Throwback Thursday Review: Will in Scarlet by Matthew Cody

Throwback Thursday is a upcycled weekly meme hosted by Sabrina at I Heart YA Fiction. To participate, read an older release or a book that has been on your shelf for awhile. Post your review, then link back to I Heart YA Fiction using the Mr. Linky! (Or repost an old review - there's no reason those books from a couple years ago shouldn't get some love!)

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Title: Will in Scarlet

Author: Matthew Cody

Publisher: Random House BFYR

Pub. Date: 10.8.2013

Genre: Middle Grade

Rec. Age Level: 10+

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Will Scarlet, heir to Shackley House, has led a charmed life, despite the fact that his father has been absent for years, fighting in the Crusades at the side of King Richard the Lionheart. Will spends his days getting into small bits of childish trouble and generally ignorant of the world around him, but, at the age of thirteen, the political landscape in England is growing tense and even Will can no longer ignore the dark changes in power. King Richard’s brother and his corrupt lackeys have overrun England and rule with a violent fist, exploiting the masses and using fear to accomplish their selfish goals. When Shackley House is pulled into the turbulence and his uncle is murdered, Will begins to realize just how sheltered and naïve he’s been. Forced to flee his childhood home, Will nearly dies, but is (reluctantly) saved by a group of ragtag bandits who call themselves the Merry Men. As Will embarks on his own crusade for revenge against the powerful men that have wronged his family, he inadvertently sets into motion the rise of the dashing hero known as Robin Hood.

For some reason, I had the impression that this book was a complete retelling of the Robin Hood story and it would, therefore, focus on Robin Hood. It’s actually a Robin Hood origin story, so there isn’t an actual Robin Hood character until the end of the novel… which is a relatively important detail to have overlooked because I kept wondering where Robin Hood was. Still, I really enjoyed this novel, especially once I figured out the origin story bit!

When we first meet Will Scarlet, he’s naïve, immature, and wholly ill-prepared for the real world. But the end of the novel, he’s a strong young man with a strong sense of morality and ethics, despite the fact that he’s joined a group of bandits. Such is the magic of the Robin Hood story, readers of all ages come to realize that good and bad aren’t always obvious… that it often takes an underdog to incite necessary change.

Many of the characters within Will in Scarlet, including Will, are pretending to be something they aren’t, but, by the novel’s end, they’ve all proudly accepted who they are … and who they are meant to be. One of my favorite characters was Much, a member of the Merry Men, who is actually a girl disguised by necessity as a boy. Though disguising herself as a boy allows Much more mobility and keeps her safe, in the end, it’s being true to herself (and, more literally, dressing as a girl) that helps saves the day!

Lots of action, plenty of secrets, hidden identities, and a smattering of humor make Matthew Cody’s Will in Scarlet is great middle grade read.

Top 10 Books That Will Make You Swoon

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by fab bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish!
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1. Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

 Echols' first book has remained my go-to swoon-worthy read for years! John After remains my biggest bookish crush for always! Plus, this books has a fun twist: bad girl falls for good guy.

2. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

I've noticed lots of my favorite swoony pairings happen in really intense, often sad books - this is one of those books. Intense emotion often gives way to intense love I guess!

3. Saving June by Hannah Harrington

  Not only does this book feature one of my fave romances, it's a road trip book! Roadtrips are the perfect situations for epic love!

4. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Not only is Jellicoe Road my all time favorite book, which means you should automatically want to read it (kidding!), its tender love story will keep you transfixed (not kidding!).

5. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

I wouldn't be surprised if Anna isn't on just about every YA blogger's Top 10 list. Aaand I have a feeling I don't have to explain why this book is a swoon-worthy read. ST. CLAIR. ;)

6. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

The romance in this book is funny and charming and so, so wonderful. I love it.

7. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

The good guy gets the girl in this book and we all rejoice!

8. The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

The quintessential I-hate-you-so-much-I-love-you book. This book is hot!

9. What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Okay, so I'm cheating because this one technically isn't out yet, but it is so, so good! It makes me happy just thinking about it! You don't wan to miss this one!

10. Landline by Rainbow Rowell

 I'm starting to think Rainbow Rowell can do no wrong and her upcoming book Landline is no exception to the rule. The romance in this book is both unique and so incredibly well done... It made me want to fall in love!
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Did any of these swoon-worthy reads make your Top 10 list? Let me know! Be sure to leave me a link to your Top 10 in the comments.

Top Ten Sequels I Can't Wait to Get My Hands On

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!

You can find more information here. 

This week's theme is Top Ten Sequels I Can't Wait to Get My Hands On. To help narrow down the sequels I'm excited about, I only chose ones that have had cover art released, otherwise picking just 10 would be awfully difficult!

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 Rebel by Amy Tintera

Sequel to Reboot

Renegade by Deb Driza

Sequel to Mila 2.0

Divided by Elsie Chapman

Sequel to Dualed

Going Rogue by Robin Benway

Sequel to Also Known As

 

 

Meridian by Josin L. McQuein

Sequel to Arclight

 

The Strange Maid by Tessa Gratton

Sequel to The Lost Sun

 Chantress Alchemy by Amy Butler Greenfield

Sequel to Chantress

Frozen by Erin Bowman

Sequel to Taken

 

 

Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau

Sequel to The Testing

 

 

Born of Deception by Teri Brown

Sequel to Born of Illusion

Top Ten Authors Who Deserve More Recognition

This week's topic: Top Ten Authors Who Deserve More Recognition

It was so difficult to choose only 10 authors this week... there are way too many authors that are regularly overlooked that are so, so fantastic! To simplify this week's post, I just chose an author and included an image of a book that I personally love that they've written. Don't miss these authors!

Link your TTT post in the comments and I'll stop by your blog as well!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the fabulous blog The Broke and the Bookish!

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1. Mindi Scott

2. Courtney Summers

3. Michele Jaffe

4. Natalie Standiford

5. Cath Crowley

6. Carol Lynch Williams

7. Hannah Harrington

8. Lorraine Zago Rosenthal

9. Catherynne M. Valente

10. Emmy Laybourne

Top Ten Best Movie Adaptations

This week's topic: Top Ten Best(or Worst) Movie Adaptations

We've all watched a film adaptation of a novel and hated it - and let everyone know it - so, this week, I'm going to give shout outs to the adaptations I loved! Also, you'll notice I'm kind of obsessed with Keira Knightly films... she just does so many novel adaptations... and she does them so well! 

Link your TTT post in the comments and I'll stop by your blog as well!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the fabulous blog The Broke and the Bookish!

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1. Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Keira Knightly & Matthew Macfayden

Sparks fly when spirited Elizabeth Bennet meets single, rich, and proud Mr. Darcy. But Mr. Darcy reluctantly finds himself falling in love with a woman beneath his class. Can each overcome their own pride and prejudice? 

I love the older version of P&P as well - Colin Firth was one of my first crushes after I first saw him as Darcy! - but I love Knightly as Elizabeth Bennett. And Matthew Mcfayden is definitely as swoon worthy as Firth… I think, now, I might actually prefer him!

2. Now Is Good (2012)
(Based on Jenny Downham's Before I Die) 
Dakota Fanning & Jeremy Irvine

A girl dying of leukemia compiles a list of things she'd like to do before passing away. Topping the list is her desire to lose her virginity. 

I’m not sure I’ve ever cried so hard while reading a book as when I read Before I Die. Therefore, I should have known how much I’d cry while watching Now Is Good. Word of advice: have tissues handy.

3. Blood and Chocolate (2007)
(Based on the novel by Annette Curtis Klause)
Agnes Bruckner & Hugh Dancy

A young teenage werewolf (Bruckner) is torn between honoring her family's secret and her love for a man (Dancy). 

I actually wasn’t a huge fan of the novel, but I loved the movie version. This is one of those that really doesn’t faithfully follow the book, which is actually what made me like it!

4. The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)
(Based on the novel by Karen Joy Fowler)
Amy Brenneman, Emily Blunt, Hugh Dancy, Maria Bello

Six Californians start a club to discuss the works of Jane Austen, only to find their relationships -- both old and new -- begin to resemble 21st century versions of her novels. 

I love, love, love this movie. It’s perfect for girls night and for fans of Jane Austen! Plus, Hugh Dancy is adorable, as usual.

5. The Painted Veil (2006)
(Based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham)
Edward Norton & Naomi Watts

A British medical doctor fights a cholera outbreak in a small Chinese village, while also being trapped at home in a loveless marriage to an unfaithful wife. 

The Painted Veil is most definitely one of my all-time favorite films. It’s gorgeous and atmospheric and just so, so incredibly heartbreaking. I never get tired of watching it. Also, I'm in love with Edward Norton, so that might make me a bit biased.

6. I Capture the Castle (2003)
(Based on the novel by Dodie Smith)
Romola Garai, Bill Nighy, Henry Cavill

A love story set in 1930s England that follows 17-year-old Cassandra Mortmain, and the fortunes of her eccentric family, struggling to survive in a decaying English castle. 

I’m not sure I even have words to describe how much I adore this film. It’s beautiful and emotional and romantic and just absolutely perfect. It’s the first film I saw Romola Garai in and it basically cemented her as my favorite actress. I watch absolutely everything she’s in now. Plus, Henry Cavill!

7. Atonement (2007)
(Based on the novel by Ian McEwan)
Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan

Fledgling writer Briony Tallis, as a 13-year-old, irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit. 

This is another one to watch when you need a good cry. I felt that the characters perfectly cast for this film. Also, there is a undeniably steamy scene between McAvoy and Knightley in a library… Yeah, you don’t want to miss this one!

8. Anna Karenina (2012)
(Based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy)
Keira Knightly, Jude Law, Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Set in late-19th-century Russia high-society, the aristocrat Anna Karenina enters into a life-changing affair with the affluent Count Vronsky. 

I know that there were quite a few people who didn’t like this movie, especially the way the story was told (almost completely from a constantly changing theater stage), but I adored it. Granted, I haven’t read the actual novel, but I’m definitely a supporter of this film’s execution and the story it tells.

9. Beautiful Creatures (2013)
(Based on the novel by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl)
Alden Ehrenreich, Alice Englert, Jeremy Irons, Emmy Rossum

Ethan longs to escape his small Southern town. He meets a mysterious new girl, Lena. Together, they uncover dark secrets about their respective families, their history and their town. 

I have to confess, I didn’t love the original novel as much as many other readers did… but I did love the film version. It actually made me want to read the rest of the novels, which is not something I was motivated do after actually reading the first book!

10. Water for Elephants (2011)
(Based on the novel by Sara Gruen)
Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz

A veterinary student abandons his studies after his parents are killed and joins a traveling circus as their vet. 

I was actually surprised by how much I loved this film adaptation… and how much I enjoyed Robert Pattinson in it! I knew I’d love Reese Witherspoon, I always do, but Pattinson really excelled in this role. It’s a beautiful love story and the sets and costumes are gorgeous as well!

Top Ten Beach Reads

This week's topic: Top Ten Beach Reads (however you define beach reads!)

This week's topic feels a bit premature for where I live (in the upper Lower Peninsula of Michigan) because it's still pretty cold here some days, but the sun has been showing its face more and more, so I'm just going to have to channel summer via the warm rays! The books I've picked are books that I feel are summery because of the setting more than tone or subject. Some of them are tearjerkers, others are more lighthearted, but they aren't necessarily "fluffy" books.

Link your TTT post in the comments and I'll stop by your blog as well!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the fabulous blog The Broke and the Bookish!

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1. Bubble World by Carol Snow

Freesia’s life is perfect. She lives on the beautiful tropical island of Agalinas, surrounded by idyllic weather, fancy dress shops, and peacocks who sing her favorite song to wake her up in the morning. She has so many outfits she could wear a different one every day for a year and not run out.

Lately things on the island may have been a bit flippy: sudden blackouts, students disappearing, even Freesia’s reflection looking slightly . . . off. But in Freesia’s experience, it’s better not to think about things like that too much.

Unfortunately for her, these signs are more than random blips in the universe. Freesia’s perfect bubble is about to pop.

2. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another

"One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over.

3. The Story of Us by Deb Caletti

Cricket’s on a self-imposed break from her longtime boyfriend—but she’s picked a bad week to sort out her love life. For one thing, her mother’s romance is taking center stage: After jilting two previous fiancés, her mom is finally marrying Dan Jax, whom Cricket loves. But as wedding attendees arrive for a week of festivities at a guesthouse whose hippie owners have a sweet, sexy son—Ash—complications arise:
Cricket’s future stepsisters make it clear they’re not happy about the marriage. An old friend decides this is the week to declare his love for Cricket. Grandpa chooses to reveal a big secret at a family gathering. Dan’s ex-wife shows up. And even the dogs—Cricket’s old, ill Jupiter and Dan’s young, lively Cruiser—seem to be declaring war.

While Cricket fears that Dan is in danger of becoming ditched husband-to-be number three, she’s also alarmed by her own desires. Because even though her boyfriend looms large in her mind, Ash is right in front of her....

4. Paradise by Jill S. Alexander

Paisley Tillery is the drummer for a country rock band. If they can make it to the stage at the Texapalooza music fest, then Paisley will be closer to her dream of a career in music and a ticket out of her small Texas town.

Drumming and music are what Paisley has always wanted. Until the band gets a new lead singer, the boy from Paradise, Texas. With Paradise in her life, what Paisley wants, and what she needs, complicate her dreams coming true.

5. Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

I read once that water is a symbol for emotions. And for a while now, I've thought maybe my mother drowned in both.

Anna's life is upended when her father accepts a job transfer the summer before her junior year. It's bad enough that she has to leave her friends and her life behind, but her dad is moving them to the beach where her parents first met and fell in love--a place awash in memories that Anna would just as soon leave under the surface.


While life on the beach is pretty great, with ocean views and one adorable lifeguard in particular, there are also family secrets that were buried along the shore years ago. And the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide means that nothing--not the sea glass that she collects on the sand and not the truths behind Anna's mother's death--stays buried forever.

6. A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley

A summer of friendship, romance, and songs in major chords. . . 

CHARLIE DUSKIN loves music, and she knows she's good at it. But she only sings when she's alone, on the moonlit porch or in the back room at Old Gus's Secondhand Record and CD Store. Charlie's mom and grandmother have both died, and this summer she's visiting her grandpa in the country, surrounded by ghosts and grieving family, and serving burgers to the local kids at the milk bar. She's got her iPod, her guitar, and all her recording equipment, but she wants more: A friend. A dad who notices her. The chance to show Dave Robbie that she's not entirely unspectacular.

ROSE BUTLER lives next door to Charlie's grandfather and spends her days watching cars pass on the freeway and hanging out with her troublemaker boyfriend. She loves Luke but can't wait to leave their small country town. And she's figured out a way: she's won a scholarship to a science school in the city, and now she has to convince her parents to let her go. This is where Charlie comes in. Charlie, who lives in the city, and whom Rose has ignored for years. Charlie, who just might be Rose's ticket out.

Told in alternating voices and filled with music, friendship, and romance, Charlie and Rose's "little wanting song" is about the kind of longing that begins as a heavy ache but ultimately makes us feel hopeful and wonderfully alive.

7. Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

Things in Delilah Hannaford's life have a tendency to fall apart.

She used to be a good student, but she can't seem to keep it together anymore. Her "boyfriend" isn't much of a boyfriend. And her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling apart, it seems, is a Hannaford tradition.

Over a summer of new friendships, unexpected romance, and moments that test the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her family's painful past. Can even her most shattered relationships be pieced together again?

Rich with emotion, Sarah Ockler delivers a powerful story of family, love, and self-discovery.

8. Swoon at Your Own Risk by Sydney Salter

You’d think Polly Martin would have all the answers when it comes to love—after all, her grandmother is the famous syndicated advice columnist Miss Swoon. But after a junior year full of dating disasters, Polly has sworn off boys. This summer, she’s going to focus on herself for once. So Polly is happy when she finds out Grandma is moving in—think of all the great advice she’ll get.

But Miss Swoon turns out to be a man-crazy sexagenarian! How can Polly stop herself from falling for Xander Cooper, the suddenly-hot skateboarder who keeps showing up while she’s working at Wild Waves water park, when Grandma is picking up guys at the bookstore and flirting with the dishwasher repairman? 

No advice column can prepare Polly for what happens when she goes on a group camping trip with three too many ex-boyfriends and the tempting Xander. Polly is forced to face her feelings and figure out if she can be in love—and still be herself.

9. Black Rabbit Summer by Kevin Brooks

A smart, tense murder mystery twined with an emotional investigation of the ways love, sex, class, and celebrity can forever change friendships.

Thoughtful Pete, tough Pauly, twins Eric and Nicole, strange Raymond: As kids they were tight; now they've grown up--and apart. They agree to get together one last time, but, twisted by personal histories and fueled by pharmaceuticals, old jealousies surface. The party's soon over, and the group splinters off into the night. Into the noise and heat and chaos of the carnival. Days later, a girl goes missing. The prime suspect in her disappearance? One of their own, one of the old gang. Pete doesn't know what to believe: Could one of his childhood friends really be a cold-blooded killer?

10. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

A long, hot summer...

That's what Macy has to look forward to while her boyfriend, Jason, is away at Brain Camp. Days will be spent at a boring job in the library, evenings will be filled with vocabulary drills for the SATs, and spare time will be passed with her mother, the two of them sharing a silent grief at the traumatic loss of Macy's father.

But sometimes unexpected things can happen—things such as the catering job at Wish, with its fun-loving, chaotic crew. Or her sister's project of renovating the neglected beach house, awakening long-buried memories. Things such as meeting Wes, a boy with a past, a taste for Truth-telling, and an amazing artistic talent, the kind of boy who could turn any girl's world upside down. As Macy ventures out of her shell, she begins to wonder, Is it really better to be safe than sorry?