You have the blood of kings and rebels within you, love. Let it rise to meet the call.Isabelle of Kirklees has only ever known a quiet life inside the sheltered walls of the convent, where she lives with her mother, Marien. But after she is arrested by royal soldiers for defending innocent villagers, Isabelle becomes the target of the Wolf, the ruthless right hand of the corrupt King John. To keep her daughter safe, Marien helps Isabelle escape and sends her on a mission to find the only person who can save them now: the infamous outlaw Robin Hood. Who also happens to be Isabelle's father. Isabelle races to stay out of the Wolf's clutches and find the father she's never known, thrusting her into a world of thieves and mercenaries, roguish young outlaws, new enemies with old grudges, and a king who wants her entire family dead. As she fights for her rightful place among the Merry Men in a desperate bid to stop the Wolf's merciless plans, can Isabelle find the strength to defy the crown and save the lives of everyone she holds dear? In Hood, author Jenny Elder Moke reimagines the world of Robin Hood in lush, historical detail and imbues her story with more breathless action than has ever come out of Sherwood Forest before.
I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I like Robin Hood retellings and so have read several of them. This one is a bit different since the main character, Isabelle is actually the daughter of Marien and Robin Hood. She is on the run because the Wolf is back and after her parents.
I found Isabelle a little annoying at times due to to how immediately after encountering the Merry Men, she challenges them to become a member and defeats their best champion in an archery contest (not really believable I think since she grew up in a priory). She also insists on going with the group (most second generation outlaws so they are all her age and they do most of the actions) and that causes so many more problems than if she had stayed in Sherwood Forest. But I guess that is just the sensible me thinking and it would have cut a lot of the action of this book. She also keeps secrets when she shouldn't and ignores the advice of people that know better than her. The instaromance was contrived too and did not need to happen to keep the story going.
I think I enjoyed the appearances of the original Merry Men better that the younger ones. It was fun to read about the scheme that Robin was doing when the group finally caught up to him in York. The ending was unexpected and I have conflicting feelings about it.
It is a fairly fast read and I believe younger readers would enjoy this more than I did. I prefer the Scarlet version or some of the other more adult ones.
Hood Mentions in Our Blog
Get Your Ren Faire Fix with These Reads for All Ages
Published by Ashly Moore Sheldon • July 10, 2020
With lots of our summer traditions canceled this year, we are relying on literature to take us where we want to go. This week, Renaissance Faire reads for all ages!
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