Heart of Sherwood was an enjoyable read. I love the idea of Robin Hood being a woman in disguise, and I’m surprised I haven’t seen it done before (the closest I’ve seen is the movie Princess of Thieves, in which Keira Knightley played Robin Hood’s daughter disguised as a boy). The story included the well-known beats and characters of the Robin Hood legend but also sprinkled in historical details and political intrigue appropriate to the time period of the Third Crusade.
I really appreciate that the author did not romanticize the time period or the glorify the Crusades as many others do. The Christians were the aggressors and invaders in the Crusades, and they did some really terrible things to the Muslims, who were completely justified in defending their homeland. Likewise, the author did not shy away from touching on issues such as homophobia, sexism, bigotry, and rape. However, in the case of the rape, there is no graphic scene, only the mention of it having happened to some side characters (a girl at the hands of the sheriff’s men and two boys by a priest), with the focus being on the characters healing from the trauma.
While the Sheriff of Nottingham was the usual mustache-twirling villain, his henchmen are more nuanced, especially his deputy. The deputy is an honorable man who disagrees with the sheriff’s actions but can’t outright disobey him. The interactions between Robin and the deputy are fun to read as the two become mutually respectful nemeses.
There were a few areas between major scenes where I felt like the book dragged on a bit, usually in some of the areas with more detailed political intrigue. I also felt somewhat emotionally removed from the characters, in the sense that we are told how they react to certain events but don’t necessarily feel their emotions.
The main draw of Heart of Sherwood is of course the romance between Robyn and maid Marian. Marian is a fully realized character who is more than just a damsel. While she isn’t a fighter like Robyn, she uses her charm and the fact that many men disregard her because of her sex to be an effective spy for the queen and Robyn.
Marian and Robyn already knew each other from girlhood and had a mutual attraction before the start of the book. While this may be more realistic, I did feel like the book was missing some of the sexual and romantic tension that I enjoy in other romance novels. They have a happy, non-tragic ending that was fitting for the time period before gay marriage, with the two women living out their days running an orphanage together as “good spinster friends” with the king’s blessing.
