Saturday, January 21, 2012

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen [ARC REVIEW]

        
Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
Summary 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."

Rating:

Scarlet is a wonderful twist to the classic Robin Hood tale!

Will Scarlet is part of Robin Hood’s band of thieves. He’s cunning and quick. He can easily blend into a crowd and he’s one heck of a spy. But he also has a secret, he is actually a she. That’s not the only secret she’s keeping and that secret haunts her everyday… what’s worse, it has come back to claim her.

I don’t know much about the story of Robin Hood; I just know the basics: he’s a thief who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. What I know doesn’t go further than that… unless you count the Robin Hood cartoon by Disney. LOL.

Anyway, I’ve always been a fan of books showing women empowerment, so it’s really no surprise that Scarlet caught my attention, and the retelling bit was an added bonus.

 Gaughen’s version of the classic was a very delightful read. Never had I imagined the possibility of this story to evolve into something different and yet still stick as strongly as probable to how the original tale was created. I really admire how she threaded all her research into a story worth reading.

Scarlet’s attitude was something I don’t like about a person.  She’s rude, impulsive, and secretive among other things. There’s too much negative energy around her and yet, I love her. Her imperfection just makes her a more interesting character. At first I was really annoyed at her for evading all the issues Robin wants her to open up about but when I found out the truth, I couldn’t help but shed a few tears for the girl. She’s been through a lot.

I had mixed feeling about Robin and Little John’s characters. There are times that I liked them and times that I wished the story to move on because they were just annoying. Still, I have to commend the uniqueness of them both. They’re memorable and strong, so kudos!

The plot of this story was really interesting and every chapter of this book was entertaining. I love the balance of romance, action and narrative that Gaughen has provided readers with.

The only reason I didn’t give this book a perfect rating was the ending. Oh sure I love how Scarlet’s relationship went into but there’s still a lot of unfinished business. If this is ever a standalone then it may cause disappointment. There’s got to be more to this… Please!!! *Doing the puppy eyes*

Well I still think Scarlet is an incredible novel and I highly recommend this to readers who are suckers for classic retellings.