Title: Robin: Lady of Legend
Author: R. M. ArceJaeger
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Young Adult, Fairy Tale, Romance, Medieval
Source: Kindle
Pages: 281
Rating: 5 stars
Available at:
What if Robin Hood wasn't the man you thought him to be—what if he wasn't a man at all?
Robin of Locksley is young, headstrong, and about to receive the worst birthday present of her life. Still struggling to define herself in a society that believes women are fit for little more than governing a household and bearing children, she balks at her father's plans for her future, but the consequences of her rebellion prove deadly. Hunted by both her father and the Sheriff, Robin is forced to hide her identity and seek refuge as an outlaw in Sherwood Forest.
Disguised as a lad for protection, Robin maintains a careful isolation from the world around her...until she chances upon a young boy being beaten to death by the Sheriff's soldiers. Her rescue of the youth marks the beginning of her leadership in Sherwood forest and of the unfortunates who seek refuge therein. Robin's endeavors to provide a life of honor and purpose for her people while aiding the land's downtrodden win her high esteem, but enrage the Sheriff of Nottingham, who plots a deadly fate for her and her band.
As the Sheriff's traps close in around her and assassins seek to bring her down, Robin must risk losing love, leadership, and life if she is to save her people and fulfill her destiny as one of history's greatest heroes.
Alive with adventure and danger, sword fights and heists, hatred and love, Robin: Lady of Legend is the never-before-told tale of the girl who became Robin Hood.
My Review
This is another reread for me and another book that strays away from my usual fantasy novels. However, I find myself branching out more and more and I found that I absolutely adore medieval novels almost more than I enjoy a fantasy novels; you'll probably be seeing a lot of this genre on my blog as well.
I originally read this book this summer on the plane home from New York, and I loved it just as much reading it a second time. This time around, I read it because I have recently been obsessed with the BBC series Robin Hood and one of my favourite movies of all time, Princess of Thieves (staring Keira Knightly and tells the stories of Gwyn, the daughter of Robin Hood and the Lady Marian), was on TV last night so it just seemed right to reread the book.
I loved this book because it retold the tale of Robin Hood, one of the most over played stories ever, in a new fascinating way. Robin starts of the eldest daughter of the Lord of Locksley and betrothed to the Sheriff of Nottingham. Not wanting to marry the horrible man the Sheriff is, she dresses as a man and runs away leaving her younger sister, Lady Marian, and her cousin, Will 'Scarlet' (as he is later named) for London. However, she does not get to London, on her travels she meets a man, John Little, and after running into some trouble with some of the Sheriffs men she runs off alone into the Sherwood Forest. And so the tale of Robin Hood starts, but Robin has to keep her sex a secret. No one must know she is, in fact, a woman.
The writing is simple fantastic, it has to be to gain so much attention on a big website like amazon. I found that the plot flowed very easily with no bumps that distracted me or drew me out of my absorbed state as I flew through this book. I always like to pick up a book that claims to have retold a classic tale in a new way, because the project fails more than it succeeds. ArceJaeger didn't just succeed in finding a new and unique way to retell Robin Hood, she dominated. With a familiar cast of characters that you grow to love (or hate) in a different way, this book was amazing.
I don't want too give much away. Trust me in saying that if you love the Robin Hood stories or you enjoy medieval tales, you will absolutely LOVE this one. A definite 5 star novel in my book. I only wish it was a little bit longer.
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