This was so fun! I've read a lot of fairy tale retellings in my time but never one about Robin Hood. The authors take on this classic story was refreshing and unique.

Travelers Along the Way is a fun twist on the Robin Hood story. We follow two sisters and a misfit team of adventurers as they navigate the treacherous landscape of the Crusades. The setting and characters are both very different from the Robin Hood tale we're used to hearing, but still fun and exciting. Unfortunately, I didn't really click with any of the characters, and I had a hard time focusing on the story for extended periods of time. I intend to give it another try down the road!

What a clever book! I went into this with some trepidation, considering how much I’ve disliked a lot of the remixes and retellings that have been published in the last few years. In all honesty, the only reason I made an exception to read this one is because of how much I’ve always been a fan of everything Robin Hood. From Erroll Flynn to a cartoon fox to Kevin Costner in a really bad accent, I’ve always unabashedly loved the story of Robin Hood.

So this book was a lot better than I expected, even though it wasn’t perfect.

It’s such a witty book, with chapter titles that made me laugh and a good sense of humor. The book didn’t take itself too seriously, which is always a plus when it comes to a topic as heavy as the Crusades. The characters were absolutely some of the coolest when it comes to gender-bending such a classic story.

It’s a very, very well-researched book too! It’s obvious the author did their due diligence when it came to researching the Crusades and the Middle East of close to a millennium ago. I was impressed by the accurate geographical knowledge employed and how devoted to getting the religious components of the war as correct as possible on both sides. It was a holy war, after all, and we all know how messy things can get when religion gets involved.

Now, I do have a pretty hefty complaint with the narrator, our “Robin Hood”, breaking the literary fourth wall to talk to us readers directly. The book may be in first-person POV, but when the narrator all of a sudden takes to talking to us readers in little asides it jars you a bit out of the story.

All in all, it was a difficult job well done.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Set during the Third Crusade, Travelers Along the Away is a gender-bent Robin Hood retelling following a muslim main character! As someone who loves books from any POV, I am one who does love when the main character talks to their audience, it really feels like you’re connected to the book when they do that and I love it!

If you love the story of Robin Hood at all, then pick yourself up a copy! This story is full of shenanigans, wit, thievery, action, adventure and so much more! If you’re always looking to add a diverse read to your shelves, this book would be fabulous!! As I said, it follows a Muslim main character but the other characters all follow different beliefs as well as there is LGBTQ rep in this book so it was just overall, amazing!

Travelers Along the Way doesn’t have much romance at all (sorry for the fans of romance based plots) but this book felt like a breath of fresh air. It’s not romance driven but more focused on helping the “little people” and all the good things the classic Robin Hood would do. I do wish the characters were more flushed out but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Read if you like:
- Ya historical fiction retelling’s
- Not romance driven
- A foolhardy main character
- LGBTQ rep
- Action & Adventure
- Quick wits

I don't think I am the right person for this book, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to a friend!

Loved the idea of the female Robin Hood and the characters worked together but didn't feel comfortable with the historical time. The story seemed difficult to follow sometimes as it went many places that I don't believe many young adults would know. Green Hood was a very strong woman character, very amusing and kept the story moving along. Seemed kind of a flat ending but maybe leaving open to write another book. Gay couple was unnecessary to the story.

Great retelling! . The Robin Hood story is not one that gets much attention so it is nice to see this one. Interesting setting and well-developed characters. Loved the female “Robin Hood.”

“My kind is your kind..I’m on the side of..the people.”
A unique & charming reversal of the lore of Robin Hood is told through a female hero from the Muslim side of the Crusades. Robin Hood as Rahma al-Hud may be young, but she is fierce and shares universal wisdoms along the way and she has her own motley crew of sidekicks to help her out.
Safi’s writing is precise and clever, she gets to the heart of her characters and keeps the adventures flowing. (She also has some chapter titles that simply capture the vibe in an up to date way!) Definitely recommended for my YA readers!

A brilliant rethinking of Robin Hood that ditches England but keeps nearly all of what makes a Robin Hood story. Rahma al-Hud has come to the Holy Land with her sister to fight the European invaders. After fleeing the siege of Akko, Rahma uses her cunning and penchant for disguise to survive the war-torn land while meeting a motley crew of misfits that form a band of loving friends. Traditional Robin Hood elements like meeting Little John (Teni in this story) over a stream and surrendering to save a supporter remain in the narrative, while the setting flips the perspective. A Muslim girl who gathers friends of many faiths and offers aid to the desperate while seeking peace for herself, Rahma is an excellent addition to the cannon.

Such an amazing book! This is full of adventure and heart, and there are so many topics discussed! I loved this!

On the one hand, I had a lot of fun reading this, but on the other hand, I came away from it feeling conflicted. I do want more historical YA though, especially set during medieval times!

I unfortunately found it pretty hard to follow along with the plot and determining what the plot even was. There was a lot of moving around, a lot of action, but not a clear goal or a thread that seemed to be followed. I did enjoy seeing the cast of characters grow as they moved around!

What saved this book for me though, was the writing style. I expect some people will dislike this, as the writing style, which is modern, lighthearted and humorous, sort of clashes with the content matter of a historical adventure novel. But this really worked for me, and it made for a really fun reading experience. The chapter headers were especially funny!

If you're a fan of sister shennanigans, found family (with some seriously sweet moments), and tons of sneaking you have to read this one. The sister relationship is an element I immediately loved and still one of my favorite elements. And they're not just sisters, but also sisters who are hatching plans and adventuring together! The found family trope is done so perfectly here. Travelers Along the Way is rich in historical elements carefully balanced with sabotage, thievery, and betrayals.

3.50 Stars. Good but with some bumps. I love gender-bending and/or queer retellings (or remixes as this one is called), so a female Robin Hood book was a must read for me. I loved the Disney cartoon Robin Hood as a kid and it might be one of my most watched Disney cartoons of all-time. I also have seen the Kevin Costner Robin Hood movie more times that I can count since my mother was in love with it. I think she liked it since you got to see Costner’s butt, but my point is that Robin Hood was a part of me growing up so it was easy to be excited to read this. Overall, I enjoyed the read and thought it was fun, but it wasn’t quite what I was hoping for.

Since I read so many sapphic books I do want to first say that while I will put the LGBTQ+ tag on this book, I would not read this book looking for queer rep. There are two barely there relationships in the book. The main female protag has a crush on a young man she has known since they were kids, and there are two female secondary characters that catch feels. Both relationships are so light that I wouldn’t even put the romance tag on this book. There is nothing more than a kiss and even the violence is light for a Robin Hood type book. While my opinion is coming from someone that doesn’t have kids, I think this book could easily be in a school library and maybe even a junior high one.

One thing I really liked about the book was some twists with the more familiar tale mixed into it. I liked that Rahma “Robin”, her sister, and some other characters were Muslim. I also liked that the book took place in the middle of the Third Crusade, instead of towards the end like in the origin tale. The mix of some real history, origin story, and new adventures really all meshed well and made the bones of a good story. At times I enjoyed picking out pieces that matched to the original, yet I enjoyed reading a story the still felt new. I think this is where Safi excelled in writing this book.

While I liked a lot of the story I did have some issues. The writing style takes a little while to get used to. While I’m one of the bigger first person fans you will meet, I don’t enjoy when a character talks to us readers. I don’t like when they say things like “oh I forgot to explain what this is to you”. Well then just explain it, don’t have your character tell me that you need to explain it. I just think it’s a gimmick that rarely works so I don’t believe it’s worth taking the risk. Overall, it took a little while to get used to the writing style. The first third especially was pretty bumpy to me but once I was past that point things seemed less gimmicky and my enjoyment and reading experience improved.

I also had some issues with how easily things happened. I don’t want to get into any spoilers but everything really comes together for the characters and I didn’t feel like they were in enough peril or that danger was around every corner like I wanted it to be. Part of me not feeling this might have been due to the fact that the characters were a little flat. While I liked them and thought they all worked in the story, they were pretty one dimensional. You had the charitable character, the angry character, the scientist, the spy, everyone was very one note and there just wasn’t a lot of meat there. This book is much more plot driven than character driven. I normally don’t like that and prefer the opposite or to have it even, but in this case because I liked the characters, I was able to go along for the ride and not really mind that there wasn’t much depth to them.

TLDR: A fun Robin Hood retelling. I enjoyed this read but it did have its issues. I would recommend it more to plot driven readers because while the characters are nice, they are very one note. This doesn’t really have a romance, or explicit violence (that I can remember), so it should be a book for a wide range of ages. The writing does take a bit to get used to but the book gets better after the first third or so. This wasn’t the retelling I was looking for, but I still had fun with it and I’m glad I read it.

I love, love, love this book. It was so much fun to spend time with Rahma and her companions as they made their way from one adventure to another. From the beginning I appreciated the relationship between Rahma and her sister Zeena. They are constantly fighting, but love each other fiercely. The other relationships with the friends they collect along their journey are also quite interesting. There are moments when they bristle with each other, but those times are also balanced with plenty of warmth and laughter.

Like with the other novels in this collection, the author has not only retold the original story, but has remixed it. Obviously, there are way more women in this version, but there is also the addition of multiple religious perspectives. Most stories involving the crusades are very much focused on Christianity and Islam and generally in European lit that has a heavy handed slant in favor of the Christian perspective. Aminah Mae Safi has shown that those are not the only two possibilities in this part of the world and that there was a whole history there before the invaders arrived.

Recommendation: Get it now. Anyone with even the slightest interest in Robin Hood should definitely give this a try. There’s a lot of action, a little bit of romance, and quite a few women who are proving over and over again that there is so much more to them than pretty eyes and hair. Historical fiction fans will also enjoy this tale. Safi paints a vivid picture of the time and place and makes research seem like a lovely follow up to reading.

When I first started this, I wasn't quite sure how I was going to feel about it. My knowledge of the Third Crusade is small at best, and while I know the story of Robin Hood, it's not one of my favorites. So I was pleasantly surprised when this ended up being an exciting story I absolutely fell in love with.

The story is told from the perspective of Rahma al-Hud, a narrator with a voice that reminded me of Flynn Rider from Tangled, or Kuzco from The Emporer's New Groove - that really dry, sarcastic, humor that always makes me chuckle. It was so fun to get to be inside her head, and I would've loved to have gotten to spend a few more pages there. Every handful of chapters there's also a chapter from a historical figure (think Queen Isabella and King Richard), which helped to provide historical context.

I also really enjoyed the side characters, and their relationships with Rahma and each other. They all felt fully-fleshed out, which is great to see, since it isn't always the case in stories.

The plot never had a dull moment, and the action and tricks never let me figure out what was coming next. And maybe this is silly, but I loved reading a book with actual chapter titles (especially since they were mainly puns or references).

Overall, I enjoyed this much more than I anticipated, and highly recommend it!

Author Aminah Mae Safi wants you to rethink everything you know about history and the people who tell it. After all, just because a story is never told, doesn’t mean it never happened.

In Traveler’s Along the Way, Robin Hood isn’t an English man in green tights. Instead, Rahma al-Hud is a young woman with a green hood that does everything in her power to bring peace to the Holy Land.

Rahma is clever and daring and has a penchant for getting into trouble. She loves her family, friends and the land that men are continually fighting over. She’s bold, brash and exactly the type of hero you’d want leading you. And her band of merry followers aren’t so bad either. Though not as completely fleshed out as Rahma, each one still exhibits complexities.

Travelers Along the Way is set during the Crusades, and Safi doesn’t shy away from the setting. She tackles numerous faiths, countries and ethnicities with ease. Nothing feels forced or heavy handed. She sets each scene with tastes, sights and sounds that truly transport you. Whether walking into a humble abode or skirting around enemy territory, you feel as if you’re part of Rahma’s crew.

Travelers Along the Way is the third of four Reclaimed Classics books in the works from Feiwel & Friends. The other books include So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix (Sept. 2021), A Clash Of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix (Sept. 2021), and What Souls Are Made Of: A Wuthering Heights Remix (July 2022). It’s been an excellent series so far, and I hope more books are in the works.

Travelers Along the Way is the Muslim, gender-swapped Robin Hood remix that we needed. It transplants all of your beloved characters and their iconic escapades into the Third Crusade, pitting them instead against Richard the Lionheart and his opponents as they vie for the City of Jerusalem Rahma al-Hud and her merry band are still the fantastically clever thieves we all love and the fair maid Marian is replaced with the dashing Majid, The story is action-packed, funny, and deeply human despite its brutal backdrop.

The characters, heroes and villains alike, were masterfully crafted, and I thoroughly enjoyed the POV dips into the minds of the opposing rulers. Travelers Along the Way does a fantastic job of preserving the unique facets of each character throughout the length of the story. I've been finding that characters can sometimes lose their unique traits during the climax of the adventure, everyone so focused on their goal that they become robotic. But these characters felt so human and so real. I loved constantly rolling my eyes at Zeena and cackling at Viva being predictably unpredictable.

Thank you to Macmillan, FierceReads, and Amina Mae Safi for giving me an eARC of Travelers Along the Way in exchange for an honest review.

Travelers Along the Way is a Robin Hood retelling set against the backdrop of the Third Crusades. It's not necessarily a book I would've chosen for myself even though I love retellings, but I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I expected. (That seems to be the theme when I win Fierce Reads giveaways with multiple books, and I'm not complaining.)

The story has the kind of third person omniscient interludes you'd expect from a fantasy but is primarily told in a kind of casual, colloquial first person POV tone that reminds me a bit of The Princess Bride. I'm not a big fan of first person POV, but our narrator, Rahma, has such a distinct voice you can almost hear her exasperated, cheeky comments as you read. Fiercely loyal, sarcastic, and never one to pass up the opportunity for a well-timed quip, Rahma al-Hud is my kind of girl. I love her as our protagonist and narrator because she's just so entertaining. In terms of the third person asides, the chapters work conceptually, but the actual execution could use some work. Sometimes they're lyrical and lovely, but other times they're awkward and repetitive. When that happens, it makes the reading feels especially onerous.

In the general, Travelers Along the Way is a pretty fun, quick read, but the actual story needs a lot more development. In general, the chapters are too short, making the overall story feel awkward and choppy. I know the book based off of historical events, but the world building needs a lot more work. I was initially confused by everything that was going around and, being the ignorant American that I am, had a hard time keeping players and alliances straight. With the lack of world building, the way the perspectives jump around in the beginning is especially jarring. The story gives off slight fantasy vibes, and I almost think the story would've been strong if Safi approached the development of the setting as if she were creating a whole new world.

I did actually enjoy the cast of characters we're given in Travelers Along the Way but can't help but wish they were given more time to develop. As much as I enjoy her personality, Rahma is a bit one-dimensional as a character. She's a little too altruistic. I get it, she's Robin Hood, but let's explore that a little more instead of having her help every sob story she comes across. Don't get me wrong, generosity is all well and good, I just wish we at least got to see some of the emotion and motives behind her giving.

The same is true for the rest of the cast. The crew is a fun collection of characters, and I am always down for a motley band of misfits (you know I love me some found family,) but it's just a little too easy. Rahma basically goes around collecting strays who immediately bond and/or fall in love. (I'm begging YA authors to stop pairing everyone up when writing an ensemble cast*.) I mean, it's great that they all get along, but Rahma is way too trusting for someone on the run. Safi essentially uses Rahma's "gut feeling" and fact that she's a good judge of character to bypass any meaningful kind of relationship building to form the band. For their part, everyone else (including the horses) all magically like her and automatically trust her leadership even though they just met?? Let's just say there's some hardcore insta-(platonic) love going on in this book.

In general, everything is a little too easy. Solutions just seem to fall in Rahma's lap, and there isn't really any kind of sustained tension or major obstacles our merry band has to overcome because Rahma some kind of thieving mastermind.

It works if you're looking for a fun, easy read that doesn't take itself too seriously--I personally didn't mind it and thought it was a pretty enjoyable story--but it's definitely something to keep in mind.

My main issue with the book is that it's a little too preachy. I get it, it's the crusades. Obviously religion and moral judgments are going to play a role in the story. I don't have an issue with that, but it's done in a rather heavy-handed way that just gets kind of old after a while. It probably wouldn't be as bad if the rest of the story were developed more, but because the overall plot and characters feel kind of shallow, the heavy and repeated emphasis on the religious aspect is especially noticeable. At some point, it just starts to feel a little repetitive, and you get tired of Safi shoving her thoughts about theology, war and feminism down your throat.

Like I said, I liked Travelers Along the Way more than I thought I would. I sped through the story pretty quickly and had a good time while I was reading it. The Robin Hood remix definitely has an interesting premise, and the merry (wo)men are a fun found family. That being said, the story just feels incomplete and unpolished. Aminah Mae Safi was dealing with a lot in the world (COVID, George Floyd) and in her life (cancer and chemo) when she was writing it, so it’s maybe understandable that it's not as nuanced or developed as it could be. Still, Travelers Along the Way is a decent read, but you should probably go into it knowing you make have to take everything with a grain of salt.

*Technically the merry band of Travelers Along the Way isn't an ensemble, but you know what I mean.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Travelers Along the Way reimagines the classic story of Robin Hood. We follow, instead, Rahma al-Hud, who followed her sister Zeena to war during the Third Crusade in Jerusalem.

I absolutely adored this installment in the Remixed Classics series from MacMillan. As with prior installments, Travelers Along the Way breathes new life into a story we all know and love. The world is rich and well-researched, the characters are beautifully diverse, and the story itself holds true to the spirit of the original.

Rahma was such a fun character to follow; she is clever and confident and kind, and has a hilarious flair for just the right amount of drama. She is a hero girls can look up to, and as an added bonus, even within her own story, she actively subverts the preconceived idea of who and what a hero really is.

I am beyond excited for this book to make it into the hands of readers who may not have liked classics before, as this novel has the perfect blend of a culturally conscious and diverse lens and the spirit and adventure of the original classic.

Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix was a compelling and action-packed read. My historical knowledge about The Crusades is limited to the basics, but Safi effortlessly brings readers up to speed. I love the sibling relationship between Zeena and Rahma, it was so realistic. Sometimes having a sibling means you would do anything to protect them, but that also includes a good bit of fighting (but no one else can fight them-only you!).

Rahma and her sister pick up a motley crew along the way, which was a joy to experience as they became found family. I loved how Safi explained how she dealt with history and what we know and don’t know. Women have always been strong, LGBTQ+ relationships have always occurred, and there is always another side to a conflict. Safi handles incredibly complex subject material with empathy and compassion. This book is hilarious, while creating strong emotional moments between the crew. My favorite strategy is: “Please Good Sir, I’ve Lost My Camel.” It felt reminiscent of Marvel’s Thor and Loki’s iconic “Get Help” strategy.

This was a fantastic and much-needed retelling. I was really moved by the author’s acknowledgements at the end and was very impressed with all that she overcame to bring this book to publication. I look forward to reading more of her work! Travelers Along the Way is my new favorite version of Robin Hood! I would recommend it to readers who enjoy found family, action-packed plot, and retellings. Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix releases on March 1, 2022. Thank you so much to Aminah Mae Safi, Feiwel & Friends, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on the publication date and I will publish it on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc