Yes, it was cheesy with some inaccurate history, but I loved the falconry parts! Probably more of a 2 1/2 stars ( )

I loved Kathryn Lasky's GUARDIANS OF GA'HOOLE series. This book, however, is a hot sweaty nonsensical mess of a novel. It carries itself as a historical fiction novel - but by the end of it, everything falls apart and is a failure of what is supposed to be a historical fantasy AU.

Maid Marian is some kind of hawk mastering master and surpasses even her father at a very young age. She is the most smart, clever, cunning, pretty, brave, fearless person ~ever~ and everyone loves her and if you don't love her, then you're evil! Look at how nice Marian is, she remembers a leper woman's name! She is the bestest member of the Merry Men and even though she resents being left out of the stories, she's totes okay with it because she's PERF.

Oh, and did I mention she can talk to the hawks? Like, legit conversations? Gag me with one of those anachronistic potatoes from the potato hole she couldn't fit in.

I really wanted to like this. That didn't happen. Maid Marian is unerringly perfect and therefore boring, and everyone else is disastrously underdeveloped. The hawk mastering scenes are detailed to the point of also being boring. A lot of subplots are brushed aside to show how awesome Marian/Matty is. I'd rather watch an animated film about Robin Hood and Maid Marian as foxes than read this again. ( )

I'm certainly out of the target age group for this one, so take my review with a grain of salt.

That said, “Hawksmaid” is one of those books where I liked the concept and very much wanted to like the book itself, but in the end, I just couldn't. It's a shame: the first half of the book was a decent read, and if the author had kept on in that vein—focusing on Matty as a brave, talented young falconer who used what she learned from her birds to help her work to change England—I think I would be giving this one a more positive review. But instead Lasky added a bizarre supernatural element and made the climax of the book completely dependent on it. Since I couldn't buy the plot device, the book completely unraveled for me about two thirds of the way through.

I wish I could say otherwise, but this just isn't one I recommend. ( )

More falconry information than character development ( )

Big Kid Reaction: This is a beautifully told story. It draws on the history of the times, and the familiar legend, as well. Matty's story is particularly intriguing and will keep the reader turning pages to see what happens next. She is a strong, positive charcter - both for her time (women didn't have "careers") but for today, too.

Pros: This evenly-paced action and strong, well-built characters shine in this prequel to the Robin Hood legend. It will appeal to all audiences.

To read our full review, go to The Reading Tub®.