A Gritty YA Retelling: Scarlet

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen is a much more realistic dive into Robin Hood. I've read this series so many times I can't count, but I would definitily recommend it for upper young adult age bracket because of the violence and some of the suggestive themes.

Blurb:

"Scarlet is good at keeping secrets. To the people of Nottingham, she's Will Scarlet, the young lad who protects those who cannot protect themselves. To Robin Hood and his band of thieves, she's the girl with a tongue as sharp as her knives. But nobody knows the truth about Scarlet's life before Nottingham--not even Rob, whose quick smiles have the rare power to unsettle her. And when someone from her past comes hurtling back into her life, everything she's fought for is suddenly at risk, including her own life . . ."

If you love:

• YA medieval fantasy

• Robin Hood inspired

• No-spice romance (just kisses)

• Love triangles (though everyone knows who she's going to end up with).

• Women who know their way around a knife (or knives as the case may be).

• Guy as a villain along with the Sherrif

Possible Concerning Content:

• Language: None

• Spice: None, kisses only

• Violence:

  • There is a major character death.

  • There is torture by means of slicing fingers off and starvation.

  • There are battles and people die.

  • There is a child conceived out of wedlock (not between the main characters). The mother gets married before the child is born.

  • A man is found to have been hung and the body is described.

Grab your copy! *affiliate link.

Check out our list of Robin Hood inspired stories for more! We update it each time a new book is discovered and read!