Starred Review This dark, supernatural imagining of Robin Hood opens with instructions to disregard everything the reader knows about the prince of thieves. So, too, with Marian, now cast as "the Destroying Angel. The most desperate and deadly of them all." In Hall's account of this legendary couple, Robin Loxley and Marian Delbosque run afoul of the sheriff of Nottingham, who pursues their ruin with a single-mindedness that results in Robin's blindness and Marian's facility with poison. Surrounded by vivid characters, human and other, Robin and Marian begin to execute a plot for the sheriff's demise, both out of revenge and to gain freedom from his persecution. Readers must discard their preconceptions to embrace Hall's tormented, half-human Robin and his sorceress lady love, but the sacrifice admits them into a richly constructed medieval world that is both real enough to conjure the sounds of birds and the smell of wood fires and at other times mystical in the extreme. A few issues, such as Marian's easy access to Greek mythology texts, which she reads to Robin, and wobbles as the plot balances between the supernatural and mundane aspects of life, won't stop readers of either gender from embracing this fantastic interpretation of the classic tale and waiting anxiously for the next installment.

Gr 10 Up-Debut author Hall has created a high-fantasy twist on the Robin Hood legend, the first book of a planned trilogy. Robin Loxley is abandoned as a young boy while out with his father hunting in Winter Forest. Marian is a fierce, young wild child who lives a life of privilege. The two children find each other and begin a years-long adventure in the woodlands near the village. Then one night, Marian vanishes and Robin is taken in as a ward of Sir Bors. Years later, the two are reunited and Marian tells Robin about the Sheriffthe man responsible for the deaths of his parents and brothers and of her mother. Readers waiting for all the Merry Men to arrive will be disappointed. This retelling is not faithful to the original legend, but takes it in a new direction where woodland gods and the supernatural are just simmering beneath the surface and lurking in the dark shadows. The action sequences can be on the gruesome side and some of the supernatural elements skew confusing, though more will no doubt be explained in future books. And because it is was not written as a stand-alone, the novel's pacing suffers just a bit in the middle chapters, but the final third builds to a satisfying cliff-hanger ending. VERDICT Older teen readers of fantasy and fans of reworked folktales will enjoy this series opener. Elaine Baran Black, Georgia Public Library Service, Atlanta

On the day Robin makes his first hunting kill, a preternatural event leaves him lost and abandoned in Winter Forest. Barely eight years old, he is shunned by the villagers and survives on his own with nothing but his father's prized hunting bow. In the woods, Robin meets young Lady Marian, the runaway daughter of a lord, and a deep friendship begins. Years pass, until the companions are separated and Robin is captured and trained as a warrior. Time and again, Robin and Marian are reunited and make daring escapes, pursued by the infamous Sheriff of Nottingham and his henchmen.The first book of a trilogy, Shadow of the Wolf is a skillful retelling of the legend of Robin Hood, reimagining Loxley's early life before he became the champion of the poor. In this savage altered version, however, Robin Hood is blinded and transformed by ancient mysteries. He endures by using otherworldly visions in his quest for Lady Marian. Meanwhile Marian, a tormented captive of the evil sheriff, becomes an avenging angel. Fast pace and action capture readers from the start. Plenty of mystery will keep readers guessing and plot twists will have them rooting for the underdog hero. This will appeal to fans of Arthurian legends. Ann McDuffie.