Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: No Good Deed
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://karaconnolly.wordpress.com/
CITY: Arlington
STATE: TX
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/257729/kara-connolly
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Female.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Kara Connolly is a writer of books for young adults. She is based in Arlington, Texas. In 2017, Connolly released her first novel, No Good Deed. In this volume, Connolly reimagines the legendary tale of Robin Hood. In contemporary times, a skilled female teen archer named Ellie Hudson has traveled to Nottingham, England, to take part in an important archery competition. Ellie sees a man in strange clothing from afar and begins following him. The man goes inside a nearby cave, and Ellie goes in after him. When she emerges, she finds herself in the Middle Ages. She dresses as a boy to avoid being bothered, but she is still forced to evade capture repeatedly. When the sheriff of Nottingham finally catches her, Ellie tricks him into agreeing to set her free if she wins an archery competition. Meanwhile, a conspiracy unfolds involving usurping the power of the king. Ellie must find a way to punish the usurpers and protect the citizens of England.
In an interview with a contributor to the Seeing Double in Neverland website, Connolly explained how she developed the idea behind the story: “When we were kids (and maybe even after we were older) my brother and I loved the Disney Robin Hood movie. The one where Robin Hood is a fox and Little John is basically Baloo the bear. The legend of Robin Hood has so many variations and inconsistencies—and that’s before Hollywood got a hold of it—that it’s a natural story to twist into new shapes. It can be fun, or it can be serious, or somewhere in between. I figured if Robin Hood can be a talking fox, Robin Hood can be anything.”
Reviews of No Good Deed were mixed. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews suggested that the volume features “an uneven plot and unconvincing premise.” The same contributor concluded: “Even a gender-bending, butt-kicking, time-traveling heroine may not be enough to satisfy exacting readers.” In a more favorable assessment in Publishers Weekly, a critic asserted: “Debut author Connolly’s historic Nottingham is richly imagined and described.” The same critic noted that the book offers a “fresh take on the Robin Hood mythology.” “The protagonist is fully developed, and Connolly’s attention to historical detail is strong,” commented Meaghan Nichols in School Library Journal. Nichols also called the book a “page-turner.” A writer on the Book Smugglers website remarked: “No Good Deed borrows from the ‘Back to the Future’ school of time meddling: Ellie needs to accomplish something in the past that changes the future in a personally positive way (and even, ultimately, involves a scrap of paper that is passed along over the centuries). While that may sound cynical, I’m all for it—Ellie’s mission in the past, which isn’t discovered until late in the book, is delightfully unexpected and well-executed, like one of Ellie’s signature shots.” The same writer continued: “Ultimately, that’s the story of this particular Robin Hood retelling: delightfully unexpected and well-executed. Wholeheartedly recommended for those looking to escape from the present with a heroine of legend and her merry men.” A reviewer on the website Love Is Not a Triangle declared: “No Good Deed was a lot of fun! This book has a classic world-time travel feel—like a Narnia or Alice in Wonderland, where the main character travels in time (or to a fantasy place) by going through a secret passage.” A contributor to the Vampire Book Club website commented: “No Good Deed is a standalone, and as such, a pretty darn good one. It is refreshing to see a book that doesn’t need to be part of … a series, and one that stands on its own as well as this one does. It’s a perfect summer read.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2017, review of No Good Deed.
Publishers Weekly, May 15, 2017, review of No Good Deed, p. 59.
School Library Journal, June 1, 2017, Meaghan Nichols, review of No Good Deed, p. 101.
ONLINE
Book Smugglers, https://www.thebooksmugglers.com/ (August 29, 2017), review of No Good Deed.
Kara Connolly Website, https://karaconnolly.wordpress.com/ (February 6, 2018).
Love Is Not a Triangle, http://www.loveisnotatriangle.com/ (July 20, 2017), review of No Good Deed.
Penguin Random House Website, https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/ (February 6, 2018), author profile.
Seeing Double in Neverland, http://seeingdoubleinneverland.blogspot.com/ (July 1, 2017), author interview.
Vampire Book Club, http://vampirebookclub.net/ (August 14, 2017), review of No Good Deed.
K C
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kara Connolly loves history, though she has never time traveled. She lives and writes in Arlington, Texas.
To learn more about Kara and her books, visit karaconnolly.wordpress.com or follow @readKaraC on Twitter and @readkaraconnolly on Instagram.
ABOUT
Books sitting on.jpgFIVE SIX NEW THINGS ABOUT KARA CONNOLLY:
Career Goal: Writer.
Fallback Careers: X-wing pilot, Dinosaur Wrangler, Girl Detective, Superhero Mild-mannered Reporter, Ghostbuster, Consulting Wizard, Mad Scientist.
Current obsessions: pens and notebooks, slow cooker soups, Star Wars, book and fandom inspired candles.
Currently avoiding: Spoilers, malls, the news.
Current Location: Texas. Bless its heart.
Current Project: Getting it together.
QUOTED: "When we were kids (and maybe even after we were older) my brother and I loved the Disney Robin Hood movie. The one where Robin Hood is a fox and Little John is basically Baloo the bear. The legend of Robin Hood has so many variations and inconsistencies—and that's before Hollywood got a hold of it—that it's a natural story to twist into new shapes. It can be fun, or it can be serious, or somewhere in between. I figured if Robin Hood can be a talking fox, Robin Hood can be anything."
Synopsis:
Fans of Dorothy Must Die will love this reimagining of the legend of Robin Hood. Girl power rules supreme when a modern girl finds herself in the middle of a medieval mess with only her smart mouth and her Olympic-archer aim to get her home.
Ellie Hudson is the front-runner on the road to gold for the U.S. Olympic archery team. All she has to do is qualify at the trials in jolly old England. When Ellie makes some kind of crazy wrong turn in the caverns under Nottingham Castle—yes, that Nottingham—she ends up in medieval England.
Ellie doesn’t care how she got to the Middle Ages; she just wants to go home before she gets the plague. But people are suffering in Nottingham, and Ellie has the skills to make it better. What’s an ace archer to do while she’s stuck in Sherwood Forest but make like Robin Hood?
Pulled into a past life as an outlaw, Ellie feels her present fading away next to daring do-gooding and a devilishly handsome knight. Only, Ellie is on the brink of rewriting history, and when she picks up her bow and arrow, her next shot could save her past—or doom civilization’s future.
Review:
Thank you Random House for sending me a copy of No Good Deed for review. This in no way affected my opinion.
No Good Deed was such a fun feminist retelling full of action, mischief and time traveling. Ellie finds herself taken to the past after following someone through a tunnel. All the stories she thought she knew about Robin Hood and his band may not have been correct.
Legends tend to change with time and make someone into something they never were. This book had such great story development and the characters had such chemistry on the pages. I have not read a great Robin Hood retelling in some time.
I would recommend this series if you are a fan of Scarlet by A. C. Gaughen. This is such a fun read and I am giving No Good Deed 4.5 out of 5 stars
Interview with Kara Connolly
1) did you have to do any research for No Good Deed?
I did a ton of research—way more than went into the book. (Or I should say, way more than stayed in the book after the second draft.) Learning about archery was fun, and the local chapter of the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) was helpful with that. I read books on medieval life, eleventh- and twelfth-century history, and I was really lucky to be able to visit Nottingham. The most interesting stuff, though, fell in the "truth is stranger than fiction" category that no one would believe if I put it in the book.
2) What is your favorite read so far in 2017?
I'm reading "When Dimple met Rishi" right now, and enjoying the heck out of it. I love romantic comedy, especially the "first they fight, then they flirt" kind. Besides being actually funny, the two main characters, both the children of Indian immigrants, are trying to find the balance of their cultural and personal identities, and it's handled with such humor and heart that it's relatable no matter who you are. The only reason I put it down was so I can savor the rest of it all at once this weekend instead of grabbing chapter here and there.
3) What was your favorite scene to write in No Good Deed and why?
My favorite scenes to write are when the main characters spar with each other, either verbally or physically. If I had to pick one that made me rub my hands together with glee, it would be when Ellie is on the run from a big kerfuffle in Edwinstowe and she meets Captain Guilbert, the deputy sheriff, on the road and they have it out—swords, arrows, harsh language... A lot of things that I envisioned when I was planning the book went into that scene. It was very satisfying as well as fun to write.
4) What is your next project going to be?
I'm working on another fantasy based on a totally different legend. It's not a time-travel novel, though. At least, I don't think so. Sometimes I surprise myself.
5) Who was your favorite character to write?
I loved getting to view (and comment on) the Middle Ages through Ellie's eyes, but I had the most fun writing Will Scarlet. He was supposed to have a smaller role, but he turned out so roguishly charming, and the more I liked him, the more Ellie came to like him, so he got to hang around more. (I never thought I'd be one of those authors who talks about her characters like she doesn't control them.)
6) What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
I hope they'll find it a fun and satisfying read. I wanted to capture that larger than life sense of adventure that legends like Robin Hood evoke. But even with the fantasy elements and medieval setting, I think Ellie has modern and relatable problems.
7) Who's writing most inspires you?
I love Robin McKinley's writing, the way she puts her words together, and how she tells one story on the surface and other underneath. The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown made me want to be a writer. I wanted (want!) to tell stories like that.
8) What inspired you to write No Good Deed?
When we were kids (and maybe even after we were older) my brother and I loved the Disney Robin Hood movie. The one where Robin Hood is a fox and Little John is basically Baloo the bear. The legend of Robin Hood has so many variations and inconsistencies—and that's before Hollywood got a hold of it—that it's a natural story to twist into new shapes. It can be fun, or it can be serious, or somewhere in between. I figured if Robin Hood can be a talking fox, Robin Hood can be anything.
9) What TV show is a must for you to watch?
This is embarrassing to admit, but I don't think there's any network TV that's "must see" for me. I tend to stream whole seasons at a time. The only thing I watch in "real time" is Game of Thrones, because it's impossible to avoid spoilers!
10) What was the hardest character to write in No Good Deed?
Probably the Sheriff of Nottingham. I needed him to be cruel and awful, and I wanted him to be a blowhard who's vanity made him melodramatic and sometimes unwise, but I didn't want to turn him into a cartoon. That balancing act was tough.
Thank you for letting me visit with you! I had a great time answering your questions. You can reach out to me online at my website readkaraconnolly.com or on Twitter @ReadKaraC.
About Kara:
I make things up and write them down.
I drink my coffee black because I’m a badass that way.
I use the word “badass” way too much.
My first my first book is coming out in July 2017 from Delacorte Press.
It is—wait for it—totally badass.
QUOTED: "an uneven plot and unconvincing premise."
"Even a gender-bending, butt-kicking, time-traveling heroine may not be enough to satisfy exacting readers."
Connolly, Kara: NO GOOD DEED
Kirkus Reviews.
(May 15, 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Connolly, Kara NO GOOD DEED Delacorte (Children's Fiction) $17.99 7, 18 ISBN: 978-0-385-74393-8
A modern-day white teen travels through time and becomes Robin Hood.Ellie Hudson is a privileged elite
archer with Olympic aspirations from present-day America. While competing in Nottingham, England, Ellie
follows a strangely dressed man in white into a cave and emerges (inexplicably) in the Middle Ages. The
clunkiness starts here: Ellie is nearly apprehended! She escapes! She's nearly apprehended again! She
escapes again! Then Ellie, who is passing for a boy, turns herself in to protect others and manipulates the
notorious (but blandly drawn) sheriff of Nottingham into releasing her if she can shoot well enough. Ellie's
talent shines through...and then the awkward pacing takes hold again with occurrences that feel either
arbitrary or like filler. Ellie's aware that her purpose in the past may be to become Robin Hood, but she
doesn't seem particularly interested in assisting the people of Nottingham. Then a plot to assassinate Prince
John emerges, threatening the eventual king's ability to sign the Magna Carta. Connolly avoids the trap of
offering a limp, unconvincing rationale for the time travel, but, unexplained, the device is still pretty slim.
Couple it with an uneven plot and unconvincing premise, and even a gender-bending, butt-kicking, timetraveling
heroine may not be enough to satisfy exacting readers, even if she is Robin Hood. Off target.
(Historical fantasy. 12-16)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Connolly, Kara: NO GOOD DEED." Kirkus Reviews, 15 May 2017. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A491934148/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=bcea273d.
Accessed 27 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A491934148
QUOTED: "Debut author Connolly's historic Nottingham is richly imagined and described."
"fresh take on the Robin Hood mythology."
1/27/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1517093099505 2/3
No Good Deed
Publishers Weekly.
264.20 (May 15, 2017): p59.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
No Good Deed
Kara Connolly. Delacorte, $17.99 (352p)
ISBN 978-0-385-74393-8
Olympics-bound archer Ellie Hudson is in Nottingham, England, for a tournament when a detour into offlimits
caves transports her back in time. Emerging in the Middle Ages, with Richard the Lionheart reigning
and Prince John vying for the throne, Ellie immediately finds herself on the wrong side of the law, pursued
by the sheriff of Nottingham and his forest rangers. Disguised as a boy, she teams up with Sir James, a
Templar knight turned cleric; a gangly boy named Much; and two rogues, Will Scarlett and Little John. In
the role of Robin Hood, Ellie finds her modern idealism leading her to challenge the rich and powerful in
the name of the poor and disenfranchised. Debut author Connolly's historic Nottingham is richly imagined
and described, and she cleverly incorporates differences in the English language, law, and gender roles into
this fresh take on the Robin Hood mythology. Ellie's newfound allies' lack of concern over her modern
clothes and speech requires some suspension of disbelief, but this historical caper is well worth it. Ages 14-
up. Agent: Lucienne Diver, Knight Agency. (July)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"No Good Deed." Publishers Weekly, 15 May 2017, p. 59. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A492435711/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=d1973d32.
Accessed 27 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A492435711
QUOTED: "The protagonist is fully developed, and Connolly's attention to historical detail is strong."
"page-turner."
1/27/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1517093099505 3/3
Connolly, Kara. No Good Deed
Meaghan Nichols
School Library Journal.
63.6 (June 1, 2017): p101+.
COPYRIGHT 2017 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No
redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
CONNOLLY, Kara. No Good Deed. 352p. Random. Jul. 2017. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780385743938.
Gr 7 Up--While competing in the Olympics, held in England, archer Ellie Hudson notices a mysterious
monk. She follows him into the tunnels under Nottingham Castle and finds herself in medieval England,
during the reign of King John. The 21st-century teen quickly butts heads with nasty Shire Reeves and the
armed Knights Templar. Hurling insults and an arrow or two, sarcastic Ellie is soon mistaken for one of the
most notorious vigilantes in history. The protagonist is fully developed, and Connolly's attention to
historical detail is strong. Robin Hood fans will enjoy Ellies escapades as she runs around Sherwood Forest,
bumping into bad guys, and teens interested in historical fiction with a generous mix of action/ adventure
will appreciate this page-turner. Read-alikes include fairy-tale and myth retellings such as Renee Ahdieh's
"The Wrath & the Dawn" series, David Almond's A Song for Ella Grey, and Scott Lynch's The Lies of
Locke Lamora. VERDICT A general purchase for public or school libraries seeking additional historical
fiction for teens.--Meaghan Nichols, Archaeological Research Associates, Ont.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Nichols, Meaghan. "Connolly, Kara. No Good Deed." School Library Journal, 1 June 2017, p. 101+.
General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A493916100/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=86a00041. Accessed 27 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A493916100
QUOTED: "No Good Deed borrows from the Back to the Future school of time meddling: Ellie needs to accomplish something in the past that changes the future in a personally positive way (and even, ultimately, involves a scrap of paper that is passed along over the centuries). While that may sound cynical, I’m all for it–Ellie’s mission in the past, which isn’t discovered until late in the book, is delightfully unexpected and well-executed, like one of Ellie’s signature shots."
"Ultimately, that’s the story of this particular Robin Hood retelling: delightfully unexpected and well-executed. Wholeheartedly recommended for those looking to escape from the present with a heroine of legend and her merry men."
Fans of Dorothy Must Die will love this reimagining of the legend of Robin Hood. Girl power rules supreme when a modern girl finds herself in the middle of a medieval mess with only her smart mouth and her Olympic-archer aim to get her home.
Ellie Hudson is the front-runner on the road to gold for the U.S. Olympic archery team. All she has to do is qualify at the trials in jolly old England. When Ellie makes some kind of crazy wrong turn in the caverns under Nottingham Castle—yes, that Nottingham—she ends up in medieval England.
Ellie doesn’t care how she got to the Middle Ages; she just wants to go home before she gets the plague. But people are suffering in Nottingham, and Ellie has the skills to make it better. What’s an ace archer to do while she’s stuck in Sherwood Forest but make like Robin Hood?
Pulled into a past life as an outlaw, Ellie feels her present fading away next to daring do-gooding and a devilishly handsome knight. Only, Ellie is on the brink of rewriting history, and when she picks up her bow and arrow, her next shot could save her past—or doom civilization’s future.
Stand alone or series: Stand alone novel
How did I get this book: Review copy from the publisher
Format (e- or p-): Ebook
Review
Eleanor Hudson is a natural on the field. Armed with a bow and quiver, she becomes “Iron Ellie”–a born competitor and an Olympic-level archer with dreams of medaling at the next summer games. Before she can make that dream come true, however, Ellie needs to improve her international ranking and put in a strong showing at qualifying trials in England’s Sherwood Forest. Ellie all but has the competition in the bag when on her last shot, an apparition in a medieval monk’s robe walks on the pitch and throws off her game. When she goes to investigate (and give said medieval-costumed monk a piece of her mind), however, things get… weird.
Ellie finds herself literally stumbling through a time warp, transported from quiet, touristy 2017 Nottinghamshire to medieval, twelfth century Norman England. Unfortunately, her sudden appearance in the Nottingham castle courtyard is just as surprising to the local soldiers as it is to her, and Ellie finds herself running for her life from the honest-to-goodness Sheriff of Nottingham. Luckily, she has her wits and sass about her–not to mention her skill with a bow–and assumes her brother’s name and identity, Robert Hudson.
As Rob of the Hood becomes Nottingham’s Enemy #1, Ellie is desperate for a way to get home–but also can’t help but want to help the people of Nottingham. Especially as along the way, she makes some important new friends: a knight-turned-Friar, back from the Crusades; a kindhearted noblewoman now sent away as a nun in the sisters of Marian; an extraordinarily large and burly smithy, and his charming if rakish outlaw partner.
Ellie suspects that she’s in the past because there’s something she needs to do–some historical event in which she must play a pivotal role. Even with that goal in mind, Ellie knows there are two rules she needs to always keep in mind: don’t die, and don’t change the future. When Prince John and Eleanor of Aquitaine enter the picture, the second rule becomes harder and harder to obey–especially as it might conflict with rule number one. Somehow, Ellie must find a way to complete her task and return home… or there might not be a home to return to.
Oh, friends. I really, really liked this book.
When I picked up No Good Deed, it was on a whim. The Dorothy Must Die comparison made me incredibly wary (not my favorite retelling), but I liked the idea of an Olympic-level archer stumbling through a time warp and haven’t read a Robin Hood spinoff novel. What I wasn’t expecting was for the protagonist–a teenage girl named Ellie–to actually be Rob of the Hood (aka Robert, son of Hudson) when she stumbles through that time portal. Honestly, in a worst case scenario kind of way, I was half-expecting Ellie to stumble into the past and fall instantly into infatuation with a medieval outlaw who turns out to be Robin Hood–which would have been the easy, formulaic, crap YA paranormal romance way of doing a reimagined myth. Thankfully, Kara Connolly completely abandons that particular formula and gleefully subverts the Robin Hood legend with a young woman in the titular role. It is freaking awesome. I loved the way Connolly invoked the different aspects of Rob and his merry men in Ellie’s adventure–from the tenuous relationship with Will Scarlett and Little John, to the reimagining of Friar Tuck as a love interest and Maid Marian as a friend in a priory. But beyond clever callouts to classic characters and their integration into the overall story, I also greatly appreciated Connolly’s inclusion of historical figures–Prince John and his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine (Ellie’s actual namesake)–in the mix.
From a character perspective, No Good Deed works because Ellie is brash and outspoken but feels genuine and wholly believable as Rob of the Hood. Her skill with a bow–and Kara Connolly’s ability to write those shooting scenes–helps with the suspension of disbelief. I loved Ellie’s driving internal struggle and the tension she feels between being naturally talented, versus practice, mental preparedness, and finding the right moment for a big shot. It’s this particular blend of intuition and honed skill that makes her so appealing, at least to me as a reader. Her narrative is sassy, but never too much so and certainly doesn’t cross into frustrating pop-culture-anachronisms (as seen in the referenced Dorothy Must Die sales handle in the book’s opening descriptive paragraph), which is a huge relief and makes Ellie’s tale far more sympathetic. Her relationship with her family, particularly her lost brother whose identity she assumes in the past, is particularly well-done in this novel, too.
Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that No Good Deed is very much the story of a young Caucasian woman with blonde hair who travels back in time and is suited for the time-righting task at hand. She’s the daughter of two professors who can afford to take their family to England for a holiday/Olympic qualifying competition (in an expensive, highly specialized sport), and has by all accounts lived a safe, sheltered, upper-middle-class life. Thanks to her medieval historian mother, Ellie also is fairly well-versed in Norman England history and understands the importance of certain events (namely: John needs to stay alive to make sure the Magna Carta happens). Also thanks to her upbringing, Ellie can speak French as well as English–and while her accent and modern dialect of both languages isn’t the smoothest, it means that she isn’t wholly out of place in the past. This all works within the context of the novel–but it’s something to point out and acknowledge, as so many mainstream time-warp stories necessarily follow this type of mold.
As for the time travel and universe-mission itself? No Good Deed borrows from the Back to the Future school of time meddling: Ellie needs to accomplish something in the past that changes the future in a personally positive way (and even, ultimately, involves a scrap of paper that is passed along over the centuries). While that may sound cynical, I’m all for it–Ellie’s mission in the past, which isn’t discovered until late in the book, is delightfully unexpected and well-executed, like one of Ellie’s signature shots.
Ultimately, that’s the story of this particular Robin Hood retelling: delightfully unexpected and well-executed. Wholeheartedly recommended for those looking to escape from the present with a heroine of legend and her merry men.
Rating: 7 – Very Good
Buy the Book:
QUOTED: "No Good Deed was a lot of fun! This book has a classic world-time travel feel—like a Narnia or Alice in Wonderland, where the main character travels in time (or to a fantasy place) by going through a secret passage."
Book Description: Ellie Hudson is the front-runner on the road to gold for the U.S. Olympic archery team. All she has to do is qualify at the trials in jolly old England. When Ellie makes some kind of crazy wrong turn in the caverns under Nottingham Castle—yes, that Nottingham—she ends up in medieval England.
Ellie doesn’t care how she got to the Middle Ages; she just wants to go home before she gets the plague. But people are suffering in Nottingham, and Ellie has the skills to make it better. What’s an ace archer to do while she’s stuck in Sherwood Forest but make like Robin Hood?
Pulled into a past life as an outlaw, Ellie feels her present fading away next to daring do-gooding and a devilishly handsome knight. Only, Ellie is on the brink of rewriting history, and when she picks up her bow and arrow, her next shot could save her past—or doom civilization’s future.
__________________________________________________________________________
My Thoughts:
No Good Deed was a lot of fun! This book has a classic world-time travel feel - like a Narnia or Alice in Wonderland, where the main character travels in time (or to a fantasy place) by going through a secret passage, with no explanation of why or how it happens. Without all the science-y explanations that accompany most time travel books I've read recently, this story felt very nostalgic. It also allowed me to focus right onto the plot without a lot of info dumping to explain everything.
In No Good Deed, Eleanor (Ellie), a modern day competitive archer, goes through underground caves at Nottingham Castle and travels back in time to, you guessed it, Sherwood Forest when good King Richard was on crusades and crooked Prince John ruled the land. Ellie has no idea how any of that happened but she's determined to get back to her time. In the mean time, she's going to shake things up, including bringing the legend of Robin Hood to life.
Weaving the well-loved legend of Robin Hood into a fresh tale, one of my favorite parts of this book was the way Robin's supporting cast of characters was introduced, from Will Scarlet to Friar Tuck, all in unexpected ways. Several of them really surprised me, as I got to know them better. And to carry it all, is our Robin Hood, Ellie whom constantly amused me and wowed me with her fearlessness (except about things like the plague) and her ability to adapt to the strangest of circumstances. No real romance, the focused is very much elsewhere, but there are some nice underlying hints that made me smile.
I had no idea what to expect from the ending, but it wraps everything up very well, and the story reads as a standalone (which I assume it is). My only question is [ how Rob was in the present when Ellie returned. That wasn't explained at all. (highlight for spoiler)].
This was a quick read that surprised me with how much fun it was.
Love Triangle Factor: Very little romance
Cliffhanger Scale: Standalone
QUOTED: "No Good Deed is a standalone, and as such, a pretty darn good one. It is refreshing to see a book that doesn’t need to be part of ... a series, and one that stands on its own as well as this one does. It’s a perfect summer read."
No Good Deed
Kara Connolly
Published: July 18, 2017 (Delacorte)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review
Reviewed by: Beth
Rating (out of 5): 4 stars
Robin Hood is a legend—robs the rich, gives back to the poor. But what if the legend as we have always known it was wrong? What if Robin Hood was really a girl and she was actually an accidental time traveler? In No Good Deed, that’s exactly the case.
Ellie is an archer–an excellent one. Good enough that the Olympic dream is within her grasp. However, her parents are pressuring her, her coach is pressuring her, and her absent brother Robin–the star of the family–is a pressure she cannot escape no matter how well she may tune everyone else out. When she follows a monk she believes was the one she stopped a match for, well…those pressures literally disappear into the future.
I’ve always been a fan of the Robin Hood stories. I’ve seen the movies, I’ve read the classic novel, and I can probably sing the Disney songs verbatim. So I was curious about this re-telling and the idea of Robin actually being a girl—particularly in a time when girls were not seen as particularly valued in so many ways. Connolly did well in writing a fun take on the legend, and doing honor to it as well.
The characters were all what you’d expect, and yet, not at all what you would expect. Will Scarlet, not generally being a huge fan favorite, became one here. He’s witty and vain—but has a good heart. Ellie occasionally felt a little overdone, but not in any way that took away from the story itself. It was interesting to see how Connolly worked around the limits of a known legend while turning the hero into a heroine, and Ellie fit the bill quite well. Overall, the characters were developed well, and unique enough in their own ways within the book to not feel like a simple redo.
The setting is as every good Robin Hood fan can imagine. The book starts in current-day England, with some excellent descriptions of the area. However, when Ellie ends up back in time, that is when the book truly starts to shine in terms of the people and the places that she finds.
I believe that No Good Deed is a standalone, and as such, a pretty darn good one. It is refreshing to see a book that doesn’t need to be part of a duology or a trilogy or a series, and one that stands on its own as well as this one does. It’s a perfect summer read: not too heavy, slight romance, lots of action adventure, and not just one strong female character, but several. “Robin” and *her* Merry Men will have you turning page after page, and gasping at the slight twist that pops up towards the end.