Outlaw by Angus Donald

Title: Outlaw by Angus Donald
Genre: Fiction, Historical
Rating: 3/5

From the back cover:
"When he's caught stealing, young Alan Dale is forced to leave his family and go to live with a notorious band of outlaws in Sherwood Forest. Their leader is the infamous Robin Hood...But Robin is a ruthless man - and although he is Alan's protector, if Alan displeases him, he could also just as easily become his murderer..."

I found Outlaw by Angus Donald a bit difficult to get into. The writing at the beginning was a bit dry and the plot a little slow, but I found the second half of the book much more interesting.

While I admit that my knowledge of Robin Hood is patchy and comes mostly from a handful of books and movies, Donald's Robin seems like a much darker character than he's normally portrayed. I'd always thought that Robin ruled through kindness to the less fortunate, but here he rules with fear, torturing and murdering those that betray him or stand against him. It's an interesting twist, at least for me. Tuck's description of him as a "cold-hot man" seems very fitting.

I really enjoyed the backstories provided for some of the secondary characters. Some authors don't consider Little John and Tuck important beyond the role they play in the love story of Robin and Marie-Anne, so it's nice to see stories explaining their history, even if it's only in the context of how they met Robin and joined his band of outlaws. However, I would have liked to see more of them throughout the book. Hopefully, they'll play a larger role as the series continues.

In the end, I'd probably only recommend Outlaw to those interested in the Robin Hood legend or to readers that enjoy a violent story. And I haven't decided yet whether I'll continue with the series or not.

Hidden Wives by Claire Avery

Title: Hidden Wives by Claire Avery
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4/5

Fifteen-year-old Sara and her sister, Rachel, are members of a polygamist community and will soon be married to much older men chosen for them by the sect's Prophet. Distraught in his choices for their husbands, they begin to question their faith and must find the strength to leave behind the only life they've ever known.

Hidden Wives is a real page-turner. I was emotionally invested in the characters and wanted to know how everything worked out for them. Sara was stubborn to her core and has such a deep desire to learn. And poor Rachel is so very naive but so very loyal, even to her own detriment. My one complaint with the book is that it's almost too negative and biased; Sara, Rachel and Luke seem to be the only redeemable people in the entire community, while the other members commit evil act after evil act. However, Avery redeems herself with a talent for imagery. Her descriptions were vivid and realistic. This is not a book to be missed.