The Heirs of Locksley

by Carrie Vaughn

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Heirs of Locksley is the second book in the Robin Hood Stories by Carrie Vaughn. Released 4th Aug 2020 by Macmillan on their Tor Forge imprint, it's 128 pages and available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a rollicking tale set 5 years after The Ghosts of Sherwood. Though it follows the same characters, it works perfectly well as a standalone adventure and there are no major plot spoilers, so the books can be read in any order. It's not clear whether the series will be ongoing; the plotting and narrative are episodic, but the books are so fun that I sincerely hope the author has more in store.

Although I'm emphatically not young (or, some would argue, an adult), these struck me as very well written YA fanfic. The pacing and narrative tension are tightly controlled and the book is short, so the writing is quite spare. The language is totally clean and apart from some antagonists' attempted violence, it's an enjoyable and uncomplicated ride.

This would make a fine choice for library (school or public) acquisition, gift, or family read together. The young Locksley siblings show grit, intelligence, resourcefulness, and loyalty, and I enjoyed the story very much. Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.