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    Rook
    Rook
    Rook
    Audiobook14 hours

    Rook

    Written by Sharon Cameron

    Narrated by Caroline Feraday

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Who needs a wedding ring when you can pick up a sword? A remarkable and utterly inventive novel from Sharon Cameron, author of The Dark Unwinding, which USA Today called "spellbindingly imaginative".

    History has a way of repeating itself. In the Sunken City that was once Paris, all who oppose the new revolution are being put to the blade. Except for those who disappear from their prison cells, a red-tipped rook feather left in their place. Is the mysterious Red Rook a savior of the innocent or a criminal?

    Meanwhile, across the sea in the Commonwealth, Sophia Bellamy's arranged marriage to the wealthy René Hasard is the last chance to save her family from ruin. But when the search for the Red Rook comes straight to her doorstep, Sophia discovers that her fiancé is not all he seems. Which is only fair, because neither is she.

    As the Red Rook grows bolder and the stakes grow higher, Sophia and René find themselves locked in a tantalizing game of cat and mouse.

    Daring intrigue, delicious romance, and spine-tingling suspense fill the audio of this extraordinary tale from award-winning author Sharon Cameron.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherScholastic
    Release dateApr 26, 2016
    ISBN9781338092097
    Rook

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    Reviews for Rook

    4/5

    194 ratings14 reviews

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    • 2/5
      This book starts out as a fun, well written twist on the Scarlet Pimpernel, I really enjoyed the characters, and all the nods to the past before the apocalypse.
      But a third of the way through the book it turns into a hot mess. It becomes a cliche YA novel complete with a love triangle, a mary sue, and a plot so basic that you don’t need the Scarlet Pimpernel to see through it.

      By all means, pick it up and flip through the first third, but don’t waste your time on the rest.
    • 4/5
      Rook was a really good read, much different from what i've been reading lately. It was really enjoyable with a good story and twists and turns that keep you on your toes. The characters were not perfect, and annoying at times, but it was enjoyable. Solid read.
    • 4/5
      Although this reads like historical fiction, "Rook" is set in a future where humanity has been thrust back into the dark ages (or at least coming out of the dark ages). But it is a future where history is repeating itself, specifically in the events of the French Revolution. I loved all the references to historical events and literature and things we moderns take for granted. And the romance was understated but somehow Ms. Cameron captured all the very best about chemistry between two people and brings it to life.
    • 3/5
      This is a story set in Paris France at some time in the future? The world is above and below (sunken city). There is intrigue with prisoners, sword fights, the secret Rook, etc. Is this a retelling of the French Revolution? Mostly this would be a fantasy, romance, with swords and court intrigues. It was okay, a bit long. I think it was average over all.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed reading this.
    • 5/5
      I've been a fan of The Scarlet Pimpernel in various adaptations for many years, particularly the 1982 film and "Across a Star-Swept Sea," Diana Peterfreund's recent retelling.However, I've often wondered what Percy and Marguerite's relationship would be like if they had actually been working together for most of the story, instead of being a cross purposes due to secrets and misunderstandings (not to mention if Marguerite had been in charge of her own actions, instead of being manipulated by the men around her).Sharon Cameron's "Rook" is only a loose retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel, but it allowed me the pleasure of watching the lead characters spy, scheme, and swash buckle together in an extremely enjoyable romp of a story.
    • 4/5
      This is a retelling of a classic, The Scarlet Pimpernel. It’s a suspense novel with a side of romance.The modern world is gone. There are no machines or any form of technology, so the novel seems as if it takes place in the 1800s. It’s Paris and those who opposed the latest revolution are put to death by a very efficient guillotine. These people are really innocent--they just oppose the government. Before some can be beheaded, they are rescued and a red-tipped rook feather is left in its place. The people are excited that there is someone fighting for them. The government leaders are determined to catch the rook and bring him to justice by removing his head.The novel begins with the rescue of a family. The rook returns home where we quickly learn who the rook truly is. Sophia’s family is in need. The new rules say that all people have to be self-sufficient. Her family may lose their ancestral home if they can’t find more funds, which shows their self-sufficiency. Sophia’s brother and their best friend have worked hard to create the identity of the Rook and risk their lives to do so. Nonetheless, they still need money for the home. Sophia is, therefore, engaged to Rene Hasard, a fop (look it up--it’s a great word). His fortune will save them. As the government agents gets closer to finding the rook, Sophia and Rene begin to learn secrets about each other. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I borrowed it because it was listed as one of the bests in a list of retellings. I had another student read it, and she loved it. Thus, I ordered us a copy. It may be helpful to rent the movie Scarlet Pimpernel--then again, it may not matter. I think the references would make more sense.
    • 5/5
      Storytelling just does not get any better than this. Outstanding!
    • 4/5
      In the Sunken City that was once Paris the guillotine rules again, while Sophia Bellamy from the Commonwealth across the Channel Sea tries to rescue as many of the revolution's victims as she can smuggle out, and some prisoners disappear from their cells, with a red-tipped rook feather left in their place--but who is the mysterious Red Rook and where does Sophia's wealthy fiancé, René Hasard, fit in?
    • 3/5
      I will read practically anything that is based on, inspired by or even mentions in passing The Scarlet Pimpernel, so of course I had to give this a try. Sharon Cameron has cleverly recreated the original novel, turning the eponymous hero into a young heroine who goes by the name of the Red Rook, while the Pimpernel's unsuspecting wife, Marguerite, becomes Rene Hasard, a pretend fiance playing by his own rules. Instead of eighteenth century London and Paris, set amidst the turmoil of the French Revolution, the story takes place after a polar shift has destroyed the modern world, turning England into the Commonwealth and France into a sunken city, literally, divided by those with money and access to technology and those without. The Rook is determined to save those condemned to death under the Razor by LeBlanc, a truly psychotic version of Chauvelin who decides the fate of thousands by the toss of a coin.Overall, I enjoyed the world-building and the resetting of history, and especially the nods to the source material (the Red Rook is inspired by reading scraps of Orczy's novel), but was less than taken by the characters, which is always a let down for me. Sophia and Rene are YA romance fodder, which is not always a bad thing, but doesn't help the story here. We are constantly reminded how brave and clever Sophia is, and how 'fire-blue' and 'russet red' Rene's eyes and hair are, which is a refreshing flip of gender roles, but starts to grate after a while. She is the hero, yet also the sister determined to save her brother, while he has the dual personality of Sir Percy/the Pimpernel. I liked the role reversal, yet just didn't take to either. Part of what I love so much about the Pimpernel novels - plural - is that Percy and Marguerite are interesting to read about independently, while their romance is merely the icing on the cake. Yet here, the romance felt forced, and I was hoping that the inevitable resolution would be prevented. The whole novel started to feel like a Harlequin romance, where the plot is secondary to hooking up the hero and the heroine - which is where The Scarlet Pimpernel also triumphs, because Sir Percy and Marguerite are already married. On a side note, I'm not sure who the oddly named 'Spear' was supposed to be, apart from a slightly deranged Mr Knightley to Sophia's Emma - do all modern Pimpernels have to include a love triangle?Two other niggles - the bizarre use of English colloquialisms ('Why the bloody not?'), an annoyance which I attempted to explain away as a post-polar shift take on the slang terms of the 'Ancient world', and the repetitive trick of leading from one scene into the next by mirroring the last line ('She took off at a run down the path of bones, wondering how high the moon was' - 'Rene slowed his run, wondering how high the moon was.') Once or twice is a neat turn of phrase, over and over again starts to look like self-parody. But now I'm picking holes. An intelligent blend of science fiction and historical romance, but one which probably works best with the intended age group - Sir Percy and Marguerite for teens.
    • 4/5
      The Rook was a fast but not very memorable read for me. I've been hearing it's a retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel, and seeing as how I've never read that, I did look up some summaries of The Scarlet Pimpernel. It's an interesting mash-up of what "feels" like historical fiction and science fiction. Overall, though, not a memorable book like The Red Queen or A Court of Thorns and Roses.
    • 4/5
      When I realized Rook was a twist on an old favorite, The Scarlet Pimpernel, I knew I had to grab it at the library. In this dystopian world, people are living in a technology free society. Most of the satellites fell to earth generations ago and things like plastic are highly collectable. Repeating a history that has already occurred, England (the Commonwealth) and France (specifically, Paris, the Sunken City) are leaders in this new world, with all of the machinations that arrive with power. In the Sunken City, the lower class is routinely imprisoned, and the Razor is their enforcer. Enter the Red Rook, a name taken from a bird, who is a master of disguise and enters the underground prison, rescuing many. Sophia Bellamy, of the Commonwealth, is betrothed to a member of Society from the Sunken City, Rene Husard. With her marriage bounty, she hopes to keep Bellamy House in the family. Sophia's brother Tom and family friend Spear round out many of the main characters. Although it got a little long in spots, I enjoyed the twists in Rook and the snippets of action that pay homage to The Scarlet Pimpernel.
    • 4/5
      A few small, niggling annoyances first: I know this is supposed to be a YA novel, but some of the writing seemed a little bit on the nose. I think some of it was a side-effect of the writer expecting that her readers wouldn't be familiar with the Scarlet Pimpernel (and French revolutionary history), but for me it made some of the characters' conversations just a little too abrupt. More persistently, there was this device she kept using where each scene jump was joined with a word, an action, or a prop - one person is fiddling with a ring, cut to a different person also fiddling with a ring - which might have been fine every once in a while but got grating when it was *every single time.* There were some inconsistencies in worldbuliding, too - they don't use watches, but they use moonrise as a time of day, but I can't tell if the author knows that moonrise frequently happens before sunset? This is also one of the few times I wished a steampunk-ish novel would have *more* description. From the little bits we got I'm pretty sure that society fashion was a hilarious mish-mash of everything from Roman through 21st century, but there was not enough of it for me to visualize well. But that's a more minor nitpick.As a story it was great - Sophia makes a wonderful Scarlet Pimpernel, and I loved that most people didn't think twice about her being female, it was just a convenient cover story. René was a delightful love interest, sexy and competent and just mysterious enough to make Sophia's suspicion reasonable. I liked the way the story followed the overall pattern of the first Scarlet Pimpernel novel without copying it slavishly, so that you had some idea of what was going on but it didn't feel rote. LeBlanc was an utterly perfect villain - more book!Chauvelin than adaptation!Chauvelin, which I appreciated - and his faith in his goddess Fate very well-drawn. I'd read a whole series of the adventures of the Red Rook; I'm only sorry that it doesn't seem we'll get one.
    • 4/5
      From the very first page I was kept on the edge of my seat anxiously awaiting for what was going to happen next! Again and again, with much anticipation, second guesses and charming moments - ROOK is everything that I wanted it to be and more... Now let me backtrack a bit for just a moment, I have to admit, the beginning took some getting used to. There is a lot of information and characters to take in; a lot of french names, words and phrases... Also, the story is told from multiple third persons - it took a while to get used to the writing style and catch on as to whose voice I was getting into. Once everything started clicking into place, oh my, there was no stopping on how quickly I was turning these pages! Our main character, Sophia, really took me by surprise. She is stubborn, determined, naive and so very brave. I was very impressed with her development and how her flaws were genuine and would sometimes work to her favor. And then we have our love interest, Rene. What starts out as a nuisance to Sophie slowly turns into a whole lot more. Their banter is fun and aspiring. He's mysterious and provoking. It wasn't hard for me not to fall for him and root for their budding relationship.What I liked the most about ROOK was the sister/brother relationship between Sophia and Tom. Their banter and closeness was believable, sweet and the perfect touch of reality to the story. Also, Sophia's group of supporters all make a good and memorable impression - I was so pleased to see so many unique characters that stood out and helped with Sophia's cause.And, the villains to the story, were outstanding! There are very few villain's that I despise and have a hard time forgetting... the things that happen are unimaginable!Everything about the "Sunken Paris" is intriguing, unique and quite possible! Imagine the world we know now getting out of hand, where we let technology run wild, to the point where it destroys the earth, killing thousands and thousand of people. Which then leads the governments to unite and get rid of technology and all beliefs and go back to the way people used to live in colonial times (- history repeating itself!) And for those who oppose to the new laws will be beheaded in from of an audience. Like I mentioned about, the villains are to be despised... and feared!!! How can the Red Rook continue to save innocents and defy the new laws???This is an amazing rendition of The Scarlet Pimpernel. I highly recommend this to all who not only love post-apocalyptic type stories, but to those who love historical fiction and fantasy too. And the biggest bonus, this is a standalone novel!*I received an ARC from the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.