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kitmd's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i pretty quickly fell in love with the characters in this book. the pov jumps confused me a bit at first but then i figured out what was going on, so thats just me. but yeah the story is rly cool and is actually a very well written ya book. wish the queer couple had more of a focus, i really thought their stories were more interesting than rahma’s. very fun read!
lizbraughler's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written, incredibly informative and all-around fun.
I read this book aloud with both of my girls, ages 7 and 13. We homeschool and have been learning about the crusades. I was absolutely thrilled to find this book with a diverse POV. We loved the journey Aminah Mae Safi sent us on.
I read this book aloud with both of my girls, ages 7 and 13. We homeschool and have been learning about the crusades. I was absolutely thrilled to find this book with a diverse POV. We loved the journey Aminah Mae Safi sent us on.
tokagelizard's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
thumanybooks's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book so much. This is what I wish I had when I was growing up: really badass female heroines who are flawed, funny, and good down to their cores. Rahma is headstrong and impetuous, and she has her sister Zeena to keep her in check. Rahma and Zeena bicker like siblings do, and their loving relationship is a highlight of the novel for me. The supporting characters are also delightful: the alchemist Viva and the wayfinder Teni. There are some love interests as well, but nothing is as important as they way these friends move about the world. caring for each other and others. And there's so much adventure! This is a real swashbuckler. Safi is great at world-building, and I learned a lot about Persian culture. I would definitely recommend this to my students; I love this reimagining of Robin Hood that is more inclusive of girls. girls of color, and more than just heteronormative relationships. I can't say enough good things about it.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC of this incredible book.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC of this incredible book.
caidyn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I've always enjoyed Robin Hood, so I knew I'd love this retelling. Rahma was a great character and embodied the key characteristics of Robin Hood while standing on her own. And I loved her band of misfits.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, and War
kelseyyy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
sousouaya's review against another edition
4.0
3.5-4 stars (no heavy spoilers)
So this had a slow start to it, and it took me a while to get invested. Honestly I don't know much about the crusades, so at the beginning I was very confused, which is what contributed to me reading so slowly. Once we got to know all the "Travelers Along the Way" it started to get interesting. I loved the companionship and though there wasn't as much romance(as I was expecting), it felt right for this novel.
The aspect that took me the most out of it was her Rahma's(Robin Hood) sister Zeena. She always seemed to be angry and irritable and disagreeable. I could gather that this was as much as a sister love/bonding(?) novel as much as it was a found family and historical novel. And I could understand the author trying to show banter between siblings(which is very common) but to me Zeena was so unlikable especially with her interactions with Rahma it was hard to care for that connection. I felt that Rahma had better relationships with everyone else.
This novel, especially the timeline at the end definitely made me more curious about the crusades and I'm interested to learn and research more. So I'd think any book that makes me want to expand my knowledge is a great book. Oh, and I loved the tiny fact about when Robin Hood stories originated and now I want to research more into that, too.
So this had a slow start to it, and it took me a while to get invested. Honestly I don't know much about the crusades, so at the beginning I was very confused, which is what contributed to me reading so slowly. Once we got to know all the "Travelers Along the Way" it started to get interesting. I loved the companionship and though there wasn't as much romance(as I was expecting), it felt right for this novel.
The aspect that took me the most out of it was her Rahma's(Robin Hood) sister Zeena. She always seemed to be angry and irritable and disagreeable. I could gather that this was as much as a sister love/bonding(?) novel as much as it was a found family and historical novel. And I could understand the author trying to show banter between siblings(which is very common) but to me Zeena was so unlikable especially with her interactions with Rahma it was hard to care for that connection. I felt that Rahma had better relationships with everyone else.
This novel, especially the timeline at the end definitely made me more curious about the crusades and I'm interested to learn and research more. So I'd think any book that makes me want to expand my knowledge is a great book. Oh, and I loved the tiny fact about when Robin Hood stories originated and now I want to research more into that, too.
books_over_everything's review against another edition
5.0
Initial Thoughts
This book wasn’t on my radar until I received the NetGalley widget from the publisher - but, it sounded really good so I was eager to give it a read.
Some Things I Liked
Those glorious chapter titles. They were so perfect and my music loving self appreciated every single one.
Gender bent retelling in a fresh setting. This wasn’t a standard retelling. It was so much more than that and I loved it for that. We got the classic Robin Hood characters but we also got a lot more. I loved the found family vibes and I loved that the story was moved out of the traditional setting and into a time and place that I really don’t know much about.
The romance. I loved the romance plots, especially Zeena’s story.
Plot twists. As I’d expect with a story of outlaws and thieves, there were twists a plenty in this book and I loved them. This story kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.
Series Value
I’d absolutely adore more books about this crew but this story feels complete. However, I’d like to read more by this author and I’d like to read the rest of the Remixed Classics series!
Final Thoughts
I wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I do. This was a really pleasant surprise and I hope to see more people talking about this one soon!
This book wasn’t on my radar until I received the NetGalley widget from the publisher - but, it sounded really good so I was eager to give it a read.
Some Things I Liked
Those glorious chapter titles. They were so perfect and my music loving self appreciated every single one.
Gender bent retelling in a fresh setting. This wasn’t a standard retelling. It was so much more than that and I loved it for that. We got the classic Robin Hood characters but we also got a lot more. I loved the found family vibes and I loved that the story was moved out of the traditional setting and into a time and place that I really don’t know much about.
The romance. I loved the romance plots, especially Zeena’s story.
Plot twists. As I’d expect with a story of outlaws and thieves, there were twists a plenty in this book and I loved them. This story kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.
Series Value
I’d absolutely adore more books about this crew but this story feels complete. However, I’d like to read more by this author and I’d like to read the rest of the Remixed Classics series!
Final Thoughts
I wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I do. This was a really pleasant surprise and I hope to see more people talking about this one soon!
acoldwintersread's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 ⭐️ Such a fun reimagining of Robin Hood and I always love getting new perspectives on history’s “what might have been”. The only thing I wish there was more of was establishment of relationships (romantic and non) between the main band of “merry men”. It felt a tad rushed and thrown together. I also loved the chapter titles being punny or plays on words.