‘The Outlaws Scarlett & Browne ‘ spoiler-free review!

Happy book birthday to Jonathan Stroud and The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne! And a big thank you to Walker Books for sending me an ARC and my very own cuss box and coins! (This does not affect my review opinion in any way.)

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Set in a fragmented future England, The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne introduces us to a world where gunfights and monsters collide, and where the formidable outlaw Scarlett McCain fights daily against the odds. When she discovers a wrecked coach on a lonely road, there is only one survivor – the seemingly hapless youth, Albert Browne. Against her instincts, Scarlett agrees to escort him to safety. This is a mistake. Soon, new and implacable enemies are on her heels. As a relentless pursuit continues across the broken landscape of England, Scarlett must fight to uncover the secrets of Albert’s past – and come to terms with the implications of her own.

In his first new project since Lockwood & Co., Jonathan once again fuses action, humour and mystery to create a uniquely exciting adventure with two fascinating heroes at its heart.

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I’ve never read anything by Stroud but, from this book, I can tell that he is clearly a talented writer. From the very beginning, I felt excited by this book. I just knew it was going to be exactly the adventure I was in the mood for. I was immediately invested in Scarlett’s character and wanted to know more about the world she was inhabiting. Then Browne was introduced and I was simply hooked.

The characters were definitely my favourite thing about the book. Scarlett was sassy and sarcastic, whilst Arthur didn’t understand her humour at all. Their exchanges had me laughing out loud at times, and that’s not something I do often when reading. Albert is honestly one of the most tactless and lackadaisical characters I’ve ever read but I couldn’t help loving him!

The story itself was also great. There were plenty of suitably tense action scenes that kept the pace moving along nicely. One scene was so intense that I was holding my breath! (When you read it, you’ll know.) While a lot of the story did surround a journey, it was always exciting and never felt like the characters were simply moving from one place to another; there was always something happening.

I enjoyed the setting and the concept of a Britain split into seven kingdoms. There were a lot of interesting elements to the world. I will say that I would have liked to know a bit more about how certain things actually came about – however, I know this is the first in a series so maybe we’ll find out more of the backstory as we go along.

Overall, this was a fun and fast-paced story that provided some much-needed escapism from the monotony of lockdown life. I very much enjoyed this one and can’t wait to see where the author takes these characters next.

Thank you again Walker Books for sending me a promotional ARC!

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Have you read anything by Stroud? What are your thoughts on this one? Let me know in the comments!