I have elected not to read and review this book due to time constraints. Thank you for the opportunity.

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2021/08/15/walk-the-wild-with-me-by-rachel-atwood/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

<strong>Walk the Wild with Me</strong> is one of my older ARCs.   I don't remember what happened exactly but I had a lot happening in my life and didn't get to it.   I'd say it is kind of a mash up of Robin Hood and Celtic fae folk.  It is set in the "Robin Hood" time frame with King John and the Sheriff making life miserable for many and not respecting the religious folk.  The most learned priests and sisters have been banished.

Our main point of view is Nick, who as a toddler was the sole survivor on marauders who murdered his family.  He was found by the head Abbot and taken to the Abbey.  He along with his two friends Dom and Henry, are the older boys now.  The Abbot has been banished but he stayed with the wood folk and is now known as Tuck.

Dom's twin sister, Hilde is in a convent and is not happy there. Dom wants to get her free.  Little John is trying to get back his love, Jane who was captured and enslaved by Queen Mab.  Robin Hood is cursed and also pines for a lost love.  The story is full of women in bad situations that Nick, Dom, Tuck, Robin and Little John are trying to help.  There are also ordinary people, who need help and are hungry.

Nick turns out to have some fae blood, so he can see more than most.  He is almost at a point where he will have to decide if he will take vows and serve the Abbey or go out into the world.   In protecting Hilde, he becomes attached to her.   The story ends with no final decisions made by Nick, staying in the Abbey for now.  There are several storylines left open and I see now there will be a follow up book in January 2022, <strong>Outcasts of the Wildwood</strong> to move forward with Robin's story.

The reviews were medium for <strong>Walk the Wild with Me</strong> so I was worried about starting to read.  I seem to be having trouble starting <em>everything</em> at this time.  But once I get reading, it's all fine. I enjoyed this more than I expected.  As with any first book, there is world building about the politics, the magics, and the characters, which can be too much.  The reveal here was comfortable but there is still some character development and <em>much</em> more to know about the magic in this world.

Interesting take on the Robin Hood mythos and English paganism. Focuses on original characters with appearances by the Merry Men.

I dont know if I can't give an honest review here. There were parts if the story I loved it, and there were parts when I questioned how this storyline can hold all this together... After reading the last chapter I decided that it was a good book, but not a book I would want to read it again.

I love all things wild and fae in my books and Walk the Wild With Me managed to snag my interest because it mentioned the the Green Man and the infiltration of Faery. Alas, while the synopsis promised adventure I was left somewhat wanting. What little adventure this book contained managed to somehow still be dull, though I so wanted to enjoy it!

Nicholas Withybeck lives and works in Locksley Abbey in Nottingham but he’s still young and seeks adventure outside the walls and he also happens to have a bit of Wild Folk blood. He and a couple other Abbey boys sneak out to the village and to visit one of the boys’ sisters in a nearby convent, all while trying to get enough sleep to make it through their prayers and chores. Nicholas comes across a cup containing a bit of the goddess Elena and he must use this cup to save the love of Little John, who also happens to be the Green Man. John’s love was taken by the Queen of Faery and the gate can only be opened once every 50 years and the time approaches once again.

Even from what I’ve typed up as a summary, this sounds like a book I would enjoy. However it just fell flat and I found myself looking forward to the end in hopes that somewhere the pace would pick up! I wasn’t invested in any of the characters and even when deaths occurred, I just didn’t care that much. The magic and the setting were both somewhat lackluster and the most pizazz the book had was when some of the characters found themselves running from a wild boar.

I was excited about the premise of adapting the Robin Hood tale, but I couldn’t get more than 20% through the story. The flip between characters was confusing at times and I couldn’t get into the overarching story. I did appreciate the incorporation of the Fae and the magical elements, but the overall book wasn't for me. Thank you for the chance to review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital ARC of this book. This book just didn't work for me. I didn't feel connected with the voice of the story and the plot was a recycled mess. This just wasn't for me.

I started and stopped this book several times before finally DNFing it. I was intrigued by the concept, but the execution did not draw me in. There were also some issues with the writing -- for example, in the first chapter, I had difficulty differentiating characters.

While the premise of Walk the Wild With Me is an interesting take on Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest, it presented little interest to me. I love Fae, historical fiction and even the alternate story line concept, I just simply could not become immersed in Atwood's world. The story focuses not on Robin but on Little John and Friar Tuck which provides a new take on the traditional tale. The church has been left without its leaders and the Old Ones are bringing back their ways with the mischievous Queen Mab in her glory. However, the writing was not engaging to me and at times, I was confused if they were talking to real people, statues, or other creatures.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for granting me an ARC. Somewhere between 2 and 3 stars so I bumped it to a 3.
I’m in a Fae kick lately and it sounded like something I would like based on the synopsis, however reading it proved that it has elements of the Robin Hood folktale. I’m not all too familiar with the legend other than Disney’s animal animation rendition and have no great interest in it.
It was an interesting premise: Wild folk and the church at odds, the Faery mound, old England.
However I really didn’t have any special connection or fondness to any of the characters or the plot or conflict so I was slow to get through this and not very invested, to say the least. Nothing was wrong with it, exactly, but it just wasn’t for me after all.

A charming story with a more earthy and magical slant to the Sherwood forest folktales than the classic Robin Hood tales. Wonderful characterization of the people and places in this era portrays a fascinating perseverance against both political and magical foes. King John is in a war with Pope Innocent the third and all priests and heads of the church have been banished from the land. The monasteries and abbeys are forced to carry on life without their leaders. The wild ones or the forest folks have revived the old beliefs. Queen Mab and her mischievous fairies are in the forests.
This is just a beautiful story. The magical way the author weaves a new dialogue around familiar characters is enchanting. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Walk the Wild with me by Rachel Atwood, I struggled with this book. The premise was good but the writing simply didn't appeal to me. Thank you for giving me a chance with this book and I think others will like it.

I am very sorry to say that this was a DNF for me. I tried to get into it, and I fully appreciate the amount of research that went into this book, but it just didn’t jive with me. I couldn’t get past the talking to the statue bits, and the writing wasn’t engaging enough to keep me going. I love the premise and original legend, so I’m sad this didn’t work out. Just because it didn’t for me doesn’t mean it won’t for you!