This was a darker take on the Robin Hood legend and canon. Jane, the female MC, is recruited by Robin Hood by her sometimes lover, Bran, and she finds herself being used as a spy in the Kings’ House. Robin Hood is known as a legend who steals to return the wealth to the poor, but in this version he is known as being magnanimous, but his actions prove more manipulative and self-serving to the point that Jane must decide who and what she cares about the most. I was entertained by the nonstop political machinations and plots as Jane is swept up in the intriguing conflict between Robin, “the Sheriff of Nottingham” and the throne- this was a thoroughly well done historical fiction drama and though the darkest version I’ve ever read of this story, it was completely entertaining and riveting. It’s Robin Hood as you’ve never seen him, a dark knight, in the midst of Sherwood Forest- I’d read another retelling by this author in a heartbeat. I liked the female forward plot and new characterization of this folk “hero”.

You know the Charli XCX song “party 4 u”? Where she throws a party for someone who never shows up. That’s the song I listened to after finishing this book.
The Traitor of Sherwood Forest is about limerence, men manipulating women for their own gain, greed disguised as altruism, and decentralizing male heroism to bring reality into the chat.
I was mad at every character at some point during this story. Then I related to every character and understood their flaws, and forgave them in the end.
This is an incredibly important story that I think everyone should read at some point, especially teenage girls. Amy S. Kaufman was able to take the infamous story of the hero Robin Hood and show it from a totally different angle, but still make it interesting. She was able to show what it felt like to want a love that doesn’t really exist, to put someone on a pedestal who should actually be burned at the stake.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.

The Traitor of Sherwood Forest is a dark retelling of an imperfect Robin Hood, with roots in the medieval lore rather than the glorified Victorian stories. He is a man of wit and cruelty and vengeance, rather than philanthropy and justice. If you know that going into the story, it’s an enjoyable alternate take on the storybook Robin Hood we all know and love.

The prose was easy to read, and the pacing moved at a medium speed in four parts, each based on a different ballad of Robin Hood’s antics. The “merry men” were not so merry at all, but each stood out with different personalities, strengths and (of course) weaknesses. My favorite of the merry men was Mooch, but maybe that was because we saw so little of him, and also probably because he was the pioneer of the doggie bag of poop on fire on your enemy’s doorstep.

Positive things notwithstanding, I really felt the reason this book didn’t work as well as I’d hoped was because of the choice of protagonist. Jane tells us straight off the bat that she isn’t clever, and how jokes and jibes often go straight over her head. She’s learned to read people, but only in the context of domestic abuse, and so she doesn’t have the wit and verve to match Robin Hood, therefore everything she does feels like it was forced upon her and she loses agency. Each new task of espionage or trickery is something she just goes along with, even when it goes too far.

On top of that, she develops an inexplicable, overly romanticized and lusty view of Robin Hood. He really does nothing to win her, especially with the scenes at the Shire Reeve’s house. When he is in danger, she thinks of him with a single minded determination and damn the consequences attitude that you’d expect from a deeply intimate or married couple. Mind you, they’ve barely spoken a hundred words at this point. I simply was not sold on their romance or, perhaps more pointedly, her infatuation.

I did love the prioress as a character. If you’ve read A Sorceress Comes to Call by T Kingfisher, Ibota is very reminiscent of Hester. Strong, middle aged, and with a deeply devoted man named Roger at her beck and call. Absolutely love the prioress I really think she saves the book for me.

Many people were squeamish about the brutality of Robin Hood, but I suppose after decades of reading fantasy and romantasy, I wasn’t bothered by the gruesome descriptions. I think the scariest part of Robin was his own ability to convince himself of his righteousness. He had all the red flags of gaslighting and isolation that go into DV. As a sane woman, you would not want a man like that in your life. So how frustrating, then, that Jane felt the need to enter into a love triangle for this man. Ehhhh.

I do wish we at least had some closure with Jane. I mean her whole life is in flames by the end🔥. I needed a solid answer, and if it wasn’t the job offer she got in the final pages I need to slap her.

Things I liked: grumpy old lady with a good head on her shoulders, loyal knight, no horses harmed in the making of this novel, not prudish, interesting depictions of medieval life.

Things I did not like: Jane, a love triangle (my least favorite trope after miscommunication), the writing lacked atmosphere and a sense of place, loss of life of a child. What happened to that poor potter?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

There are so many wonderful things I can say about this story, about a book that made the childish Robin Hood of heroic action into a real person with flaws and darkness. But the most important thing I can think of is saying thank you, taking something as intricate and complex as old English prose and recreating it into such a beautiful story that flows is truly wonderful.
Don't read this book if you want a swashbuckling hero to sweep you off your feet.
Don't read this book if you want to remove that scene of fox Maid Marian and Robin Hood at the waterfall.
This book is not a fairytale. It is a story, with no true heros because there are no true heros. There are just winners and losers. Oh, and of course there are those of us who are good at dealing a trick or two.

The Traitor of Sherwood Forest is a new standalone novel by Amy Kaufman that is a twist on the story of Robin Hood. I thought the summary sounded interesting and was curious to read about Jane's story.

Jane Crowe is our fmc and she is an ordinary peasant girl who gets introduced to the Lord of the Greenwood and because she can be useful as a pair of eyes in the King's Houses, she becomes a spy for him. I don't think Jane really understood what she was getting into and as she is pulled deeper into Robin's "games" she is put into more dangerous situations. Despite that, she can't help but be drawn to him.

From a character perspective, I didn't really love any of them. Which is hard to say. I wanted to like Jane but she just seemed so naive and if she had just appreciated what she and Bran had, she may have been fine. That said, the fact that Bran turned on her was shady. And Robin...I don't know what to say about him. I think he starts out with good intentions but all of his tricks tend to go too far and they put a lot of people around him in danger. He also uses his charm and good looks to manipulate everyone around him.

As the story moves forward, things get out of hand for Jane and she has to figure out who she can trust and how she is going to get herself out of the mess she is currently in and she is lucky to have Ibota to lean on and provide some guidance...even though everything doesn't necessarily go as planned.

Overall, I thought this was an interesting book but I'm not sure how I truly feel about the story. I can't say I loved it only because I didn't love the characters. If you're interested in picking up a Robin Hood retelling with some morally grey characters, consider this one as it fits the bill and It's well written and the actual story was interesting.

Too slow of a start. I had a hard time relating to the main character and the story. Only got about 20% in. I don't love leaving a bad review. Sorry to the author!

First, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this as an ARC! As always, while I received this as an ARC copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I LOVED getting a retelling of the medieval ballads of Robin Hood rather than the Disneyfied version. That is 100% why I picked this book up and it definitely lived up to my expectations in that regard. I also liked getting to read it from a female commoner perspective. Jane is observant but also naive. I liked seeing her character growth over the course of the book as she comes to terms with who she thought Robin was with who he actually is. I both loved and hated Robin Hood, but in a good way. His character was unpredictable and a true outlaw rather than a man with noble intentions. The side characters were interesting and I thought each one added something different to the story that helped to keep you guessing at what would come next and helped to move the plot forward.

So why 4 stars instead of 5?

This is told exclusively from Jane's point of view and while I did enjoy her character growth, there were times I was quite frustrated with her character, especially when it comes to her feelings for Robin. He is attractive and gives her attention, but she already had a man who treated her right who she ends up losing because of Robin (and later halfheartedly regrets losing). Despite everyone warning her away from him and even seeing for herself what he can be like, she is constantly making poor decisions because of her attraction to him. For someone who we are told / reminded is observant and sees things others don't, she couldn't seem to see past her lust, and I don't know, but that kind of rubbed me the wrong way.

I also would have liked an epilogue. What comes next for Jane in her medieval world? Robin's story comes to a definitive ending, but Jane's is rather open-ended and there are still questions left unanswered. Since this is told from Jane's PoV only, I think an epilogue could have tied up any loose ends, including giving Jane's story/future a more clear end.

We all know the tale as Disney tells it – he steals from the rich and gives to the poor, a champion of the common man! But this story of Robin Hood reveals a darker side of the hero, a side that makes you question who the true villain is.

Desperate to escape her common fate, Jane Crowe sets out to join Robin Hood and his merrymen. She starts out small, proving herself by passing along information about the noblemen and women she encounters through her work at the King’s Houses. But as Robin’s trust in her grows, the espionage she’s asked to partake in grows more dangerous and shockingly violent. Will Jane risk everything for the charismatic Robin Hood? Or has he finally gone too far for her to follow?

I love a good retelling of a classic. Robin Hood is synonymous with “the good guy”, so reading his tale from a different perspective was uniquely interesting. I did feel like the story ended a bit abruptly and wanted a bit more, and the character of Jane was frustratingly stagnant in her development. Overall this was a great premise that fell a bit short for me.

I was epically excited to see Kaufman tackling a Robin Hood retelling as it is an under served story in my opinion.I truly loved the bones of this story but the the main characters fell a tad flat for me in the end.

Readers follow Jane Crowe, a young peasant in need of a means to financial survival. She soon finds herself working for the legend himself, Robin Hood. Her task is to collect secrets within the King's House and deliver them back to Robin. It's dangerous work and as Jane gets deeper and deeper into her spying she finds that her feelings for her boss also grow deeper.

The world building here feels so accurate and thoughtful, with many moments taking on an evocative and visceral quality. Unfortunately, I found Jane to be borderline insufferable due to her naivety. I didn't feel as though she grew all that much which frustrated me with the length of the story, I did find that making Robin lean morally grey with a preoccupation on the optics of being good vs, actually being good to be a fun twist but in the end it wasn't enough to make this one a win for me.

DNF at 4%

The prose was meandering, Jane was boring, I wasn't interested in the paragraphs long introspection in the first chapter.

Just wasn't for me but could be for someone else who's into a more discussion type prose.

The Traitor of Sherwood Forest
By Amy S. Kaufman

This is a fascinating look at the Robin Hood story as it was first told in ballads in the 1300s and, as the myth was embellished, during the Middle Ages. As with all stories begun in the oral tradition and retold repeatedly throughout the Ages, this version is a far cry from the gallant hero as portrayed in film by the likes of Sean Connery, Kevin Costner – and even in Disney's animated version.

The Robin of this book was a mercenary who was on the losing side of the War of the Barons and subsequently made his way, together with his loyal comrades, to the Greenwood (Sherwood Forest) where he rules over his band of misfits. Jane, a young woman raised in poverty and abuse (like most of the peasant women of the time), is introduced to Robin to become a spy for him in the Kings Houses (a sort of way-station for nobles). Jane is at first starry-eyed and enchanted by Robin's guile.

But as the story continues and her danger becomes more apparent, Jane realizes she is trapped by Robin like a fly in a spider web. The more she sees of Robin, the more she realizes that he is not a good, kind hero who does what he does only to help the poor in service to the Virgin Mary. Instead she sees a vengeful, often cruel, man who believes his own myth.

I found this book very different from the stories we grew up on. The author's historical note at the end provided much more detail, helping to clear up any confusion that occurred over time. Thanks to the author for a more well-balanced telling of the story.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

This plot had so much potential yet was just not done well in my opinion. The story felt like it took forever to finally begin and when it did it somehow felt rushed. I loved the idea of Robin Hood being the villain, however he was just entirely unlikable. We were supposed to believe that everybody was swooning over this manipulative mastermind yet he acted like a rude child. The main character Jane was so naive and her obsession with Robin Hood felt so forced. I immediately didn’t care what happened to any of the characters in this book because they were so- meh.
Thank you to the author, netgalley, and publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was unfortunately a miss for me. I think if the historical note had been included in the beginning of the book I would have been more in tune with the Robin Hood that the author was portraying. As it was I was confused for most of the book.

There seemed to be very little meaningful relationship development between characters. To the point that I couldn’t understand why any of them were loyal to Robin or each other. Jane didn’t seem to owe Robin anything, and I couldn’t figure out why she liked him enough to stay. He was anything but endearing and did not seem to behave in a romantic manner at all.

I’ll say the writing for this book was very good or I probably wouldn’t have finished it. It will surely find its correct audience of readers that are looking for a historically accurate Robin Hood retelling.

Thank you Penguin and NetGalley for sending me this ARC!

This was on me for not fully reading the description. I saw sultry and Robin Hood and thought it would be a dark romantic retelling of Robin Hood. The writing is excellent, but the story made me dislike Robin, an all-time favorite character of mine. I ultimately stopped halfway through because it was too dark and gruesome for me.

Jane Crowe is an ordinary peasant girl who never dreamed she would work for the infamous Lord of the Greenwood. But when she’s forced out of her home, she has no choice but to turn to Robin Hood for help—and he makes her an irresistible offer. He needs a pair of eyes in the King’s Houses, and quiet, unassuming Jane—who has spent her whole life going unnoticed—will be the perfect spy.

At first, Jane’s work for Robin seems straightforward. She whispers to him about the nobles at King’s Houses and all their secrets, including the new Sheriff of Nottingham, who would like nothing more than to see Robin Hood’s head on a spike. But the more Jane is drawn into Robin’s world, the more she’s drawn to Robin himself—a man as charismatic as he is cunning, capable of plucking at her heart as easily as he notches an arrow. As Robin’s tricks grow increasingly dangerous, and shockingly violent, Jane starts to suspect that her hero cares more about his own legacy than helping the common people—and that despite his declarations of affection, he sees her as just another object to be stolen.

I absolutely loved the premise of this one. The execution was just okay, though. The writing was mediocre for me and the ending felt .. incomplete. I had higher hopes for this. But if you like reading Robin Hood fiction, this might be for you. I truly believe that every book is meant for someone - this one might be for you! 3.25⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

"The Traitor of Sherwood Forest" by Amy S. Kaufman is a historical fiction book based on one of the Medieval-era tales of Robin Hood. The setting for the book is evocative, lush, and dark; it was my favorite aspect of the story. The author does a great job placing you in the main character's world and making you feel her emotions. The cast of characters is quite fleshed out but I had a little trouble following the underlying motivations of the "villains," which lowered my enjoyment level. Overall, this was a very unique and intriguing story.

What if Robin Hood wasn’t the hero? In The Traitor of Sherwood Forest, a peasant girl gets recruited to spy for the OG forest himbo himself... only to realize he might be less “steal from the rich” and more “emotionally manipulate the help.” Dark, immersive, and morally messy, this is a story of Robin’s merry little cult that flips the familiar tale on its head.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going in but I really enjoyed this book, especially after reading the author’s notes. The plot took some turns I saw coming, but I was still eager to see how it all played out and the ending was rather satisfying. Overall, it’s a nice addition to the lore and it feels underrated on GoodReads.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a decent retelling of Robin Hood, It had a lot of the original characters, the plot surrounded thievery, and it was really interesting to compare it to the original tale. I like Jane as a character, because she just wanted to do what she had to do for a better chance instead of potentially following in her mother's footsteps, Now this book wasn't perfect, but it did hold my attention for most of the action scenes and the main plot.

This one wasn't for me through no fault of the author or the book itself. The writing is lovely and this is an interesting story, but I prefer my Robin Hood stories to be fun and lighthearted, which this definitely is not.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

Read this if you like retellings, medieval settings, and heists with con men.

I knew this was going to be a treat when I saw the author was also a medieval scholar. The setting was so captivating, and I loved how all the details tied it all together. The descriptions of the forest and the churches were particularly well done, putting you right in those places.

The characters were incredibly well-developed, even the side characters. They all added something unique to the story, and directly influenced the plot or the main characters.

The pacing was a bit slow in the beginning, but the last half was a run. It was hard to put down once things got going. I was very pleased with the end, I think it was a very compelling resolution. I don’t know much about the original myths and ballads, but I appreciated the author’s note at the end about changes she had made, or stories she had pulled from.

Thank you to Amy S. Kaufman, Viking Penguin, and NetGalley for the eARC!