by Kara Connolly
Release date: July 18th, 2017
Published by: Delacorte Press (Random House)
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary w/magical realism (12yo+)
Format available: Hardcover, eBook
Format read: ARC from the publisher
SUMMARY
Fans of Dorothy Must Die will love this reimagining of the legend of Robin Hood.
Girl power rules supreme when a modern girl finds herself in the middle of a medieval mess with only her smart mouth and her Olympic-archer aim to get her home.
Ellie Hudson is the front-runner on the road to gold for the U.S. Olympic archery team. All she has to do is qualify at the trials in jolly old England. When Ellie makes some kind of crazy wrong turn in the caverns under Nottingham Castle - yes, that Nottingham - she ends up in medieval England.
Ellie doesn't care how she got to the Middle Ages; she just wants to go home before she gets the plague. But people are suffering in Nottingham, and Ellie has the skills to make it better. What's an ace archer to do while she's stuck in Sherwood Forest but make like Robin Hood?
Pulled into a past life as an outlaw, Ellie feels her present fading away next to daring do-gooding and a devilishly handsome knight. Only, Ellie is on the brink of rewriting history, and when she picks up her bow and arrow, her next shot could save her past - or doom civilization's future.
MY REVIEW
There's never a dull moment in NO GOOD DEED - an adventure behind every tree in Nottingham's forest...
If you know Robin Hood's story, then you can already guess what Ellie's story is...
Ellie is in is just one trial away from being on the U.S. Olympic archery team, but the stress of her missing brother is starting to wear on her and she doesn't know what to do about it.
After her last round of competition, with only one more to go, she goes on a walk and decides to take a quick tour of Nottingham Castle... lost in the castle's underground caverns, she emerges to find that things are not the same and things get interesting really quick.
The story unfolds and follows very closely to Robin Hood's - it's quite obvious that Ellie takes on Robin Hood's role and that she is making history with every move she makes and every person she meets. Her 'Maid Marion' is a handsome knight turned 'Friar Tuck'. We also get to meet 'Alan Dale', 'Will Scarlet' and 'Little John'; and let's not forget the 'Sherriff of Nottingham'! All played their roles expectantly... the Sherriff was a bit darker than I thought he would be, with a twist, and it was wonderful!
For me, the 'time travel' element to the story was almost forgotten and only remembered when Ellie would remind herself that she had to be careful not to do anything too rash so she wouldn't change history too much. Considering that everything had happened already, the only 'tricky part' to her story was making sure she made the right decisions to stay true to the Robin Hood story which didn't seem too far fetched to accomplish. Although the fear of being executed at any given moment did feel real - one must remember that Robin Hood is folklore, and it supposedly took place in the 15th or 16th century!
If you know Robin Hood's story, then you can already guess what Ellie's story is...
Ellie is in is just one trial away from being on the U.S. Olympic archery team, but the stress of her missing brother is starting to wear on her and she doesn't know what to do about it.
After her last round of competition, with only one more to go, she goes on a walk and decides to take a quick tour of Nottingham Castle... lost in the castle's underground caverns, she emerges to find that things are not the same and things get interesting really quick.
The story unfolds and follows very closely to Robin Hood's - it's quite obvious that Ellie takes on Robin Hood's role and that she is making history with every move she makes and every person she meets. Her 'Maid Marion' is a handsome knight turned 'Friar Tuck'. We also get to meet 'Alan Dale', 'Will Scarlet' and 'Little John'; and let's not forget the 'Sherriff of Nottingham'! All played their roles expectantly... the Sherriff was a bit darker than I thought he would be, with a twist, and it was wonderful!
For me, the 'time travel' element to the story was almost forgotten and only remembered when Ellie would remind herself that she had to be careful not to do anything too rash so she wouldn't change history too much. Considering that everything had happened already, the only 'tricky part' to her story was making sure she made the right decisions to stay true to the Robin Hood story which didn't seem too far fetched to accomplish. Although the fear of being executed at any given moment did feel real - one must remember that Robin Hood is folklore, and it supposedly took place in the 15th or 16th century!
What really made this book amazing - two things...
First, it's the first time that I read a retelling where the character is more than aware that she is living through a story that has already been told and tries her best to stick to the history of it.
The next best thing, it's ending!!!
The ending was so unexpected and wonderfully original! I am always skeptical with retelling stories, especially those that have to carry on with the time travel element - and this ending tied up everything perfectly!
First, it's the first time that I read a retelling where the character is more than aware that she is living through a story that has already been told and tries her best to stick to the history of it.
The next best thing, it's ending!!!
The ending was so unexpected and wonderfully original! I am always skeptical with retelling stories, especially those that have to carry on with the time travel element - and this ending tied up everything perfectly!
Definitely recommend this book for anyone that loves a quick, predictable read with a happily ever after!
*I received this book as part of the blog tour from the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Kara Connolly
LINK - Goodreads
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