Special thanks to Tabi for bringing this to my attention! You're the best, girlie! <3
Now, typically anthologies aren't my thing. The only reason I admSpecial thanks to Tabi for bringing this to my attention! You're the best, girlie! <3
Now, typically anthologies aren't my thing. The only reason I admittedly picked this up was because I was promised a wonderful Robin Hood retelling in Elliot Wake's Every Shade of Red. ...And I have to say that Wake delivered on that promise. A transgender Robin Hood is such an interesting concept! :D
“If I must lie to the world to be true to my heart, then I'll lie. I'll cheat, I'll steal and I'll do it with a smile. Love is the only higher power I answer to, and my love is no less for being chaste.”
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Set in 14th century England, Robin Hood is transgender and in love with a hearing-impaired Will Scarlet (our protagonist). Robin had left home, away from a father who didn't accept him for who he was. Robin and Will's relationship was so cute and I'm rather disappointed that this was merely a novella. I'd be so on board for a full-length novel. Can you make that happen, Wake? What a brilliant novella about learning self-love and accepting yourself for who you are. Bravo!...more
I pushed him back with a grin. “Posturing braggart, show-off peacock!” I accused. “If by that you mean I’m the best damn archer you’ve ever seen and yI pushed him back with a grin. “Posturing braggart, show-off peacock!” I accused. “If by that you mean I’m the best damn archer you’ve ever seen and you’d like to reward me with a kiss,” he said, drawing me back to him. “Then I accept. And yes, I will continue to give you generous lessons to achieve my epic—nay, LEGENDARY—skill.”
Ooh, what a wonderful conclusion!!! I’m so satisfied, right now! This brought back all the wonderful Robin Hood feels from my childhood, and I strangely didn’t mind how A.C. Gaughen played with history to fit the story arc.
”I’ll never leave you,” he told me, and I felt his arms on me. “As long as you love me, I’ll be here, hidden somewhere in your heart.”
I ship Rob and Scar like no tomorrow. Their love and devotion to one another is just so inspiring. They carry such painful scars with them — both on their bodies and in their minds, but together, they know that they can overcome them, and that’s just beautiful. I aspire to find someone who loves me as much as Rob loves Scar one day. <3
”I may be a bastard, a princess, a thief, and a royal. But do you know what the other thing is that makes me more powerful than you?” I said. He curled his lip at me. I held up a knife. “With a knife in my hand, I’m UNBEATABLE.”
I’m not going to lie though...Prince John was a pretty ridiculous villain, always crying for his mummy, complaining that everything was so bitterly unfair for him. He acted like a spoilt toddler, stomping his foot in frustration, and never once came across as a terrifying villain. Guy of Gisbourne was more intimidating than he was. I guess I was just expecting a bit more of the major antagonist of the Robin Hood myths. Regardless, I enjoyed witnessing the takedown of Prince John very much, even though I had hoped that King Richard the Lionheart had been there to see it. :(
Nuzzling against his head, I whispered to him, “This is freedom, Rob.” Using our twined hands to tuck our arms close around my body, he murmured into my hair, “YOU were always my freedom, Scar.”
All in all, I raced through this finale...or trilogy, in fact, and had a grand time, although I will admit that Lady Thief was the best instalment in the series!!! This trilogy is seriously underhyped and is deserving of a lot more attention! The Scarlet trilogy is definitely one of the better Robin Hood retellings, and I highly recommend it. So what are you waiting for?! GO READ IT!!! :D...more
"I'm not making you do anything, Gisbourne. Hurt me if you want, but I've felt pain. I know what pain is. And it's less than love, than loyalty, than "I'm not making you do anything, Gisbourne. Hurt me if you want, but I've felt pain. I know what pain is. And it's less than love, than loyalty, than hope. You can make me cry, or scream, or whatever else. All that will mean is that I feel the pain, that I'm still alive. And as long as I'm living I can promise I'm not afraid of you, Gisbourne. I'm afraid of sitting quiet while people like you and Prince John going by unchecked. That's what I'm afraid of. I'm stronger than your damn pain, and I do not give up.”
That ending was unacceptable!!! MY BABIES!!! :( Unacceptable and yet, SO GOOD.
Somehow this instalment was even more brutal than the first and the stakes are even higher, as everyone has something to gain and even more to lose. This book hurtles along at breakneck speed with shocking revelations and awful betrayals galore! The twists and turns were just too much!!!
This book picks up right where Scarlet left off, where Scarlet's secret identity has been revealed to be Marian. Forced to marry Gisbourne and act the part of a proper lady at court, she does whatever she needs to in order to receive an annulment, so that she can finally be with the man she loves, Robin. All she wants is to help his cause to protect the poor and have a future with him...and their lovable band of outlaws. John Little and Much are also reliable and supportive friends to Marian as she is put through so much pain and torment, while at the castle. Honestly, my heart breaks for the poor girl.
“Your power, your great gift, is that you never give up. When something fails you make a new plan, and another, and another. You never accept defeat. You never give up.”
Robin and Scarlet are sooo perfect and swoon-worthy! I love them so so much!!! All they want is to be happy and together. Is that really so hard?! How unfair!!! They're true soulmates and no amount of corrupt royals (cough *Prince John* cough) will keep them apart indefinitely...I HOPE! EEK!
Right, so I don't know what else to say without excessively fangirling, so I'm just going to jump into the finale, Lion Heart, now. BYE!...more
"Make no mistake," he told me. I looked up. "We do what we do-" He halted, then stepped one foot closer. "I do what I do because I will always believe"Make no mistake," he told me. I looked up. "We do what we do-" He halted, then stepped one foot closer. "I do what I do because I will always believe that no matter how awful life gets for however many of these people, there is something I can do about it. There is something I will do about it." I nodded. "That's why you're the hero, Rob, and I'm a thief."
Robin Hood stole my heart at a really young age. As a matter of fact, this hunk was my first ever crush…
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Isn’t he just divine??? Sigh… Too bad it was 1938 when this was filmed. NO FAIR. He should’ve waited for me to be born! Pfft. :P
Anyway, in this interpretation of Robin Hood, we see Earl Robin of Locksley (obviously), “Will” Scarlet (who is – in fact – a girl disguised as a boy), John Little, and Much. Why do we never see the other Merry Men in retellings?! Hopefully, we’ll see them the future instalments.
"You lied to me tonight," John said. I shrugged. "I lie to you a lot. Reckon you might want to be more specific." "You said you'd wait at the top. You said we'd go together." "Well, yes, that was a lie."
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Either way, Scar’s incessant blushing at the most inappropriate of times was irritating after a while, but it didn’t really affect my enjoyment of her character. She has a secret past, an affinity for daggers and is the most capable thief of the Merry Men. She has a hardened personality and acts like “one of the boys.” As “Will” Scarlet, many think her merely a boy, and she uses that assumption to her advantage. But despite her sassy and hardened exterior, she’s also very caring and generous. In true Robin Hood fashion, she helps those around her who cannot help themselves in the village of Nottingham and Sherwood Forest. I found her to be an admirable protagonist. Scar is also hiding from those in her past, who seek to do her harm. I also predicted her past from a mile away, but I enjoyed the reveal at the end, nonetheless!
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Rob, more commonly referred to as “The Hood”, was naturally my favourite character. I don’t know what it is that I find so attractive about him, but whether he be in a book or on a screen, I’m guaranteed to fall in love with him, haha. Rob is the leader of the Merry Men, stealing from the rich, giving to the poor, and freeing the innocent from imprisonment. He is kind and giving, and at times, a jealous arsehole because he simply won’t admit how he feels to Scar. UGH!Communication, people! And I’m sorry, John Little, you’re nice and all, but stop getting in the way of my ship! B A C K!!! O F F!!!
She shook her head. "They would have pinched you too, and then where would Robin be?" "He'd be right as rain, I think." She chuckled. "You don't see how much he cares about you, but he does. Ran into that fire last night like a fair angel, he did." "He'd do the same for one of his men, or any of his people. Don't make me special in his eyes." It were shameful, but there were a fair amount of bitter in my voice. She leaned her head close to mine so the others wouldn't overhear her. "Ah, he has many men, but he only has one woman."
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I did genuinely enjoy the angst and jealousy in this book. Usually, these tropes get on my nerves, but I was all here for it!!! Gimme some more!!! Scar and Rob made me nearly scream and cry, but I enjoyed every moment of it!!! They kept me glued to the novel because I was SO INVESTED in them, their relationship, and the everything going up in flames around them. Seriously, things kept going from bad to worse and I was an emotional mess by the time I reached the end of the novel. What a compelling read!
I’d also like to note that the writing style was a tad difficult to get into, at first. It was written in – I don’t know…peasant English? Instead of “isn’t”, “ain’t” is used. Rather than “he is”, “he were” is written. This made me a bit iffy when I began the novel, as I prefer proper English, but as I read more and more, I stopped noticing it, so it wasn’t as big as an issue for me as I thought it would be.
Needless to say, I LOVED THIS!!! This trilogy should get more hype, in my opinion. I didn’t even mind Sir Guy of Gisbourne and the Sheriff of Nottingham, despite my hatred of them, haha. Where was Prince John though? I heard mentions of him, but didn’t see him at all in the book! I hope that we’ll see him and King Richard the Lionheart soon! :)
THIS is what I wanted from a Robin Hood retelling!!! I can’t wait to binge the rest of the trilogy!...more
✨ Helena ✨
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