Reviews

Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix by Aminah Mae Safi

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thepagelady's review against another edition

4.0

I know there are a lot of people who don't really enjoy the retellings of the popular fairy tales but I absolutely love it! To see these characters that all of us grew up loving and hearing about as children be brought back to life and with each author adding their own little twists and turns is amazing! It says Robin Hood Remix but Aminah Mae Safi has given us much more than that! Richard the Lionheart and Saladin and many more! The characters are fantastic but my favorite would have to be Rahma al-Hud! She's witty and strong but she is also willing to do whatever it takes to keep her loved ones safe! The final twist was great! And the way the author lad the story out everything comes together beautifully! Absolutely a wonderful story! I will definitely be watching out for more of Aminah Mae Safi books!

Thank you Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for sharing this wonderful story with me!

sylvatica's review

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

mychemicalseal's review against another edition

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4.0

really enjoyed this remix, maybe because I'm in a big robin hood phase. loved the writing!

prominent_v's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring fast-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

Who doesn’t love a fairy tale retelling, especially about everyone’s favorite merry band. This retelling of Robin Hood is so gorgeous and intriguing, however, that it stands all on its own as an example of how to really do a retelling right. Set in the time of the Third Crusade, the gender bent Robin Hood character not only steals money from the rich to give to the needy, but they steal back peace in the land for their people. This is a beautiful story of friendship and family and fighting for what you believe in. Absolutely amazing and would highly recommend.

alenka's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful fast-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? No

4.0

edonnel's review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-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? No

4.5

sarahhoward's review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-paced

4.0

Robin Hood has been a favorite story of mine since childhood, and I'm happy to add this novel to the list of adaptations I truly enjoyed.

I thought this was a very clever adaptation, and the way the author reimagined the Robin Hood mythos was genuinely delightful. Mirroring the story into a different part of the crusades really served to bring something new to a story that's been retold countless times - expanding upon the same themes, but adding new insights. I also liked how there were chapters sprinkled in from the pov of important political figures - it provided historical context for a time period I (and likely few other readers) only have a vague impression of, and really made it feel like our heroes were skirting through all these big, moving parts.

Since this was published as part of Macmillan's Remixed Classics series, I don't know if there were any limitations placed on the author in terms of length or page count. However, I think the story would have benefited from being longer. One or two more isolated adventures with the group all together would have helped solidify character dynamics, and would have solidified their reputation before the climax. The "original" Robin Hood is a serial story told across many legends and ballads, and I would have liked to see what else this merry band of misfits could get up to.

Even though this book was historical fiction, I'm more eager to get to all the Middle Eastern-inspired fantasy that's on my tbr. This was a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to reading more things that will scratch a very specific itch in my brain.

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