I’ve never read the story that this book is supposed to be a retelling of, but I don’t think that took anything away from how good this book is.

The first few pages had me hooked and I could t put it down. I really enjoyed the narrative styles as it switches from tales “once upon a time” to first person narrative through Vanja.

The characters are all so well developed. We as the reader are given such insight into how the main character came to be who she is. Why she makes those decisions, how her path was forged. Her development over the course of the novel is authentic and never rushed. Through Vanja’s tales and the dialog, we are also given insight into other characters. Why they made bad choices and how they became to be who they are.

The odd word is in a foreign language which is jarring sometimes when you’re in the flow of the narrative to have to stop and work out what it means. However, it is a small issue and nothing that detracts from the novel.

The storyline is interesting, and I loved the development of how Vanja and Gisele were friends and then enemies and then friends again. The theme of friendship is strong throughout the novel, and knowing the characters as we do, we really rally behind Vanja while she does something that feels difficult - forming new relationships.

I enjoy fantasy novels and the author of this book seemingly created a whole world and sucks the reader into it. Everything is described so clearly and distinctly that I could find my way around this town but equally it didn’t bog down the narrative with pointless details.

I would recommend this book and most likely read again.

I received an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Have you ever heard the Goose Girl Tale? Little Thieves is a beautifully atmospheric reimagining of this not-so-known German tale. Vanja is the antihero orphaned as a child to the lower gods, Death and Fortune. She’s also the wicked girl who steals the identity of Princess Gisele with the help of an enchanted necklace. In the past year she has come to know a life of luxury and thievery, taking from the rich and noble she meets in her secondary guise. I’ll let you find out what that is though. Her thieving misdeeds end up going too far and she takes from too many of the wrong individuals. As her enemy’s mount, enchanted deadlines approach and a curse slowly turns her to a statue of precious gems, we get to experience Owen expertly craft a web of plot lines and back story. When I say there is a lot going on, there is a LOT going on. Don’t worry though; the flow is well-crafted. I personally would have preferred a faster paced read but the way the story is laid out makes it easy to see why things unfold the way they do. So I can’t complain too much.

I do not have enough adjectives to describe how much I enjoyed the cast of characters in this book. The growth was spectacular. There is something to be said about characters you know you should probably dislike but end up highly loving by the end. As I mentioned above, there are a lot of moving parts existing in this one and that applies to the characters as well. Owen not only brings you character background that molds the persona of their current day devilishness, but she molds their character growth step by step. By the end you realize your initial feelings are probably no longer valid. I loved it.

So I don’t write a novel myself, I’ll quickly mention that the world building, lore and magic were wonderful. This is a tale that has not been done ad nauseam. The original has the deliciously dark ending many of us love from the Grimm Tales. Owen embraces that atmosphere and creeps it into the pages perfectly. Obviously, you can tell that I adored this novel. It is a lengthy read and like I mentioned, some areas may be longer than some may like. The ending was a bit abrupt for my liking with the buildup so exquisitely put together. Even with the slow pace and ending I found myself drawn and unable to put it down for the majority of my read. Next, I plan to hunt down the audio. It has to be just as wonderful.

Little Thieves features a vicious and pragmatic main character who is very hard to like and relate to in the first chapters of the book but who is absolutely riveting nonetheless. Vanja is an intriguing MC and I loved following along with her story.

This is beautifully written. It is lyrical and engaging and the structure of the chapters is absolutely lovely and works so so well with the narrative of this novel. The worldbuilding is full of depth and has so many elements that are woven together delicately and effectively. I loved the wider cast of characters, particularly Ragne whom I found hilarious and delightful.

This is immersive and diverse and intriguing and I really enjoyed it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read this eARC for an honest review.
I really REALLY liked this book although it was a little bit longer than I was originally expecting I enjoyed the story either way.
The plot was amazing to be honest, with that final plot twist I just had to reread the last part because I just couldn't let it go without completely understanding it. I loved so many of the characters of this book, I enjoyed all the banter and every moment between Vanja and Emeric, their relationship was just so pure and lovely.
The only reason it wasn't a full 5 star book was because the book was so long some parts I felt like it lost some of the fast pacing that was present almost throughout the book and unfortunately because of that I sometimes couldn't really connect with all the characters when the pacing picked up again.
Overall I really enjoyed reading this book and I really loved the retelling part of it.

Margaret Owen's books are marketed as YA and I think this is doing a disservice to her stories as she can surely write excellent and riveting fantasy novels.
I loved the The Merciful Crow series and I love Little Thieves, a book I read in two sitting unable to put it down.
I love smart ass type of characters and I couldn't help loving Vanja, a good/bad girl who grew on me and who's complex and strong willed.
The cast of characters is well written and interesting.
The world building is excellent and I want to learn more about this fascinating universe.
I love the tongue-in-cheek style of writing, the humour and the excellent storytelling.
I can't wait to read the next story in this series.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I absolutely loved this book and, having just seen it's supposed to be part of series, am super excited for the next one. Vanja is a brilliant and thoroughly realistic character, and I think Owen deals with some very tricky subject matter with extreme sensitivity. I really enjoyed the way the world was alive with gods - it reminded me of Discworld in that regard. Loved it.

Little Thieves is the first Margaret Owen book I’ve read, although The Merciful Crow has been sitting on my TBR for some time, and I was not disappointed.

Great writing, immersive world building, fantastic characters and a brilliant story all combined to make this an enjoyable read.

First of all this is a retelling and who doesn’t love a retelling when it’s done well. Secondly it builds to big finale, which despite not being totally unexpected, was written in such a way that you weren’t always convinced it would definitely play out that way (sorry for the vagueness but no spoilers).

I really loved the characters and even though there is an obvious main character, the supporting characters were just as brilliant (yes Ragne I’m talking to you!). Vanja is the main female protagonist and I loved that she wasn’t wholly good or innocent. She has a past and has not always done the right things or made the right choices. She develops brilliantly throughout the book and still manages to hold her spark and cheekiness.

Overall this was a fabulous read and one I would definitely recommend to fans of retellings, slow burn romance, action, adventure and fantasy.

4.5 stars rounded up

I was intrigued by this book as soon as I saw the cover. The characters were built extremely well, with differing personalities and strong dialogue. The way the book is presented is different from the many YA books that dive into magic.

I enjoyed the humour and wit that was woven throughout the story, alongside the nail-biting intensity of the plot. I would thoroughly recommend this book for fantasy and non-fantasy lovers alike.

Vanja whose godmothers are Death and Fortune, has taken Princess Gisele's place thanks to an enchanted pearl necklace and 'liberates' nobility of their jewels. Almost having the amount she needs to escape, she enrages a Low God and gets cursed to become what she steals. Two weeks is all she has to break the curse and escape godmothers, a criminal hunter and impending nuptials.

Showing a bit of a chill and a sense of foreboding, this tale, this reinvention of the Goose Girl fairy tale begins. With a captivating narrative like the protagonist is talking to us, the author succeeds in not only pulling us into the story, but making the fantastical elements seem grounded and natural. Imagination is sprinkled in every nook and cranny of the worldbuilding. In-depth vivid descriptions, incredible creatures, interesting characters and the whatnot. Ragne was so entertaining.

I enjoy how the protagonist is a not what you would call a nice or a good person, but you still like her. Her hints of sarcasm make you smile. So does her sass. Little details slowly reveal to us the true story of how Vanja came to be where she is, making the story even more bingeable. I really really liked the dialogue, at points it was even brilliant and highly quotable. As were Vanja's thoughts that could be heart-lurching and most of the time smirk-worthy. The figurative speech is oftentimes absolutely gorgeous.

We do at some point find out where the Princess is, since this is a case of switcheroo. Other than that, this is far from predictable. Plus the story is more complex than you initially think making it if possible even more intriguing. It also unfolds nicely so you don't get confused.

Things are not always as they seem, in this book and in life, so try not to judge. This tale encourages us to believe in ourselves even if it seems that others don't. It deals with being a survivor and wanting to belong.

I loved loved loved this charismatic and truly exceptionally written story full of action, danger, unexpected allies and devious enemies. This fun book takes over your heart and is probably one of the best I have read this year.

Adopted goddaughter of Death and Fortune, Vanja Schmidt is determined to change her life around. As the 13th daughter of the 13th daughter, her birth reeked of bad luck and so Vanja’s birth mother left her behind. Right from the beginning, Vanja’s known as the villain. With an enchanted pearl necklace, the loyal maid stole Princess Gisele’s life away. Swapping places, the princess is left homeless, without money, and utterly betrayed while Vanja finally lives a life in which she wouldn’t be scapegoated, scolded, and helpless.

This Goose Girl retelling captured my entire heart without warning and without hesitation. I couldn’t stop reading about Vanja’s story simply because it was compelling. Margaret Owen’s writing is beautiful and lyrical. Every page was a delight to read. I loved the way the author slipped humorous dialogues into the situation that I found endearing.

Vanja was an interesting character to read. There’s always something new about her to discover. Though her actions aren’t good, I felt that she had good reasons. Tired of being constantly tossed aside when necessary and without any support, Vanja did what she did: Attain a better future.

Vanja plays multiple characters in her story: Princess Gisele, Greta the maid, Vanja Schmidt, and the Pfennigeist. In order to not end up in servitude to either of her godmothers, Vanja resorted to becoming a jewel thief to pay for her escape. Things took a turn when Vanja’s greed landed her right in the hands of a Low God. Cursed to pay for her deeds, Vanja will slowly turn into jewels. Deadline: the full moon.

Stealing from the rich, the Pfennigeist made a name for herself that attracted the attention of the law enforcers. Unfortunately, or fortunately, for Vanja, an overeager junior prefect is hot on her tails trying to solve the crime. Soon enough, she realizes that the case is not what it seems. Greater forces are manipulating the political sphere and the danger all of them might be in.

Back to the junior prefect, Emeric is always trying to gather evidence and prove that his theory is right. As a detective, Emeric has a strict sense of right and wrong, but that slowly changes when he communicated more with Vanja and realized she isn’t all that bad. The development of their feelings was gradual. I just wanted to smoosh them together but it does create lots of moments of pining and yearning.

In this adventure, Vanja learns to trust once again. Ragne, daughter of a Low God and a human, became Vanja’s best supporter throughout the book. Though half-human, Ragne had spent most of her life with her godly mother so she has no actual concept of the mortal side. When she asked Vanja questions about human behaviors and actions, it gets pretty funny, especially the one where she asked about kissing. Since she’s a shapeshifter, Ragne often helped to transport information as an owl and fight off monsters as a bear or a lion. In that one scene, my heart soared for Vanja when Ragne defended the former. Their friendship is beautiful and sweet.

Concluding this gushy review, I’m absolutely in love. Vanja’s past tugged on my heartstrings. While I don’t condone her actions, I could understand why she stole Gisele’s identity. She started to open up to people that she initially didn’t want to trust or love anymore. I’m incredibly hooked on the lore of the Low Gods and the prefecture’s ways of summoning gods for trials. I’ll be a happy girl if Margaret Owen announces more books following this standalone! Can’t wait for her next book.

I had started writing a summary but not only did I get lazy but I also think you'd be better off going in without knowing much about the plot. That's what I did and I loved every single second of it.

I honestly loved everything about this. Vanja was everything. I know she's supposed to be a villain or something but I loved loved loved loved her so much right away.
Everything about this was so well thought through and smartly executed, I literally have nothing bad to say about it. I loved ALL the characters, from Vanja, to Ragne whose innocence was everything, to Hilde to Emeric. They were all so different and yet made such a great team in a weird way.
I really enjoyed the demi rep, it was really well integrated to the world, story and setting.
Speaking of the setting, I really liked it. I could honestly see it all and that's not something that's usually easy to me. And the plot had me hanging on the edge of my seat. Honestly, all so good. Loved loved it. I read 420 pages of it in a day. I could not stop reading.
Anyway, I guess I'll have to dive into Margaret Owen's backlist now.

I had a really hard time getting into this book, but I finished it with a better feeling.
I loved the characters and the writing is beautiful!

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen is a loose retelling of the Goose Girl story , one of my childhood favourites.
Vanja was given up by her mother as a little girl, and became the adopted Goddaughter of Fortune and Death, two of the Little Gods. Sent out into the world as a servant to Princess Gisele , the two girls start out as friends but grow apart as they become more aware of the difference in their social standing. To make matters worse, as Vanja turns thirteen and leaves childhood behind, her godmothers tell her she must decide which of them she intends to serve for the rest of her life. Fed up of having no say in her destiny she decides to steal Gisele's face, and her future. This future may be less illustrious than she hoped though, as she is contracted to marry a conceited and bullying aristocrat, so she embarks on a spree of jewel heists as an attempt to earn enough to flee.
Her luck runs out when she falls foul of the wrong god and is cursed , and to add to her woes a keen and highly observant detective is hot on her trail.
I absolutely loved this book, from the wonderfully clever characters that draw you into their world, to the magic and mystery of that world itself and the twisting and turning plot that will leave you reeling as you are plunged from one drama to the next in an emotional roller coaster.
Vanja really grows on you a character and her emotional growth over the course of the book is a joy to see. The romantic subplot is beautifully handled, there is just enough to make the reader care and root for the couple, but not so much that it takes over the story. There is also a wonderful thread of humour woven through the book, most notably in the character of Ragne, but also in Vanja's little asides. Fans of the original Goose Girl story will love seeing the little nods and those moments of familiarity were so much fun, but this book takes the bones of the story and expands upon it in a way that is truly exceptional. It is easily one of the best books I have read this year.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I knew I needed to read this book from the moment I read the synopsis and it did not disappoint. We follow Vanja, a common thief who also happens to be the daughter of Death and Fortune. After stealing from the wrong house, she is cursed to turn into jewels unless she repents for her crimes.

I was very invested in her story and growth. Vanja was a fun character to follow because she was morally grey and witty. Not to mention, it’s always fun to follow a thief. I loved her friendships with Ragne and especially with Giselle. Emeric was a good contrast to Vanja and made for interesting interactions between the two. The romance was also pretty cute.

I really liked the writing style and the book was paced well. It did have a lull in the middle but the ending was very satisfying. The German-inspired world was rich and the magic system wasn’t too hard to follow. I don’t know if a sequel is planned but it would be nice to get one, even if it isn’t necessary to continue the story.

Oh my god, this book was incredible and I will be thinking about it for a while. The story, the world, the writing, and the characters were all so good. I cannot wait for more people to read this now that it is out in the world.

Vanja was such an incredible main character becasue not only was she just phenomenal and so easy to love, she was also flawed and definitely made some very questionable choices. I loved how the book was her telling her story, through her POV but also through the fairylike tales that we get throughout the book to inform us of her past and why she is like this. We had Giselle and Regna and Emeric, all of which were incredible, and can we talk about the LGBTQ+ rep with these characters. The demisexual/asexual rep that I thought was going to be much more prominent, it was there but it could have been made a tad more obvious to the reader. However I loved all of the main characters so much and I cannot wait to see what happens to them all in the next book, because I know that it is going to be amazing. Plus, this book had Death and Fortune as very prominent characters and I liked that they were gods but also flawed in their role as mothers to Vanja. I jsut loved all the characters so much because they were all so well written!!!

And the plot was sensational. I loved, as I have already mentioned, the fairytale flashbacks we got throughout the book as not only did it allow us to understand Vanja more but it also helped add to the magical feel of the book. Plus it gave us a sweet cyclical nature t the book but with a brilliant twist after what has happened throughout the course of the book. It was full of magic and drama and danger and romance and it was jsut everything I wanted and more in this book. Also, the last 20% was simply incredible and I loved how it all came together after the bread crumbs that we were being fed throughout the book and then how it was all resolved. Plus the ending was incredible and I cannot wait to see how this book links to the second book becasue I know that it is going to be absolutely amazing. The world-building was brilliant and I loved it so much. The German-inspired world was filled with gods and magic and was just so well crafted! I cannot get over how good this book is.

The writing was phenomenal and I adored it so much. I have already mentioned how much I loved every other part of this book so I will save you from more gushing but holy hell this book was incredible and I just had such a good time reading this book! Seriously, if you love fantasy and fairytales and a great story filled with incredible characters then this book is for you!

Wow!

I loved this book!
This story follows Vanja, who as a child gained two godmothers: fortune and death. But after forced to pick one, she finds her own way through the world by stealing a princesses identity and becomes greedy for more. But during one heist, she is caught and cursed by another lower god...

The premise sounded too good to pass up, and I'm so glad I read this! Vanja is such a funny and hilarious character- she doesn't know when to be serious when talking to death or fortune, and that just adds to her charm. We also meet a shape-shifting being called Ragne who I just ADORED! Her interactions with Vanja were EVERYTHING. Also, Emery who is a junior apprentice detective is on Vanja's case, and I loved the fact that she made him uncomfortable for her own entertainment- it was hilarious!

Overall, really enjoyed this spooky and fast-paced read. The writing was pretty great and I loved the story. Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for an e-arc!!

Oh my god, I absolutely loved this book! It was a little hard to get into to start of with but once I got into the story I was hooked and could barely put the book down! I'm a sucker for villains so hearing that it was told form the "villains perspective" of the Goose Girl tale I knew I would love it. I loved the characters, the setting and the plot. I can't wait to read more of the world!

I absolutely adored Little Thieves. From the very beginning I was hooked and wanted to know what happened next.

It was interesting having Death, Fortune as characters. I loved the interweaving fairytales throughout.

Vanja is a strong character and I loved how she interacted with the world.

All the characters were different from each other but I loved how they interacted with each other.

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen peeked my interest because it is a retelling of the rather unknown Grimm fairytale The Goose Girl and I always really like retellings.

The protagonist Vanja is a servant of Princess Gisele until she decides to steal Gisele‘s life and takes her place. Now she lives among the nobility but at the same time she is a thief and uses every chance to enrich herself. Vanja is a very unlikeable character and the book even starts with “Once upon a time, there was a horrible girl ...” .

Furthermore, her adoptive parents are the personifications of death and fortune and she has to complete tasks for them. And this is also how she encounters the other characters in the story and it introduced several plot lines. While this was gripping sometimes it got a bit too much for me and rather created a distance to the story for me.

There was always a certain eeriness and darkness to the book and you never knew what was going to happen next. Vanja cannot proceeded like this forever and when she crosses the wrong god, she has to face all her wrongdoings.

Overall, Little Thieves was a good fantasy with an intriguing concept and atmosphere, but I couldn’t fully connect with the characters on a deeper lever. If you like fairytale retellings, you can definitely check this story out. 3 stars.

(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Vanja, our protagonist, is a horrible girl. Raised by Death and Fortune, she decides to steal back her future when her godly mothers demand a terrible price for their care.
One heist away from freedom, Vanja offends the wrong deity, who curses her to an untimely end. Vanja must now break her curse and get her freedom, with an overeager junior detective, a sinister fiancé and a feral half-god on her tail.

The story is set in a German-inspired world, with interesting lore involving the gods and magic. The storyline was very creative, but only really started picking up around 40% in. The pacing was a little slow, but the atmosphere throughout was very nice for the fall season - woodsy, dark fairytale.

For me, the highlight of this book definitely were the characters and their development. Vanja is aggressively snarky, clearly imperfect and often unlikeable - yet the author always manages to make you understand her words and actions.
I also really enjoyed the rest of the ensemble cast. They were well-rounded and all the characters really helped to move the story forward.

This book is a retelling of “The Goose Girl”. I myself am not very familiar with that fairytale, but the story was so captivating that I completely forgot that it was meant to be a retelling.

"Little thieves" is a darker fairytale, action-packed and filled with the personal struggles the characters go through. I would recommend this for anyone who is looking to read a more unknown retelling or a fairytale-like story filled with interesting world-building, mystery while being a fun, easy read!