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gileslibrarian6's review against another edition
4.0
Re-telling of Robin Hood where Robyn is a 12 year old girl in a futuristic society where the governor Crown overthrows the government to become a dictator. Robyn's parents, members of Parliament, disappear on the Night of Shadows and she sets out to find them but meets many obstacles along the way. She must also unlock the pieces of the puzzle lying around her; clues left by her dad and left by the moon lore which may not be so mythical after all. 1st in a series.
guardianofthebookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
Grade: C
This e-galley was provided by Bloomsbury USA Children's in exchange for an honest review.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Well that was...something. Shadows of Sherwood was a book with which I had to suspend a lot of disbelief. These were kids (Robyn's twelve, Key is said to be a year or two older, Laurel's younger than Robyn), and they're pulling off grand heists with very few problems. There's also lots of discussions about moon lore and a prophecy and all of that was confusing and felt a bit disjointed in the plot.
I loved the idea of another genderbent Robin Hood retelling, especially one with a biracial protagonist. Speaking of Robyn being biracial, there's a weird moment towards the end of the book where something connected with the moon lore becomes a metaphor for the color of her skin and it left a weird taste in my mouth.
The other characters didn't interest me too much. Key seemed almost like a love interest, although he never was. I did like Scarlet, but I don't remember how old she is and her computer and technological skills were a bit unbelievable. The point-of-view jumps between Robyn and the Sheriff didn't work well for me. Their only purpose was to share information that Robyn could've learned herself later on.
The Verdict: Kind of fun, but a bit slow-going and there were weird plot threads.
This e-galley was provided by Bloomsbury USA Children's in exchange for an honest review.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Well that was...something. Shadows of Sherwood was a book with which I had to suspend a lot of disbelief. These were kids (Robyn's twelve, Key is said to be a year or two older, Laurel's younger than Robyn), and they're pulling off grand heists with very few problems. There's also lots of discussions about moon lore and a prophecy and all of that was confusing and felt a bit disjointed in the plot.
I loved the idea of another genderbent Robin Hood retelling, especially one with a biracial protagonist. Speaking of Robyn being biracial, there's a weird moment towards the end of the book where something connected with the moon lore becomes a metaphor for the color of her skin and it left a weird taste in my mouth.
The other characters didn't interest me too much. Key seemed almost like a love interest, although he never was. I did like Scarlet, but I don't remember how old she is and her computer and technological skills were a bit unbelievable. The point-of-view jumps between Robyn and the Sheriff didn't work well for me. Their only purpose was to share information that Robyn could've learned herself later on.
The Verdict: Kind of fun, but a bit slow-going and there were weird plot threads.
reviewsmayvary's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book. Great for middle grade, adventurers. Review to come.
http://bookedupandbossy.blogspot.com/2016/08/BookReview-Shadows-of-Sherwood.html
http://bookedupandbossy.blogspot.com/2016/08/BookReview-Shadows-of-Sherwood.html
spellingbat's review against another edition
4.0
A lot got introduced, so I'll see how book two goes before I decide if book 1 had too much or just enough. Lots of things happen, and Robyn has some personal growth. A lot is told to the reader not shown, and the plot has a lot of pieces that don't quite fit together yet. Relationships just happen without real grounds for friendships to form or trust to be given, and apparently some people can tell Robyn is "the one" while others are skeptical. Kids familiar with the Robin Hood folk tale will appreciate noticing parallels, and it's nice to see a girl of color given a lead in a series.
libra17's review against another edition
4.0
A while ago, the idea of a Robin Hood tale set in the 21st century got stuck in my head and - off and on - I hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. So, I asked around for recommendations of a story like that, and this popped up on someone's goodreads shelf. It's close enough to what I was looking for, and I adore genderflipped classics, so I got it to read.
Overall, Shadows of Sherwood is a good abook woth some parts that really annoyed me, likely because I am an adult reader, not part of the intended middle school audience. My biggest issue with this book is that a lot of the conflict between Robyn, Laurel, and Key feels contrived. Robyn is told that "to succeed in this journey, you will be required to trust," and she decides to give trust, on the fly, to other she meets that knows may or may not be trustworthy. However, at the same time, she simply refuses to tell Laurel and Key about her experinece diring the Night of Shadows, that her parents were some of the members of parliment that were 'disappeared' that night, and to use that background to explain why she is so determined to know what her father's message says. It is this refusal to be open and loop in the tqo people she says repeatedly are her closest friends that drives needless conflict between the group; to them, she is keeping secrets and putting all of them at risk of getting captured and being 'disappeared' themselves for completely selfish reasons. You really can't blame either of tbwm for being upset. This is probably in the book because it helps drag out the plot a bit, but I spent a good portion of the book resisting the temptation to fling my kindle across the room and shouting 'So tell them, you idiot!'
That being said, other parts of the book were great. Shadows of Sherwood is set in a near-future fantasy world that has both technology and magic prophecies as major parts of tbe plot (although it can be argued that the magic is merely self-fulfilling legend as the downtrodden believers of that lore use it to emotionally galvanize their rebellions), so it wasn't quite what I was asking for in the rec request, but it's close enough. I already mentioned that I love genderflipped classics, so this was awesome on that front, and - with this being a middle grades novel in mind - the writing was decent enough. I also like how Magoon brought in themes and characters from Robin Hood lore - stealing food to give to poor inhabitants of Sherwood district, Tucker is studying to become a minister, Merryan is a stand-in for Maid Marian, Scarlet the hacker is a stand-in for Will Scarlet, etcetera - while at the same time changing enough that Shadows of Sherwood felt like a whole new story. I do plan of reading the other two books of the series.
Overall, Shadows of Sherwood is a good abook woth some parts that really annoyed me, likely because I am an adult reader, not part of the intended middle school audience. My biggest issue with this book is that a lot of the conflict between Robyn, Laurel, and Key feels contrived. Robyn is told that "to succeed in this journey, you will be required to trust," and she decides to give trust, on the fly, to other she meets that knows may or may not be trustworthy. However, at the same time, she simply refuses to tell Laurel and Key about her experinece diring the Night of Shadows, that her parents were some of the members of parliment that were 'disappeared' that night, and to use that background to explain why she is so determined to know what her father's message says. It is this refusal to be open and loop in the tqo people she says repeatedly are her closest friends that drives needless conflict between the group; to them, she is keeping secrets and putting all of them at risk of getting captured and being 'disappeared' themselves for completely selfish reasons. You really can't blame either of tbwm for being upset. This is probably in the book because it helps drag out the plot a bit, but I spent a good portion of the book resisting the temptation to fling my kindle across the room and shouting 'So tell them, you idiot!'
That being said, other parts of the book were great. Shadows of Sherwood is set in a near-future fantasy world that has both technology and magic prophecies as major parts of tbe plot (although it can be argued that the magic is merely self-fulfilling legend as the downtrodden believers of that lore use it to emotionally galvanize their rebellions), so it wasn't quite what I was asking for in the rec request, but it's close enough. I already mentioned that I love genderflipped classics, so this was awesome on that front, and - with this being a middle grades novel in mind - the writing was decent enough. I also like how Magoon brought in themes and characters from Robin Hood lore - stealing food to give to poor inhabitants of Sherwood district, Tucker is studying to become a minister, Merryan is a stand-in for Maid Marian, Scarlet the hacker is a stand-in for Will Scarlet, etcetera - while at the same time changing enough that Shadows of Sherwood felt like a whole new story. I do plan of reading the other two books of the series.
kpeninger's review against another edition
3.0
Loved the concept, but didn't love all the execution. Shadows of Sherwood, a retelling of the Robin Hood story, is definitely an action/adventure story in a futuristic, sci-fi setting, and because it moves at such a fast pace, it ends up using leaps of logic and lots of coincidence in order to move the plot where it needs to go. It made a fairly strong story weaker for it.
That being said, the characters are really enjoyable, and the worldbuilding is interesting. It is very fast paced, so if you like lots of action with fewer gaps for introspection, you'll be entertained. I'll be keeping an eye out of the rest of the series. It's worth the read, if you are interested in diverse retellings of old stories.
That being said, the characters are really enjoyable, and the worldbuilding is interesting. It is very fast paced, so if you like lots of action with fewer gaps for introspection, you'll be entertained. I'll be keeping an eye out of the rest of the series. It's worth the read, if you are interested in diverse retellings of old stories.
amdame1's review against another edition
4.0
First in a series
Robyn had snuck out one night and when she came home discovered that her home had been invaded, her father killed, and her mother disappeared. To make matters worse, a restrictive government has taken over - including Robyn's house. She joins a band of other young people that steal from the rich and give to the poor (sound familiar?) while trying to take down the government and find out what happened to her mom.
A new take on the Robin Hood tale with a brown girl as the main character!!! YAY! She is strong - and yet has realistic flaws, as we all do. Highly recommend.
Robyn had snuck out one night and when she came home discovered that her home had been invaded, her father killed, and her mother disappeared. To make matters worse, a restrictive government has taken over - including Robyn's house. She joins a band of other young people that steal from the rich and give to the poor (sound familiar?) while trying to take down the government and find out what happened to her mom.
A new take on the Robin Hood tale with a brown girl as the main character!!! YAY! She is strong - and yet has realistic flaws, as we all do. Highly recommend.
avidan's review against another edition
4.0
Some interesting changes from the original story, but I'm not totally sold on the whole "moon lore" making Robyn "the chosen one" plotline.
libscote's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this one. It was an interesting take on the Robin Hood myth, combined with some mythology about the sun and the moon. It also takes place in a futuristic setting. Honestly, I could have done without the moon lore parts, but I'd still be interested to see where Magoon takes it in the next book in the series.
thisgrrlreads's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't expect this Robin Hood reinvention to be so sci fi! I loved the future world it was set in, and the fact that it still managed to address some form of race and class discrimination. I think the larger series could be great, though I found the addition of the moon lore to be somewhat overly complicated for my taste. Still, action lovers will enjoy this one, even though Robyn is a girl!