I like a good retelling. This one was decent, and the author had a pleasant voice.

Sorry for the delayed review. I have been working this year to catch up on my netgalley backlog. I appreciate the opportunity to read this story.

Very well done Robin Hood Retelling with a great spin on the story.
Highly recommend this for any fantasy reader!

Heir Of Locksley by N.B. Dixon
This historical story is of the famous character Robin Hood. The interesting difference in this storyline is that it goes back through Robin’s childhood and brings to life what made Robin of Locksley into Robin Hood. This is a story full of suspense, adventure, emotional heartbreak, empathy, danger,
Intrigue, murder, and the experience of different kinds of love and loss.
Content Note: The author explored the deep relationship feelings between Robin and his best friend Will. However, a GLBT romance was not developed beyond thinking about feelings. This book was very tastefully written and did not contain crewed or over descriptive scenes.

I am a Robin Hood fan. I have read, watched, and just generally consumed as many versions of Robin Hood as I could because I find him such an interesting figure. I've even found myself down the rabbit holes of debates on his existence and what a master's in Robin Hood studies looks like because I am just that invested. It's this baggage that I bring into Heir of Locksley and in many ways, it's clear I'm a target demographic.

I feel like the first thing that should be made known for those considering picking this book up is that Robin Hood as most people understand him does not exist in this book. This is an origin story, pure and simple, so we follow Robin's coming of age as he grows up to become the Lord of Locksley. The book begins in Robin's childhood and ends in his adolescence, giving us years and years of context for what I'm sure will pay off in later installments. It's building his arc and laying the groundwork, so on its own, not much happens outside of setting the stage and characters. And speaking of characters, they all start to show up here.

Guy of Gisborne is a childhood frenemy of Robin's. A lot of animosity and envy had always existed between the two boys, and the pivotal scenes where their friendship begins to sour are quite satisfying. Little John, who most know of as Robin's right hand man, makes his appearance towards the end of the book in a rather surprising way that I won't give away. Alan a Dale (always one of my favorites) is another Locksley local who gets mentions here and there around the tavern and such. And Will Scathelock - dear, sweet, precious Will - is the first to truly become attached to Robin when his dad buys him from Nottingham to add to his house because of his skills. Even Marian gets a nod here and there, though she - and to be honest, most women in this book - is more of a background object than a person.

Which brings me to the story itself. As I mentioned earlier, this is less of a first book and more of a prequel than anything else. If you're expecting a grand Robin Hood adventure with archery and hijinks aplenty, you will be sorely disappointed. Sure, there is still a plethora of scenes where we talk about Robin's mastery of the bow and hear his thoughts on the inequalities of his time, but as he is a child for most of the story, he really isn't able to do much. More than it is Robin and his Merry Men raging against the system, Heir of Locksley is a quiet exploration into how Robin came to be who he was.

In terms of successes, Robin's characterization is actually one of my favorites I've seen so far. He isn't painted purely as a saint, but rather given nuance and weaknesses, which often manifest themselves in arrogance, stubbornness, and just about every other character flaw you see in the best of Gryffindors. I found him likeable simply because he wasn't always likeable. He also is having a bit of a sexual awakening, not only with women, but also in his attraction to his friend Will. I've seen the second book, Knight of Sherwood , promise more angst on that front, but to talk about Robin's bisexuality as a major factor in this first book would be a stretch (and disappointingly so).

I'm not sure if/when I'll pick up the sequel. The writing was enjoyable and entertaining enough to keep me going through the 400-some pages here, but I don't know if I'm intrigued or invested enough to keep going. I suppose only time will tell.

Heir of Locksley is the first installment in the Outlaw's Legacy. It tells the story of Robin of Lockley's early years beginning with his birth and ending with him about to head off to the Crusades. During this time, he adopts the well known identity of Robin Hood. Because this book starts so early in the characters' life, readers are given more insight into what made Robin of Locksley become Robin Hood. This includes not only his struggles with his father, but also his rivalry with Guy of Gisborne. Other infamous characters from the Robin Hood story also make an appearance. I just recently started reading books about Robin Hood and so far, the ones I have come across have a bit too much romance between Robin Hood and Maid Marian. This one was the exception to the rule. I thought it did the story justice with it's approach to class struggles and action sequences. The story does include a light sprinkling of romance, to include elements of homosexuality (no action, all feelings). I felt this part of the story could have been approached a bit better because it was really unclear to me why the author would choose to have Robin feel certain things for Will but yet not really develop the sexual chemistry between Robin and Lucy. Regardless, I liked the writing style and I definitely plan to read the next installment in this series.

"Heir of Locksley" is a solid reimagining of the beginnings of the Robin Hood legend. I thought that the depiction of Robin's childhood was really well done and the novel did a great job establishing his characters. The villainous characters were also rather well done and I look forward to seeing how their relationship with Robin develops in the next part.

The romantic relationships seem somewhat rushed at times and I would have liked to see some more scenes between Robin and Will to really establish their friendship, but overall the relationships between the characters were all really well done.