Robin of Longstride knew that he wasn’t like his family, so it is a good thing that his brother, Robert, is the heir to their father’s estate. However, both Robin’s father and brother depart for the Holy Land following the lead of King Richard, and leave Robin to assume their duties. Maid Marian has her own struggles. With her uncle leading the crusades, the ruling of the land is left to his brother John. Marian was meant to serve as an advisor to John, but, unfortunately, John has more sinister plans in mind. Even Robin’s cousin, Will Scarlett, has his role to play. In contrast to Robin, Will walks a dangerous route, spying on John and trying to maintain his confidence.

The departure of King Richard leaves Sherwood Forest vulnerable to darkness more sinister than anyone could have anticipated. The growth of this darkness is spearheaded by the aspiring King John, and the Sheriff of Nottingham. They have turned the castle upside down in the King’s absence, and if they have their way the Sherwood Forest will never be the same again. It’s up to our hero Robin to stop these scheming men, but he’ll be up against something much bigger than he expected.

Mark of the Black Arrow is an adventurous tale, which stays true to the old legends but adds a dark twist. Debbie Viguié and James Tuck weave a plot with a plethora of twists and turns in order to create an incredibly original retelling of the story of Robin Hood. However, the book was not without its flaws. Every chapter is told from a different perspective, and this grew to be confusing, as the reader is forced to decipher who is important to the plot and who isn’t. Moreover, this technique results in main characters that are two-dimensional. Furthermore, the growing supernatural darkness is supposed to be a secret, but everyone and their mother already knows or finds out about it. Additionally, the writing style almost bored me; the book was never unputdownable. In fact, it was very easy to put down, and difficult to pick back up again.

Other novels like this include The Shards of Heaven by Michael Livingston and Gideon’s Angel by Clifford Beal. All of these are unique works of historical fiction with a supernatural twist akin to Robin Hood: Mark of the Black Arrow.