Reign of Outlaws (Robyn Hoodlum #3)
Kekla Magoon
Bloomsbury
Published on October 24, 2017
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
About Reign of Outlaws
When twelve-year-old Robyn Loxley set out to save her parents, she never could’ve predicted that she would become Robyn Hoodlum, leader of the rebellion against the harsh government led by Ignomus Crown. But Robyn’s attempt to free her parents has failed, and on top of that, her friends have been captured. And now Crown has given her 72 hours to turn herself in–or else.
Now Robyn must decide between sacrificing herself, saving her parents and friends, or advancing the rebellion. With the stakes higher than ever, will Robyn be able to succeed?
With an unforgettable heroine and a diverse band of characters, readers will be on the edge of their seats in this action-packed, much-anticipated series conclusion.
My Review
I requested the book for review because I couldn’t resist the idea of a gender-flipped retelling of Robin Hood! I’m a fan of Robin McKinley’s rather feminist retelling called OUTLAWS OF SHERWOOD and enjoyed WANTED by Betsy Schow, which features Robin Hood’s daughter. So this seemed like a great fit for me.
I haven’t read the first or second book in the series, so it took me a couple chapters to catch up with the story and the large cast of characters. Once I figured things out, though, I had a lot of fun reading the story. Laurel quickly became my favorite character—she’s unexpected and smart! I also really liked Tucker, too. Robyn took a little to grow on me, I think because the story started at a place where she was dealing with some self-pity and kind of struggling to regroup. But as she grew as a character, I found I couldn’t help totally rooting for her.
The Robyn Hoodlum series seems like a good fit for middle-elementary-aged kids. It does have a tiny bit of profanity, though, which some readers may be uncomfortable with. It might just be one instance, though.
The story has a great balance between Robyn finding her own path but also needing guidance from mentors and being part of a community. I loved that she had to learn to work together with others in a different way in order to challenge her enemies.
Recommended for Ages 9 to 12.
Cultural Elements
Few descriptive details for characters, but the story appears to have a racially diverse cast.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very infrequently.
Romance/Sexual Content
None.
Spiritual Content
References to Tucker being a person of faith.
Violent Content
References to torture—a character expects to be tortured. Another character is whipped as an example to the town. Robyn and her friends steal a cache of guns and have kids deliver them to another location. The weapons are unloaded and Robyn doesn’t intend for her team to use them.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.