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A review by rallythereaders
Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
3.0
Also posted on Rally the Readers.
3.5 Stars
The legend of Robin Hood has been one of my all-time favorite tales since childhood. I love anything related to the Middle Ages, and the historical period paired with Robin and his colleagues’ dedication to aiding the poor has just always appealed to me. I also love watching film/TV adaptations of the story. The animated Disney version with Robin and Maid Marian as foxes and Little John as a bear is one of my favorite Disney movies. I was also addicted to the BBC’s spin on the tale a few years ago and faithfully tuned in to BBC America every Saturday night. (My love for that show may have had a teensy bit to do with Richard Armitage’s portrayal of Sir Guy of Gisborne and the fact that he was clad in black leather. Maybe. Just a tad. What was I saying?) Needless to say, I was psyched to read Scarlet and was ecstatic over the idea of a female protagonist who’s a member of Robin Hood’s crew.
One of the very first things you notice about the book is Scarlet’s narrative voice. Wherever the word “was” should be, you’re going to find “were” in place of it, as in, “I were bored. I went for a lookabout.” While Scarlet has a unique way of speaking, I didn’t find it distracting at all; I thought it quite suited her scrappy character and didn’t sound out of place in the story’s setting. The novel really shines at conjuring images of medieval England and making you feel like you’re there. The attention to period detail is impressive.
You’ll find the essentials of the Robin Hood legend here: he and his band of mates steal from the rich to give to the poor, who’ve been taxed into destitution by the nasty Sheriff of Nottingham. Besides Scarlet, Robin’s gang includes Little John and Much, with the occasional appearance by Friar Tuck as an innkeeper (alas, no Allan-a-Dale). I really liked the book’s depiction of Robin as a bit of a haunted soul, dealing with the weight of what he did and saw during his service in the Crusades. His character went deeper than the typical representation of him as a dashing hero of the common folk, and it was a refreshing take. Of course, the Robin in Scarlet is deeply concerned about the welfare of the people of Nottingham, and he works tirelessly to help them.
Where I hit a bit of bump in the book was with Scarlet herself. She’s an admirably tough, courageous character, but she also has a tendency to run off whenever anyone tries to get too close to her. Granted, the secret Scarlet guards is a big part of the plot, but I still couldn’t help becoming frustrated every time she pushed someone away or threatened to leave when she felt like she was being asked too many personal questions. I’m all for independent heroines, but Scarlet was also fortunate to have a group of fiercely loyal friends surrounding her, and I thought she didn’t always appreciate that fact.
I also wish that there had been a little more substance to Guy’s character. He came across as über-villainous, and personally, I prefer baddies with a morally ambiguous side to them. Overall, though, this was a solid Robin Hood story that had me longing to travel back to the Middle Ages to join up with a band of beneficent outlaws. But only if I were somehow immune to the plague and other such lovely medieval maladies, obviously.
3.5 Stars
The legend of Robin Hood has been one of my all-time favorite tales since childhood. I love anything related to the Middle Ages, and the historical period paired with Robin and his colleagues’ dedication to aiding the poor has just always appealed to me. I also love watching film/TV adaptations of the story. The animated Disney version with Robin and Maid Marian as foxes and Little John as a bear is one of my favorite Disney movies. I was also addicted to the BBC’s spin on the tale a few years ago and faithfully tuned in to BBC America every Saturday night. (My love for that show may have had a teensy bit to do with Richard Armitage’s portrayal of Sir Guy of Gisborne and the fact that he was clad in black leather. Maybe. Just a tad. What was I saying?) Needless to say, I was psyched to read Scarlet and was ecstatic over the idea of a female protagonist who’s a member of Robin Hood’s crew.
One of the very first things you notice about the book is Scarlet’s narrative voice. Wherever the word “was” should be, you’re going to find “were” in place of it, as in, “I were bored. I went for a lookabout.” While Scarlet has a unique way of speaking, I didn’t find it distracting at all; I thought it quite suited her scrappy character and didn’t sound out of place in the story’s setting. The novel really shines at conjuring images of medieval England and making you feel like you’re there. The attention to period detail is impressive.
You’ll find the essentials of the Robin Hood legend here: he and his band of mates steal from the rich to give to the poor, who’ve been taxed into destitution by the nasty Sheriff of Nottingham. Besides Scarlet, Robin’s gang includes Little John and Much, with the occasional appearance by Friar Tuck as an innkeeper (alas, no Allan-a-Dale). I really liked the book’s depiction of Robin as a bit of a haunted soul, dealing with the weight of what he did and saw during his service in the Crusades. His character went deeper than the typical representation of him as a dashing hero of the common folk, and it was a refreshing take. Of course, the Robin in Scarlet is deeply concerned about the welfare of the people of Nottingham, and he works tirelessly to help them.
Where I hit a bit of bump in the book was with Scarlet herself. She’s an admirably tough, courageous character, but she also has a tendency to run off whenever anyone tries to get too close to her. Granted, the secret Scarlet guards is a big part of the plot, but I still couldn’t help becoming frustrated every time she pushed someone away or threatened to leave when she felt like she was being asked too many personal questions. I’m all for independent heroines, but Scarlet was also fortunate to have a group of fiercely loyal friends surrounding her, and I thought she didn’t always appreciate that fact.
I also wish that there had been a little more substance to Guy’s character. He came across as über-villainous, and personally, I prefer baddies with a morally ambiguous side to them. Overall, though, this was a solid Robin Hood story that had me longing to travel back to the Middle Ages to join up with a band of beneficent outlaws. But only if I were somehow immune to the plague and other such lovely medieval maladies, obviously.