Sherwood

4 1/2 stars.....I began this book weeping. All jokes aside, my heart drank this book. It starts with intense grief and most of the book is how Marian lives with, and handles Robin's death. I have never read a fictional book that better describes what grief is. I've been around too much death the past few years and maybe that's why I really felt this book on a deeper level than most people.What a beautifully written adaptation of Robin Hood and the legend behind him. I loved Marian. What a powerhouse Bad A**. The depth of the characters was a pleasant surprise. Few authors take the time to really explore the good and bad of their characters. Megan Spooner did a great job.I wish I could talk about the ones I loved and why, but then I'd give it all away, but let me just say that the message of strong women was potent but not annoying or overbearing. It was empowering. The male characters were funny, deep and memorable.I wanted SOOO badly to give this 5 stars but my critiques were strong enough I couldn't. Here's what I did not like....Friar Tuck was not done correctly. In my opinion. I have read every classic book on Robin Hood and Tuck is a fun loving, man who plays a large part in Robin Hood's story originally. In this book, he's kind and helpful and likeable but not like I imagined him to be at all. He's also not in the book until the last 1/4th of it which I felt was a poor choice. I think Mrs. Spooner missed an opportunity with Friar Tuck not playing a larger role and not keeping his character truer to the original story.I really wanted more of the flashbacks with Robin and Marian. This critique is me just being super picky because there were a lot of them, and they were great, but I selfishly wanted more.My favorite quote...."Greif, thought Marian, was not the melancholy mourning of a loss, not the long and dwindling ache that ballads sang of. It was forgetting, and remembering, again and again, an endless series of slashes, each as violent and sharp as the last. it was execution by a thousand different wounds, it was bleeding to death so slowly that you are certain it will never end, that you will suffer this torture for eternity, long after your natural life has ended. You are Prometheus, and instead of your liver, the eagle is tearing out your heart."

Rebel ReviewsWhen Robin Lockley dies in Jerusalem, Marian is devastated not only has she lost her best friend and love but the Sheriff's right hand man Sir Guy and Robin's enemy is being given Robin's land and wants to take Robin's place in her heart. Lockley needs a hero to save them from the Sheriff and his men and if Robin isn't there to do it Marian will become him and save them herself.When I picked up Sherwood I thought I was getting a much different story then I got. First off I thought this was a Robin Hood retelling with Robin born a girl and not Marian taking on his identity. After I got over the shock I really loved this book but not as much as Hunted the author's beauty and the beast retelling. I have always loved the story of Robin Hood a man who rebels against the system because it is wrong and takes from the people who refuse to fix it and gives to the people it hurts the most. That is my kind of person.I did feel this book moved slow which is weird because it had a great deal of action and suspense. Marian's grief over Robin's death was written very real and raw and I really felt for her character. Marian's love for the people of Lockley and the downtrodden is inspiring. As always Meagan's writing draws you into the story doesn't let you go. I love how Marian is a huge tomboy and not at all graceful in this book. It made me connect with her even more. I loved that one of the reasons Marian pretended to be Robin was so the people would have hope when they needed it most. I really loved the romance but then it is my favorite romance trope(though I wish there was more of it). I wouldn't say more as not to spoil it. I also loved Marian's band of merry men(one of the men was not happy with that name and I burst out laughing like a loon at his disappointment)but wish she got to spend more time with them in the book. This book had an important message about knowing yourself and what you stand for. Overall this was an amazing Robin Hood retelling and I highly recommend it to everyone who loves strong female characters, rebels, and standing up for the little guyRating: 4.5 starsContent Rating: PG-13

Sherwood was a unique retelling with a far-reaching, character-driven tale at its heart. Spooner’s version of the Robin Hood origin story held real soul and conflict as it centered around a young woman grappling with grief and fighting the class of gender in a world that was inept at seeing their worth. And as the pages unfolded, more and more I admired Marian’s pure ambition to take hold of a hierarchy that no longer suited its people and to rise against it in the only way she knew how.Even with the story at times being densely packed and slow, I understood why it was needed and kept coming back for Marian. Her incapability to see beyond a few paces ahead of her good intentions was instantly relatable and true to her journey and bleeding heart. And due to that strong conscience, the unexpected nature of her fight both out of and under the cloak made for a story I couldn’t put down. She was never more real than when she had no idea the ripples she would cause yet she did what was needed anyway. Spooner did a fantastic job of sidestepping the tropes one would expect, instead crafting Marian in her own beautiful way. This was truly a character piece and I couldn’t be more happy that she was the main focus over any other element. And though I certainly wasn’t expecting the love story that developed, I’m all kinds of for it.Sherwood had a fascinating origin of a young woman not meant to become legend and should’ve been the original story all along. I look forward to the author exploring other fairytales and placing her own spin on them as she did this one.

I really enjoyed Hunted and wanted to dive back into Meagan's magical way of retelling a classic tale.It was great to read about Marian finding herself filling the shoes of Robin and all by mistake. The back and forth with the timeline became tedious, I understand it was a way of us trying to gauge the relationship between Marion and Robin but I wanted the present story to carry presume without pause.As the story goes on it was hard to believe that no one found out that Robin was now a woman. A number of times I thought Marion had been caught but she managed to get away with it yet again. It seemed to drag near the end and scenes became repetitive, especially with Marion fainting consistently. Some events required further answering but it had great potential.

For someone who loves the Robin Hood legend, it was quite readable but not particularly well-written. More like mediocre fan fiction than quality published work. Too many adjectives, hearts pounding with shock, and glittering eyes displaying curiosity, hurt, surprise, etc. Show. Don't tell.

Ok but not as good as her last one...

Esse livro não é perfeito, e às vezes acho que minha nota pode ter sido muito generosa, mas a verdade é que ele me conquistou de cara e a escrita da autora vale todas as estrelas que eu poderia dar. Não conheço nada da história do Robin Hood, só vi o desenho da Disney e isso foi há muito tempo. Para mim, pelo jeito que a Meagan Spooner escreve, a história parece ser inteira dela, desde como o Robin Hood surgiu até seu final. Eu tinha altas expectativas, porque gostei muito do livro Hunted dela, mas ainda acho que gostei deste bem mais do que esperava.Tenho ressalvas, é claro, que me fazem pensar que talvez uma nota de 3,5 seja mais apropriada. Por exemplo, a Marian se fazendo passar por homem é uma coisa que eu me fiz aceitar sem questionar, porque existem milhares de detalhes que deveriam ter dificultado e que a autora passa por cima sem sentir necessidade de mencionar. Alguns ela fala por cima, mais para a frente, mas ainda senti falta deles logo que ela começa a se passar pelo Robin. Mesmo assim, acho que acreditar que seu disfarce funciona faz parte de entrar para a história. Além disso, não suspeitarem dela por ser mulher faz total sentido para a época em que a história se passa, mas ainda é mais difícil de um leitor atual entender.Isso, para mim, não são defeitos reais do livro. O que realmente me fez diminuir a nota foram os acontecimentos do final. O enredo em si é um pouco incerto, nada linear e sem grandes objetivos, apesar de ser divertido do começo ao fim. Ainda achei tudo bem interessante, mas depois de um acontecimento importante mais para o final, parece que a autora colocou a personagem em espera, depois trouxe outro clímax, depois abafou de novo, para criar outro clímax, outra reviravolta. Ou seja, parece que ela teve três ideias de final, não conseguiu decidir qual seria a melhor e fez todas. Elas acabaram perdendo um pouco o peso e a importância que teriam se fossem únicas e, quando chegou no último clímax, eu já não consegui ficar surpresa ou me impressionar com seu desenrolar.Agora, vamos aos pontos altos do livro? Marian, a protagonista, e Sir Guy, o antagonista, são muito complexos e interessantes! Fiquei até um pouco abismada conforme ia descobrindo as camadas deles, principalmente as de Sir Guy. Eu o odiava no começo e o amava no final! A Marian é mais do que uma protagonista competente, ela consegue facilmente carregar a história nas costas. E o romance foi inesperado, mas intenso e, apesar de ser só um detalhe, foi algo que me motivou a ler (porque eu sabia que viria e demorou para vir). Só queria que tivesse um único capítulo a mais, para eu ver como ficou depois de tudo que aconteceu. Só um, sabe?Gostei bastante de todos os outros personagens, de como a autora mudou e adaptou a história do Robin Hood. Não sei como é na original, mas aqui ficou tudo bem plausível e interessante. Encaixou direitinho na ambientação na Inglaterra, desde a história antes de tudo desse livro, como o enredo dele propriamente. É uma leitura divertida, bem escrita e interessante do começo ao fim! Terminei em três dias, mas queria que tivesse durado mais tempo!E, como falei, a autora escreve extremamente bem! Fiquei cada vez mais impressionada pela sua habilidade de descrever as cenas e as sensações da protagonista! Leria qualquer livro dela, admito! Estou ainda mais animada para ler o próximo nessa linha de reileituras dela, Neverland! Super recomendo esse!

I liked the plot even though I knew it from old tales. The author always kept one keen to read on. I loved it.