Fans of Danielle Paige, Marissa Meyer, and Alex Flinn will devour New York Times bestselling author Meagan Spooner’s next fierce fairy tale-inspired story, which Illuminae author Amie Kaufman calls “a kick-ass, gender-flipped feminist retelling.”Robin of Locksley is dead. Maid Marian doesn’t know how she’ll go on, but the people of Locksley town, persecuted by the Sheriff of Nottingham, need a … town, persecuted by the Sheriff of Nottingham, need a protector. And the dreadful Guy of Gisborne, the Sheriff’s right hand, wishes to step into Robin’s shoes as Lord of Locksley and Marian’s fiancé.
Who is there to stop them?
Marian never meant to tread in Robin’s footsteps—never intended to stand as a beacon of hope to those awaiting his triumphant return. But with a sweep of his green cloak and the flash of her sword, Marian makes the choice to become her own hero: Robin Hood.
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I wept, reading it. My heart needed it so badly.
“Marian’s life had been ordained when she was born a girl. But Robin Hood’s life?”
Robin Hood is dead. It’s not a spoiler, it’s right there in the synopsis. While going on a secret mission where she had to hide her identity, Marian is mistaken for Robin Hood, because not everyone is convinced he is dead … and because Marian has some kick@ss skills. She embraces this opportunity to do good and to be free, and it’s pretty awesome.
Meagan Spooner uses a retelling of Robin Hood to showcase a history of gender inequality, and to show just how much a woman can accomplish when she has the opportunity. Even if that opportunity is stolen under guise. But Spooner takes a big risk with the romantic interest in her reimagining, and it’s a risk that I’m noticing not everyone is liking. But life is complex, and people are even more so. And as this story subtly teaches, we are not always who we appear to be when the layers are pulled back. Regardless, Marian has been given the freedom of choice and she’s using it. End of discussion. Check it out.
When Marion receives the news that Robin of Locksley, the man she had intended to marry, was killed, she is thrown into grief and despair. Who is this Guy of Gisbourne who is to take over the estate she has loved and cared for in her betrothed’s absence? To save the brother of her maid, Marion takes on an alternate persona and a legend is born.
I am caught between three stars and four stars and am going with the more generous rating to be nice. Parts of this I enjoyed, and parts had me rolling my eyes. I’ve read and enjoyed female Robin Hood stories before. This one was interesting to see Marion as Robin (though I will confess I found it hilarious that no one-NO ONE!-ever realized that it was a woman). I honestly thought Robin being dead was a mislead and that Robin would reappear, wounded, but eager to retake his position. My mistake. This does not happen. He’s dead. D.E.A.D.
What did Gisbourne do that was so awful? Why did Marion hate him so much from the start? The book doesn’t tell us. So the romance between Marion and Gisbourne was, quite frankly, the most unbelievable part of this book. My favorite scenes were the flashbacks told from Robin’s POV of how he falls for Marion, but even those are shadowed by the realization that Marion didn’t actually love him back. Not in the same way.
It did keep my attention, even when I was rolling my eyes. So maybe if you’re a reader looking for a female Robin Hood story, you’ll enjoy this. Just be warned, the first half of the book is raw with Marion’s grief and sadness.
I guess she loved him a little?
I didn’t end up enjoying this one as much as I thought I would, which is such a bummer. On paper this looks right up my alley, but it just didn’t fully work for me. I did enjoy Marian as a character and how strong she was and how she fought for what she believed in. I also enjoyed the Robin voice she heard in her head that acted as her conscience at times. I just found those thoughts to be funny. But there were just other things that kept me from fully loving this one. For once, it took me a really long time to get through. The pacing was super slow and once I put the book down I never really had that drive to pick it back up ASAP. Also at times I felt like I wasn’t even sure where the story was going. The story arc was a bit up and down. But most of all I HATED the romance. I almost wish it hadn’t been included. Honestly when the romance kinda came to a head and was revealed I had a moment where I was like REALLY?!?! HIM?!?! So the fact that I didn’t recognize the love interest for a long time really says it all. I also HATED that we had to do the thing where it was “oh no I actually don’t think I loved Robin.” And I hated it because I just feel like this is a thing where of course she realizes she didn’t actually love him because then how could we really love this new guy and NO. You can have more than one love in your life. So yeah, the romance was a big turn off for me with this one. All in all, Sherwood just wasn’t all I had hoped it would be. It’s a twist on the Robin Hood story that I think had a lot of potential but just missed the mark in some ways.
Robin Hood is dead. Long live Lady Marian! That is pretty much the premise of this retelling by author Meagan Spooner. There have been numerous retellings of Robin Hood in the movies, including 2018’s Robin Hood. Recent books include Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen, and The Forest Queen by Betsy Cornwell. But, this story takes a different twist on Robin Hood tale from the perspective of Marian.
Lady Marian grew up with Robin of Locksley. As kids, they learned how to fight, and how to shoot bow and arrow. Marian was always a little faster to learn and a better shot. She was also taller. With Robin, she could be who she wanted to be. He didn’t try to imprison her in the usual role for women of her time. He even took his time in asking Marian to marry him before joining King Richard’s Crusades.
Things change when news that Robin has died in the Holy Land in service to his king. While Marian is inconsolable over the loss of Robin, things change when her maid’s brother Will Scarlett is arrested by the Sheriff of Nottingham’s men. After discovering the injustices perpetrated by the Sheriff, and his men, she decides to do something about it. She finds Robin’s signature cloak, the sword and bow he had made for her, and sets out to rescue Will.
Her adversary is Guy of Gisborne who wants to take Robin’s place both at Locksley and as Marian’s new husband. One could say that she never intended to become Robin Hood, but once she saw how much hope Robin’s reappearance brought to the people of Nottingham, she sets out on a dangerous path which can either lead to legendary status, or a quick death by hanging. Her crew includes Little John, Alan-a-Dale, Will Scarlet, her maid Elena, her stableman Midge (Much) and Frère Tuck.
This story incorporates a bit of a back story with Marian and Robin growing up. Robin is also in Marian’s head at times during the course of this story. Robin and Marian’s relationship is legendary, so yes, I was absolutely saddened by the way this book opens. For years, I’ve read and watched movies where Robin was nearly indestructible. Marian as a main character was very interesting to read. She’s headstrong, and very independent. She was so immersive and shows herself to be incredibly resourceful throughout the story.
My only real complaint – I absolutely loathed the “mandatory love story”. It didn’t sit right with me in any way, and I had so much trouble with it through the whole novel. I cast my rating down a bit thanks to the ending and the forced romance. One could say, well, it was time or Marian to move on and find happiness. Or, one could say, just get over it! Read the book and make your own choices. That is my recommendation.
I LOVED this book!
Highly unrealistic and even frustrating at times, but overall a good read. Some things are never really dealt with properly (spoiler: like the death of a guard) but basically fun.
I love Robin Hood retellings. Especially if Marion is a strong female character and not a damsel in distress. This book definitely does not disappoint! Marion is both physically strong (can out fight and out shoot Robin Hood) and strong-willed. Her strong-willed nature is what gets her in trouble and the driving force of the book. After the first couple of chapters, I thought I knew how the book would eventually end, but I was wrong. Although I was initially disappointed, I actually loved the way it ended.
Marion and the other main character grew during the course of the book and they were not the same people at the end as they were at the beginning. The supporting characters were also well developed.
There was lots of action and a little romance thrown in to make it a great book. One that I will read over and over. I highly recommend it.
In this retelling of Robin Hood, the gender roles are flipped. After the loss of Robin, Maid Marian dons his cloak and steps into the role as hero. There is heartache, self-discovery, friendship, romance and betrayal. This was truly a delight of a book.