In Hood, author Jenny Elder Moke reimagines the world of Robin Hood set during the years of King John Lackland. 16-year old Isabelle has only known the walls of the Priory of Kirklees where her mother Marien who is the Prioress. As a budding sister, she's been treated like a dog or worse by certain sisters. After shooting a knight with her bow and arrow, she lands in serious trouble and finds herself no longer safe any where near Kirkleestown or her mother. Marien frees & sends Isabelle on a journey to find the man she's never known but has heard about; Robin Hood.

As Isabelle travels through treacherous territory, she meets new and old members of Robin's Merry Men. She also learns that the Wolf, Sir Roger of Duncaster, wants to get his hands on her very badly. Not as badly as Robin, but if he captures Isabelle, he could have leverage over Robin. He also has access to Marien should he deem Isabelle uncooperative. Isabelle is told that she can not tell anyone who Robin is to her or they could be used against her. This needs to be addressed. Yes, Isabelle keeps this secret for a very long time but I don't see anything wrong with keeping your word.

After some (mis)adventures, she finds that Robin isn't with the group prompting a group of young misfits to join Isabelle in her quest to find him. Isabelle starts off the story not knowing who her father is, and when she finally meets Robin, it's so apparent that he didn't leave her behind nor is he selfless. Robin was quirky and goofy while yet retaining an air of mystery and seriousness. Marian was loving while being stern, and strong when most might consider her weak.

One could say that Hood is not really a "Robin Hood" story as much as a spin on his daughter learning to become a fighter for justice. Isabelle doesn't automatically become a kick butt heroine who knows everything there is to know. She has a learning curve, in so many things including trusting her new friends not to reveal her secret to anyone. She has to deal with becoming a Merry Men through a target shooting contest. Then later she has to earn the trust of her new friends Adam, Allan, Patrick and Helena who have come to idolize Robin Hood and what he stands for.

I've read so many retellings of Robin Hood that I've had a hard time not comparing other books with each other. I think this is a find standalone but I would not mind if the author wrote another book featuring Isabelle and the Merry Men. This is the first book I believe I've read where King John was in charge and things really are dark. The book even hints at rebel barons trying hard to force John into signing the Magna Carta for which the US Constitution is based on.

This book is not only a coming of age story, but one with a minor romantic entanglement between Isabelle and Adam. It's not overwhelming nor does it take up large parts of the story which I loved. Isabelle has skills with a bow, and could shoot extraordinarily well. Considering who her parents are, this shouldn't shock anyone.

I'm a sucker for classic retellings and Hood definitely hit the mark. I'm a big fan of the original Robin Hood story, so I can appreciate a good callback. The author here cares about those original characters and introduces them back to the reader with care and purpose - not just throwing them out there for the sake of it. And that in turn allows the new bones of this story to shine through and breathe. I loved seeing the parallels between an original character and their counterpart in this new era - whether it was across a couple of sentences or a couple of pages - those moments were fun and immediately picked up on.

Hood had everything I love - a strong MC, action/adventure, emotional pull, a good villain, and romance. It was definitely a favorite of mine this year and I highly recommend it to fans and new readers a like!

A continuation of the tale of Robin Hood, Jenny Elder Moke brings readers back to the Sherwood forest, not only capturing the same sense of adventure, but with the strong addition of the familial bond. In a tale of it's own, Moke follows the green-hooded vigilante's daughter, Isabelle, who seeks out her long-lost father after the Wolf returns to terrorize villagers. Through action and romance, peril and reunions, Moke expertly recaptures the magic of the original story, certainly being able to fit as a sequel to the beloved Disney classic.

While I would have loved to see the romance between Isabelle and Adam more developed, I very much appreciated the other very well-written relationships, such as in Isabelle's bond with her parents and the dynamics of the Merry Men. Specifically, I loved how Moke breathed strength into the character of Marien, not only serving as a strong mother, but a great female role-model..

Overall, Hood was a very fun read, and I hope to see a continuation of this new story in the future!

This ARC was provided by Netgalley for a honest review, thank you.

"Find the place that calls your heart."

This book will surely do that. It immediately pulled me into the story with a fast pace pages turning efficiency. This may be one of my favorite books this year. The characters are intriguing and loose likeable. I'm glad for once to not have to say the main character is whiney.

The story takes place after the timeline of Robin Hood, that we all know and love. Your will meet many familiar characters from the lovable story line we all grew up with but instead follow his daughter.

The story makes you laugh, but also will make you cry. It's insightful and fantastically written. Read it, you won't regret it.

Another retelling of the story of Robin Hood but with the daughter of Robin and Maid Marion as the central character. At first I didn't think I would like it but by the end I was hooked. Good for middle grades and up with no blood, gore, sex, or foul language.

Hood is such a thrilling young adult fantasy with a cast of characters that will make laugh out loud. This loose retelling of Robin Hood is fast-paced and I simply couldn’t put it down.

Isabelle is in great danger. After being thrown in jail, her mother, Merien, frees her and sets her on a mission. Isabelle must leave the priory where she lived her whole life to deliver a very important message. In one night, Isabelle sees her world turned upside down. She discovers a world where outlaws fight for the greater good and Robin Hood and The Merry Men are not only a legend. She befriends a unique set of young outlaws that will show her what love and family really mean. But as she uncovers an unsettling truth about her past, she faces a terrible choice that will set her in motion to face the enemy once and for all, and ultimately, fight for what is right.

This story was everything I love in a YA Fantasy. It was a fast-paced quest with great banter and true friendship, badass characters with giant hearts, and a slow burn romance. I definitely hope there will be another book, but I’m not sure if this is planned. The ending made me laugh, cry, and gasp. It wraps up pretty nicely but still remains open enough for another book. (crossing my fingers here). I very much enjoyed the writing - beautiful, entertaining, and easy to read. The author did a really great job here. It gets all the stars from me. I highly recommend it.

4 stars

Robin Hood retellings are incredibly popular in YA literature and Jenny Elder Moke's Hood is a worthy addition to the pantheon.

Told from the perspective of Robin Hood and Maid Marien's daughter Isabelle, Moke introduces us to the second generation of Merry Men while delving into the historical events surrounding the original legend. It is exciting to see Isabelle really come into her own as she learns the truth of her heritage and become a hero in her own right. I am partial to a kickass woman and we get a bunch of them in this novel, so major props to Moke for that!

My only wish was that there had been more action and battle scenes. Isabelle is established from the beginning to be an incredible archer and a bit of a rebel, so it seemed strange to not have more scenes where she gets to continue showing herself as such. Hopefully, in the sequel, we will get to have more adventures!

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Book Group for this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Sixteen year old Isabelle needs to find her father, the legendary Robin Hood, and deliver a warning. His old enemy, the Wolf, is looking for him. Isabelle has never met her dad and to find him, she must become one of the Merry Men. Before long, she discovers her mother, Marien, is being held hostage. To save her, she has to betray her father.

What a grand adventure this was! Isabelle is on the run and virtually an outlaw, right from the beginning of the novel. And in this way, she is very much her father’s daughter. One outlaw seeking out another.

This novel made me want to take up archery, and made me proud that I am an avid equestrian! I adored that this was a book about Marien’s daughter, with Robin Hood, and she is every bit their child! You can see both of them within her. It is brilliant! The female characters in this book are strong, and yet flawed, and that makes them relatable and real. And there are some truly EPIC villains in this story. I loved every bit of it and it ended with me wanting more! I hope there is a sequel coming!

Isabelle’s struggle between who she was, back at the Priory (Nunnery), and the woman she is becoming, is beautifully written. She bounces back and forth between the teachings she grew up with and experiencing the beauty of the world around her. Soon, she begins to blossom and flourish and come into her own.

It’s a lovely book about friendships, trust, faith, honor, self confidence, awakenings, and new beginnings. It is also about family, love, loss, and destiny.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this amazing young adult novel and didn’t want the journey to end. I found myself smiling but I also, most definitely, cried.

Thank you Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for the Advanced Reader’s Copy.

Be Braver Than You Feel
Jenny Elder Moke’s new book “Hood” has all the nostalgia of reading a Robin Hood novel. Adventure, feats of archery, action, and the search for Robin Hood. I enjoyed the clarity of writing, and appreciated the tastefulness of how she addressed violence. There is a lot of emphasis and detail about the living conditions, and politics of the 13th century. For example, the Magna Carta is mentioned in passing. Notedly without making any of the female characters inferior. In fact, Maid Marian, Isabelle, and Helena are strong characters that are admired for their talents. All the characters in this book are well drawn out, and have strengths and weakness. I appreciate that Isabelle is not a perfect, powerful, and astounding girl. Not everything comes easy to her, she is bad at many things, and she does not quite fit in as a nun or a Merry Man. A great story about family secrets, growing up, friendship, and a little bit of romance.

I am a sucker for a good Robin Hood story, and this was just that! It had everything, romance, action, friendship, and bravery.

Here is what I liked:
The characters! I loved them all. Individually, they were funny and unique, but together they were a team. Isabelle was a fierce main character. She is smart, witty, talented, and I loved seeing her journey. The plot kept me so interested and I could not stop reading. I had to know what would happen in the end! Then, there is Robin Hood. He is a very dynamic character and in the story people are just drawn to him like a magnet. I think that readers will feel this exact same pull towards him as they read.

Here is what I did not like:
This book made me feel all the emotions. I laughed and cried and everything in between! The only thing I wished for was more! I was not ready for the book to end where it did. But, I do not think that is a problem :) just a sign of really good book.

I highly recommend picking up this book!

<i>Special thank you to NetGalley, Disney-Hyperion, and Jenny Elder Moke for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!</i>

ALL THE STARS OVER SHERWOOD FOREST!!!

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! I wouldn’t call this a full on retelling — it’s more of a second generation retelling since the MC is Robin Hood’s daughter and I really appreciate that shift in focus for this story! Robin is in it and I love how he’s portrayed, but the focus is on Isabelle and her journey and I loved her character development! I also absolutely loved that we got lots of time with Marien, Little John, and Allan A’Dalle, but I was a little bummed we only got mentions of Will Scarlet and Friar Tuck (but the mentions we got were great)!

This was so much fun! The first few pages are a little slow but once you get in the swing of it, the action starts and pretty much doesn’t stop through the rest of the story — that’s not to say that it’s non-stop, page after page, but it’s a full on adventure that Robin Hood would be proud of! There are slower moments where you can catch your breath with the characters but they’re written with the faster moments so well that it all stays one fluid story without the feeling of whiplash from starting and then quickly stopping. I think this book would actually make for a really great adaptation because the action scenes are so well written that they already feel cinematic in the characters movements and dialogue during the fight scenes. I could see them playing out in my head as if I were watching it!

My only complaint is something from the end (which I won’t discuss for spoilers) but I feel that the author handled ripping my heart from my chest very well. I very rarely actually cry over books but Moke squeezed lots of tears from me and I’m not sure I can forgive her *sobs*

Overall this was absolutely fantastic! I immediately preordered it after finishing it and I can’t wait to reread it!

I was graciously granted this book via Netgalley (all opinions are my own)

I am happily surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this.

I’ve been eyeing the Disney retellings in the bookstores for ages now, thinking..<i> it can’t possibly be any good if I already know the original story.</i> So when I saw I was approved for this ARC I was excited.. 1) since it was my first go at it and 2) because this one I could take a chance on without knowing too much of the original. The story of Robin Hood is the one I only know by the many remakes and renditions throughout the years so I was open to whatever happened.

The story has great pacing, plenty of action, emotion upheavals. There were times throuhgout the book that a few things were predictable but nothing that took away from the book itself. I was able to connect to Isabelle, our MC, plenty enough and was hoping for a HEA for her and myself once I got through the first couple of chapters.

If you’re into retellings or coming of age (with a small side of romance and/or big side of family reunions) I’d recommend this. I personally like that the main focus of the story was Isabelle and her family and the differences in the lifestyle she grew up in versus what she finds when she leaves to start her adeventure. There is a love interest but it stays very much second fiddle in comparison but it was enough that I also wanted to see how that set up played out.

Overall I loved the novel for keeping Robin Hood alive as well as doing a good job of it.

Hood, by: Jenny Elder Moke

Hood was a very fun exciting read. I did not want to put the book down. It leads us through the adventure of Isabelle, a young girl growing up in the priory of Kirklees. It is here that Isabelle is forced from her home and into a life changing adventure. Her strengths and weaknesses are tested in this tale, along with her moral obligations of the priory. Can Isabelle step up and protect all that she loves and take the rightful family name of Hood? This book will not disappoint in twists and turns and constant excitement. I do recommend it for grades 4th and up due to some violence, adult innuendos and language.

A fun read for adults too!

This was a fun and different retelling of Robin Hood. The story was exciting and funny. I had some issues with the pacing - I felt like right when things would get exciting, it would quickly end. But it held interest well, and I wanted to know what would happen.

Robin and his merry men were the best part of the book, and I wish they took up even more space in the story. The main character Isabelle was okay. She was painted as someone who would break the rules all of the time, but when she finally left the priory, she was weirdly uptight. I also didn't agree with her reasoning for keeping her secrets. It was very enjoyable when they were all working together and causing chaos.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read it early!

Jenny Elder Moke's take on the Robin Hood story was full of adventure and surprises. Full of vivid imagery and interesting characters, I am glad I requested this book. Even though it is for a younger age group, the plot didn't hold back from dealing with numerous everyday obstacles, difficulties, and the adventure scenes reminded me of the way classic adventure novels approach the fights and losses.
I will be recommending this book to those I know with children and even adults. Well written, hard to put down once it gets going, and enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Hyperion publishing for the DARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

Blog post to come closer to publication.

Hood, the story of Isabelle of Kirklees, finds the daughter of Robin Hood and Maid Marien living in a monastery with her mother Prioress Marien. In trying to defend some villagers, Isabelle kills a man and becomes the target of King John's right-hand man Wolf. For her protection her mother sends Isabelle on a mission to find her father, whom she's never met. Meanwhile, Marien has been taken prisoner and held as bait, so that Robin and his men will fall into Wolf's trap. Isabelle joins forces with Robin and his Merry Men to battle Wolf and defy the crown. The Robin Hood backstory and Isabelle's coming-of-age amidst the Merry Men add to this thrilling tale of daring do, set in a world readers know and love.

This was a fun, fast read. It's full of all the markers of the Robin Hood we've come to know and love: archery competitions, clever disguises, and daring rescues. The dark tone of the cover and the description in the jacket copy made me expect something darker and older, but this read very much like a sweet, smile-filled Disney cartoon more geared to younger readers. The baddies are wickedly bad, brandishing weapons and declaring, "You'll never get away with this!" The good guys are exceptionally good. Living in the forest as an outlaw has more to do with feasts and friendly competitions than any gritty realities. Even in the midst of battle, there's always time for a bit of witty banter. The history of a world at war is touched on regularly in dialogue but Moke keeps the harshness of the Medieval world off the page. For those looking for a fun, escapist tale of derring-do that draws on common tropes but puts a girl front and center, they'll love this. For those looking for something more morally complex or that takes a strong stance on feminism or class, they'd do well to look elsewhere.

Hood feels almost like the continuation of Robin Hood. Telling the story of what if Marien and Robin Hood had a child, Hood is an action packed book about Isabelle finding her father and also a place where she belongs. Largely sheltered, but with a good heart, Isabelle has to second guess some of her beliefs about the world. Just because authority figures are in power does not mean that they will be moved by their duty. At the same time, Isabelle must also question her own family and her parent's pasts.

Hood is a story that highlights choice. We all can witness the wrong doings and it becomes our choice to stand up and help. While there's plenty of mystery about her parent's past, and action as they try to escape the clutches of the wolf, I felt that the character detail was lacking. I found myself missing the little details about Isabelle and all the other side characters I felt lacked depth. While it also seems almost like a sequel to Robin Hood, I found that Hood doesn't really develop on the story we all know in a satisfying way. In that sense, I'd be much more likely to enjoy a sequel to Hood if there were one, because I think that would set up more of a departure. I appreciated the themes of found family, with the Merry Men, but ultimately wanted more depth to these side characters so I could fall in love with them.

This book was one I was so excited for but so nervous about. I truly did not know what I would end up feeling by the end of the book because so often these retellings are just 'okay' versions of what I make up in my head in excitement. I started this book and was immediately hooked. I've never read a retelling of Robin Hood (at least, from what I can remember) and I'm not sure why because I don't see a reason to not like it? I thoroughly enjoyed being introduced the Isabelle and the Merry Men and watching this journey unfold.

Each character had their own charming personality and Robin Hood was clearly the best of the best, he was charming and witty and kind... all the things I had hoped for but not expected because YA usually makes me expect the worst outcome in a highly anticipated meeting of two long lost characters.

Moke opens up the world of Merry Men in an exciting new way and one that I hope I get to revisit in another book or two (I'm sensing duology or trilogy vibes). The writing was excellent and the story was fun.... it was never a dull moment.

This loses a star because I feel like the cover could've been better. I expect a lot from Disney so it just feels lacklustre.

This story of Isabelle of Kirklees grabbed me from the start. Isabelle is Robin Hood and Marien's daughter! The atmosphere is picturesque. It's what you'd want it to be, and it's filled with intrigue and lines like Find Thomas at the Inn and tell him "The Wolf is coming."
Isabelle has grown up in a priory, so traveling, meeting The Merry Men, and fighting for her life could easily overwhelm a weaker character. This book is a Robin Hood retelling, and it did not disappoint me in any way. I found the storyline chock full of spaces for discussions about our family values and what humans sometimes have to do in tough times. If you have a reluctant reader or one who loves historical fiction, this story will suit them both. Hood is designated, YA, but although there is some violence, it isn't gory or unjustified, and I'd read it to Middle Graders on up. I read this pre-publication on Kind and am ordering it for our next go around through Middle Age Literature in our homeschool.