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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This story is a retelling of Robin Hood from a female perspective. I was quite taken with the protagonist early in the story as she was strong, relatively independent, and she read people well. However, I was a bit disappointed that Robin was able to draw her into his web so easily. Robin is depicted as a narcissist and for which I had no regard. An interesting take on a well-known tale. Recommended.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you to NetGalley, Amy S. Kaufman, and Penguin Books for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Traitor of Sherwood Forest is a Robin Hood retelling that dives deeper into the origins of the ballads instead of relying on the squeaky clean Victorian imaginings of the tale. That is to say, this is very different from the Disney version of Robin Hood. As someone who didn't know too much about the legend of Robin Hood, this book felt fresh and extremely well researched. The author was capable of bringing to life Medieval England in a way that felt both familiar and new.
As we focus on Jane Crowe, a peasant woman, the author was capable of exploring the existence of those who history ignores. I loved how conflicted Jane always felt in regards to both her needs vs. duties, as well as Robin Hood himself. We accompany Jane as she begins to spy for Robin Hood, believing that all he does is for the common good, and is forced to question every single one of her and his actions as suffering is brought to people she believes are not vile enough to warrant. Jane's arc is one that could be told in any era, as she begins to recongnize her own worth after years of feeling as valuable as a rotten onion. She finds her own voice and agency, and that is always an empowering arc to read about!
As for the plot itself, it felt a little repetitive and lacking in tension. It was hard for me to understand why that was because it is an action packed narrative, but ultimately each confrontration was lacking in the sense of urgency it required to raise the stakes for me. The romantic plotline with a love triangle also felt weak. It was clear that Jane and Bran had to chemistry but I also didn't feel it with Robin, so I was not really invested in this part of the storyline, despite feeling happy with the end result!
Overall, I would recommend this book to historical fiction lovers who want a different perspective on Robin Hood but also on how the stories we tell ourselves are not always the truth.
The Traitor of Sherwood Forest is a Robin Hood retelling that dives deeper into the origins of the ballads instead of relying on the squeaky clean Victorian imaginings of the tale. That is to say, this is very different from the Disney version of Robin Hood. As someone who didn't know too much about the legend of Robin Hood, this book felt fresh and extremely well researched. The author was capable of bringing to life Medieval England in a way that felt both familiar and new.
As we focus on Jane Crowe, a peasant woman, the author was capable of exploring the existence of those who history ignores. I loved how conflicted Jane always felt in regards to both her needs vs. duties, as well as Robin Hood himself. We accompany Jane as she begins to spy for Robin Hood, believing that all he does is for the common good, and is forced to question every single one of her and his actions as suffering is brought to people she believes are not vile enough to warrant. Jane's arc is one that could be told in any era, as she begins to recongnize her own worth after years of feeling as valuable as a rotten onion. She finds her own voice and agency, and that is always an empowering arc to read about!
As for the plot itself, it felt a little repetitive and lacking in tension. It was hard for me to understand why that was because it is an action packed narrative, but ultimately each confrontration was lacking in the sense of urgency it required to raise the stakes for me. The romantic plotline with a love triangle also felt weak. It was clear that Jane and Bran had to chemistry but I also didn't feel it with Robin, so I was not really invested in this part of the storyline, despite feeling happy with the end result!
Overall, I would recommend this book to historical fiction lovers who want a different perspective on Robin Hood but also on how the stories we tell ourselves are not always the truth.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have very mixed feelings about this book.
The Traitor of Sherwood Forest was a really interesting retelling of Robin Hood in the way it made him cold, viscious, self serving and egotistical. It shows Robin Hood more as a cult leader who brings the broken under his shaded wing, than as a rapscallion taunting the gentry and giving to the poor. And that was interesting. However, everything else, was not.
Jane was a boring and dull FMC. She moved through this story following others orders and never really growing. I wanted more bite to her, I wanted to see her gain something. She never really did. Oh there were moments of fight in her, moments of greatness, if we can call it that. But they were few and far between and it felt like most of the story was just her pining after Robin, despite barely knowing him.
And that was my other issue with this book. Robin. We didn't actually get to see enough of his charisma for me to understand why Jane was so besotted with him. It was clear it was the idea of him more than anything, but I think the romance angle almost detracted from what the author was trying to accomplish with the personality change for Robin.
I think it's a decent book, and worth a read for people who like Robin Hood and want to see what he's like when he isn't the hero. But it should be approached with the knowledge that not much really feels like it happens and that the FMC is more a piece of driftwood through the story than an active partcipant.
The Traitor of Sherwood Forest was a really interesting retelling of Robin Hood in the way it made him cold, viscious, self serving and egotistical. It shows Robin Hood more as a cult leader who brings the broken under his shaded wing, than as a rapscallion taunting the gentry and giving to the poor. And that was interesting. However, everything else, was not.
Jane was a boring and dull FMC. She moved through this story following others orders and never really growing. I wanted more bite to her, I wanted to see her gain something. She never really did. Oh there were moments of fight in her, moments of greatness, if we can call it that. But they were few and far between and it felt like most of the story was just her pining after Robin, despite barely knowing him.
And that was my other issue with this book. Robin. We didn't actually get to see enough of his charisma for me to understand why Jane was so besotted with him. It was clear it was the idea of him more than anything, but I think the romance angle almost detracted from what the author was trying to accomplish with the personality change for Robin.
I think it's a decent book, and worth a read for people who like Robin Hood and want to see what he's like when he isn't the hero. But it should be approached with the knowledge that not much really feels like it happens and that the FMC is more a piece of driftwood through the story than an active partcipant.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
1.5 Stars
One Liner: Good idea, underwhelming execution
Jane Crowe is a peasant girl with a huge responsibility on her shoulders. When things get dire, her beau of sorts takes her to Robin Hood. If she passes Robin’s tests, she will get a chance to prove her worth and make a living.
However, as Jane enters a new world, she wonders if everything is as it seems. There’s more to Robin than his charisma, and not everything is positive. What will Jane do when the situation gets complicated? What will she choose?
The story comes in Jane’s third-person POV (mostly).
My Thoughts:
Firstly, I have to thank my friend Rosh for advising me to go into the book with zero expectations. That certainly helped.
The idea of a manipulative Robin Hood is interesting. I’ve read about his not-so-clean image and the possible dark side, which doesn’t get highlighted often. So, the book’s premise appealed to me.
Here, I have to mention the author’s note. It’s the best part. It makes me wonder if she should have written non-fiction about it rather than this book.
Now, Jane is your typical YA character, but set in the Medieval Ages. She has flutters based on almost nothing. I still can’t understand what it was about Robin that infatuated her. His looks? His so-called persona, when all we see is him acting like a spoiled brat?
Midway through, I couldn’t help but laugh at Jane’s stupidity (especially when she is supposed to be highly observant and a good judge of human nature). Here’s a girl with zero comprehension who thinks she knows Robin more than his ‘colleagues/ gang members’. She sounds so pathetic that it’s hard to stay interested and continue reading.
The other characters were stereotypical. Fortunately, Ibota, the prioress, was marginally better. Honestly, she seemed like the only one to have a functioning brain.
I appreciate the details about the so-called men of the Church, or the gender bias prevalent in society. But, honestly, when your heroine is such a mess, it is hard to care about anything.
I did my best and plodded through the first 30% and then switched to speed-reading. The funny thing is that the pacing was still slow. And in the last section (around 80% or so), things move quickly, too quickly. Then, it’s over.
To summarize, The Traitor of Sherwood Forest has a worthy premise, but the execution feels all over the place. The intent is great. The presentation is not!
Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking Penguin (Penguin Books), for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #TheTraitorOfSherwoodForest
One Liner: Good idea, underwhelming execution
Jane Crowe is a peasant girl with a huge responsibility on her shoulders. When things get dire, her beau of sorts takes her to Robin Hood. If she passes Robin’s tests, she will get a chance to prove her worth and make a living.
However, as Jane enters a new world, she wonders if everything is as it seems. There’s more to Robin than his charisma, and not everything is positive. What will Jane do when the situation gets complicated? What will she choose?
The story comes in Jane’s third-person POV (mostly).
My Thoughts:
Firstly, I have to thank my friend Rosh for advising me to go into the book with zero expectations. That certainly helped.
The idea of a manipulative Robin Hood is interesting. I’ve read about his not-so-clean image and the possible dark side, which doesn’t get highlighted often. So, the book’s premise appealed to me.
Here, I have to mention the author’s note. It’s the best part. It makes me wonder if she should have written non-fiction about it rather than this book.
Now, Jane is your typical YA character, but set in the Medieval Ages. She has flutters based on almost nothing. I still can’t understand what it was about Robin that infatuated her. His looks? His so-called persona, when all we see is him acting like a spoiled brat?
Midway through, I couldn’t help but laugh at Jane’s stupidity (especially when she is supposed to be highly observant and a good judge of human nature). Here’s a girl with zero comprehension who thinks she knows Robin more than his ‘colleagues/ gang members’. She sounds so pathetic that it’s hard to stay interested and continue reading.
The other characters were stereotypical. Fortunately, Ibota, the prioress, was marginally better. Honestly, she seemed like the only one to have a functioning brain.
I appreciate the details about the so-called men of the Church, or the gender bias prevalent in society. But, honestly, when your heroine is such a mess, it is hard to care about anything.
I did my best and plodded through the first 30% and then switched to speed-reading. The funny thing is that the pacing was still slow. And in the last section (around 80% or so), things move quickly, too quickly. Then, it’s over.
To summarize, The Traitor of Sherwood Forest has a worthy premise, but the execution feels all over the place. The intent is great. The presentation is not!
Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking Penguin (Penguin Books), for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #TheTraitorOfSherwoodForest
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced