Book Review: Shadows of Sherwood

Book: Shadows of Sherwood (A Robyn Hoodlum Adventure book #1) by Kekla Magoon

Source: Library

Description:

The night her parents disappear, twelve-year-old Robyn Loxley must learn to fend for herself. Her home, Nott City, has been taken over by a harsh governor, Ignomus Crown. After fleeing for her life, Robyn has no choice but to join a band of strangers-misfit kids, each with their own special talent for mischief. Setting out to right the wrongs of Crown's merciless government, they take their outlaw status in stride. But Robyn can't rest until she finds her parents. As she pieces together clues from the night they disappeared, Robyn learns that her destiny is tied to the future of Nott City in ways she never expected.

Kicking off a new series with an unforgettable heroine, readers will be treated to feats of courage and daring deeds as Robyn and her band find their way in this cruel, new world.




Rating: 5 stars

Review:

I have to agree with the quote on the book cover from author Rick Riordan, this was compelling. I will admit that when I originally started reading this, I was a little disappointed because it didn't quite feel like a Robin Hood story but that quickly changed.

Shadows of Sherwood is an interesting re-imagined story of Robin Hood. It has a dystopian feel while being set in a slightly futuristic/modern time. It follows 12 years old Robyn Loxley on her new journey transforming into the legendary rebel Robin Hood (or Robyn Hoodlum in this case). After fleeing her home following the disappearance of her parents who along with other politicians and their families were captured by police on the orders of Royal Governor Ignomus Crown. She had barely enough time to grab a few items which included a hologram sphere before more police came back to her home.

Trying to escape her new reality, she made her way through the forest only to be taken in by the police and thrown in jail in the Sherwood district. But that horrible experience was the beginning to her new path as a rebel to the "Crown". After meeting a little girl name Laurel (since the book doesn't mention her age, I figured she was around 8 or 9 years old) the duo masterfully escaped. Now free, Robyn was starting to come to terms with everything she was experiencing. In her old life in the Castle district, she lived a sheltered life of wealth but in Sherwood she was left trying to figure out a way to survive. Thankfully Laurel was able to help her with that.

Laurel wasn't the only new friend Robyn met, four others (Key, Tucker Branch, Merryan Crown and Scarlet) would soon become important to the story. As Robyn was trying to become accustomed to what was quickly becoming her new life, it gave her time to figure out a special hologram message and clues her father had left for her.

Initially, I found Robyn to be selfish and reckless which sometimes caused her to risk her friends' lives as well as their safety in her pursuit to find her parents. But then I thought about how Robyn was shown and what information was given about her early on in the story, she was a loner and impulsive. It was hard for her to go from being that to suddenly being a part of a team and impromptu leader at that. I did find that she redeemed her self which came about from some much needed growth. One thing that annoyed me earlier on in the story, was that Robyn relied too heavily on the advice that her dad had told her in the past and on the clues he left for her. Robyn's life had immediately changed and she needed to start using her own instincts and try to figure things out for herself (or with her team).

Now as for the other characters I liked them, even the villains because the author showed who they were. However, I did feel some need a little more detail given out about them, hopefully that will be fixed in the sequel. It was certain little things that bugged me such as Laurel was younger than Robyn and Key was older than than Robyn, but by how much?

Something I was surprised to find in this story was a prophesy as well as a moon lore that tied into it. At first I thought, does the Robyn Hood story really need this. But then the more I read, the more I warmed up to the idea. It added something extra to the story and I found it to be very interesting.

I may have started out disappointed but I certainly did not end that way. In this fast-paced action filled adventure, Robyn went from being a sheltered, clueless and somewhat snobbish high society girl into someone who looked at what the ruthless and evil Governor and Sheriff Marissa Mallet were doing and wanted to make a difference. The people of Sherwood were suffering and she wanted to do whatever she could to help them.

This was very well-written, I loved that the characters were very diverse and that the story dealt with quite a few social issues. I'm looking forward to reading the next book.