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Book Review: Scarlet – A.C. Gaughen


scarletScarlet
Author: A.C. Gaughen
Series: Scarlet #1
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Retelling
Release Date: February 14, 2012
Publisher: Walker Childrens

Goodreads | Amazon | TBD

Summary:

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 and puts 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.

 
First Sentence: None one really knows ’bout me.

My Review:

I’ve had my eye on Scarlet for the longest time ever since a friend recommended it to me. Not only is Scarlet a Robin Hood retelling (like seriously, that is genius even though I forgot most of the story of Robin Hood), but I’ve also heard nothing but great things about it. There wasn’t any doubt that I went into Scarlet with pretty high expectations and I wasn’t disappointed.

“Everyone knows Will Scarlet can do anything,” Fred told him.
Jon rolled his eyes.
I decided I’d steal Fred something extra this week for that. (19)

The friend who recommended Scarlet to me long ago warned me that Scarlet had a weird writing style, but to not give up on it and keep on reading because it is so good. I have to admit that the writing style in Scarlet was weird and confused me a bit at first, but it was certainly unique and I wasn’t bothered by it at all. It only took fifteen pages or so for me to get used to the writing style in Scarlet and from then on, I could read it effortlessly like it was proper English.

Like the summary of Scarlet hinted at, Scarlet does have a love triangle. But wait, before you cross off Scarlet off your to-read list, here’s the thing: I wasn’t annoyed by the love triangle in Scarlet at all. There were a couple of obvious hints who Scarlet will end up choosing at the end, so the love triangle didn’t bother me at all. I sadly didn’t feel the chemistry between Scarlet and the guy she ended up choosing though, nor did I feel the chemistry between Scarlet and the guy she didn’t choose. Hopefully that will all change in the sequel.

Rob and John shot daggers at each other. With their eyes, leastways. I’m the only one who shoots real daggers. (170)

There was some small plot twists that I figured out before it was revealed, but that didn’t bother of affect my reading experience at all. Although I did see this one big twist that was revealed two-thirds into the book coming long ago, I still enjoyed how it played out nevertheless and I never expected the twist to play out the way it did.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Scarlet and will definitely be reading its sequel sometime soon. There isn’t any doubt in my mind that I will push Scarlet onto people if they’re a fan of retellings.

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-Kelly

Posted by Kelly on 1-12-15 · 17 Comments
Categories: 2012 book, book review Tagged: 4 star

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Speak Your Mind

  1. Hannah says

    1-12-15 at 10:58 AM

    The writing style took me a while to get used to, but I’m glad I persevered because it was well worth it.

    And the sequel really takes it up to the next level – I enjoyed Scarlet, but Lady Thief was brutal!
    Hannah recently posted…Review: Light My Fire (Dragon Kin #7) – G. A. AikenMy Profile

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  2. Laila BC says

    1-12-15 at 11:16 AM

    i have seen this book over at GR since last year i did took an interest about it since i like strong female lead in a book and i also love retellings esp. fairy tales. Well i didn’t remember this one was a retelling of Robin Hood! It’s good to be reminded. I thought at first it was a steampunk kind of book >_< but i like to be surprised while reading a book.

    Reply
  3. Lucy says

    1-12-15 at 11:55 AM

    Oh wow! I’ve never read a book about a Robin Hood retelling! It sounds really interesting and I’ve never really known the story of Robin Hood but I am now very interested in finding out more of this retelling. And books with a different writing style always intrigue me so that’s a good thing.

    Reply
  4. Nitzan Schwarz says

    1-12-15 at 2:41 PM

    Great review Kelly!
    I have to agree with you about the chemistry thing, and about the love triangle. Though I think I wasn’t bothered by the love triangle mostly because it didn’t feel like a REAL love triangle. Love triangle implies “loving” two people at the same time, which wasn’t the case here. Did Scarlet have two options? yes. Was there ever any contest? Any hesitation to her choice? I don’t think so. I kind of pitied the losing party, until he said something pretty unforgivable in my eye. I mean, I was like “did you seriously just say that?!”. You don’t do that to someone you love. After that, I lost sympathy.
    I’m curious to see how the series continues in Lady Thief and how it ends, how ’bout you? :)
    Nitzan Schwarz recently posted…The Sweet Gum Tree by Katherine AllredMy Profile

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  5. Stephanie @ Bookfever says

    1-12-15 at 5:29 PM

    I’m obsessed with anything Robin Hood and I thought I would love this book so much but I ended up only liking it. However, I really do want to read the second book to see where things are gonna go. And I agree about what you said about the love triangle. It wasn’t one that annoyed me either, which is usually the case with me and love triangles.
    Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Book Blitz: Lover, Divine by A. Star + Giveaway!My Profile

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  6. Hillary R. says

    1-12-15 at 8:09 PM

    I remember seeing the cover for Scarlet for the longest time, but I never knew it was a retelling or specifically, a retelling of Robin Hood! Now I totally want to read this one! And I noticed the third book comes out this year too so what better way than to read books 1 & 2 before book 3. Thanks for sharing your love for Scarlet! :D

    Reply
  7. Kristen@My Friends Are Fiction says

    1-12-15 at 9:17 PM

    I enjoyed these books a good amount and am very excited for Lion Heart. how will it all end? I’m glad you stuck with it and liked the book! Aren’t the covers so beautiful???
    Kristen@My Friends Are Fiction recently posted…Review of Red Queen by Victoria AveyardMy Profile

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  8. Jaime Lester says

    1-12-15 at 10:39 PM

    From the second I started reading it, Scarlet has been a top favorite for me, and it stays that way even today, after a re-read or two! I loved it. I have always been a huge Robin Hood fan, so that by itself got me hooked, but then A.C.Gaughen’s incredible writing ability, the uniqueness of her writing style, the absolute perfect characterization and world-building, the emotions, the plot….. This book had everything I want or need in it, and I adore it. I can’t wait for the final book coming out soon. Can’t wait to see what you think of the next two books!
    Jaime Lester recently posted…Perfect Couple by Jennifer Echols ~ Blog Tour Promo and Giveaway (by Jaime!)My Profile

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  9. Christina R. says

    1-13-15 at 5:23 AM

    I really liked it as well!

    I didn’t mind the dialect and I really liked how she’s a girl and part of the band of Robin’s guys and I LOVE her backstory!

    Lovely review :)

    Reply
  10. Jolien @ The Fictional Reader says

    1-14-15 at 12:07 PM

    I’ve wanted to read Scarlet for a while! I picked it up a few months ago but -as you mentioned- I thought the writing style was a bit weird and only read a few pages before putting it back down. I feel like I should give this one another shot!

    Great review :D
    Jolien @ The Fictional Reader recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: 2014 Releases I Didn’t Get ToMy Profile

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  11. Danielle says

    1-15-15 at 2:22 PM

    This has been on my tbr forever. I love the sound of it, I’m interested to discover this writing style, I wonder how I’ll get on with it. Romance without chemistry is never fun especially when there’s a triangle involved so that’s a bit of a bummer. Glad you enjoyed it enough to continue though! Sounds promising!
    Danielle recently posted…Where to from here?My Profile

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  12. Cyn says

    1-15-15 at 11:34 PM

    Happy to hear you enjoyed this! I really enjoyed the story but the style of the book annoyed me a bit and I just haven’t gotten around to reading the rest of the series (though I do plan on it!). Hope you enjoy the next one!
    Cyn recently posted…Really Really Short Reviews: The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia QuinnMy Profile

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  13. Raffy Perez says

    1-18-15 at 2:47 AM

    Whoa. ROBIN HOOD RETELLING!!!!

    Awesome review!!! I’d definitely want to check this out!! :)
    Raffy Perez recently posted…The Difference Between Journalistic and Blog WritingMy Profile

    Reply
  14. Megan says

    1-24-15 at 11:39 AM

    this book seems interesting. I don’t really like stories when I a girl disguises herself as a boy (i’m not sure why but it just frustrates me with the whole hidden identity thing). may pick this up since you recommended it.
    Megan recently posted…PhotoMy Profile

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  15. Becca says

    2-22-15 at 9:45 AM

    I think I didn’t have any issue with the writing style cause I listened to the audiobook version. I loved, loved, loved this book and while the plot twists were pretty easy to figure out, after all this is a story that’s been told before I liked the way it was done.

    Reply
  16. Molly Mortensen says

    2-27-15 at 10:28 AM

    I hadn’t heard of this book before, it sounds good. Predictableness doesn’t bother me, and I’m glad the love triangle wasn’t annoying, but the odd writing style worries me. I think I’ll wait and see what the sequel is like. Hopefully the romance will improve.
    Molly Mortensen recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Book Related Problems I HaveMy Profile

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  17. bn100 says

    3-01-15 at 7:19 PM

    not a fan of triangles

    Reply

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