Latest Review: Scarlet

Goodreads 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 Thoughts:
I've always loved the tale of Robin Hood - it was even my most favorite Disney flick.  So, when I heard there was this new re-telling with a fierce female character (and this amazing cover) I scrambled to get my hands on a copy.

While it was fun to relive some Robin and Little John exploits and it was neat to see how the author reinterpreted the characters, Scarlet just didn't live up to my expectations.  Now, it wasn't a bad book by any means but the "big plot twist" was quite obvious to me pretty early in the story.  Also, it really bugs me when main characters are super obtuse without a good reason for this character flaw.  Scarlet's inability to understand her relationships with others had me tearing my hair out and saying "it's so obvious!"  One final negative strike against the book - love triangle stuffs (I personally rarely like reading about them). 

Still, it was a fun book and certainly enjoyable if you go into it with moderate expectations (read: my overblown expectations had me doing a happy dance thinking this would be a fave of the year).  Also, perhaps some of the elements that bothered me wouldn't bother Scarlet's intended audience - younger readers.

3.5/5 stars