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A review by katnortonwriter
Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix by Aminah Mae Safi
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This one wasn't my favorite in the series, in part because of its relationship to history. This won't be a spoiler, but if you don't want to know thematic stuff, please skip this review.
The characters are pretty closely based in the characters in the Robin Hood lore, moreso than some of the other Remixed Classics entries, and I really liked how Safi inverted the legend's relationship to the Crusades. The characters did stand up on their own, though, and they all had distinct quirks and personalities. So I was on board for all of that, and I enjoyed the author's take.
I did get a little frustrated with the "these teenage girls rewrote the course of this specific and very real history in a way that... history didn't happen." I know that this is a mainstay of historical YA fiction, so I see where it's coming from, it just kicks me out of the story. Like, these fictional teenage characters outsmarted all the major players in this violent historical event to end the war? And yes, that fits with the energy of the Robin Hood legend, I just struggle with the narrative implications. As someone who's watching a humanitarian crisis unfold in the same part of the world in 2024, and seeing all the young women who are stepping up to share those stories and enact change, I felt some kind of way about Rahma al-Hud's role at the end of this book.
All that said, this is still a fun adventure, and for me it succeeded in the author's stated goals. The chapter titles provide a sort of pop soundtrack for the story, which I found deeply unserious, but which added to this book's fast-paced cinematic feel and set the tone for this action-forward retelling.
The characters are pretty closely based in the characters in the Robin Hood lore, moreso than some of the other Remixed Classics entries, and I really liked how Safi inverted the legend's relationship to the Crusades. The characters did stand up on their own, though, and they all had distinct quirks and personalities. So I was on board for all of that, and I enjoyed the author's take.
I did get a little frustrated with the "these teenage girls rewrote the course of this specific and very real history in a way that... history didn't happen." I know that this is a mainstay of historical YA fiction, so I see where it's coming from, it just kicks me out of the story. Like, these fictional teenage characters outsmarted all the major players in this violent historical event to end the war? And yes, that fits with the energy of the Robin Hood legend, I just struggle with the narrative implications. As someone who's watching a humanitarian crisis unfold in the same part of the world in 2024, and seeing all the young women who are stepping up to share those stories and enact change, I felt some kind of way about Rahma al-Hud's role at the end of this book.
All that said, this is still a fun adventure, and for me it succeeded in the author's stated goals. The chapter titles provide a sort of pop soundtrack for the story, which I found deeply unserious, but which added to this book's fast-paced cinematic feel and set the tone for this action-forward retelling.