Sherwood

By: Meagan Spooner

Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham

Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's Summary

Fans of Danielle Paige, Marissa Meyer, and Alex Flinn will devour New York Times best-selling author Meagan Spooner’s next fierce fairy-tale-inspired story, which Illuminae author Amie Kaufman calls “a kick-ass, gender-flipped feminist retelling”.

Robin of Locksley is dead. 

Maid Marian doesn’t know how she’ll go on, but the people of Locksley town, persecuted by the sheriff of Nottingham, need a protector. And the dreadful Guy of Gisborne, the sheriff’s right hand, wishes to step into Robin’s shoes as lord of Locksley and Marian’s fiancé. 

Who is there to stop them? 

Marian never meant to tread in Robin’s footsteps - never intended to stand as a beacon of hope to those awaiting his triumphant return. But with a sweep of his green cloak and the flash of her sword, Marian makes the choice to become her own hero: Robin Hood. 

©2019 Meagan Spooner (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers

Worth the credit

again I thought not another Sherwood. But the twist was great. I would have like this to turn a little to the bad ass female role, and in a way it is and then its not.

Would recommend at a ‘meh’ on a scale of 1-10.

It’s not bad exactly... a little slow, but full of intrigue - I seriously had no idea how it was going to end! A lot of unexpected decisions were made and it’s more sad than I would have guessed. Still, worth the credit I spent on it for sure! A hard book for me to get into, though maybe, as has happened before, I’ll reread it at some other time and experience it in a wholly different way, loving every minute! At least the narration was good! Part of the reason I finally succumbed to my curiosity and bought this book was because I like Fiona Hardingham.

one of those books you can't put down. can't wait

can't wait for the next book.one of those books you can't put down. three cheers for Megan spooner

I couldn't listen to this.

I couldn't finish. The reader was fine, but it didn't peak my interest at all.

A Refreshing Twist on Robin Hood

This book surprised me. It was well-written with just enough female empowerment to not overpower. I appreciate this new take, and am pleased that it actually made some sense and make you believe that yes, this could be what actually happened (maybe short of the love story that I didn't expect) in place of the "Robin Hood" legend we know. I don't typically look for romance of this type, but I appreciated that it wasn't at the forefront. And the delivery made me interested in Meagan Spooner's other fairy-tale twist on Beauty and the Beast. This book deserves more credit than it's received, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for something different in the fairy tales we know.

A delicious variation on Robin Hood

I was apprehensive about this book -- about the romance, in particular -- after reading several reviews. I needn't have worried. This book was amazing and everything I wanted. To be fair, I always want new Robin Hood tales, and I'm very much predisposed to like them. But still. Marian *as* Robin was lovely, and beautifully done. Her grief for Robin and slow recovery, her chafing at the bonds of womanhood and desire to be free, her desire to right the wrongs done to the people, all of it was beautiful. True, it didn't *need* the romance, but Marian's masquerade as Robin Hood was bound to end. Even her band wouldn't have accepted her as their leader if they'd known she was a woman. Or maybe they would, but they would certainly have treated her differently. And there was only so long she could deceive everyone around her. Because of that, because even she knew she couldn't be Robin Hood forever, the romance fit. And to be honest I loved it. It didn't come out of nowhere -- their relationship changed and grew slowly over the entire story. And the grand gesture was swoon-worthy. Fiona Hardingham did an excellent job as audiobook narrator, as usual.

Good book but some quibbles

This is a wonderful book! There are some flashbacks and it is kind of hard to tell at the start where they begin.

My favorite version of Robin Hood thus far.

This tale made me giddy and proud to be a woman. I loved the twists and vivid language as well as the imagery. I loved the villian and hero as they changed depending on how you looked at things. This version made my heart happy and soul soar. I would listen again amd again.

Historical feminist role reversal

Role reversal, feminist historical rewriting of myth/history. Worked for me. An idea I can't believe hasn't been thought of before, now I've read it! 'What if' Robin wasn't really Robin, but was really... Marian? One of the most famous heroes/criminals of all time, Robin Hood, dead before he could become the legend. In Spooner's world, Robin of Loxley has died overseas in the Crusades. His fianceé, she can't quite believe it, but the common people need a protector, a hero, someone to look after their interests against the ruling lords. Marian finds herself taking on the identity of her dead childhood friend, and herself an accomplished archer, might be able to serve her people AND protect her own interests as Guy of Gisborne attempts to woo her. A very interesting take on the story, and the questions you would ask yourself about a woman taking on a man's role all come up. The way she feels about fulfilling the job, how she keeps herself both hidden and seen as a male, how it changes her perception of other women in a medieval world, how her own confidence and expectations alter. Personally, my favourite aspect of the story was Guy of Gisborne. I just loved how he begins as the definite bad guy, but gradually both Marian and the reader sees some of his backstory nad you can't help but feel that he might not be wholly someone you should loathe. A good feel for the period, and a great exploration of a woman's perspective of the legend. Some light sexual content and references, so one I'd recommend to ages 14 and above. A good Audible choice, the voice of Marian is well-conveyed, with a younger-sounding voice for the younger Marian in flashbacks, and an easy story to follow along with the narrator. With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.