REVIEW: The Forest Queen by Betsy Cornwell

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The Forest Queen

by Betsy Cornwell

Thanks so much to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Clarion Books for this review copy!

Publisher: Clarion Books

Publish Date: August 7, 2018

Hardcover

304 Pages

Standalone

Genres: YA, Retelling, Fantasy

When sixteen-year-old Sylvie’s brother takes over management of their family’s vast estates, Sylvie feels powerless to stop his abuse of the local commoners. Her dearest friend asks her to run away to the woods with him, and soon a host of other villagers join them. Together, they form their own community and fight to right the wrongs perpetrated by the king and his noblemen.

My Review:

Somehow I missed the fact that this was a gender swap retelling of Robin Hood. I'm always a hit or a miss when it comes to retellings. This one I did find entertaining as a simplistic read for the young adult crowd. I did love the gender swaps too and it seemed almost one for one for each swap (almost).

What I found most interesting is that while there wasn't a ton of layers or depth to the storyline or characters, the story did touch on some deep subjects such as rape, suicide and abortion that seemed to contradict the simpler side of the story. A quick read at 300 pages, this will go over well for those who like the retellings of a class tale with the added twist of a gender swap. Robin Hood, meet The Forest Queen.

I now want a hooded cape, a pet owl and a big ass tree house. Can anyone help me with this?

A fantastic idea for a storyline... great descriptions of the forest and I probably most enjoyed the Maypole dancing scene as it reminded me of my childhood.

Completely different than what I had expected.

★★★