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cstaude's review
5.0
Delightful adventure with a unique take on the legend of Robin Hood. A totally different and fun read!
thatokiebird's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Sherwood is an alternate take on the Robin Hood legend focused on Marianne after Robin Hood dies in the prologue of the story. I really enjoy Meagan Spooner's writing, and also Robin Hood stories, so I was excited to pick this up. I listened to the audiobook version checked out from my library, and the narrator does an okay job. But the book itself drags. It's at least 5 hours longer than it needs to be. There's a lot of repetition and unnecessary tangents and diversions that drag the main plot rather than boost it. Overall, it's always fun to dive into this world and the twists at the end were entertaining and an interesting take in this story.
klainederful's review
3.0
Listen. I love Robin Hood in every shape or form and I was fully prepared to love this book as well. And I did , up until I reached the last 20% of the book and watched with horror as it turned into a romance, and a poorly executed one at that.
I'll break this up into bullet points, because there's a lot I want to say.
• The setting. The author put a lot of care and research into it and it shows, despite some small inaccuracies that didn't really impact my enjoyment (e.g. Marian using the word "tumor" in an anachronistic way).
• I adored Marian! It would have been very easy to depict her as the typical "strong female character" who is good at everything and can never be bested or wounded, but this wasn't the case here. Although Marian is strong, she's also insecure and sometimes vulnerable, she's headstrong and independent but doesn't shy from seeking comfort and help from her friends. She wasn't perfect, and that made her a great character.
• I really enjoyed the commentary this book offered on the role of women in society and their desire to break away from it and carve their own path.
Marian isn't alone in this which I deeply appreciated: all the female characters are rebels in their own way, and whether big or small, their actions shape the story.
• The fight scenes and the way Marian uses the bow and arrow and rides her horse were very detailed, but not to the point of being boring. They added a lot to the setting and atmosphere.
• I loved reading the small flashbacks about Marian's life with Robin, their dynamic was lovely if a bit unconventional, and I got a good sense of why they loved each other so deeply.
• As a big fan of BBC Robin Hood, I found many elements that reminded me of it, though I was probably only seeing what I wanted to see. The character of Marian reminded me a lot of my beloved Marian from the show, as did a lot of small details throughout the book.
• Speaking of which, I hated Gisborne with a passion on the show, but I tried not to let it cloud my judgment while reading the book. His character was interesting and I appreciated how he wasn't reduced to a villain without any depth. However,
Also, I can't believe I had to read the phrase "I am Robin Hood" uttered by him of all people.
• I breezed through the first 80% of this book, up until the romance started to develop, if that's even the right word for it. Marian's heart changed very abruptly after a single conversation, and two scenes later she was willing to put her life in the love interest's hands. What?
• The twist at the end...I won't spoil it, but I didn't like how it ended up taking some of the credit away from Marian to make someone else look like the hero. After watching her struggle to be who she wanted to be and help people, it felt like a slap in the face.
• The ending was too abrupt and left some things unresolved. I would have appreciated even just one more chapter, to see how everything wrapped up and how their lives changed after the climax.
I would still recommend this book if you're looking for an entertaining read with a good amount of depth and feminist undertones, especially if you, like me, love anything related to Robin Hood. Just be prepared for a disappointing resolution and an unnecessary romance arc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Robin Hood retelling??? With Marian as the protagonist?????
CAN IT BE MARCH ALREADY
I'll break this up into bullet points, because there's a lot I want to say.
• The setting. The author put a lot of care and research into it and it shows, despite some small inaccuracies that didn't really impact my enjoyment (e.g. Marian using the word "tumor" in an anachronistic way).
• I adored Marian! It would have been very easy to depict her as the typical "strong female character" who is good at everything and can never be bested or wounded, but this wasn't the case here. Although Marian is strong, she's also insecure and sometimes vulnerable, she's headstrong and independent but doesn't shy from seeking comfort and help from her friends. She wasn't perfect, and that made her a great character.
• I really enjoyed the commentary this book offered on the role of women in society and their desire to break away from it and carve their own path.
Marian isn't alone in this which I deeply appreciated: all the female characters are rebels in their own way, and whether big or small, their actions shape the story.
• The fight scenes and the way Marian uses the bow and arrow and rides her horse were very detailed, but not to the point of being boring. They added a lot to the setting and atmosphere.
• I loved reading the small flashbacks about Marian's life with Robin, their dynamic was lovely if a bit unconventional, and I got a good sense of why they loved each other so deeply.
• As a big fan of BBC Robin Hood, I found many elements that reminded me of it, though I was probably only seeing what I wanted to see. The character of Marian reminded me a lot of my beloved Marian from the show, as did a lot of small details throughout the book.
• Speaking of which, I hated Gisborne with a passion on the show, but I tried not to let it cloud my judgment while reading the book. His character was interesting and I appreciated how he wasn't reduced to a villain without any depth. However,
Spoiler
his backstory and motivation did not align with the choices he was making by the end of the book. His plan to rise to power and secure his position in order to start a revolution was, admittedly, a lot better than what Robin and the merry men could ever do as outlaws, not to mention the perfect revenge against the Sheriff. But then he threw away everything he was working towards in the name of "love". It's unclear why he even loves Marian that much, considerig he doesn't know her that well and most of their interactions are stilted and veiled with deception up until the very end.Also, I can't believe I had to read the phrase "I am Robin Hood" uttered by him of all people.
• I breezed through the first 80% of this book, up until the romance started to develop, if that's even the right word for it. Marian's heart changed very abruptly after a single conversation, and two scenes later she was willing to put her life in the love interest's hands. What?
• The twist at the end...I won't spoil it, but I didn't like how it ended up taking some of the credit away from Marian to make someone else look like the hero. After watching her struggle to be who she wanted to be and help people, it felt like a slap in the face.
• The ending was too abrupt and left some things unresolved. I would have appreciated even just one more chapter, to see how everything wrapped up and how their lives changed after the climax.
I would still recommend this book if you're looking for an entertaining read with a good amount of depth and feminist undertones, especially if you, like me, love anything related to Robin Hood. Just be prepared for a disappointing resolution and an unnecessary romance arc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Robin Hood retelling??? With Marian as the protagonist?????
CAN IT BE MARCH ALREADY
nalian's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
salmaa's review
4.0
i hate saying this word and i cringe when i hear it but it's,,,,
"action packed"
lol
"action packed"
lol
infinite_tbr's review against another edition
4.0
I’m a Robin Hood fan, so pretty much any retelling goes on my TBR list, but this one being centered on Marian bumped it right to the top. And it did not disappoint. I figured we’d see Marian taking on the mantle of Robin Hood after he is defeated by the Sheriff. Instead, we get to watch Marian invent Robin Hood after learning of Robin’s death in the Jerusalem — way better story than what I expected!
Marian is wonderfully vulnerable, spending days being medicated by a physician after hearing of Robin’s death because she is so upset over it. She’s too tall, too rambunctious, and too impulsive to fit in with the other ladies in Nottingham. Yet she’s determined to do good and honor Robin. She spent her childhood running wild with Robin and learning to fight and hunt alongside him. These skills serve her well as she goes out to save Will Scarlett and then continues operating as Robin Hood — her identity protected by his cloak and a mask. I half expected Robin to show up at the end, instead we got to see Gisborne change sides which was pretty great. I loved how Marian grew and learned throughout this book.
Highly recommend for fans of Robin Hood retellings and fans of strong-female characters!
Marian is wonderfully vulnerable, spending days being medicated by a physician after hearing of Robin’s death because she is so upset over it. She’s too tall, too rambunctious, and too impulsive to fit in with the other ladies in Nottingham. Yet she’s determined to do good and honor Robin. She spent her childhood running wild with Robin and learning to fight and hunt alongside him. These skills serve her well as she goes out to save Will Scarlett and then continues operating as Robin Hood — her identity protected by his cloak and a mask. I half expected Robin to show up at the end, instead we got to see Gisborne change sides which was pretty great. I loved how Marian grew and learned throughout this book.
Highly recommend for fans of Robin Hood retellings and fans of strong-female characters!
ameserole's review
2.0
Oh shit. Robin is dead. Who will step up to the plate?
I have been sitting on this star rating for DAYS guys. No idea if I should do 2 or 3.. or ya know half rate this shit. Eh, I'm just going to close my eyes and count to 1 Million or something. Let's hope for the best.
Sherwood is my first robin hood retelling book - I think? Not really sure if it is or not but I was definitely down for the ride when I saw it. Unfortunately, the feeling wasn't mutual after starting this book. I was so freaking excited to see where this was going to take me but then got easily disappointed throughout the book.
A woman with a boy being a possibly better Robin Hood? Maybe you should call in Katniss instead of whoever I just read about. Marian seems like a better side character than the main character in my eyes. It could've been the writing but she just ended up annoying me so much in this. Now Elena was way more my speed and I would've liked it a hell of a lot more if she was the main character instead.
Everyone else was okay - even the merry men. I feel like since I've seen all the robin hood movies I was expecting a lot more from this book and just got diddly squat. I'm thinking that I should just stick to the movies from now on because I'm less likely to be disappointed.
In the end, I probably should've dnf'd this thing but for some reason I'm stubborn af and stuck with it.
I have been sitting on this star rating for DAYS guys. No idea if I should do 2 or 3.. or ya know half rate this shit. Eh, I'm just going to close my eyes and count to 1 Million or something. Let's hope for the best.
Sherwood is my first robin hood retelling book - I think? Not really sure if it is or not but I was definitely down for the ride when I saw it. Unfortunately, the feeling wasn't mutual after starting this book. I was so freaking excited to see where this was going to take me but then got easily disappointed throughout the book.
A woman with a boy being a possibly better Robin Hood? Maybe you should call in Katniss instead of whoever I just read about. Marian seems like a better side character than the main character in my eyes. It could've been the writing but she just ended up annoying me so much in this. Now Elena was way more my speed and I would've liked it a hell of a lot more if she was the main character instead.
Everyone else was okay - even the merry men. I feel like since I've seen all the robin hood movies I was expecting a lot more from this book and just got diddly squat. I'm thinking that I should just stick to the movies from now on because I'm less likely to be disappointed.
In the end, I probably should've dnf'd this thing but for some reason I'm stubborn af and stuck with it.
anroberts13's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this book! I love reading stories that are re imagined, and Robin Hood was one of my favorite movies growing up. I'm glad this book lived up to the expectations.
a_crazy_girl's review
4.0
I ended up liking this book more than I thought I would. It made me realize that if all the old stories out there, and most everyone has that one special one close to their heart, Robin Hood is that story to me. For that reason, and many other, I was.... excuse my language, royally pissed, that Ms Spooner would dare break up Marian and Robin. You don’t do that!
There were other things that made me question my feelings towards this book but I order to not spoil I won’t mention them. I will just say that by the final page the book had won me over and, while it might not be my favorite, I will say that I liked it.
There were other things that made me question my feelings towards this book but I order to not spoil I won’t mention them. I will just say that by the final page the book had won me over and, while it might not be my favorite, I will say that I liked it.