Review: SCARLET by A.C. Gaughen

Title: Scarlet

Author: A.C. Gaughen

Publication date: February 14, 2012

Publisher: Walker Childrens (Bloomsbury)

Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance. 

Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in.

It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

Review:

First line: No one really knows 'bout me.

Robin Hood was starting to feel like the fairytale that was retold too much to me. Robin is the hero, Robin is the villain, Robin is a secondary character in a contemporary novel, the protagonist is pulling a Robin Hood, there are Hood aspects to a story. I thought that with all the different Robin Hood variations in the world that surely, I wouldn't be too impressed with Gaughen's version.

Boy, was I wrong.

Instead of having Robin as the main character, he's a secondary character. Instead of having the main character be about crushing on Robin, she's one of his team members, a fellow thief. Right there, it's different. We've all heard about Robin and his merry men. The one I really remembered was John and he's there, but instead of having Will Scarlet be a boy, he is now a she under disguise as a he. Sounds trippy, but it's not. While Robin Hood is the hero among the people, Scarlet is the best thief and the one the girls like to swoon after, ironically enough.

What I liked: 

• Scarlet kicking butt. I'm all about girl power, whether it's from inner strength or physical strength, and she definitely had the outer kind. Wielding knives, rescuing people from prisons, thieving, and undermining powerful people. I wanted to cheer her on like the obnoxious guys in football stands. 
• Much, one of Robin's Merry Men. We have John, Robin, Much, and Scarlet. Two of the three guys are crushing on Scarlet and Much is not one of them. I pictured him as a lovable, quiet guy with his disability and he gives you the feeling that you want to hug and protect him, but you know that he wouldn't appreciate it. Can we have more opposite sex platonic relationships, please? 
• I might have been in turmoil for most of the ending and I really, really liked that feeling. I already have enough stress in my life and usually don't go seeking for it in my reading. However, sometimes it's great to feel that angst because you know you're invested. You care. You're enthralled. The author has officially captured your attention and your emotions and she's doing a fantastic job of weaving her story. 

TURMOIL. FEELS. ANGST.

What I disliked:

• John aka The Pusher. I call him The Pusher because I felt overwhelmed and claustrophobic just reading about him. At first, I was torn because I thought, "I love underdogs!" and I wanted to root for him despite Robin being the other side of the love triangle. My feelings for John quickly evaporated though because he pushed. And pushed. He invaded my personal space, which is so not good. Back off, John. 
• Scarlet's speaking, which consisted of were instead of was, added character in the beginning, but then slowly became annoying. I think she was the only one who did that and honestly, I think she would have spoken correctly by then. SPOILER I so knew from the beginning that she was proper. I didn't necessarily figured her real name, but should've if I thought about it. END OF SPOILER.
• Robin was right, Scarlet played with everyone's emotions way too much. John would flirt with her, she would tell him to back off. He would kiss her, she would reciprocate. Scarlet ran back to Robin, he kept his distance, she went back to John. It was a frustrating cycle. At times, I was able to just enjoy this love triangle and holler for Robin to make his move. Other times, I wanted to slap some sense into Scarlet for being confusing and inconsiderate. Of course John wasn't going to back off if she kept giving mixed signals! 

Really, I don't know why I waited so long to read this. I love retellings and Gaughen wrote this one very well. I immediately longed to have the sequel in my hands so maybe it was a good thing I waited to read this first book. 

Verdict: A fresh way of retelling Robin Hood by adding a kick butt protagonist and tense moments. Also, romance. 

Have you read Scarlet? What's your favorite retelling?

Waiting on Wednesday #2

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Title: Lady Thief

Author: A.C. Gaughen

Publication date: February 14, 2014

Publisher: Walker Childrens (Bloomsbury)

Scarlet’s true identity has been revealed, but her future is uncertain. Her forced marriage to Lord Gisbourne threatens Robin and Scarlet’s love, and as the royal court descends upon Nottingham for the appointment of a new Sheriff, the people of Nottingham hope that Prince John will appoint their beloved Robin Hood. But Prince John has different plans for Nottingham that revolve around a fateful secret from Scarlet’s past even she isn’t yet aware of. Forced to participate at court alongside her ruthless husband, Scarlet must bide her time and act the part of a noblewoman—a worthy sacrifice if it means helping Robin’s cause and a chance at a future with the man she loves. With a fresh line of intrigue and as much passion as ever, the next chapter in Scarlet’s tale will have readers talking once again

Why I'm wanting:

I adored Scarlet. It definitely became one of the best 2013 books I read this year. Gaughen took a different approach to Robin Hood by making Will Scarlet a girl and there was action and romance and—well, my review will be here soon. 

I'm experiencing that blogger jealousy when I see this popping up on my Twitter feed. *fingers twitch* 

Have you read Scarlet yet? What are you wanting?

Review: PRETTY CROOKED by Elisa Ludwig

Title: Pretty Crooked

Author: Elisa Ludwig

Publication date: March 13th, 2012

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Willa’s secret plan seems all too simple: take from the rich kids at Valley Prep and give to the poor ones.

Yet Willa’s turn as Robin Hood at her ultra-exclusive high school is anything but. Bilking her “friends”-known to everyone as the Glitterati-without them suspecting a thing, is far from easy. Learning how to pick pockets and break into lockers is as difficult as she’d thought it’d be. Delivering care packages to the scholarship girls, who are ostracized just for being from the “wrong” side of town, is way more fun than she’d expected.

The complication Willa didn’t expect, though, is Aidan Murphy, Valley Prep’s most notorious (and gorgeous) ace-degenerate. His mere existence is distracting Willa from what matters most to her-evening the social playing field between the have and have-nots. There’s no time for crushes and flirting with boys, especially conceited and obnoxious trust-funders like Aidan.

But when the cops start investigating the string of burglaries at Valley Prep and the Glitterati begin to seek revenge, could he wind up being the person that Willa trusts most?

Review: 

I had eyed this on my Goodreads to-read list for some time until YAY I passed by it in the library. Why I never thought to check the library system, I have no idea. But it's rare that there would be a book on my TBR list IN the library just waiting for me on the shelf. 

Willa has a single parent, her mother, who is an artist. They move around a lot, which Willa hasn't been too fond of. At last, though, her mother has sold paintings for the big bucks and they are on their way to Arizona. She's enrolled in the prestigious private school, Valley Prep, and now has an actual house. Not an apartment, mobile home, or car. She's quickly caught up in living up her new life and on her first day, Glitterati member Cherise runs into her. Literally. With her car, she accidentally runs Willa over while she's on her bike. 

The Glitterati is basically the popular group. While the stereotypical populars/top dogs in schools are the rich, beautiful kids, everyone in Valley Prep is rich and beautiful. So the Glitterati are the top dogs and the richest of the rich. 

She also meets Aidan Murphy, probably the richest kid in the school. Because his parents donate most of the money to the school and has the the most power, it's pretty impossible for Aidan to get kicked out. But he does try with pranks and stunts. Willa is instantly taken with him and I do see why she would be attracted, but I wasn't for it. He was a player in every way and while he did show a few soft spots, I couldn't root for him. Why couldn't she go for Tre? Such a better choice. 

After witnessing the scholarship getting bullied and humiliated, Willa is determined to help them. How? Oh, to steal from the richest kids and leave nice packages of clothes on the poor students' doors. 

Bill and I agree on eye-rolling.

I was excited about the thought of a modern day Robin Hood. It was just so stupid to me, the stealing very farfetched. I kind of get her line of thinking. She wants to equalize the field by giving the students nicer clothes so they won't be as teased as much. However, it just seems so juvenile. Granting people nicer clothes won't help their situation. She mentioned all their problems, but all she does is give them nicer clothes. HOW does that help? 

While Willa does show some guilt sporadically throughout the book, it was as if because Nikki and the rest of the Glitterati were so bad, it was somehow okay to steal. Sure, they are horrible teenage girls and I wanted to slap them for their horrible deeds. But that does not make it suddenly all right to commit a felony.

"He bullied me in my childhood so I will now MURDER HIS WHOLE FAMILY." 

So it might not be that extreme, but that's how I interpreted it. The whole time I was reading it, I tried to think of other ways she could have dealt with it. Also, while I get there's going to be other books in the series, there were just SO many loose ends. Aidan, her mother, her mysterious father, the FBI...and so on. It's okay to leave some things to be resolved in later books, but I just didn't feel as if anything got resolved. It was pretty frustrating. 

Although, I did like her writing style and Willa's voice. It was humorous, light, and I really enjoyed reading Pretty Crooked. Even though I had problems with the main plot point, I intend to read the rest of the series. I do want to know what happens and Willa was pretty charming, despite her decisions and silly actions. 

This read was charming and light, but also underdeveloped in areas and Willa portrayed bad judgement. If you can look past the things I stated, I say go for it. I'll be looking out for the second book, but having great hesitation with it. 

Verdict: Silly, disappointing, but oddly humorous and still makes me want to read the second book so I can find out what happens.

What do YOU think? Comment!