Rowan Hood Returns

October 1, 2005
Gr 4-7 -Rowan Hood, the famous outlaw's bold, brave, and sensitive daughter, founds her own band of cohorts in Sherwood Forest to avenge her mother's death. Princess Ettarde, Lionel, and Rook have been featured in separate books in the series and many of the plot elements from the earlier titles carry over into this concluding volume. It opens in spring with Etty's arrival and her revelation to Rowan of the names of her mother's murderers. The teen decides to seek vengeance, severely testing the loyalty of each member of her band. Rowan is gathering coltsfoot when she senses a profound change. Her special powers seem to be waning and she is filled with a sense of foreboding. Once she sets her course, to return to Celandine's wood, her little band undertakes a long and perilous journey. The talents of each member are called upon as they venture through a landscape filled with bounty hunters, man traps, bad weather, and poor cover. The young outlaws and Rowan's uncanny wolf-dog, Tykell, defy capture, witness two knights' fight to the death, and call on the "aelfin "folk for guidance. As 15-year-old Rowan faces not only physical dangers, but also the detrimental effects of revenge seeking, she approaches adulthood and an awareness of how best to use her powers. Springer weaves enough of the previous stories in for readers new to the series to follow the action, but this final volume is best read as the satisfying conclusion to the saga." -Kathryn Kosiorek, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Brooklyn, OH"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2005
Gr. 4-7. Subtitled The Final Chapter, this fourth (and presumably last) entry in Springer's Tales of Rowan Hood series brings the Sherwood Forest story cycle satisfyingly full circle, returning the narrative focus to Rowan herself. Bounty hunters continue to harry Robin Hood's daughter and her band of good-hearted outlaws, but the most prominent conflict here is internal: Rowan has discovered the identities of those who murdered her mother (a "forestwife" healer) two years ago. Overcome with "an inner darkening, a chill in her bones," the stricken teen sets out to exact vengeance. Rowan's friends suppress concern over their leader's uncharacteristically grim outlook and violent intent, lending support--both emotional and physical, as her injured legs seem to weaken inversely proportionate to her fury--and bearing witness as she feels her way back to her true purpose in life. Slender but deeply felt, and dense with detail that reflects and extends the richness of the interior landscapes traversed, this brings a favorite medieval adventure series to a brooding but graceful close.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)