Review: Lady Thief rises above the dreaded middle book syndrome providing plenty of action, surprises, and more swoon inducing romance for its readers. Scarlet faces a new challenge in returning to her aristocratic title of a lady and as Gisbourne's wife, in order to obtain an annulment and marry Robin Hood, her true love. Rob rightly fears for her life, but Scar is adamant that the end will justify the means though she knows it will not be easy. Much to our liking, Scarlet does not abandon her own ways of being independent and strong when she becomes a lady. She defies Gisbourne's every request to be a demur wife while continuing to aid the commoners and still keeps her slang and improper grammar when she speaks. Her adventures as a "lady thief" are brought to a halt, however, when she learns the shocking truth of her birth and as a result becomes the victim of Prince John's brutality. There were a lot of moments where I did not see the plot twists coming. I shouted in horror at the injustices that Scarlet and the towns people faced. I was not expecting this sequel to be dark and gritty, but it made the story more realistic for its time period. I also really enjoyed the seamless blending of both a feminist retelling of Robin Hood along with the historical context of the Crusades.The book does end in a cliffhanger and I'm glad that I waited to read it close to the release of Lion Heart, the final book in the Scarlet series.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Words of Caution: There is some strong violence, crude humor, minor language, and attempted rape. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.
If you like this book try: Lion Heart by A.G. Gaughen, His Fair Assassin series by Robin LaFevers, Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay, Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund
Review: In this finale to the Scarlet trilogy, Scarlet is imprisoned for months by the ruthless Prince John. She dares to escape, only to learn that King Richard's life is in jeopardy. Eleanor of Aquitaine asks her to serve as her knife-wielding spy in order to bring King Richard home safely, but Scarlet is given a new title and responsibility as the Lady Huntingdon. Scarlet must now face her fate and decide how she wants to live regardless of the expectations placed up on her shoulders by her society. She must also reunite with her true love, Robin Hood. As with the previous books in this series, the finale is replete with action, suspense, court intriguing, and romance to continually engage its readers. There were a few slow moments that dragged the plot just a bit. Scarlet once again emerges as a complex, well-developed protagonist who can carry the entire series on her shoulders, while supporting characters such as Rob, Eleanor, and Prince John are quite well-rounded secondary characters. While I would have liked to see a harsher sentence for Prince John, I can understand how the author wanted to keep her story as close to the historical facts. I was also happy to see a happy ending for Scarlet and Rob. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with these characters and I am sad to see them go.
Rating: 4 stars
Words of Caution: There is some strong violence, crude humor, minor language, and attempted rape. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.
If you like this book try: Maids of Honor series by Jennifer McGowan, Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson
Labels:
2015 YRHMB Reading Challenge,
4 stars,
4.5 stars,
England,
Historical Fiction,
Retelling,
Romance,
Scarlet series,
YA
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I love this series and have yet to read Lion Heart. I have a feeling I will feel the same as you about his punishment, but I do like that she tried to keep it accurate. Brilly reviews!
Excellent! I sort of skimmed the plot aspects of your reviews, but I definitely get the impression that I'm going to love the heck out of this from what I've gathered. I just love the kind of heroine Scarlet sounds like she is, and I'm glad I will get to read this series back-to-back and not have to worry about cliffhangers.
I absolutely adore this series and I'm so glad you read and loved it too! It truly was a unique retelling wasn't it? I still miss these characters!! Lovely reviews. :D