Scan barcode
A review by stormbee
Nottingham: The True Story of Robyn Hood by Anna Burke
5.0
Semi-nonspecific spoilers mentioned:
I adored this. This is the adventurous, swashbuckling type story starring a merry band of queer found family I could only have dreamed of as a kid. Had I even been dreaming then, as I was far too closeted. But still, if more fantasy had existed like this in the early 2000s to 2010s, maybe I would have figured myself out faster.
Also, as a long time lover of folklore and mythology who knows far too much about all the various legends of King Arthur and Robin Hood and read or researched them voraciously for years: this is probably going to be my definite version of the tale in my head.
The prose is beautiful and something I will be referencing as inspiration for my own writing. Definitely a fun comfort novel to revisit every now and then, which joins its comfort and/or prose-inspiration companions of Broken Wings, The One Who Eats Monsters, The Locked Tomb series, and Murderbot Diaries.
As a big history and practicality nerd, there were a few inaccuracies that made me go “huh?” But they didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the story and I highly doubt the majority of people would notice them.
I also would have liked Marian and Robyn to share more screen time together. It took a bit for them to finally meet, so the opening two or three chapters are a little slow if you’re only looking for instant star crossed pining. But they were a necessary set up for the story, and I think enriched the characters more so.
There were also a lot of midpoints where they’re apart for story reasons, and looking back they meet maybe 4 times over the span of several months before wanting to run off together, but in context it’s believable, fun, and also a fairytale.
Once the story gets into the swing of things after the set up, the pacing and stakes are pretty engaging. I really liked the chemistry of Robyn’s family and felt they humanized Robyn and made her more likable, while also being good supporting characters and likable in their own right. I genuinely wish we had seen more of them.
It would have been nice to see the other cousins in the beginning and how Robyn and Gwyn related to them too, but that may have slowed things down as well, who knows.
I adored this. This is the adventurous, swashbuckling type story starring a merry band of queer found family I could only have dreamed of as a kid. Had I even been dreaming then, as I was far too closeted. But still, if more fantasy had existed like this in the early 2000s to 2010s, maybe I would have figured myself out faster.
Also, as a long time lover of folklore and mythology who knows far too much about all the various legends of King Arthur and Robin Hood and read or researched them voraciously for years: this is probably going to be my definite version of the tale in my head.
The prose is beautiful and something I will be referencing as inspiration for my own writing. Definitely a fun comfort novel to revisit every now and then, which joins its comfort and/or prose-inspiration companions of Broken Wings, The One Who Eats Monsters, The Locked Tomb series, and Murderbot Diaries.
As a big history and practicality nerd, there were a few inaccuracies that made me go “huh?” But they didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the story and I highly doubt the majority of people would notice them.
I also would have liked Marian and Robyn to share more screen time together. It took a bit for them to finally meet, so the opening two or three chapters are a little slow if you’re only looking for instant star crossed pining. But they were a necessary set up for the story, and I think enriched the characters more so.
There were also a lot of midpoints where they’re apart for story reasons, and looking back they meet maybe 4 times over the span of several months before wanting to run off together, but in context it’s believable, fun, and also a fairytale.
Once the story gets into the swing of things after the set up, the pacing and stakes are pretty engaging. I really liked the chemistry of Robyn’s family and felt they humanized Robyn and made her more likable, while also being good supporting characters and likable in their own right. I genuinely wish we had seen more of them.
It would have been nice to see the other cousins in the beginning and how Robyn and Gwyn related to them too, but that may have slowed things down as well, who knows.