Tracy’s Rating: 2.5/3 of 5 stars
Series: Standalone (?)
Release Date: July 16, 2026
After her father arranges her marriage to the Sheriff of Nottingham, Marian is sent through Sherwood Forest on the way to her unwanted future. When her carriage is attacked and she is taken by the Merry Men, Marian is forced into the world of the fae she has always been taught to fear. As the Sheriff’s men search for her, the story builds around Marian’s conflict between returning to the life chosen for her by her family and choosing a different path among the fae.
This retelling blends Robin Hood elements with romantasy, fae politics, gendered power dynamics, and a romance that develops while Marian reassesses what she believes about humans, the fae, and herself. Her exposure to Sherwood Forest, the Merry Men, and “Lox” who is the fae version of Robin Hood (with antlers). Marian begins the story resistant and distrustful, while Lox is presented as protective, mysterious, and closely tied to the forest and its people. Marian slowly begins to change her stance on the fae thanks to Lox and his Merry Men and her experience with the magical community, which finally gives her a chance to form her own opinions and make her own choices.
Overall, I thought Wench had an interesting premise and had the potential to be a unique Robin Hood-inspired romantasy, but it did not fully work for me. I struggled with Marian at the beginning because her prejudice toward the fae made her difficult to connect with, and the romance felt too rushed for me to feel fully invested in it. I also didn’t like the present tense limited third person narrative, because it made the storytelling feel more distant and harder to sink into, especially in the first half. While the book was easy to read and had some engaging ideas, I wanted more depth from the characters, more development in the romance, and a stronger resolution to the conflict with the Sheriff. In short, I wanted to be wowed and I wasn’t.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *
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