This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

This story is a retelling of Robin Hood, but with a twist on the character. The story started out very strong and hooked me right away. It had everything I could have wanted being full of wit and whimsy as well as some espionage. However I found that the pacing was a bit off throughout the story that made it fall flat a few times. I also struggled with the character of Robin Hood being a villain ih the story, as I wanted to root for him. However that is what makes the twist in the novel so I think it does that well. As the reader along with the main character Jane you also rationalize the actions of Robin at first, though eventually it was hard to emphasize with Jane as she kept making the same choices. Overall a great story and would recommend for anyone interested in reading a different retelling of the famous story.

Thank you to Penguin Books for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Traitor of Sherwood Forest by Amy S Kaufman is a lush, descriptive retelling of the Robin Hood myth using the point of view of a servant girl swept into Robin Hood’s web. The story relies heavily on the early versions of the myth, taking cues from medieval ballads and songs. The description and stories are much more similar to the roguish somewhat unpredictable outlaw of the forest rather than the post-Renaissance man of courtly honor.

The lens through which the story is told blends both a modern understanding of morality and the medieval story arc. It seems to posit “what if Robin Hood was actually sort of a narcissistic sociopath who was buying his own myth?” The author actually does a great job of crafting this accurate yet differently viewed portrait of Robin Hood. I also did particularly enjoy that while the story gave him a pretty unfavorable characterization, the author was pretty clear until the end that Robin Hood was still pretty sexy. I really appreciate the candor of an author willing to admit that a man can be both a reprehensible weirdo and still sort of alluring.

The problem with this book is that the character of Jane, our main character, feels like a means to an end. She is not particularly interesting nor skilled. It’s mentioned she’s a fair cook and can remember some common herbs, but that’s about it. Her big special trait is seemingly her ability to placate men. She mentions this is due to a father who was a drunk, but it’s very much a “tell, don’t show” situation. A lot of times it’s mentioned that she wants to run free, or that’s all she desires, but that sort of seems to be stated rather than shown as well. It’s very lofty aspirations for a character who’s a bit of a dud. I appreciate that in order to frame the story there needed to be an outsider to Robin Hood’s group—but I don’t think Jane was the best choice.

Kaufman clearly did a lot of research into the early iterations of the Robin Hood story. She did a very good job of crafting a medieval England and the toil and injustice at the time. It’s clear she spent a lot of time crafting the men of Robin Hood’s band with care and detail to bring them alive. For fans of medieval lore and the myth, this can be a wonderful read. It is, however, somewhat diminished by a main character that doesn’t sparkle as bright as the rest of her world.

3/5.

Jane Crowe never imagined she would end up working for the infamous Lord of the Greenwood. But when she is forced from her home, she has no choice but to seek Robin Hood’s aid—and he offers her an irresistible deal. At first, her role seems simple: observe the nobles, uncover their secrets, and report back to Robin. But as Jane is drawn deeper into Robin’s world, she begins to wonder if Robin truly fights for the people. Jane must decide: is she merely a prize to be won, a pawn to be sacrificed, or a player in her own right in the deadly game between nobles and outlaws?

Robin Hood not completely the good guy? Yes please!! I loved that he is not the hero we normally see him as. This story was well-paced. At first, I felt it started a little slow, but as the story progressed, it got better. I thought Jane was well-written. She was naive but never too foolish or irritating. Her character had a good balance that I like in a character. Now for Robin! He was admirable and frustrating. I loved seeing this different perspective of Robin Hood. I truly enjoyed seeing this world that the author created. I felt that the ending was a little anticlimactic, but for the most part, it was a good conclusion.

The Traitor of Sherwood Forest is a retelling of the story of Robin Hood. Robin Hood is a tale that I have loved since I was a kid and because of that I have read many reimaginings. But no matter what turn the plot took or how certain roles may be changed in each retelling, I felt the character that Robin displayed in the original was what mattered. He wasn't an anti-hero in this book, which I tend to love, or even a morally gray character. I did not find redeeming qualities that would make him either of those. So it just left him unlikable and unfortunately what came across as simply mean.
At the end I realized that me not enjoying this probably has less to do with the writing and more to do with my expectations of a beloved character.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Amy Kaufman creates a wonderful medieval world true to Robin Hood tales that readers will know and love. It is obvious that a lot of thought and research were done. I was intrigued by the characters and the story's premise, but unfortunately, it fell flat by the end. I was not a fan of the portrayal of this particular Robin Hood, I found myself not connecting all that much with the characters, and the ending felt abrupt and didn’t match the pacing for the rest of the story. I would still recommend that any fans of Robin Hood should still check this out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for this ARC!

The Traitor of Sherwood Forest
by Amy S. Kaufman
Pub Date: Apr 29 2025

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.

When Robin’s schemes implicate Jane in a brutal murder, she must decide: is she prize to be won, a pawn to be used and discarded—or is she an equal player in the game between nobles and thieves?

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. I have to say I was delighted to receive this retelling of Robin Hood, with a twist on perspective. The book follows a spy for Robin Hood - Jane, who was forced out of her home, and is as unassuming as they come - which makes her an ideal candidate to become a spy against the King. However, the more she becomes a part of Robin Hood's world, the more she is drawn into his web of charisma. It is when she becomes closer to him that she begins to wonder if he really cares for the poor, or is more interested in his persona. Jane then gets swept up in a murder, and she must assess if her relationship with Robin is what it outwardly seems.

I thought Jane was written well - she is naive, but not stupid or annoying, and it is hard to write a naive character that is at least likeable. I also appreciated this author's take on Robin - he was written as two sides to the coin, so I alternately liked and disliked him; I appreciated the different perspective on this often lauded character. There is a lot of richness within the pages, and I enjoyed being immersed in the setting the author created. This is a book with many layers, but nothing becomes confused or twisted, leaving a nice feeling of satisfaction when the book ends.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking Penguin for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I struggle with this rating because I don’t think this book was for me. From the afterward it’s clear there was a lot of research done in this Robin Hood retelling which is impressive and the medieval setting was fun and unusual.

On the other hand, I did not connect with these characters at all. The FMC feels very 21st century to me and there’s far too much telling instead of showing- general narrative, connections between characters, social commentary, and characters’ emotions. North Woods for me was a 5-star read that did a wonderful job of putting a modern reader into a historical setting that felt real, this book very much did not do that and I often felt the feminist social commentary was being shoved down my throat. (When I could have read between the lines myself and come to the same conclusion!)

If you love romantasy protagonists (Phantasma comes to mind) this may be a very fun read for you that gives you a glimpse into the medieval world. I’m just not that reader.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest (clearly!) review.

This is a much different kind of Robin Hood adaptation than modern audiences are used to, for sure. It is clearly very well researched and historically accurate, drawing from the earlier legends and ballads.

That being said, fans of the Disney movie or other modern retellings are in for a bit of a shock at some of the characterizations in this book. I found it very hard to root for anyone at all. It was interesting to see the story through the eyes of a wholly original character, but I found Jane to be incredibly frustrating.

This book is quite well written and thoroughly researched (the historical note at the end was a very welcome inclusion), but for me as a reader, the lack of likeable characters made it just not my cup of tea.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Books for the ARC!

This is a 2 star read for me.
It was just so depressing and everyone was just awful. All the main characters were just awful terrible people.
The worst villian got away with everything and we never see if they get the ending they deserve. The ending is by far the worst part. It’s abrupt and cruel. I didn’t love this book. It was slow, the FMC totally naive. Robin Hood awful. The sheriff not terrible but not good either. I just didn’t like this at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.

A Robin Hood retelling like I've never seen before. From the point view of Jane we actually get a more truthful view of Robin. But I loved that this focused more more on Jane and who she was growing to be.

A really unique take on a Robin Hood retelling, Teh Traitor of Sherwood Forest gripped me right from the beginning. This story has a very interesting voice that pulls you in and keeps you engaged. I really liked the nods to the original story but thought that the direction it went was surprising and unique. I will be looking for more books from Amy S. Kaufman for sure.

3.5 🌟

Thank you netgalley for this arc!

I started off enjoying the slow build of the story, but as the story went on the pacing never quite picked up like I expected it to and the ending felt almost rushed. I loved the retelling and the world building, the characters were well written as well. It was clearly researched and history included in here was so interesting. I would recommend this book as long as you are aware of the pacing.

I really wanted to enjoy this novel, I love retellings and inspired by's but this one was a miss for me. The biggest issue for me was the pacing of the story it felt too slow and dragged on. The world building, characters and plot were very well done, do I think others will enjoy it? Yes of course, but it just wasn't for me.

This book is a Robin Hood retelling with all the fun of cottage core and fairytale stories.

I love the story of Robin Hood and how he is an outlaw but has good intentions at heart. He’s one of the more complex characters, not living in solely good or bad territory. It’s definitely a personal perception on how you view him.

I think this book handled the complexities of his character in a really unique and interesting way. It kind of showed the perspective of both Robin Hood and the people he stole from or deemed “bad.” It really showed how maybe trying to do the right thing is not as simple as it seems. And often it can cause more trouble.

This book differently writes Robin Hood more as a villain and morally grey character type so I would like to preface that. If you’re a big fan of Robin Hood stories you may not like seeing a different version of him.

I was disappointed in the main character Jane. I found her to be really childish and lacking of the strength I like seeing in female main characters. But by the end she had grown on me a bit and I think she was an accurate representation of the time period this book is being set in.

Overall, it was a fast read and the storyline was entertaining enough to keep me gripped until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This book comes out April 29, 2025.

The Traitor of Sherwood Forest is a refreshingly intelligent take on the typical fairytale revisited. Peasant girl Jane's quiet village life takes a daring turn when the famed Robin Hood starts trucking and targeting the rich nobility and clergy in her area. Soon, Jane is drawn into his world of trickery and vigilante justice. But as with all humans, Robin turns out to have flaws and moral failings of his own. Are Jane's allegiances to Robin, or her own moral compass?

This books plays in medieval gender roles, power dynamics and the responsibilities of minor characters in heroes' stories.

I was intrigued by the synopsis of this, and as the author is a medieval scholar who’s written for academic journals and mainstream media, I was really looking forward to reading.

I was so impressed with this as I read (voraciously, might I add) - complex characters who are so humanized, side characters who truly add to the story, and history-rich fiction that was fantastic and kept me fully interested in the story.

Though I wish that there had been a little more self contemplation on Jane’s part, I couldn’t have asked for a more true-to-the time medieval observations and I loved that.

Issue aside, I really enjoyed this and would recommend to anyone who enjoys historical fiction accuracy, and is interested in the possible reality behind the tale of Robin Hood.

I look forward to reading Dr. Kaufman’s future titles.



Thank you to Penguin Books and NetGalley for the DRC

I couldn't get past the first chapter. The dialog is too modern and the premise made no sense from the start. Also had a very YA feel. Not for me.

This dark reimagining of Robin Hood presents a compelling and nuanced portrayal of a deeply troubled medieval protagonist, a significant departure from the traditional chivalrous archetype. The narrative and character development are exceptionally well-executed, maintaining consistent engagement. While the female lead character exhibits occasional naivete, her arc is convincingly developed. The author's inclusion of historical notes is a welcome and insightful addition.