Hood by Jenny Elder Moke

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You have the blood of kings and rebels within you, love. Let it rise to meet the call.

Isabelle of Kirklees has only ever known a quiet life inside the sheltered walls of the convent, where she lives with her mother, Marien. But after she is arrested by royal soldiers for defending innocent villagers, Isabelle becomes the target of the Wolf, King John’s ruthless right hand. Desperate to keep her daughter safe, Marien helps Isabelle escape and sends her on a mission to find the one person who can help: Isabelle’s father, Robin Hood.

As Isabelle races to stay out of the Wolf’s clutches and find the father she’s never known, she is thrust into a world of thieves and mercenaries, handsome young outlaws, new enemies with old grudges, and a king who wants her entire family dead. As she joins forces with Robin and his Merry Men in a final battle against the Wolf, will Isabelle find the strength to defy the crown and save the lives of everyone she holds dear?

Things I loved

Jenny did a wonderful job at this life after The End story of Robin Hood. Isabelle is the daughter of Robin Hood and Maid Marian. She does not know she is the daughter of the famous outlaw, which depicts how a teenage girl would react to finding out who her father really is. Her childish antics and hints at a teenage romance give the story a real-life feel.

The way Isabelle questions her father reminded me a lot of my daughter having deep-felt conversations with her own dad. The bickering and antics of the “merry men” were funny and witty.

What I Struggled With

It took me a while to get into this story. I love retellings of fairytales, but this one was missing something. Isabelle was a very clumsy naive child even though she was supposed to be in her late teens. She grew up with Maid Marian, you would think she would have learned to be more mature and less clumsy.

The love interest between Isabelle and one of the merry men never escalates. She’s just a distracted teenage girl pinning for a guy. She doesn’t have the courage to tell him how she feels and vice versa.

Things I Question

The part where they finally find Robin and he sees his daughter is there is a little disheartening. He acts more like an annoyed Peter Pan than the notorious Robin Hood, which was a real disappointment. Also, what father just continues to drink and be merry after being rescued and realizing your daughter is there. She sits off by herself while everyone else is partying. You would think Robin would want to discuss why she’s there and get to know her.

Conclusion

Honestly, I was so looking forward to this book. Retellings are a favorite of mine, but this one just didn’t do it for me. There were too many disconnects. The main character never seemed to gain the courage she needed and the love interest went nowhere. I would honestly try another of her books because I believe you can’t judge an author by one book. Since this is the first I have read of hers, I give her another shot.

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