Book Review: Scarlet by A. C. Gaughen

"No one really knows 'bout me. I'm Rob's secret, his informant, I'm his shadow in the dark places. No one takes me for more than a knockabout lad, a whip of a boy. The never really see me....."

So sorry for the lack of posts. Our computer charger died.... again and the new one just came in the mail. Yay!

Today, I wanted to do a book review on one of my favorite Robin Hood retelling, Scarlet by A. C. Gaughen. I've read a lot of reviews on this book to see what other people thought about it. The feed back I got was quite surprising. Half the people gave it 1 star the other half gave it a 4 or 5 stars.  I give it a 4 out of 5.

Goodreads Synopses:

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.

My Review:

First thing I want to talk about it is the backstory. You must know that I have read a lot of books in my life time, but not many authors can seem to write a good backstory. What makes a good backstory you may ask? To me you need to give snippets of your protagonist's past throughout the story and later on explain the big picture without it being lengthy. Gaughen, did just that. 

I also about the protagonist, Scarlet. She wasn't just some thief, she was a girl who, like anyone else, craved love. Many people thought that the love triangle in this book was unnecessary, but I believe it showed how Scarlet is a real girl with real feelings. 

Gaughen, did a great job with this story. It was a bit slow, but she still kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time! I was so pleased with the story I ended up getting the second book, The Lady Thief. I hope it is just as good as the first book!