Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution and its impact on British politics, this action-driven novel shows once again that Celia Rees is one of our very best writers for teenage readers. Wild and beautiful, spoilt and wilful, Sovay finds that her cosseted life in rural England has not prepared her for life as a highway robber, for defending the honor of her family or for trying to save herself from corruption and evil. As Sovay becomes more and more embroiled in adventures she could scarcely have imagined, a story of dark intrigue, thwarted passions and sinister intentions is revealed to her. Will she be able to survive, and if she does so, at what cost?
I was expecting something of a Robin Hood story from the dust jacket and this wasn't at all. But it was fun and had lots of adventure and a hint of romance (a rather unsatisfying hint since I didn't agree with who she ended up with and it was the least developed of all the romantic leads [a:Celia Rees|83085|Celia Rees|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1246470662p2/83085.jpg] introduced).
Sometimes it's nice in a story, especially one about conspiracies and intrigue, to know precisely who the bad guys are and who to trust without having to second guess every character that comes along. Sovay was a good, strong mostly interesting heroine surrounded by endearing characters. There were several different major plot threads that I thought wove together well enough, though I felt the last was unnecessary, rather like the final act in Pearl Harbor and the final resolution didn't include any of the secondary characters that were so interesting or that Sovay had invested so much time and effort into. But the pace was pleasantly fast and there was action and danger and enough to keep me interested the whole way through.
