Review: Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Publish date: 2012
Source: Library
Format: Paperback
Length: 287 pages
"Will Scarlet is good at two things: stealing from the rich and keeping secrets - skills that are in high demand in Robin Hood's band of thieves, who protect the people of Nottingham from the evil sheriff. Scarlet's biggest secret of all is one only Robin and his men know...that she is posing as a thief; that the slip of a boy who is fast with sharp knives is really a girl.

The terrible events in her past that led Scarlet to hide her real identity are in danger of being exposed when the thief taker Lord Gisbourne arrives in town to rid Nottingham of the Hood and his men once and for all. As Gisbourne closes in a put innocent lives at risk, Scarlet must decide how much the people of Nottingham mean to her, especially John Little, a flirtatious fellow outlaw, and Robin, whose quick smiles have the rare power to unsettle her. There is real honor among these thieves and so much more - making this a fight worth dying for." (Goodreads)

I will come right out and say that Scarlet is a book I read because other people were reading it and I thought, hey if they like it so much then I might too! And that was that. I got it through my state library system since my local one didn't have it and I read it over a few days. I ended up really liking it!

My only experience with Robin Hood is Disney's animated version that I watched as a kid, so I was a little worried going into Scarlet that I'd be lost. I was a little confused at the beginning, but nothing that wasn't fixed by continuing to read. I will say that Scarlet's voice (the narrator) is a little difficult to get used to because of the dialect she speaks in, but I got used to it pretty quickly. After a few chapters, I was fine.

For the first 2/3 of the book, I thought it was good but nothing great, but then a few delicious plot twists popped up and it turned great. I was itching to finish the book and find out what happened to everyone. I really liked Scarlet, despite being frustrated with some of her actions, and liked Robin a lot too. 

Ultimately I thought it was a fun retelling of Robin Hood and I liked it enough that I already have the sequel on hold! Have you read Scarlet? Thoughts?