Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

You remember Will Scarlet from the legend of Robin Hood? Well, this is that legend from his (or, more accurately, her) eyes. That's right, there was a woman in Robin Hood's band of Merry Men! And, of course, a love story!

My Thoughts:

1. This book has Robin Hood as a love interest! THE Robin Hood!!! Reading this book inspired me to trace the evolution of my undying love for said legendary character, which you can read here, if you are so inclined. 
2. I absolutely LOVE novels set in the days of yore, and this delivered nicely in that department. 
3. One thing I didn't really like about this was the Marian/Scarlet thing. See, Scarlet is a "tough girl" type character...and I just don't identify with women like that. I can respect women like that, but I am just not like that. How can you have this heart-stopping romance without the element of he is a nobleman who has defied the system to be come an outlaw, she is a noblewoman who has to choose between him/life in the castle type element. I don't know, Scarlet just struck me as coarse, and I'm sure that's probably accurate, but it just didn't do it for me. The author even says in the back of the book that simpering Marian didn't do it for her, and Robin deserved someone strong, a fighter. Well, I'm a proponent of opposites attract, and I think there's something to be said for people like Marian in BBC's 2006 Robin Hood, who spy for information, distract the bad guys etc. Not everyone has to whip their weapons around to make a difference. (Not that 2006 Marian doesn't do a bit of that as well, but you get the idea). All I'm saying is, I prefer the more traditional Marian, but you obviously know what you prefer in your heroines, so don't discount the book for that reason.
4. This had a fair amount of adventure and suspense, and it didn't drag either.
5. At the end, the author put historical info/recommended works on Robin Hood, which I thought was great because, geek that I am, I am SO into stuff like this!
6. This was a nice book. It was a quick read, it made you think, but not too much and, while it didn't have a profound impact on my love of Robin Hood, it is worth reading. 

Who Should Read It:

• Fans of Robin Hood. (Yes, you, don't tell me you're not out there.)
• Fans of historical novels
• Romance lovers!

Final Score: 8/10 I had a really hard time deciding on this. I think the reason I'm hesitant to give this book a higher score, is because I've had so much exposure to the story of Robin Hood that I've sort of taken aspects of the different adaptations and put together in my mind my perfect version of the legend, and, obviously, this isn't my perfect version of the Robin Hood legend, it's A.C. Gaughen's.

Siren by Tricia Rayburn

This book is about Vanessa, a teenager who spends her summers in Winter Harbor, Maine. It's an idyllic place, until her sister dies and men start washing up on the beach, bruised but with wide grins on their immobile faces. Also, romance between Vanessa and a local, Simon.

My Thoughts:

1. First off, the cover has women standing on rocks out at sea, and it was called Siren, so I was thinking classical Greek myth sirens, i.e. head of a bird, lured sailors to wreck their ships. These creatures seem more like mermaids to me, murderous ones at that. Not that I have a problem with books about mermaids, but, if you're really into Greek mythology and that's why you pick up this book, you might be disappointed. 
2. I like that Vanessa has a pathological fear of lots of things, as that is something I can identify with. 
3. I love the Justine/Caleb and Vanessa/Simon relationships as a whole, though Simon is not really my type, per se. 
4. There were good parts, like the explanation of the history of the sirens and such, but there were also parts that really broke verisimilitude for me, like the explanation of Justine's jealousy. 
5. It wasn't that this was a bad book, but it didn't make my heart race or anything. 
6. This is one of those books you read because you enjoy the act or reading, not because you're particularly interested in the plot of the book. 
7. I'm not going to go out of my way to go and get the sequel, but I'll pick it up if I ever see it when I'm browsing through the shelves. 

Who Should Read It:

• This book is probably not so very different from most young adult novels, but it just didn't really work for me. If you're a reader, I'd suggested checking it out; I mean, it's in paperback, and what's $8.99? Nothing, really, so you should at least read the back or flip through a bit. 
• Like I said, if you like to read and you want something quick and not particularly analytic, this is worth checking out. 

Final Score: 7/10

Next, I'm reading Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen...it's about Robin Hood! :) :) :)

Angel Fire by L.A. Weatherly

This is the sequel to Angel Burn. Yesterday, at around 4 o'clock in the afternoon, I was on page 200 of this 638 page book. I just finished now (10:31 PM). OH MY GOD!

My Thoughts

1. The first 200 pages were a little slow, as they mainly comprised Alex and Willow drifting apart to enable the formation of a love triangle, but, by the time you get to page 350, 400, there is MAJOR squee going on!
2. This book has everything: love, loss, grief, passion, adventure, tragedy, death, compassion - Ah! 
3. SEB! Oh, wow! He is perfect! Bad boy with a heart of gold, curly hair, accent - he is just amazing! My heart broke for him as much as it broke for Alex! 
4. Something that I love about this book is its sense of real tragedy. So many young adult books lack what I'd call grit. They don't feel grounded in real, raw human emotion, but this IS. Oh, man, I can't tell you how amazing this book is!
5. The cast of supporting characters was very fully realized and the setting - the stark, beautiful landscape - was just amazing and captured so sincerely by L.A. Weatherly. 
6. This is another one of those books - the kind that makes your heart contract so that you can barely speak. The kind that makes you laugh out loud and brings tears to your eyes for characters you never thought you really cared about. The kind of book that becomes a part of you, becomes as much a part of your consciousness as your friends or parents or life experiences. This is the kind of book that makes people love reading. If I hadn't decided to become a writer after reading Harry Potter, I'd decide right now. 
7. This book was so great, plot-wise as well. It's broad and sweeping but also a very human experience and I can't explain why but this was an amazing book. I feel like for a book to be truly a great book, then you can't explain why. If you can choose an individual element that you like more than the rest, than it's not a great book; it's a good book, written by an author with a great sense of humor or whatever the element might be. 
8. This is one of those books...it's just...poignant. And engaging. I feel so emotionally spent right now. Totally in a good way, of course, but I want to express how vivid this was. And sensual. It's like the author and I am have the same taste in romance or something, the way this was written so perfectly to my tastes (except for the hair cutting part. I am absolutely neurotic in my preference for long hair and I teared up when Alex cut Willow's.). 

Who Should Read It:

• This is for the romantics out there. You know who you are. 

I have no idea what I'm starting next, but I've got lots of options!