Fantasy

Little Thieves

Little Thieves

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-30 00:51:06
  • Update Date：2025-09-08
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Margaret Owen
  • ISBN：152938169X
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

A scrappy maid must outsmart both palace nobles and Low Gods in a new YA fantasy by Margaret Owen， author of the Merciful Crow series。

Once upon a time， there was a horrible girl。。。

Vanja Schmidt knows that no gift is freely given， not even a mother's love？and she's on the hook for one hell of a debt。 Vanja， the adopted goddaughter of Death and Fortune， was Princess Gisele's dutiful servant up until a year ago。 That was when Vanja's otherworldly mothers demanded a terrible price for their care， and Vanja decided to steal her future back。。。 by stealing Gisele's life for herself。

The real Gisele is left a penniless nobody while Vanja uses an enchanted string of pearls to take her place。 Now， Vanja leads a lonely but lucrative double life as princess and jewel thief， charming nobility while emptying their coffers to fund her great escape。 Then， one heist away from freedom， Vanja crosses the wrong god and is cursed to an untimely end: turning into jewels， stone by stone， for her greed。

Vanja has just two weeks to figure out how to break her curse and make her getaway。 And with a feral guardian half-god， Gisele's sinister fiancé， and an overeager junior detective on Vanja's tail， she'll have to pull the biggest grift yet to save her own life。

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Reviews

Rose Frith ，

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advanced reader copy！There's a whole lot going on in this novel that it will be hard to describe！This is a retelling of the Goose Girl fairytale， from the point of view of the wicked servant who overthrows the beautiful， kind princess and steals her life while the princess toils like a commoner。 This little thief also happens to be the goddaughter of Fortune and Death， two of the low-gods that reside in this world。 She has also been cursed by a Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advanced reader copy！There's a whole lot going on in this novel that it will be hard to describe！This is a retelling of the Goose Girl fairytale， from the point of view of the wicked servant who overthrows the beautiful， kind princess and steals her life while the princess toils like a commoner。 This little thief also happens to be the goddaughter of Fortune and Death， two of the low-gods that reside in this world。 She has also been cursed by a third low-god for her greed， and is in a race against time to break her curse before it takes her life， while simultaneously outmaneuvering the prefect that is now investigating her thefts， and avoid the princess' terrible fiancé who has finally returned。Vanja is a very refreshing take on the YA heroine。 She's flawed but likeable， and it's hard to take against someone who loves robbing drippingly rich， privileged aristocrats blind。 The love interest is a good match - extremely straight laced and law abiding， and too easily ruffled by the thief he's tasked to track down。Owen is a great writer who can move between evocative prose and irreverent humour。 But sometimes the swing between two falls hard， so I had to knock a start off because occasionally I noticed dialogue that was a bit too modern and meme-ish for the setting。The romance is sweet， touching and the importance of consent is a recurring theme。 A good book for fans of YA， cat and mouse romantic tension and fairytale retellings。 I would happily read more books set in this world！★★★★✩ - Great。 。。。more

Amy ，

TW: off-screen attempted sexual assault/rape， whipping， violence， blood mention， vomiting， attempted murder， poisoning， physical abuse， emotional abuse， attempted controlling of food intake by parent， abusive environmentREP: f/f relationship between two of the main side characters， m/m off-screen relationship， genderfluid character Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for granting me an eARC of Little Thieves。 Where do I even begin to describe how much I adored this book！？ It' TW: off-screen attempted sexual assault/rape， whipping， violence， blood mention， vomiting， attempted murder， poisoning， physical abuse， emotional abuse， attempted controlling of food intake by parent， abusive environmentREP: f/f relationship between two of the main side characters， m/m off-screen relationship， genderfluid character Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for granting me an eARC of Little Thieves。 Where do I even begin to describe how much I adored this book！？ It's over 500 pages long but not once did the book feel slow paced or like a slog; I raced through this in one sitting and honestly could not move until I had finished it。 This book is an absolute delight。 I'm not the biggest fan of retellings but I do love when an author takes a story with a generic bad female character and turns it utterly on it's head; just as with Rumaysa when Hafiza redeems our evil step-sisters， Owens redeems （although not completely） our wicked maid who stole the princesses life。 My love for this book rests solely on the shoulders of our anti-heroine， Vanja; she is wicked and ruthless and unrelenting in her actions。 She's quick， and smart， and witty， and selfish; because she's learnt the hard way that no-one else is going to look out for her in life and so she has to do it herself。 She has this amazing speech at Emeric at one point when he calls her selfish for only thinking about herself， and she tells him how she has to be because no one else has ever thought about her。 Honestly she made my heart break so many times because time and time again she's been betrayed， and beaten， and let down by those that are meant to take care of her。 All Vanja really wants is to be caught and loved and have someone she can rely on without feeling she owes them something; that is why she's the way she is because it's who she was made to be and honestly I bloody love her。 She softens as the book goes on; when people apologise or recognise what has been done for her but I love that she doesn't let them go easily。 There is so much suffering in this book， not just for Vanja but also our side characters， but it never felt too much or felt like it was done for dramatic effect。 I love the side characters; Emeric， Gisele， and Ragne were all such interesting and complex characters。 I love that Owen manages to balance out a really complex main character with equally complex and interesting side characters。 None of them ever felt overshadowed or underdeveloped。 I wasn't sure I was going to like Emeric or Gisele but Owens does such a good job of developing both of them and opening their eyes。 Ragne was my babe from the start and I adore her。 Fate and Death as God Mothers was a perfect addition that I never knew I needed until now。 The world-building felt easy to follow; I got slightly lost at one bit where we have all these gods appear but other than that I was enthralled by it。 I will say， I do feel the villain was slightly underdeveloped in terms of his motivation; I didn't get a clear sense of why he was doing what he was doing other than to be bad， and the ending scene to that could have been a bit better done BUT I love that so much of the book focused on character and relationship development that i'm not going to complain; and that ending was perfect and adorable。 This was such a delight to read and I mean that cover， I cannot wait to get onto my shelves。 Such an easy five star read for me and i'm definitely intrigued to read some of Owens other work。 Out 5 October 2021 for you to explore and love just as much as I did！ 。。。more

Robin ，

Okay so I got an arc of this book from the publisher ， thank you！ I also think this book was just really enjoyable all the way through， it had tons of good points。 The story is a pseudo retelling of the goose girl fairytale by the brothers grim （I was so excited when I realized that！） but it mixes in all sorts of magic， monsters and gods。 I found the protagonist， Vanja， so fun。 She’s not your everyday protagonist who is very morally correct and trying to do “the right thing” all the time。 She’s Okay so I got an arc of this book from the publisher ， thank you！ I also think this book was just really enjoyable all the way through， it had tons of good points。 The story is a pseudo retelling of the goose girl fairytale by the brothers grim （I was so excited when I realized that！） but it mixes in all sorts of magic， monsters and gods。 I found the protagonist， Vanja， so fun。 She’s not your everyday protagonist who is very morally correct and trying to do “the right thing” all the time。 She’s really a thief from the beginning and I find it so fun to read a character like this， who is really doing the most。 I felt like there was a lot of emotional depth to her character and I often felt like I could really relate to her - or if I couldn’t I felt like I could understand the actions she was taking。 The love interest is so refreshing， they do got an enemies to lovers vibe going on and I just really enjoyed the way the relationship between the two of them progressed。 I believe this book is a standalone and I just really enjoyed it， it’s funny to read， it has depth， and it mixed in so many interesting fairytale~esque elements。 If you enjoy YA novels I definitely think you should check this out （: 。。。more

Ellen （thereadingrendezvous） ，

This is a story about Vanja who is the god daughter of the low gods death and fortune after being abandoned to them at the age of 4 by her mother as she was believed to bring bad luck with her， being the 13th daughter of the 13th daughter。We find Vanja at the beginning of this book impersonating the prinzessin Gisele， a life she has apparently stolen。 Not only is she impersonating Gisele but she is an unknown and notorious thief whom is trying to pull off her biggest stunt yet in order to escape This is a story about Vanja who is the god daughter of the low gods death and fortune after being abandoned to them at the age of 4 by her mother as she was believed to bring bad luck with her， being the 13th daughter of the 13th daughter。We find Vanja at the beginning of this book impersonating the prinzessin Gisele， a life she has apparently stolen。 Not only is she impersonating Gisele but she is an unknown and notorious thief whom is trying to pull off her biggest stunt yet in order to escape the kingdoms for good。 It all goes wrong when she takes something she shouldn’t have and is cursed by another low god， this thrusts Vanja into a bigger story one which shows us how she came to be the way she is and how her journey and the people she is meeting is changing her。 I really enjoyed the character development in this book， Vanjas character is complex and surprisingly witty。 I loved Ragne， our shapeshifting Demi-god and how naive and sharp she was at the beginning and her progression into a caring， empathetic and understanding character。 I also loved Emeric， our socially awkward， by the book prefect， trying to solve the mystery of the thief and got much more than he bargained for。 There was good representation in this book from non-binary to gay characters， although not pivotal to the plot it was nice to see this inclusion。 I’m not sure how much I loved the German word inserts， I struggled with it for the first quarter of the book， as I read on it became easier but I think if the book didn’t have them and replaced them with full English it would have been just as impactful and for me easier to read in a fluid way。The book is paced well and keeps you on your toes with its twits and turns。I really enjoyed reading this book， it’s like a dark fairytale and I would love to read about what Vanja does next！ 。。。more

Sarah EternityFae ，

I have a few thoughts about the book， so I'm going to bullet point them。Pros - A fantastic premise， the blurb pulled me right into the story- Supporting characters were well fleshed out- Quirky funny moments were interspersed well- Romance was hot， hot， hotCons- A lot of flowery prose that said very little in a lot of words- Intermittent language changes in both spoken language and in describing things is a little jarring when you have to stop and look up the word to get better context。 - I agre I have a few thoughts about the book， so I'm going to bullet point them。Pros - A fantastic premise， the blurb pulled me right into the story- Supporting characters were well fleshed out- Quirky funny moments were interspersed well- Romance was hot， hot， hotCons- A lot of flowery prose that said very little in a lot of words- Intermittent language changes in both spoken language and in describing things is a little jarring when you have to stop and look up the word to get better context。 - I agree with the poster below， the ages were off-putting as 16 is young for the content。 。。。more

Gavin ，

Oh， that is awesome; I hope the story continues & I greatly recommend it。 It had me hooked from the beginning and was easy to follow。

Alexa Ayana ，

" The little thief steal gold， but the great one steals kingdoms， and only one goes to gallows。 "ARC provide by publisher via Netgalley for exchange with honest review。Book will release at Oct 5th 2021 " The little thief steal gold， but the great one steals kingdoms， and only one goes to gallows。 "ARC provide by publisher via Netgalley for exchange with honest review。Book will release at Oct 5th 2021 。。。more

Damon ，

After a slow start， I found myself swept away by this story。 It started life as a bit of a cat & mouse story - Vanja is a thief and she's trying to avoid capture - but it morphed into something else entirely and I loved the directions it took。 If you're recommending this to young readers， I'd tell them to show a bit of patience。 Gods， magic， murder and romance all follow and it takes you everywhere。 It's an ambitious piece of writing and packs a lot in。 It sometimes feels like a few things suffe After a slow start， I found myself swept away by this story。 It started life as a bit of a cat & mouse story - Vanja is a thief and she's trying to avoid capture - but it morphed into something else entirely and I loved the directions it took。 If you're recommending this to young readers， I'd tell them to show a bit of patience。 Gods， magic， murder and romance all follow and it takes you everywhere。 It's an ambitious piece of writing and packs a lot in。 It sometimes feels like a few things suffer as a consequence but the story has more than enough strengths。 It could become a fascinating series。 。。。more

Lydia ，

I completely underestimated this book。 I was so sure that it was going to be worth reading but not amazing， but I LOVED it。First of all， Vanja is very chaotic and opinionated in a somewhat cliche way。 Normally， this bothers me a bit， but she’s amazing。 She’s smart， doesn’t take ANYONE’S sh*t， and she sticks up for herself。 I am totally in love with her。 She’s simultaneously horrible and amazing and it’s great。Emeric motherf*cking Conrad， y’all。 The other love of my life。 He’s？？？ Just？？？？ So？？？？ I completely underestimated this book。 I was so sure that it was going to be worth reading but not amazing， but I LOVED it。First of all， Vanja is very chaotic and opinionated in a somewhat cliche way。 Normally， this bothers me a bit， but she’s amazing。 She’s smart， doesn’t take ANYONE’S sh*t， and she sticks up for herself。 I am totally in love with her。 She’s simultaneously horrible and amazing and it’s great。Emeric motherf*cking Conrad， y’all。 The other love of my life。 He’s？？？ Just？？？？ So？？？？ Sweet？？？？ Like I guess I have a new top three book boyfriend and I’m not mad about it。 Again， smart， caring， and his relationship with Vanja is moderately healthy and very much adorable。This is very reminiscent of Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin， but I like it MUCH better。 The fact that Lou was a thief who didn’t pull off a single heist was annoying， but this was a thief/law enforcement romance that was amazing and actually included copious amounts of crime and deception。Lastly， the SUPPORTING MAIN CHARACTERS OMG。 I loved every single one of them， even the lesser ones like Barthl。 Ragne is probably my favorite besides Emeric and Vanja， but I also love Giselle and the others so much。Most of what I liked was character and plot based， but there’s also a great world in place and I find it amusing that Death and Fortune raised a kid and are having a high stakes yet tame custody battle for the entire book。 READ THIS BOOK。 。。。more

The Hardcover Harpy ，

This book is ferocious and tender in equal measure， and I loved it with my whole heart。Little Thieves by Margaret Owen is one of those books I just knew was going to be good。 The cover is gorgeous， the synopsis hooked me， and from the very first words， I was utterly absorbed。 Heck， even before the story started， the dedication and author’s note at the beginning of the book made it abundantly clear that Owen was officially an Author I Would Love。The dedication:To the grelim girls， I would like to This book is ferocious and tender in equal measure， and I loved it with my whole heart。Little Thieves by Margaret Owen is one of those books I just knew was going to be good。 The cover is gorgeous， the synopsis hooked me， and from the very first words， I was utterly absorbed。 Heck， even before the story started， the dedication and author’s note at the beginning of the book made it abundantly clear that Owen was officially an Author I Would Love。The dedication:To the grelim girls， I would like to tell you something inspiring， but the truth is， when life closes a door for us， it doesn’t always open a window。 The good news is: that’s what bricks are for。 Author's note:This is a story about many things， beautiful and ugly， painful and true。 There are discussions of child abuse and neglect， navigating abusive environments， and trauma from a past attempted assault。 For many of us， these are wounds， and I have tried to give them air here without tearing at the hard-won stitches。 Still， I trust you to know your scars。 She’s right: this story is beautiful and ugly， painful and true， and I loved that Owen didn’t shy away from its sharper edges， that she respected her readers so completely。Our main character， Vanja， is a liar and thief: not only is she impersonating a princess， she’s masquerading as the Pfennigeist， a burglar who steals from the rich – and keeps every penny for herself。Vanja is also a lot of other things that girls are rarely allowed to be: angry， arrogant， and abrasive。 I absolutely adored her – her smug and witty attitude made me grin on virtually every page， and her emotional journey made me cry two （2） times。 It’s easy to make me cry with a heartbreaking finale， but rarely does a character’s development make me tear up。It wasn’t just Vanja’s personal development that fascinated me， though – it was the way her relationships with the other characters evolved。 In particular， her relationship with Emeric – the boy trying to take down the Pfennigeist – was exquisitely done。Emeric is also Vanja’s straight-laced foil， and prompts some of her best lines:“I think I get it now，” I announce with an air of discovery。 “You’re what happens when an encyclopedia wishes on a star to be a real boy， if that encyclopedia was also an absolute prick。” I loved Emeric almost as much as I loved Vanja。 And that’s really saying something。 He’s whip-smart and awkward， and increasingly flustered by Vanja。 Together， they’re just divine。VerdictLittle Thieves is my favourite kind of fairytale。 It’s darkly magical and spins a good yarn – but it also offers a lot of wisdom。 Through the narrative， Owen explores topics like selfishness and greed， abuse and consent。 Because as Owen says， this is a story about many things， beautiful and ugly， painful and true。Some of it was creepy， or horrifying。Some of it was funny， or romantic。Some of it was painful。But all of it was phenomenal。 。。。more

Alexandra Harber ，

I went into this book with some high expectations， and from the first chapter I was not disappointed， it was extremely gripping！ The storyline is unique。 I was intrigued from the description and I cannot complain much about its execution。 From early on in the story I was so happy with the LGBTQ representation in both the main and the secondary characters。 Are you a fan of morally grey characters？ Because if you are， this is a MUST read。 However， one thing I found a little bit irritating was the I went into this book with some high expectations， and from the first chapter I was not disappointed， it was extremely gripping！ The storyline is unique。 I was intrigued from the description and I cannot complain much about its execution。 From early on in the story I was so happy with the LGBTQ representation in both the main and the secondary characters。 Are you a fan of morally grey characters？ Because if you are， this is a MUST read。 However， one thing I found a little bit irritating was the description。 Sometimes it was a bit ‘flowery’ for want of a better word。 It felt like a lot was being said but we weren’t actually being told anything in particular。 I wouldn’t say this put me off the book at all， I just think maybe some bits could be a little more precise。3。5 🌟 for me， but I’ll round it up to a four！ 。。。more

anne⁷ | BUTTER 21 May 2021 ，

Other than the "thieves" in the title， the plot twist in the summary makes me want to read this even more。 Other than the "thieves" in the title， the plot twist in the summary makes me want to read this even more。 。。。more

Anushka Sierra ，

Find my reviews at Feminist QuillDISCLAIMER: I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review。Quotes are taken from an ARC and may be subject to change prior to publication。I would like to tell you something inspiring， but the truth is， when life closes a door for us， it doesn’t always open a window。 The good news is: that’s what bricks are for。 Synopsis: Vanja Schmidt is having the time of her life impersonating a princess and robbing Find my reviews at Feminist QuillDISCLAIMER: I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review。Quotes are taken from an ARC and may be subject to change prior to publication。I would like to tell you something inspiring， but the truth is， when life closes a door for us， it doesn’t always open a window。 The good news is: that’s what bricks are for。 Synopsis: Vanja Schmidt is having the time of her life impersonating a princess and robbing the nobility blind。 But she’s forced to reckon with her wild ways when Eiswald， the Lady of the Forest， lays a curse on her。 Vanja will literally become her greed if she doesn’t find a way to return what she took。Even as she struggles to put things right， stranger evils are conspiring against her and everyone she loves。Odds are they deserve it。 And instead of sitting around gathering dust， their riches can go to someone who deserves to be rich。 （Me。 That’s usually me。） Fascinating， fascinating re-telling of The Goose Girl。 I’ve always loved this story with a sort of macabre fascination – and deep pity for Falada！ The evilness of the maid！ The pitiful state of the princess！ The physical descriptions that show the maid as being heavyset in comparison to the delicate， hapless， princess！Well， Little Thieves turns all of that on its head。 At its heart is trust and toxic independence – of Vanja （the maid who usurps her mistress’ position） and her willingness to do whatever it takes to ensure that she can live a free life。 Vanja always looks out for number one。 Because， despite having Death and Fortune for her godmothers， and despite having a princess for her best friend， Vanja has learned the hard way that no one else is going to do it。Vanja is a terribly likable protagonist， not least because she’s hilarious。 She’s unapologetic and quick witted and so resourceful。 Her number one rule is not to panic， and she keeps an admirably cool head as she jumps from one situation to the next， almost totally out of her depth each time。And in all her toxic independence， Vanja fails to consider that life might have things in store for her – unexpectedly wonderful things like friendship and love。 And it’s delightful to see how blindsided she is by it， and how she slowly teaches herself to accept the love， to accept having people help her。Little Thieves has wonderful motley-gang-pulls-off-random-heist vibes （last spotted in the Six of Crows duology and Spinning Silver）。 I love all of the main characters – especially Vanja， Ragne and Gisele。 Well-written female friendships – and WLW relationships！！！！！ – and the found family trope are things I will never tire of reading， and Little Thieves offers them up aplenty。 [The LGBT rep isn’t very deep or central to the plot， but still has a pretty important place in the book。]Owen writes emotion and vulnerability – not just emotional scenes – deftly。 Her characters have wonderful chemistry together as they react to each other in exactly the right ways， and each responds with the exact kind of reaction and support the other needs at that moment。The book was a little on the long side， but so eventful that the pages turn swiftly。 The plot doesn’t as much twist as delays gratification， keeping the reader on their toes until the end and making the resolutions all the sweeter for it because we feel they’ve been hard-won。A wonderful book， and one I’m really glad I got the chance to read。 。。。more

Sabs ，

5 stars！！！ an absolute knockout， showstopper， fabulous read。 I'll add a couple of my favourite quotes later but let's just say that i adored vanja so damn much。 what a character after my own heart！！！ 5 stars！！！ an absolute knockout， showstopper， fabulous read。 I'll add a couple of my favourite quotes later but let's just say that i adored vanja so damn much。 what a character after my own heart！！！ 。。。more

Catrina ，

October 5， 2021

Becky ，

"Once upon a time， on the coldest night of midwinter， in the darkest heart of the forest， Death and Fortune came to a crossroads。" Little thieves is set in a German inspired magical land， with appearances from low gods， nachtmar， böslings and magic from witch ash。 The story follow Vanya， the God daughter of Death and Fortune， as she masquerades as  princess Gisele， but when she steals a protection charm from a low god， she is cursed to "become her greed"。 "Little thieves steal gold， and g "Once upon a time， on the coldest night of midwinter， in the darkest heart of the forest， Death and Fortune came to a crossroads。" Little thieves is set in a German inspired magical land， with appearances from low gods， nachtmar， böslings and magic from witch ash。 The story follow Vanya， the God daughter of Death and Fortune， as she masquerades as  princess Gisele， but when she steals a protection charm from a low god， she is cursed to "become her greed"。 "Little thieves steal gold， and great ones steal kingdoms， but only one goes to the gallows" This story was somewhat difficult to get into originally just because of the depth if world building that Owen includes but by about 27% I was hooked， constantly wanting to read more and obsessed with the characters。 The humour in this ranged from subtle to explicit， both enough to get a chuckle from me， and the characterisation shone through brilliantly。 You could count on Vanya for some wisecrack in the face of probable death， you could count on Ragne to be oblivious to the worst things， and you could count on Death and Fortune to embody to disappointed mother role。 "Once upon a time， there was a girl as cunning as the fox in winter， as hungry as the wolf at first frost ， and cold as the icy wind that kept them at each other’s throats。" The action however was consistently fast paced and immersive。 Vanya has grown up a thief and the reader is taken along with her as she makes her prescene as the pfennigeist known。 Similarly， the fighting had me on the edge of my seat every time。 。 “I think there are lives that make it easy to be good。 Or what most people call good。 When you have wealth， status， family， it’s easy to be a saint， it costs you nothing。 I can’t say if you’re a good person or not。 But the more I know of you， the more I understand that the world keeps making you choose between survival and martyrdom。 No one should fault you for wanting to survive" However， my favourite part was without a doubt how the character relationships developed。 It felt authentic to listen to Vanyas disgust and bargaining at her growing affection （view spoiler）[for her original enemy， but watching her accept this （hide spoiler）] and everything that comes after was enough to make me OBSESSED with their story and what happens next。 Furthermore， Owen remembers the side characters， creating some of the most fleshed out 3d characters I've read in a while。 I wont spoil anything but the dynamics Owen created were excellent。 "I have been an orphan， a servant， a thief， and a princess。”"Who are you now？""Vanya" Yet， what stuck with me the most was potentially how well Owen delved into the heavier and more heart wrenching topics。 Vanya is a flawed character but as you learn more of her backstory you understand why。 Owen neither shied away nor romanticized， but the desperation that is depicted through vanyas character is so authentic the reader has no option but to sympathise and vouch for her win。Overall， i would give this a 4。5 rounded up to 5 because it was such an enjoyable read and i'd love to reread it to catch any parts that i may have originally missed。 。。。more

Piper ，

Oh wow。 This is not what I imanged its so much better than I expected。 The Book is action packed and full of emtiomal。 From mystical creatures to dynamic relationships。

Amanda ，

Review to come

Louise Page ，

Oh goodness， how I loved this runaway carriage of a book！ You cant help but like the main character， despite all the shady stuff she has done， and as you get to know the major players， you come to love them too。 The style is smooth going， and the story grips you as you have no idea what will happen next。 I loved this， and can not wait for the next book。

Natasha ，

This brilliantly bewitching YA fantasy from the bestselling author of The Merciful Crow was absolutely addictive—definitely a contender in my top ten reads of 2021！Vanja Schmidt， abandoned by her mother and raised as the adopted goddaughter of Death and Fortune， was a dutiful servant，until a year ago。 When her otherworldly godmothers’ demanded she pay the price for their raising her， she decided to steal back her life by Usurping the life of the Princess she served。 leaving her a penniless nobod This brilliantly bewitching YA fantasy from the bestselling author of The Merciful Crow was absolutely addictive—definitely a contender in my top ten reads of 2021！Vanja Schmidt， abandoned by her mother and raised as the adopted goddaughter of Death and Fortune， was a dutiful servant，until a year ago。 When her otherworldly godmothers’ demanded she pay the price for their raising her， she decided to steal back her life by Usurping the life of the Princess she served。 leaving her a penniless nobody。Her new role proves lucrative， charming nobility （and emptying their Coffers in the process）。 But with one heist left before making her getaway， Vanja crosses the wrong god and is left cursed—turning slowly into jewels for her greed。 With only two weeks to break the curse and soo many people on her trail， she must now orchestrate her biggest con yet，if she wants to survive。I absolutely loved this deliciously dark fairytale-esque fantasy which had me hooked from start to finished。I did get a ‘Prince and The Pauper’ vibe， with a cat burlgar，Kaz Brekker-style twist， which I absolutely loved。Our protagonist， Vanja （the jewel thieving， Princess imposter） was an incredibly well written and complex character—her motivations seem selfish at first， but as her story unfolds we glimpse into the childhood experiences that have shaped her life choices （and her need for freedom）。 The other characters were equally as complex and I couldn’t help but adore Ragne，the shapeshifting Demi-God and her naivety in the ways of humans was endearingly sweet。I enjoyed the enemies to lovers type romance，which was really sweet—and Vanja’s love interest was absolutely adorable in his awkwardness。I must warn that there are discussions of child abuse，neglect， navigating abusive environments and the emotional trauma of attempted assault， which may be a trigger for some people。Overall a beautifully written YA fantasy recommended to fans of dark fairytales and The Merciful Crow。Thank you to Hodder&Stoughton and Net Galley for the ARC 。。。more

Caitlin ，

Loved the world building， the character range， the emotional highs and lows which were so very well earned， and the thunderclap of an ending。

Stacey - passionisbooks ，

Vanja is the goddaughter of Death and Fortune， but was made to become a maid to the Princess Gisele。 As Vanja finds there is a cost to being the goddaughter of two Goddess’ she steals the life of the Princess to make her fortune and be free to live her own life。 But when she annoys the wrong God， she is forced to face her greed in order to survive。 This book is very fairytale like and I really enjoyed that it was a different kind of story - think Six of Crows mixed with The Bear and the Nighting Vanja is the goddaughter of Death and Fortune， but was made to become a maid to the Princess Gisele。 As Vanja finds there is a cost to being the goddaughter of two Goddess’ she steals the life of the Princess to make her fortune and be free to live her own life。 But when she annoys the wrong God， she is forced to face her greed in order to survive。 This book is very fairytale like and I really enjoyed that it was a different kind of story - think Six of Crows mixed with The Bear and the Nightingale。 I enjoyed all of the characters and the character development was amazing。 We see Vanja grow as a person and not even to break her curse。 Vanja is a very relatable character too， with real life problems and I loved how strong she was - and I don’t just mean badass， but facing up to her problems。 I think I would have liked another POV， maybe Gisele’s， just to get a feel of the other side of things。 It’s hard to explain without spoiling， but there’s two main types of settings， the castle and the orphanage， we just mainly see the castle scenes。I really struggled with the beginning of this book and sometimes it felt the author got a bit bored writing paragraphs; which made me feel the same way。 The world building could have been slightly better， mainly with explanations of the otherworldly creatures and what their purposes are。 For example， I felt Poldi wasn’t explained the best and if I hadn’t read the Winternight Trilogy， I would have been very confused。 I also feel some more background information of Vanja’s life with the Goddess’ would’ve been a nice addition。The book picked up around the 30% mark for me and I really enjoyed how the book was sectioned with little fairytale stories。 The plot was really well written and I loved how different it was。 This book is written in first person and I， personally， love books written in this style because I feel a stronger connection with the characters and I feel the writing flows better; making them an easy read。 Overall， if you love Six of Crows and the Winternight trilogy， you’ll love this; but something was just missing for me。 This book doesn’t come out until October so I would probably pick up a copy just to see if anything had been added to help in the areas I found lacking。Thank you so much to Netgalley， the author and Hodder & Stoughton for this ARC in exchange for an honest review。Actual rating ⭐️3。5 。。。more

Luca ，

I received this as an ARC on NetGalley， in exchange for an honest reviewActual rate: 4。5Good:- The whole entire character database。 I elaborate later。 Trust me its so good。- gorgeous fantasy and magic with some unusual elements- look， I've already recommended to 6 people， so that shows you how much i loved this。Bad:- It did feel a little packed in at times， like so much plot occurred that I didn't have time to take it all in before moving on。 Personal preference though。This book was so fun！ I re I received this as an ARC on NetGalley， in exchange for an honest reviewActual rate: 4。5Good:- The whole entire character database。 I elaborate later。 Trust me its so good。- gorgeous fantasy and magic with some unusual elements- look， I've already recommended to 6 people， so that shows you how much i loved this。Bad:- It did feel a little packed in at times， like so much plot occurred that I didn't have time to take it all in before moving on。 Personal preference though。This book was so fun！ I really loved the REPRESENTATION！！！！！！ A god character with they/them pronouns （genderfluid）， lesbian and bisexual women as main supporting characters and just general attention to rep throughout had me so enthralled， and also in love。 I did shed a little tear at the godly pronouns to be honest。 I also loved the plot！ I wont say more for spoilers but saving the kingdom and detectives and magic are just。。。 perfect。 If you speak a little german （Im fairly sure it was german）， there were references/single words throughout this， in the same way as Serpent and Dove kindof？ It was fun for me， but if you speak none it may be a little confusing。After the beginning where we jumped right in， I was a little disoriented that we didn't get much setting establishment， but overall it worked through by the end。 It was also a little fast paced for my liking， but i could keep up。 Representative， twisty and magical。I would recommend this book to anyone who loves books with fantasy magic， and a REPRESENTATION （I've said this so many times， you can tell its exciting！）。 Also， if you like fantasy creatures and a well developed and integrated fantasy setting this is the book for you。Overall: 4/5 。。。more

Margrieta ，

This book is something completely unique。。。 Brilliant fairytale-ish YA book。 I can’t compare it with anything I’ve read before， maybe brother Grimm collected fairytales， but that’s simply due to the Germanic roots of this book。 Autor uses same things as L。Bardugo did in her Grisha trilogy， inserting altered “german like” words， and of course there isn’t a vocabulary explaining them。 I would’ve preferred if the words weren’t altered。 Vanja is a thirteenth daughter of the thirteenth daughter， whic This book is something completely unique。。。 Brilliant fairytale-ish YA book。 I can’t compare it with anything I’ve read before， maybe brother Grimm collected fairytales， but that’s simply due to the Germanic roots of this book。 Autor uses same things as L。Bardugo did in her Grisha trilogy， inserting altered “german like” words， and of course there isn’t a vocabulary explaining them。 I would’ve preferred if the words weren’t altered。 Vanja is a thirteenth daughter of the thirteenth daughter， which is believed to be a bad luck。 Her mother gives her away to Death and Fortune。 That are raising her as their own daughter。 Vanja has been stealing from bourgeoisie for some time， until one day， when she steals from the people that are protected by the Low god and she gets cursed。。。 She has to return everything that she has stolen， otherwise she will die。。。 But what if she has stolen more than just objects。。。 I won’t be spoiling， but this curse！！！ One of the weirdest but at the same time coolest curses I’ve read about。 The whole book is so interesting， with the descriptions， characters， there is even a shapeshifter （my favorite character here）。 Main character is also overcoming mental trauma， which makes this book more complex。 I would highly recommend on reading this book if you’re looking for something new and different from the mass market。 。。。more

Tess ，

3。5 starsLittle Thieves。。 where to begin with this one？ Let me preface this review by stating that I just had finished reading Owen's The Merciful Crow duology， which I absolutely adored， and wanted more。 That being said， I had a difficult time getting into this book， but when I finally did， I thoroughly enjoyed it。Let's start with the pros:-chaotic， demisexual MC who has never done anything wrong in her life， ever （except like， once or twice）-adoptive moms that may or may not be lower gods and 3。5 starsLittle Thieves。。 where to begin with this one？ Let me preface this review by stating that I just had finished reading Owen's The Merciful Crow duology， which I absolutely adored， and wanted more。 That being said， I had a difficult time getting into this book， but when I finally did， I thoroughly enjoyed it。Let's start with the pros:-chaotic， demisexual MC who has never done anything wrong in her life， ever （except like， once or twice）-adoptive moms that may or may not be lower gods and don't fully understand human nature-sapphic demigod who is an absolute cinnamon bun， but could and would also kill you-stealing from the bourgeoisie -complex interpersonal relationships-overcoming trauma-super intriguing structureSo， if that many things went right - why didn't the book appeal to me at first？ Well， the nation that Little Thieves takes place in is called Almandy， a country that is quite heavily based on old-timey Germany。 That entails most of the names， the snippets of the native language that we get and many locations also being based on German。 Now， I am not German myself， but German is still my mother tongue， and that's what made the first part of the book somewhat uncomfortable for me to read。 Most of the vocabulary was directly lifted from German， other words were slightly altered and just looked super wrong to me， and a few words didn't resemble German much at all。 This is super nit-picky， but it really had an negative impact on my reading experience， so I thought I'd include it in my review！ I think I would have preferred if Owen either just decided to use German completely， or she come up with a language based on German - this mixture of both methods didn't work for me personally， but I think it wouldn't be a big factor if you're not familiar with the language。 It certainly didn't help that the book practically started with a scene where the MC introduces us to tons of the aristocracy by name。That being said， around 20-25% in， I was able to shake that discomfort for the most part and could really begin to enjoy the story for what it was。 As mentioned above， I really appreciated how intricate all of the character's personalities were， how morally grey their actions ended up being as a result。 Vanja was a very compelling protagonist and seeing her struggle with her trauma and the way she has dealt with it in the past is great。 I really enjoy the way the story unfolded， somehow becoming a whodunnit （or more like， howdunnit） while still keeping up those fantasy elements。 All in all， I'd definitely recommend this one if you're looking for a fantasy standalone， ESPECIALLY if you're looking for casual queer rep and a demisexual MC！Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of it's release！ 。。。more

Alice ，

I can usually tell if I'm going to enjoy a book from the first few chapters。 With Little Thieves I knew I was going to love it from the first page。 I'm not sure the best way to go about writing this review， since Little Thieves is without doubt the best book I've read this year。 I’ll attempt to keep gushing to a minimum， but no promises。 I’ll start with the characters。 Every single one of them was fantastic。 The second I was introduced to the main character， Vanja， I knew she would end up being I can usually tell if I'm going to enjoy a book from the first few chapters。 With Little Thieves I knew I was going to love it from the first page。 I'm not sure the best way to go about writing this review， since Little Thieves is without doubt the best book I've read this year。 I’ll attempt to keep gushing to a minimum， but no promises。 I’ll start with the characters。 Every single one of them was fantastic。 The second I was introduced to the main character， Vanja， I knew she would end up being one of my favourite literary characters and I was absolutely right。 I adored everything about her。 We need more characters like Vanja， at times she was selfish and mean， but that made me love her all the more。 I think authors are often afraid of writing female characters who aren't “nice”， but I'm bored of reading about nice girls！ I want to read about girls clawing their way up to get what they want。 You could have the best main character in the world but if the supporting characters are weak then the story will inevitably fall flat。 This wasn’t the case with Little Thieves， and Owens did a masterful job of creating wonderfully multi-dimensional characters that I fell in love with。 Each one was complex and had their own motivations， which made for fascinating reading as you couldn’t guess what was going to happen next。 My only teeny， tiny criticism of this book is that the characters were a smidge younger than I felt they should be。 Age was important to the plot for a few reasons， but I wish the characters could have perhaps been seventeen-going-on-eighteen， rather that sixteen-going-on-seventeen。 This is personal preference more than anything because I'm in my mid-twenties and just think of sixteen-year-olds as incredibly young， but it didn’t really detract from the story- just made me feel old！Any and all romance in the book was done really well and never felt shoe-horned in or rushed。 I have to give Owens the credit she’s due when it came to diversity in this book。 There was no token representation here。 I was especially impressed with the LGBTQ representation， and loved how not only were there LGBTQ relationships between main characters， but there were also side-characters who would mention a same-sex wife or husband casually。 There was also a genderfluid character who was specifically asked which pronouns they wanted to be referred to by。 Diversity like this is so often lacking （especially in fantasy） and I really loved how easily it was including （and done properly！） in Little Thieves。 The plot of this book was fast-paced， action-packed， and absolutely brilliant。 I never found myself getting bored as there was always something exciting happening， and I couldn’t put it down。 There were twists that I didn’t see coming and moments that made me put the book down and briefly scream into my pillow。 The world-building was masterful and Owens wove together a stunning world of politics， Low Gods， curses， and thieves。 The magical elements in this book really made it something quite special， and every aspect of it felt so original but also somehow familiar？ It was totally unique， but if I did have to compare it to something it would be Six of Crows as it shared that immersive world-building element。 I could talk about this book and how incredible it was all day， but I fear everyone would get bored of my rambling， so I shall wrap up the review here。 I so rarely award a book five stars （fewer than three so far in 2021） but this more than deserves that rating。 I've immediately gone and ordered Owens’ other books because I loved this one so much and am desperate for more of her stunning writing。 I just know that this is going to be a favourite of so many people once it’s released， and I can't wait to see the finished copy as I'm sure it will be beautiful。 My favourite book of 2021 so far and one I highly， highly recommend。Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a copy of this book in return for an honest review。 。。。more

Page_by_page__ ，

I fell in love with this book from the moment I saw the cover！ It’s a gorgeous cover for such a nice book！ I liked the story so much and I found it to be quite different from the usual YA fantasies that talk about magic。 The characters were solid and well developed and I also liked the authenticity in them。 The book has great humour and enough sarcasm to make me love it！ The emotions and romance through out the book were so well done that didn’t feel “fed” to the reader or just necessary for the I fell in love with this book from the moment I saw the cover！ It’s a gorgeous cover for such a nice book！ I liked the story so much and I found it to be quite different from the usual YA fantasies that talk about magic。 The characters were solid and well developed and I also liked the authenticity in them。 The book has great humour and enough sarcasm to make me love it！ The emotions and romance through out the book were so well done that didn’t feel “fed” to the reader or just necessary for the plot。 What I also liked in this book was the LGBTQ representation that was subtle but present throughout the book。 Lastly， the world building and the use of magic were created masterfully to give the reader the necessary information to understand the plot but not excessive details to be tiring。 I five star rating for this book is well deserved！ 。。。more

Katie。dorny ，

Guess who got an arc！！！！！！！ Loving the synopsis and the cover。。。hello there。

Lena ，

Little Thieves is a brilliant balance between young and new adult， following Vanja Schmidt， impersonator of Princess Gisele， goddaughter to Death and Fortune and on the run from almost every cursed version of herself （be that magical or personal） to try to get her future back。 This was an excellent single-sitting read！ Vanja… grows on you。 She runs a double life as a princess and a jewel thief， which appears incredibly lonely and， as such， is an initially prickly individual （to both the reader a Little Thieves is a brilliant balance between young and new adult， following Vanja Schmidt， impersonator of Princess Gisele， goddaughter to Death and Fortune and on the run from almost every cursed version of herself （be that magical or personal） to try to get her future back。 This was an excellent single-sitting read！ Vanja… grows on you。 She runs a double life as a princess and a jewel thief， which appears incredibly lonely and， as such， is an initially prickly individual （to both the reader and those she interacts with）。 The cast of side characters （Emeric， Ragne and Gisele） are incredibly rich and only bolster Vanja’s excellent character development。 They were incredibly well-fleshed out – I adored this book， its world and its characters， there’s a reason they work so well together。The worldbuilding was truly brilliant， weaving politics， ritual magic， Low Gods and usurpers into a sarcastic， hilarious and emotional tale。 Owen’s storytelling is incredible， balancing a kingdom and its wider lore with an excellent mystery。 It was emotional， it was heartbreaking and dramatic…。 and funny！ How many ways can I say that I loved this？ This is a must read and a pager turner wrapped in a gorgeous world with an excellent cast。 Highly， highly recommended。 My thanks to NetGalley， Hodder & Stoughton and Margaret Owen for this ARC！ 。。。more

Surbhi Das ，

ARC received via Netgalley in exchange of my honest opinion！

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Little Thieves

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Little Thieves&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Little Thieves&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0