Video Book Review: Scarlet

Author: A.C. Gaughen
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Release Date: February 14, 2012
Pages: 292
Read it in: 3 days

Summary: 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.

My Video Review:

Hey guys! So over the past couple months I've been getting quite a few requests from followers to post more videos on my blog, aaand... I was trying to figure out how to do that and decided that it might be kind of cool to create some video reviews to go along with the books I've read. This way, I can talk to you more in-person about my likes and dislikes and just my general impressions about books reviewed here on LC's Adventures. So here is the first one! Feel free to watch if you want, it basically says what I have in the review below, but let me know what you think! 

LC's Take:

This was one of those books that I just had to read. Like, the minute I saw that cover and then read the summary, I was just dying to get my hands on this book. Why? 3 main reasons:

Reason #1.) The cover rocks
Reason #2.) The heroine disguises herself as a boy to fight for what she believes in (TOTAL WIN)
Reason #3.) The story is about ROBIN freaking HOOD!!

Now as far as I'm concerned, those are all very good reasons to go out and get a book ASAP. And guess what? I absolutely LOVED it!! Scarlet was everything I thought it would be, and I had so much fun reading it.

Scarlet as the main character had everything that I love in a heroine-- she was brave and tough, but she had a sweet, vulnerable side to her as well. I loved Scarlet because the author really made me care about her-- I knew her strengths, weaknesses, her past, and her present struggles. To me these are the things that make a character in a book seem real and make me feel connected to them. The story is told from Scarlet's endearing point of view, in a rough-English narrative that had me faking an English accent in my head while I read, I couldn't even help it!

The other characters in the book were just as multi-dimensional-- Robin Hood and Little John both had background stories and came across as real people brought to life, not just fictional characters, so this made it very easy for me to stay interested in their stories and what happened to them.

Of course I LOVED the setting of Sherwood Forest and the surrounding areas of Nottinghamshire, Winsop and all the other Medieval English towns and countryside-- I just love reading about this time period, and England in the Middle Ages was brought to life perfectly.

The story itself was full of action-adventure, sword fights, plots, rescues, romance, and all the awesome things you would expect in a tale about Robin Hood. Be warned however, there are some gory scenes in the story! The Middle Ages wasn't exactly a pretty time in history, so be prepared for some blood and guts as Will Scarlet and Robin Hood slash their way to bring justice to the English people. I for one loved the action and intrigue in this book, and was totally sucked into the dangerous yet alluring world of 12th century England. The romance in the book was really well-done too, and it has a pretty interesting twist, as Scarlet finds herself falling for the dashing Robin Hood, even though she's supposed to be "one of the guys" in his band of merry men...

Scarlet was an amazing retelling of Robin Hood, and it managed to have a really fresh and unique take on the Robin Hood legend, even after the dozens of retellings that we've all seen and heard. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction, historical settings, or is interested in the Robin Hood legend. This is A.C. Gaughen's first novel and I am definitely looking forward to seeing more books by her in the future!

~Cover Talk~

I really can't even say how much I LOVE this cover, it is so gorgeous! Where to begin? The face of Scarlet is mesmerizing with those piercing, haunting blue-gray eyes-- her expression is tough and stoic, yet she looks beautiful and vulnerable at the same time. The detail of leaves/foliage around her face are made even more noticeable because they are shiny against the matte cover, giving the book an almost 3-D effect. This is definitely a unique cover in the YA genre, and it captured my attention the very first time I saw it.

LC's Rating:

Intriguing adventure and an action-packed plot-line will make it impossible to put this book down! Here is a fresh, new take on the Robin Hood legend that you will not want to miss-- I just loved reading this story!