’ve always thought Robin Hood was cool, then last fall break at school I got completely obsessed with the BBC Robin Hood tv series and have wanted to find a book that got me as hooked as that show. This was the book. The cast of characters are younger than they normally are (which fits into the YA theme) and one of the merry men is actually a merry woman! A knife wielder with a temper and I must say she’s pretty bad-ass.

Scarlet is a thief with a mysterious past that not even Rob knows about. She feels like she’s so beyond redemption that she pushes everyone away and hates it when the guys try to fuss over her. Rob is, of course, the leader and the oldest of the gang. He carry’s as much weight on his shoulders as Scarlet seems to. Little John is the womanizer and Much is the youngest and probably the most optimistic of the group. This is a great cast of characters and, whether Scarlet likes it or not, they are their own little family.

Seeing as how this legend has been retold multiple times you wouldn’t think you could be surprised at all but there were a couple times in the story when I was like: “GEEZ LOUISE!” I totally didn’t see it coming. It’s always nice to be surprised.

The Bad

Since this is a debut novel (and I love it so much) I’m not going to be very nitpicky, it was a fun book. But there were two things that irritated me most in this book. The first one can be summed up to two words: love triangle. Authors I know they create great opportunities for drama but we love your stories without them. The second: I WANT MORE!!!! From what I’ve seen, this appears to be a stand-alone book and I really want to see more of their adventures! The ending to me almost felt like a cliff hanger (almost I say) and I yelled at the book: “No! You can’t end there!” So yeah, please give me more adventures with Scarlet and the gang!

The Krazyness

Q: If you were in Robin Hood’s gang what would be your weapon and (if you’re a girl) which of the guy’s would you be fawning over?

A: Well, I’ll start out by saying that Rob is a complete hotty and I’ll fight you for him.lol I would say my weapon would probably be knives or short swords. 

 5 Elf Cookies