Scarlett by A.C. Gaughen

Sorry that I haven't been posting. I've been very busy but here is the cover for Scarlert by A.C. Gaughan and I will have a post on the second book in the series soon: 

 

 Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in.

It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

I found this book while looking around at the library and it wasn't exactly the cover that caught my eye. More of the fact that it's about Will Scarlett and Robin Hood. I personally love any story-done well-about Robin Hood, but this particular story has an interesting spin on it. Will Scarlett isn't a boy. Her name isn't even Will. Everyone calls her Scarlett. I started reading and I couldn't put the book down. What I think held my attention was the huge action that filled this book, the way the author clearly showed Scarlett's voice by replacing "was" with "were" and Scarlett's inner thoughts. She has many inner demons from barely eating, to a complicated past with the thief taker: Guy of Gisbourne. Scarlett has such a great deep relationship with the gang-Robin, John, and Much-that it was impossible to not want to read on just to feel and read those tense scenes between each of the charactes. I especially liked how she is so defiant. There are a lot of strong girl characters out there, but none that I have ever read has been so strong and willful as Scarlett. The way Gaughen keeps a good mystery about who Scarlett really is, what her past is, what had happened to her to make her run off and become a thief was very skillful and done well. What I enjoyed the most about this book though, was not only the characters and tense scenes, but the huge explosive ending. By the ending I was scrambling for more Scarlett and for more of the world of Nottingham. Luckily, I had the second book with me so I could just grab it and start reading.  There's a huge reveal at the end (that I had already guessed half way through) that will make you smile and see how all the pieces sort of fit together. I would recommend this book to anyone of sixteen years or older, because the gang and others do use God's name in vain a few times, but other than that there really isn't anything. Please do check this book out because I can promise that Scarlett will make you think very differently about the legends of Robin Hood. :):)