Scarlet (Scarlet #1) by A.C. Gaughen REVIEW

Book Details:

Pages: 287

Publisher: Walker Childrens

Released: February 14th 2012

Synopsis:

Will Scarlet is good at two things: stealing from the rich and keeping secrets - skills that are in high demand in Robin Hood's band of thieves, who protect the people of Nottingham from the evil sheriff. Scarlet's biggest secret of all is one only Robin and his men know...that she is posing as a thief; that the slip of a boy who is fast with sharp knives is really a girl.

The terrible events in her past that led Scarlet to hide her real identity are in danger of being exposed when the thief-taker Lord Gisbourne arrives in town to rid Nottingham of the Hood and his men once and for all. As Gisbourne closes in a put innocent lives at risk, Scarlet must decide how much the people of Nottingham mean to her, especially John Little, a flirtatious fellow outlaw, and Robin, whose quick smiles have the rare power to unsettle her. There is real honor among these thieves and so much more - making this a fight worth dying for.

Review:

This novel was a retelling of Robin Hood. I never really liked the Robin Hood movies and was never really drawn to the story. So when I first saw this book I was skeptical but, I had such a fun time reading Scarlet. I am very shocked at my enjoyment of this novel! It took me completely by surprise and I have to praise A.C. Gaughen for writing such an amazing retelling of Robin Hood. Let me elaborate more on the story, characters, writing style and plot.

So of course a retelling is when someone tells (a story) differently than it was originally told. The author of this novel A.C. Gaughen told a retelling of Robin Hood with her own spin. One of the people in Robin Hood’s band is a female. That female’s name is Scarlet. Will Scarlet is good at two things: stealing from the rich and keeping secrets - skills that are in high demand in Robin Hood's band of thieves, who protect the people of Nottingham from the evil sheriff. Scarlet's biggest secret of all is one only Robin and his men know...that she is posing as a thief. That the slip of a boy who is fast with sharp knives is really a girl. The terrible events in her past that led Scarlet to hide her real identity are in danger of being exposed when the thief taker Lord Gisbourne arrives in town to rid Nottingham of the Hood and his men once and for all. As Gisbourne closes in, innocent lives are at risk. Scarlet must decide how much the people of Nottingham mean to her, especially John Little, a flirtatious fellow outlaw, and Robin, whose quick smiles have the rare power to unsettle her. There is real honor among these thieves and so much more. Making it a fight worth dying for. So now that you know more about the story, let me dive into the characters, and A.C. Gaughan's writing style.

I loved the characters, and A.C. Gaughen's writing style was unique and different. There were three main characters that we followed throughout the story, Robin Hood, John Little, and Scarlet. There were also side characters who had some major roles like Much. Robin Hood (Rob) was different from the movies. He was darker and kept most of his feeling to himself which I feel added more depth to his character. John (John Little) was a regular playboy/charmer that was always either hilarious or completely annoying. I especially enjoyed his interactions with Scarlet. Scarlet was such a great character. She was not only super strong and kick butt, she was also sarcastic. She was driven to do good for others. She was someone that children in the community looked up to because she had a voice, and strength. She also had a cool backstory. The way A.C. Gaughen conveyed the emotion of the characters and the struggles was written beautifully. Of course this was not a perfect book I did have some issues.

What I didn't like was that she was overdramatic at times and short-tempered especially when all her friends were trying to do was protect her. I guess that did make her character more real. Now I also usually don't like when a character is torn between two guys but it really worked for me in this novel!

I was torn between John Little and Robin. I was just smiling when she was with Rob and laughing when she was with John. I won't say who she ends up with but I will say that I am still torn even after she makes her decision because I just don't know if it was the right decision. A.C. Gaughen did a great job making me care for such great characters. It made me feel like they were real and I actually cared. When something were to happen to characters I felt it.

The ending of this novel was predictable and wrapped up pretty nicely but I did have some problems with it. It wasn’t really the writing or anything like that it was more that I wanted certain things to occur. This is a trilogy so there is still a chance!

This book taught me about being selfless and to cherish the little moments because not everyone has those. Helping others and staying true to yourself. Staying true to your morals.

I can't wait to pick up the sequel "Lady Thief" and find out if I approve and to also see what happens to these great cast of characters. A very good book that I will keep in my collection. Would tell ALL of my friends about it AND... loan it out.

4 stars