Publisher: Bywater Books
Female Robyn Hood.
There is no question that Anna Burke can write. She can set a scene simply by changing her writing style to match the era of her stories. And it is because of her writing that I was able to get through this.
Look. Burke wrote the best book that I read last year, ‘Compass Rose.’ Definitely stop what you are doing and read that one if you haven’t. Since reading that, I have gone into the last two Burke books I’ve read with extremely high expectations. I’m fully aware that is probably why I have been mostly let down by them. Both ‘Thorn’ and ‘Nottingham’ are retellings of well known stories that she has given a lesbian twist. The intrigue of a sapphic ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Robyn Hood’ was off the charts. It’s too bad that the stories didn’t deliver like I had hoped.
Can I put my finger on why this fell short for me? Perhaps it is that it takes awhile for Robyn and Marian to cross paths. Maybe it is the fact that they are separated for most of the book. I don’t know. I just wasn’t super invested in side characters and relationships that were so much more prevalent than the romance I wanted to read.
Also, I’m not that into period pieces, medieval things, etc. I tend to like things in the modern era. So you really need to probably just ignore my review all together, OK? Clearly everybody else loved ‘Thorn’ and ‘Nottingham.’ And Burke can write her socks off so no complaints there.
I’d recommend this to people who like to read about well known stories, poverty, the woods, bad sheriffs, arranged marriages, ugly church ladies, cross dressing, stealing from the rich to give to your families, and pet birds.