Summary (from book jacket):
Will Scarlet is good at two things: stealing from the rick and keeping secrets--skills that are in high demand in Robin Hood's band of thieves, who protect the people of Nottingham from the evil sheriff. Scarlet's biggest secret of all is one only Robin and his men know...that she is posing as a thief: that the slip of a boy who is fast with sharp knives is really a girl.
The terrible events in her past that led Scarlet to hide her real identity are in danger of being exposed when the thief-taker Lord Gisbourne arrives in town to rid Nottingham of the Hood and his men once and for all. As Gisbourne closes in and puts innocent lives at risk, Scarlet must decide how much the people of Nottingham mean to her--especially John Little, a flirtatious fellow outlaw, and Robin, whose quick smiles have the rare power to unsettle her.
There is real honor among these thieves and so much more--making this a fight worth dying for.
Scarlet is part of the Debut Author Challenge hosted by the Story Siren. (Don't know how far along I am with that....)
My review:
WOW. Scarlet is an intense novel. It's dark. It's suspenseful. It's as good as everyone has said.
Scarlet is an amazing woman and character. She's tough takin' on hunger and bad guys, helping out the poor. She goes hungry so other's can eat, trained herself to fight, and tackles guards to the ground.
She's not the most trusting, but the band of thieves trusts her and they are loyal together. There's four of them: Robin, the leader, John, the lover, Much, the youth, and Scarlet, the woman. She goes by Will Scarlet and is one of the toughest women I've ever met in literature.
Scarlet is a warrior woman, for sure.
Robin, John, and Much are awesome men. I love how Much and Robin all go talking "are you with John?...you're going to get with John...you're with John." It's hilarious, because Scarlet always says "I'm not with John." The romance in this novel is complicated and subtle. The main plot is helping the poor people by getting enough money for them to pay their taxes and getting them food to eat, figuring out Scarlet's past, and keeping away from Gisbourne and trying not to get caught or killed.
As for the plot, it's well crafted. ACG obviously did her research. I liked how it was set before Robin Hood's band really became big. It flows well, is very fast paced mostly. I'm also looking for similar books, because I liked this one so much!
Favorite Quote:
"As much as I'd like to see Will fall down Castle Rock, I'd like better for you, Fred."
"Everyone knows Will Scarlet can do anything," Fred told him.
John rolled his eyes.
I decided I'd steal Fred something extra this week for that.
Wish I could say more, but I think I'm done. Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment!
