Publisher:
Date of publication: January 1st, 2021
Genre: Young Adult, Fairy Tale Retelling, Fantasy
Series: HighTower Fairytales
Winter Falls: A Tale of the Snow Queen (Review here)
Cry Wolf: A Tale of Beauty and the Beast—Book 1
Lone Wolf: A Tale of Beauty and the Beast—Book 2
Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: A Tale of Beauty and the Beast—Book 3
Between Dog and Wolf: A Tale of Beauty and the Beast—Book 4
Wolves at Bay: A Tale of Beauty and the Beast—Book 5
Depths—Book 6
Graves: A Tale of the Little Mermaid—Book 7
Storms—Book 8
Robin’s Hood: A Tale of Sherwood Forest—Book 9
Marian’s Man: A Tale of Sherwood Forest—Book 10
Lion’s Heart: A Tale of Sherwood Forest—Book 11
Letters by Cinderlight: A Tale of Cinderella—Book 12
Wishes by Starlight: A Tale of Cinderella—Book 13
Purchase Links: Amazon
Format Read: ARC
Received From: Author
Goodreads Synopsis:
The King of Thieves is dead. Long live the Queen.
Orphaned at five and widowed at sixteen, Marian is the sole heir of Locksley keep and the Earldom of Huntingdon. Her husband, Robin of Locksley, never returned from the crusades, leaving her at the mercy of the sheriff. He chooses her a new husband among his brutal lackeys and taxes her people to rags and starvation.
Marian is sidelined and powerless, but rumors spread of a charismatic thief who could change everything. Clever, brave, and strong, his followers claim that the hooded rogue is Robin’s spirit back from the grave.
Only Marian knows the truth. Her husband is dead, but under his hood, she could be invincible.
ROBIN’S HOOD is the first novella in the High Tower Robin Hood YA medieval fantasy series. If you like strong female characters, friends-to-lovers romance, and non-stop twists and turns, then you’ll love this gender-bent twist on the Legends of Sherwood.
First Line:
I have heard ballads of our adventures already. A few favor the sheriff, saying we’re all cutthroats and devil worshipers, but most speak of the merry outlaws doing clever deeds.
Robin’s Hood: A Tale of Sherwood Forest by Jacque Stevens
Out of all the fairy tale retellings I have read, I don’t think that I have read a retelling of Robin Hood. So, when I saw that Jacque Stevens had written a feminist retelling of Robin Hood, I was intrigued and I decided to read it. I am glad that I did because Robin’s Hood was a homerun for me.
I liked seeing a woman in the role of Robin Hood. It threw an exciting spin on the myth, one that, truthfully, I haven’t bothered to imagine. I was always stuck on Robin Hood being a man. I never thought to imagine a heartbroken woman who was trying to do what she thought was right in the role. The author was able to do that and more.
Robin’s Hood is set in medieval England, and the book reflects that. Women were often viewed as property and treated as such. So, I wasn’t too surprised to learn that Marian’s guardian decided to marry her, at 5, to his eight-year-old son. He did that to secure his son’s claim to her lands. I also wasn’t too surprised when the Sherriff of Nottingham decided to marry her to his cousin (for the same reason). There are also other examples. A woman was sent to a convent for her “confinement” (women were not allowed to be seen during pregnancy). Marian’s maid was beaten when she refused the advances of the Sherriff of Nottingham.
I enjoyed reading about Marian’s exploits as Robin Hood. I loved how she recruited her band of merry men. That one scene with Little John made me laugh, including how she tried to save him after knocking him into the river. The same goes with her scenes with Friar Tuck. I think he had no clue who Marian was because he was toasted 95% of the time.
The last few chapters of Robin’s Hood did send me into a tailspin. Everything happened so fast!!! But I still loved it. The author wrapped up most of the storylines for this book but left them open enough for the next one.
I enjoyed reading Robin’s Hood. This story was an enjoyable retelling of the myth.
I would recommend Robin’s Hood to anyone over the age of 13. There is mild violence.
Definitely an interesting spin on the story of Robin Hood. Great review, Jolie and I am glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you Carla!!