So I completely forgot to review this the other day when I read it - in one sitting, may I add. But I can honestly tell you I have not been able to stop thinking about this book!

- the premise was honestly incredible. the world building, the setting, the layers! I honestly could talk about this world forever.
- I really liked our characters and although initially our MC was unlikeable, she definitely developed throughout the story and I honestly bloody loved her in the end.
- I loved the whole aspect with death & fortune as her godmothers and our side characters - ragne, gisele were great!
- the tension between banks and emetic was honestly SIZZLING.
- the ending. that’s it.

I could honestly read 10000 of these books with these characters and I want more of this german fantasy world!

1000% recommend for fantasy romance lovers with amazing world building and incredible writing. I definitely am going to look at this authors backlist.
<I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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!

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.

The wit and snark in this book was everything!! I've loved all of Margaret Owen's other books so i knew i would enjoy this one just as much. I wasn't disappointed one bit.

This book was everything i wanted and more. It is a book i will reccommend to all my friends and will be getting a hard copy once released to add to my collection.

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!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for kindly providing me with an eArc!

Another great book from M. Owen! Amazing!!! I’m so grateful that I received an early copy so I could read and review this masterpiece!

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.

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.

Wonderful, amazing and such an emotional rollercoaster!! A brilliantly written book with action, adventure and a kick ass main character who you can instantly relate to.
The story follows Vanja, a 16 year old maid and her journey to becoming a princess, liar and thief. Vanja is sent with her lady to her fiancé’s castle where along the way their roles get reversed....After nearly a year of living like a princess it’s time to leave but different forces are afoot to stop Vanja and leaving may no longer be an option.
There’s magic, action and lots of twists and turns to keep you reading waaaay longer than you should!

I really enjoyed Little Thieves by Margaret Owen and would recommend it to ages 13+ as there’s mild language, mild violence and trauma from attempted assault. It is all written in context and fits with the story well.

The eerie tone and twisty plot make Little Thieves a must read for all Young Adukt fantasy fans. As compelling as merciful crow!

This is the first book I have read of Margaret Owen’s and I can safely say that it will not be the last. From the very first page. I was hooked. The writing style has this essence of beautiful eeriness that only gets stronger throughout the story.

I usually struggle to connect with a first-person narrative, oftentimes I find the inner monologues monotonous and somewhat superficial but Vanja’s character voice is so likeable and engaging, I breezed through it. I really enjoyed the moral dilemmas she faces throughout the book and how they conflict with her moral greyness. I loved seeing her develop back and forth in terms of that, all whilst being her sarcastic, bold yet sincere self. It was complex and clever without being too profound that it becomes heavy or a bore.
The pace of this book is kept by its words and events alike, I struggle to think of a time that I was disengaged whilst reading. Every chapter had me immediately hopping to the next. I was captivated by the plot just as much as I was the characters, another rarity for me. There were so many forms of antagonist that the story felt high stakes at every turn. This book has battles in the form of curses, villains, family, romance, morality, and friendship and each is as prominent as the other. There is no lacking where suspense and tension is concerned. Though it is a fantasy novel, Owen has this way of rooting real life amongst the magic, making the story so much more than a fun, high stakes, heist novel. Though it is that too!

The world building in the story was something that I found quite daunting initially, however I put that down to my lack of understanding of the German language. In terms of the actual structure of the world; the setting, class system, magic system (regarding the prefects and the Low gods) – brilliant. I loved learning about everything this stunningly rich world has to offer, and I would happily learn more. I do think the book would have benefited from a glossary but in its absence, I am grateful for the subtle explanations that the author included within Vanja’s inner monologue/conversations with side characters. Speaking of side characters, I cannot fault them. Their dynamic was so interesting and fun to read. I want more of them. You will care about them all in some regard, they are as sweet as they are strong.

I highly recommend this book. It was captivating, witty, and heartfelt. The writing was so enjoyable to read, I will definitely be purchasing Margaret Owen’s other works as well as awaiting publication for Little Thieves so I can reread. I truly had the best time reading this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me a copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

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.

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 environment

REP: 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!

I ended up loving this, after a small rocky start. There was twists and shocks. There was representation and downright comedy. There was also fantasy and realism of how trauma affects you. I loved this book and think in a way it can be such an important read. It also has strong moral messages inside. Definitely recommend it.

Let me just say, I really really loved this book. Vanya, the MC, is a really great, complex character. She has her faults and she's all the better for them. The supporting cast is also great. I loved Vanya and Range's interactions, the development of Emeric and Gisele. I also loved the moments when fate and death appeared. Sure, some of the politics went over my head as it tends to do but overall, this had the perfect blend of downtime and action, witty dialogue and a great plot. A must read!

(Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Saughton for an eARC in exchange for an honest review)

Little Thieves is a retelling of Goose Girls, following 16-year old Vanja who, as a child, was abandoned by her mother and became the god daughter of the Low Gods, Fortune and Death. For the past year she has been posing as the princess she used to serve, whilst also robbing the kingdom from right under their noses.

This book was beautifully written and had an amazing narrative. I loved Vanja, our protagonist, so so much. She was the perfect morally grey, anti-heroine and I loved reading from her point of view. In fact, I loved all of the characters. They were so well written, their growth throughout the books was so good and I grew attached to all of them. Vanja was one of my favourite characters, with Emeric Conrad being the other. From the beginning he was just adorable but smart, witty and an all round lil cinnamon roll. I loved his sense of determination and the interactions between him and Vanja, It was just perfect.

As for the plot, I loved it! It was fast paced and despite the book being a little long, it was never boring. I also loved the Gods and their interactions within the book. The one and only thing I have an issue with in this book is the German words. I loved that they were there and how that culture was being represented but I never understand what they were saying. A really cool way to help non-German speakers would be to include a glossary at the back, as I've seen in lots of books. I did google the translations whenever one popped up and I don't think it effected my reading experience personally, but I think something like a glossary could be really cool.

I loved, loved, loved this book and will definitely be buying a physical copy when it is released. I highly, highly recommend that everyone reads Little Thieves, you will not regret it.

Little Thieves follows 16 year old Vanja Schmidt, who, for the past year has been posing as Prinzessin Gisele, the very girl she grew up alongside and served as a servant and maid.

After Vanja's birth mother abandons her as a small child, she becomes the god-daughter of the Gods Death and Fortune who take her in as their own daughter... or so she thought. Four years prior, Vanja discovers she is to choose one of the two Gods to serve for life.

Horrified at her lack of choice in the matter, and unwilling to remain a servant for all her days, Vanja is on a mission to get ahold of 1000 Gilden and escape the Gods and her past.

But you know what they say about little thieves...

"The little thief steals gold, but the great one steals kingdoms; and only one goes to the gallows."

This is the tale of how the little thief got caught.

This book was excellently written. With a fairy tale theme and the use of German words and phrases, Little Thieves gives off a strong folklore vibe, and is truly magical to read. From heists to mysterious happenings, this book has it all.

Whilst this book is an excellent read, it must be recognised that this is a book that you need to pay close attention to and cannot necessarily skim read. Having said this, Little Thieves is well worth the extra care needed when reading as attention is paid to every little detail.

Little thieves is told briefly in third person at the beginning of each new section or 'tale' within the book, but otherwise is strictly kept in Vanja's POV, in which we are given insight into the life of a young peasant girl and her struggles hidden behind the guise of an imposter princess.

Yet, Vanja is also extremely cunning, smart, and ambitious, driven by her harsh past. It is interesting to see her thought process and watch her plans play out, as well as gaining inside knowledge on her true motives for her selfish deeds.

Whilst the book is built up nicely throughout, I will mention that the climax of the story does seem somewhat rushed and definitely could have been stretched out longer. Though, this is easily forgivable as the entire plot is extremely well thought out and leaves the reader on the edge of their seat, right up until the final page of the book. The twists and turns featured are wonderful and oftentimes unpredictable and unexpected, which only serves to further entice and enthral the reader.

Little thieves is an upcoming release not to be missed, and is sure to captivate you from the first chapter. I would strongly recommend this to any fans of fantasy and mystery books as you are sure to fall in love with the tale of the Little Thief.

Little Thieves is an amazing fantasy book, based on the classical tale of Goose Girl. However, it’s a reimagining like no other. Instead of reading the story from the princess whose life was stolen, we experience the story from the identity thief herself (who happens to be the goddaughter of Death and Fortune!). This was such a magical and enchanting tale, while being dark and unexpected. What I loved most about this book was that we weren’t introduced to the whole story at once. Instead the story went from past to present which made it very exciting and kept me reading until late. If you like unlikely romances, curses, villains and magic then you’ll definitely love this. The pacing is perfect and the world is very atmospheric and illustrative. I can see myself re-reading this in the near future. An absolute 5/5 stars from me.

The cover of this book led me to imagine it was a kind of dark fantasy-fairytale story, and there are elements of folklore in the style, and yet the plot is pure heist, which I loved. Vanya is the thirteenth daughter of the thirteenth daughter—abandoned by her own mother to be brought up by the low gods, Death and Fortune. When we meet Vanya, she is a notorious jewel-thief, impersonating a princess, in order to rob and humiliate the wealthy and earn her own freedom from her two overbearing godmothers. But when she is cursed by another god, she has two weeks to make amends to her former mistress whose life she stole, before she is turned into precious stones.

The twists and turns of Vanya’s story are breathtakingly exciting, filled with literal and authorial sleight-of-hand. The insights into her character, gleaned from storytelling flashbacks, add emotional depth and heart to the story. She is a brilliant, wisecracking, stubbornly independent heroine and her road to redemption is a joy to read—I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this book. ‘Little Thieves’ works perfectly as standalone novel, but I do hope this is not the last we hear of Vanya.

Firstly, huge thank yous to Margaret Owen, Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for giving me the e-arc of Little Thieves in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Little Thieves is a retelling of the Brothers Grimm’s The Goose Girl told from the perspective of the wicked maiden, and honestly I couldn’t be happier, the Princess’ view can be a tad boring. 😆

Vanja the main protagonist was abandoned by her family as a child and now lives a live of deceit, theft and misdemeanour. When we meet her she’s practicing the deception of a lifetime living as a princess on the cusp of her wedding to an elite general, with just a little jewellery theft on the side! Vanja is definitely not your traditional heroine, she lies, deceives and thieves, she is completely morally grey, but she is more than that, she’s funny, human, and in many ways utterly relatable. If Robin Hood robbed the rich and pocketed the loot, then her name would be Vanja! The more I read this book, and the more I learnt about Vanja, the more I wanted to know and hang out with her.

As well as Vanja, there is a whole gang of characters in this story, including Emeric, the junior prefect, who has been called in to investigate the jewellery theft. Emeric is precociously intelligent with a knack for crime-solving, honest, and rather awkward, all of which make the interactions between him and Vanja extremely entertaining. There’s also Gisele, the real Princess, whose life Vanja stole and a number of others, all of whom make this fantastic gang of characters.

The interactions, relationships and whole story are written in such a way that I could taste the touches of Pratchett’s Discworld in the humour, characters and events. The gang and the story is also hugely reminiscent of Six of Crows. Plus, fairytale foundations, the investigation/mystery Sherlock vibes, and a hint of Christmas Carol all total up to deliver a fantastic story.

Yes, the villain was a tad two dimensional and Owen possibly could have given him a little more dimension, but that doesn’t detract from the story. Owen has written a fabulous YA book that is beautifully crafted, fabulously plotted and that delivers a killer story I did not want to put down!The only other not so great thing I can say about this book is that it lacks a glossary. For a book that leans so heavily on Germanic culture and language, it would be appreciated, although I did get by without, it would have just added for me - particularly with the application of Owen’s fabulous humour!

Back to the good stuff, if you want a great romp of an adventure, great characters, excellent world building and did I mention the small gods - just wait till you meet Ragne! She is a total sweetheart, plus Death and Fortune too!

Seriously, this was a 5 star read for me! I’ve got it in pre-order…this is a great book with adventure, mystery, plot twists, great one liners, a bit of romance MF and FF and you need to read this! NOW!!!!

Ohhhh this book, you better be pre-ordering and read it before they someone else tells you about it. Margaret is back after her great series “The Merciful Crow “ (highly recommended as well) . The little thieves is a completely new and different story. Gets your attention from the beginning, A fairy tale with good and evil, with a beautiful writing and a strong female character. Can’t wait to recommend it to my costumers! Thanks for the Arc and my best wishes to the author. This was a 5/5, one of my favorite reads this year

To say I was blown away by this book is an understatement. This book rocketed up to 5* in the first few chapters. This story follows Vanja, a personal maid to Princess Gisele. However, Vanja steals Gisele's enchanted pearls and therefore steals her identity. Vanja is also a little thief trying to make enough money to escape her land and get away from her guardians: Death and Fortune. There is also a bit of a witch hunt from the real Gisele trying to get her identity back. This book had many twists and turns that I was not expecting and that I did not see coming in any way shape or form. The characters were incredible, Ragne and Emeric being my favourite. There is a mystery element to this story which I enjoyed. I love the Poldi that guards the castle and the way they are developed in the story. There are so many layers to this story, it is intricately written and is exciting to read. GO VANJA!

Set in a fictional version of Germany, we follow the story of Vanja. Given up as a small child to the Low Gods Death and Fortune who raise her as their own. Vanja is desperately trying to get enough money together so that she can get away from a life she is being forced into, even if that means stealing, impersonating a princess and the occasional bad deed. But she only gives back what the world has done to her.

We learn how Vanja has been betrayed, hurt emotionally and physically and how she has learnt that she can only trust herself to look out for her.

So, let me say this: I loved this book. It’s a YA fantasy that does not shy away from adult themes without being graphic. The characters are well written and each side character adds well to the story. With demisexual and sapphic love interests that are not seen as a plot point it was very refreshing.

The main character was (worryingly) someone I could relate too, obviously not exactly the same because I have not had the same life experiences but I understand the untrusting feeling Vanja has and questioning of people’s motives. Emeric made me laugh and I appreciated that he wasn’t just there for her storyline but had his own. And the bluntness of Ragne gave me warm fuzzies inside!

If you are looking for a well paced, heist style fantasy with added sass and characters that show development through the book then this is a great one to pick up!

Thank you Netgalley (@netgalley )and Hodder & Stoughton (@hodderbooks ) for the chance to read this book before publication!

Where to begin with this book? I went in expecting a fun fantasy heist romp with a horrible goose girl. I got- well, that, but a lot more besides. Little Thieves is, in my opinion, something of a style successor to Gideon the Ninth- there's definitely clear influence here (though the use of memes is not *quite* as overt) and, like the Locked Tomb trilogy, the memes and butt jokes are a sort of clever distraction from the fact that this book is very heartfelt, very human, and very, very good.

Vanja is a fantastic protagonist and has rocketed, along with Emeric and Ragne, into my 'favourite characters' list. She's snarky without being annoying, selfish and flawed without being unlikeable. Her backstory allows for a continuation of the conversation Owen started in The Merciful Crow dulogy, about power, class, and justice, taking it forward with the events of the book to show just how things work out if you're a bit more ordinary than Fie happened to be (though the divine godmothers balance things a bit).

It's hard to discuss specific things I loved without going into spoiler territory, so let me say- I really enjoyed the romance (and I don't think I've ever seen demisexuiality depicted like this before, and it made me very happy). I loved the world building, and I'd read about the chase between Emeric and Vanja forever.

Truly, much more than I bargained for, in the best way possible.

There is no other way to start this review other than by saying that I LOVED this book. I can honestly say it's is my favourite of the year so far. This review will be long and ranty but its out of pure love.

I have never read a book by Margaret Owen before but I am aware of The Merciful Crow series and its been on my list to read for a while. I can guarantee I will be reading them very soon.

Recently I've been struggling a bit with YA fantasy because it's all felt a bit samey but I don't think I've read anything like this before. I adore that we follow a villain character and with it being a YA you know where that characters journey is going but its done impeccably in my opinion and isn't exactly what you'd expect.

The writing. Incredible. Unbeatable. I could read a million stories like this. I love the way it feels like a conversation and Vanja talks to herself in her head, as in what she says out loud isn't necessarily what she's thinking, but rather than hint she doesn't agree she has these snarky, witty and darn right hilarious comments. I feel like Vanja is me, I have never related to a character so much. Like I mentioned, YA can be a bit predictable but nothing about this felt cringy predicable if that makes sense. Everything felt real and kept with the dark gritty feel of the book. The moments of relief were timed perfectly after tense chases and fights which completely pulled me in. This is a book that I repeatedly found myself saying "Just one more chapter" and ended up reading way more than one.

My love for Vanja knows no bounds. She is funny, witty, sarcastic, rude and complicated. She NEVER wavers in who she is despite changing which sounds like an oxymoron but I swear it makes sense. People can adapt and change without sacrificing who they are and I don't think I've seen that, usually a character sacrifices something about themselves and Vanja never feels the need to.
Emeric is a cutie pie.
Ragne Is the best friend I want, also a shape shifter so bonus points.
Gisele is not what I expected and breaks every stereotype I had going in.
Death and Fortune are hilarious and exactly how I imagine gods like that should be.

The magic system in this was so vivid and creepy that I genuinely had to put the book down at one point because I felt uncomfortable. It was like a movie in my head. I don't think I would ever get bored of reading about the evil creatures in this, it was new to me and so so interesting.

This book has such a brilliant like old fashioned mystery feel with the quirky narrator who seems to interrupt and takes you back to see how it really happened. I would love this more in books rather than just a lengthy explanation about what happened, I could hear the record scratch and it made me laugh out loud. I never fully knew where this was going, I had assumptions and predictions and found myself surprised multiple times and don't think I was ever disappointed at a reveal.

I wasn't expecting as much representation in this book as there was and I'm so glad for it. There are characters who are gay and non binary/ genderfluid and what I read as asexual rep too. I mean it in a good way when I say its basically not even commented on, its like "oh you like girls? cool." or "how would you like to be referred to today? They? Fab, moving on." No big explanation about how this impacts everyone in the world or how much of a huge scandal it is. The asexual rep is potentially on the Demi side, I don't know if I'm reading into it but (minor spoiler alert) two characters are hiding and to avoid being caught one suggests pretending to be kissing and there's a conversation about how that isn't something the other character does, that they don't feel comfortable doing it with just anyone despite the fact it might save their life! Regardless it felt really important to me as someone who is demi and I rarely get that feeling, so that was nice.

I don't think I have a bad thing to say about this and I will 100% be buying myself a copy when it comes out and recommending it to anyone and everyone. Great for those who like a darker fantasy and a bit of fourth wall breaking.

5/5 Stars!!!

This was so brilliant!!! I adored the characters and characterisation of death and fortune. The storyline itself is brilliant. I couldn’t have asked for more.

Little Thieves by Margaret Owens

Release date: October 5th

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Owens has somehow taken everything I love and woven it all together beautifully into a single, self-contained book. A thief, dark magic, gods, curses, terrifying creatures and clever little plans.

Some people steal gold. Others steal gems. But Vanja Schmidt has stolen a life…and some gold and gems too because what sort of thief would she be if she didn’t. The bed she sleeps in is not her own, the clothes she wears are made for another, and now, thanks to a curse by a petty but vexed god, she has but two weeks to find a way to atone. But to make matters worse the method of atonement is painfully unclear and a prefect has arrived to catch the thief plaguing the wealthy homes of the area.

Honestly this book flows so nicely I blew through it at record speed. The characters are so lovable you can’t help but root for them and ignore how dark it is outside, “just one more chapter I swear”. This is easily a 4.5 star book that, given Goodreads lack of half stars I am happy to give 5 stars.

I have been finding myself 'falling out of love' with YA of late, just feeling like nothing was gripping me like it used to. Was this the end? Was I finally 'growing out' of a 'genre' that I have always said anyone could read? Enter 'Little Thieves' to remind me that YA is still a great time. I will be forever grateful.

This book hits on a lot of my favourite topics: death, elaborate schemes and figuring out who you are and what you want. Yes to all of the above (particularly the death part). I *hugely* enjoyed the set up for this story, the idea of the goddaughter of both death and fortune deciding she wants to try and forge her own path is just exactly what I needed.

Vanja is a great main character, I love her wit and her sharpness but I also liked that she's totally willing to learn and grow. I thought that the way that this book tackles the idea of forgiveness as well as processing one's past was very mature and a great example to show to those reading this book. There were a lot of moments where this story could have taken the easy way out, writing off one character as a villain and that's that, but life is more nuanced than that and this book took the time to tease out more of those relationships.

I appreciated the casual queerness of this book, we have a character who uses they/them pronouns (albeit not a main character they are there) as well as some WLW representation. I wasn't expecting to see it, not for any particular reason other than the main romance was het, so it was a delightful surprise to have that included. I believe this is a standalone but if there did happen to be other books in this series or set in this same world I would love to see some of that explored a little more?

Overall I thought this book was just a great read, the story is fast-paced the characters are lovely and there is more than one 'so here's how the plan is going down' moment which is EXACTLY what I want from a book about a thief.

Yes. Yes to this.

I received a free digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

A fantastically rich fantasy world with characters that vibrate off the page with their sarcasm, Little Thieves is a thrilling adventure overflowing with gold, gods and folklore.

I can't remember the last time I had so much fun reading a book!

Vanja, the main protagonist, is smart, cunning and hilarious. She knows what she wants and she's not afraid to get it no matter the cost. Definitely, not your perfect type of heroine that can do no wrong - Vanja is a fresh of breath air from many of the current YA fantasy stories.

The book is written in an interesting an entertaining way, mixing fairy tales and Vanjas POV to finally give us the complete story. There's a lot of twists and turns that make you keep on reading and even though the beginning is a little hard to get into (lots of details put in the first few pages), by the third chapter I couldn't put the book down. The folklore of the story is one that I haven't read before, making this even more entertaining for me - I liked the idea of Low Gods intervening in everyday people's lives and acting as jury when needed.

It's my first introduction to Margaret Owen but if all her other books are this witty, engaging and funny, then I'm a serious fan. Cannot recommend this enough - you will enjoy it from start to finish!

4.5/5 ⭐
I loved Vanja's scheming mind, Emeric's cleverness and how Vanja flusters him, Ragne's friendship and low Gods. But with all those pluses, the ending was quick and unsatisfying.
Though this was a loose retelling of 'The Goose Girl', the story has so many individual aspects that makes it unique and distinct.

I’ll admit, I requested LITTLE THIEVES based almost entirely on the gorgeous cover (and also a little because I remember Margaret Owen’s first duology getting a lot of love). Full points for me though, because it turned out to be a lot of things I really, really love.

LITTLE THIEVES is a really rich, developed standalone fantasy. I felt like we really got a lot of plot, worldbuilding and character development, to the level I’d expect from a duology, but bundled neatly into a single, well-rounded novel that was the perfect length for the story it was telling.

The plot itself is a (very) loose retelling of The Goose Girl but told from the POV of the ‘evil maid’ who steals the princess’s identity. Apart from THORN, I don’t think I’ve ever read a Goose Girl retelling, as it’s not one that particularly interests me, but Owen really made this work and picked just the right angle to make this a great story. If you don’t like retellings, I don’t think you’d even notice though, and could enjoy this as a completely original and unique tale.

What I adored about LITTLE THIEVES is that it doesn’t try to redeem the fairy tale’s ‘villain’ too much.

Obviously, Vanya does have good qualities (she’s a complex protagonist with plenty of strengths as well as weaknesses) but the story gives makes you understand her motives — WHY she’s done the things she has — rather than making it so she’s not the selfish, unrepentant thief that she is.

And I loved her for it.

You know I’m a sucker for a morally questionable protagonist and a potentially unlikeable female character, and Vanya just appealed to me perfectly. I loved the cat-and-mouse, push-and-pull relationship with the bookwormy, morally upright love interest, Conrad, and her awkward, evolving relationships with the ‘real’ Gisele and half-demon companion Ragne.

Gorgeous and smart and snarky, LITTLE THIEVES is a book I’ll definitely read again and again.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I devoured the book. It was a really wild ride. But I loved it. From the moment I opened the book (well the eARC). Vanja Schmidt, the main character's an unlikely main character. She's funny, sarcastic and brave.
But she is the daughter of Death and Fortune after her biological mother gave her away thirteen years ago. Vanja's a thief, impersonating the Prinzessin Gisele. When the stoty starta Vanja's been pretending to be the Prinzessin for nearly a year. While Gisele lives somewhere in the town.
There are multiple things happening.
Vanja gets herself cursed. Her godmothers want her to serve one of them. The Pfennigeist (a invisible thief) attracts a young junior prefect (Emeric Conrad) who seems to only slightly annoys Vanja. (Emeric's awesome & the best). And at the same time there's Gisele's fiancé who seems to have something sinister going on. Oh and there's Rage, the daughter of the God who cursed Vanja...
Oh and they only have two weeks to solve every problem

The story is a retelling of The Goose Girl with Vanja as the main character.
Also she breaks the 4th wall several times which I really like. It was an interesting story device.
And I loved that in this world queer, nonbinary and Trans people are accepted. (As they should).
And although Vanja's an anti-hero I was able to connect with her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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.

The sass levels Vanja possesses instantly makes her an easy character to love. She’s hard as nails and ever so canny, living various lives in one to achieve her goals. I did like seeing such a strong female lead, but I also appreciated the rare vulnerable moments where everything became too much. I liked seeing the tears, the frustration, the loneliness and the self-loathing. It helped to create not just a character that makes me laugh and roll my eyes in exasperation, but one who was real and has her own demons lurking in her head.
It took me a little while to warm up to Emeric, I must admit. As endearing as the bumbling fool act is, I knew there were other layers to him - but I didn’t know what to expect and that made me sceptical. But I did gradually grow to like him and toward the end of the story, found myself eager to see how he would participate in the events and how far he’d go.

This story isn’t a light one. It gets into the nitty gritty and has dark themes - like mentions/memories of sexual assault. I think it’s so important to include such difficult topics because these things do happen all the time, but it needs to be done with care and respect. Owen did a brilliant job of finding the balance between showing the emotions of the moment and not revealing too much that it could become disrespectful. I really appreciated also that it wasn’t something that came up once and was forgotten about, we saw snippets pop up throughout. Similar to this is also the mention of abuse, both physical and mental. Again, Owen handled this with care and respect and whilst it was hard to read at times, I was grateful that light was shown on such difficult subjects.

Overall, Little Thieves is a wonderful story of hope, of greed and of finding your place in the world.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on release day.

Little Thieves is a book I couldn’t put down from start to finish. A rich fantasy world filled with loveable characters that had me cheering along with their successes and fearing the consequences of their failure.

The story centres around our main protagonist, Vanja, sometimes known by other names, such as Princess Giselle or Greta, but I’ll stick to Vanja for this. In short, she’s a bloody awesome character that I loved reading about for 500 pages. It didn’t seem like 500 pages because this whole book was a delight.

Vanja, though, is really the star of the show. For me, good stories are about good characters. And I don’t mean the characters are necessarily morally good, but well-built, in-depth characters with strengths and flaws and backstories that make them real. Vanja has all of this and more. And honestly? Reading from her point of view was a joy.

"The principle is: I’ve already met my emotional availability quota for the day."

This quote happens pretty early in the book, and it’s what sealed my love for this character. Every sarcastic comment or scathing remark had me grinning and nodding along.

"There’s only room in this town for one smug bastard. That smug bastard is me."

For a first point of view story to really work, the character has to be ridiculously strong-voiced, and Vanja is that, and so much more.

And there’s more than that. There’s Emeric, and Gisele, Ragne, Joniza and this whole cast. I could write thousands of words about each character, about their arc, their flaws, the progression of each individual story that all comes into one. I won’t, just suffice it to say, the character’s in this story are perfect.

But, it’s not just Vanja. And it’s not just the characters. The whole story soars well above my expectations. We’re introduced to the world and I was immediately intrigued. There’s talk of gods, of magic, theft and politics. But I also started mildly concerned that I’d have to come back to it later because there’d be too much information for my half-asleep brain to process when I started the book. I persisted, and didn’t regret a single bit of that sleepless night. Margaret Owen does an awesome job at introducing all of this world in a way that doesn’t seem like overload, that isn’t exposition, it just works. Spoiler Alert below, but it kind-of sums up the first few chapters and was why I was at first concerned about information overload.

"I’ve stolen a small fortune, temporarily evaded a prefect, been cursed by a god, and been lectured by my godmothers."

So yeah, a lot happened at the start, but the story truly grows into its own from there and those few events at the start seem small compared to the rest of the story to come. Underneath the fantasy and myth, Little Thieves is a bit of a mystery. The big question, “How does Vanja break the curse?” We begin to see snippets of both the consequences of the curse, and the cure for it, as the story progresses, but the real answer is left to be discovered throughout.

And resolved it was. I loved almost everything about the ending of this book. The bit I didn’t love? That it had to end at all! Yes, the characters had all had their arcs, and it was a satisfying conclusion to the story. I just wasn’t ready to leave these characters and this world.

"My name is Vanja. And this is the story of how I am caught."

I'm...genuinely speechless. This story was a thrilling and fun ride from the very start. Vanja is a flawed character who is cunning, snarky and intelligent - not to mention very ambitious. Her plan is simple: steal enough money to escape the clutches of her ghastly fiance and her 2 mothers - both of whom want her to chose a vocation and serve her. Not the most ideal family unit, in my opinion.

When Vanja is cursed to slowly turn into her greed (think pearls and rubies), she quickly changes gears and tries to right some wrongs. We get to meet an incredible ensemble of characters, all of whom are either angry or in the case of Emeric, very determined to put the Pfennigiest behind bars. Vanja, on the other hand, just wants to leave the whole mess behind without dying.

She's ruthless when she has to be but also grows to become a more compassionate and caring friend - while still remaining true to her self. Her tricks are plenty, her voice is incredibly unique and fresh in YA fantasy and she's a character who will stay with you. Vanja shows how trauma and abuse can impact an individual, with both her and Gisele being primary examples of the different ways a survivor can cope. Vanja is a direct result of being given up by her birth mother, whose belief in superstition led to her youngest daughter navigating life alone.

My favourite thing about this book besides the friendship between Vanja and Ragne, as well as her bond and history with Gisele and Joniza and her budding relationship with Emeric (think: disgruntled, law abiding detective and snarky, cunning criminal), HAD to be the WRITING. Owen has captured the voice and mannerisms of a ruthless, yet young girl, displaying the inner thoughts one might have as well as the funny, embarassing moments that arise when Vanja is thrust into romantic situations prior to her own relationship. It's something most young teens can relate to, not to mention the sheer amount of sarcasm littered in - which, by the way, a lot of young adults are fond of, in case you weren't too sure.

Owen illustrates a believable story about growth, hurt and friendship while still weaving in the original Goose Girl. I love the little nod we get to Falada, the loveable horse companion as well as the bit about the barrel spiked in nails (not fun).

I could go on about my love for this book, but I will be reviewing it closer to the publication date on my blog: www.deeslibrary.wordpress.com

Little Thieves has quite possibly jumped and landed in the ranks of one of my favourite books ever and it has certainly taken a place as one of my favourite reads of the year!

The narrative of this story was brilliant and captivating. I loved that the beginning of each part was written as if it was a fairy tale. And I loved how parts were told in a way that almost felt like listening to a voice over from the MC over a movie scene.

The characters were all well written and well fleshed out, you rooted for them or hated them or simply loved them. I especially loved Vanjas broken, bent but beautiful character and Ragnes naive and unwaveringly loyal character. Hell I loved them all really. I was thoroughly invested in their stories.

This amazing tale was full of lessons on learning to trust, friendships and love of all kinds.

I highly, highly recommend picking this up on October 19th! I already can't wait for my copy!

"In the world I knew, there were three reasons a person would be wanted: for profit, pleasure, or power. If you could satisfy only one, they used you. Two, they saw you. Three, they served you"

This book was amazing, I couldn't put it down. The plot, the heists, the characters, the romance ✨ chef's kiss ✨. Overall "Little Thieves" was surprising and wonderful book, just go and read it. 7/5⭐

"Did you know a skull with lanterns for eyes can still roll her eyes? I didn't"

Thank you NetGalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.

First things first, I cannot get over the VOICE in this book. It is so beautifully done and so incredibly unique. It's actual writing goals.

Whilst I loved a lot of things about this book, it is definitely Vanja's voice that will stick with me. Normally it's a quote or a character or a romance, but Owen's use of voice just made me love this book in a way I didn't expect at all.

The worldbuilding was so unique compared to my usual reads, and I loved the way the low-gods interacted with mortals. The magic system was brilliantly crafted and simply explained without ever talking down to the reader. I absolutely love how this world was built and all the little details that were woven into it.

I love the low gods. Death is my favourite; she is a badass. I'm forever obsessed with the descriptions of them all and how not-quite-human they are, whilst still being so much like us.

Both the primary and secondary romances were wonderful, and I would happily read a book just about the secondary couple. They are an adorable couple and I love them.

Overall, a brilliant book and I will happily reread in the future. I also would love for someone to make a card deck inspired by this book!

Little Thieves.

Where to begin. I loved it from start to finish... To begin with the cover is beautiful and I cannot wait to buy a physical copy.

The story is set in a Germanic fantasy inspired world - something I have not come across much and something that I absolutely loved. It’s quite fast paced and makes you want to read more and more. I couldn’t put it down.

Definitely could be read in one sitting in you have time - something I would recommend as you won’t be able to put it down!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Once upon a time, on the coldest night of midwinter, in the darkest heart of the forest, Death and Fortune came to a crossroads.’

Sometimes you finish a book and are immediately hungry for more - Little Thieves is one of those books. Vanya is a thief. Her otherworldly mothers demand payment for their care, and Vanya decides to steal her future back. By stealing Princess Gisele’s life.

Vanya is hilarious. Sassy and strong, she’s everything you want in a female lead. Throughout the book we learn a lot about her character and why she is the way she is. We watch her grow and change. And maybe we cry a little with her or scream at the pages because she is missing what’s right in front of her.

The romance is everything. Kind of enemies-to-lovers, except they’re the type of enemies that from the BEGINNING have sass with ✨spicy✨undertones. The way their relationship evolves is so realistic.

The LGBTQ+ diversity is on point. We have a mentioned gay couple, a prominent sapphic couple and a genderfluid character. All of these representations are so wonderfully dropped in - they’re not plot points or made into big discussions, just a simple my husband and I. The genderfluid rep was my fave, though only small, I loved how the characters dealt with it.

I adored this book! This is definitely one of my favourites this month - it’s a beautifully crafted book. Despite being over 500 pages I devoured this in two days because I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend for fans of fantasy, heists, magic and enemies to lovers 👀

Thank you for an advanced copy of the book in return for a honest review.

Little Thieves is not a little book - over 500 pages - but I read it pretty much in a single sitting because I just couldn't put it down. It starts off as what seems like a fun fantasy romp, with the MC wonderfully morally grey, verging on anti-hero. She's competent, driven and smart, and the first person narration style fits her perfectly; it took me a little while to get used to her irreverent commentary on pretty much everyone and everything she encounters, but once I did it added a nice layer of cynical humour.

Then the plot doesn't so much twist as it evolves and before you know it you're caught up in a mesh of intrigue, magic and danger with consequences that are still very personal for the MC but have much wider ramifications and start dragging in people she cares about - no matter how little she actually WANTS to care about them! What I particularly loved about both the plot evolution and the MC's character growth was that they didn't feel forced, or sudden. Vanja remained completely true to herself throughout, and while her motives and actions got a bit less anti- and a bit more hero, she never lost that vein of snark and drive and confidence. It's a tough balance to pull off and I don't often see it done as well as it was here.

The side characters were all complex and compelling, the wordlbuilding was subtle and immersive, but really, this is Vanja's book and she sold it completely.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars


Vanja was going through many issues. She was traded from one parent to another and then left alone in Castle Falbirg. She hated being a servant, not because of the workload but because of the way Falbirgs treated their servants was cruel and severe. She was 13 when she was whipped for a theft she didn’t commit. It haunts her in her dreams and she was never able to forgive the Falbirgs for that.
In the book, nobody actually knows the real Vanja until the second act. Though she stole Gisele’s life, she never really wanted to be someone else. She wanted to be accepted by her godmothers as a daughter and not as a servant and wanted to be seen.
Vanja was wronged by the Falbirgs.
Vanja wanted justice. She wanted a friend, and a mother who never abandoned her.
She never escaped her fears and saw them reflected in the mirror. As much as she hated to be subservient, she was inevitably finding herself playing the part of the perfect maid to Gisele or others. She has trust issues, and I don’t blame her for that. But her past shaped her into a strong, independent person and she wanted to never owe anyone a single penny again. That’s when she became a real thief and started to collect money to pay her debt.
She was often called selfish, greedy, and unpleasant. But I understood where that was coming from. She was looking for herself when almost everybody in her life left her and made her feel like a burden in their lives.
She fought everyone who stood in her way and resort to questionable choices but was unapologetic about it.
I liked her stubbornness and humor. It spoke about her character. But though she sounded obnoxious, I liked her as a character. She showed growth and remained herself throughout.
The romance was an unexpected bonus and a good depiction of enemie-to-lovers trope that I rarely see in Fantasy these days.
Besides the ending feeling rushed, this is one brilliant Fantasy.
Little Thieves reads the story of a character who fights against all odds (from mortals and Low Gods) to find her ticket to freedom.I thoroughly loved reading this book and recommend it.
----

I can't believe Vanja pulled out a trick that outdid the margrave's year-long plans. If you love heists and enemies-to-lovers in YA fanatsy, then this should be on your TBR.

(Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC)

It was a bit shaky in the beginning, but this really grew on me. I loveddd the characters, Vanja is so well developed and funny. I loved reading about her and the side characters -Emeric, Gisele, Ragne, the characters made this novel great.

Demisexual? Slow burn but sooo worth it.

The plot was good, there were some twists and turns and the mystery of the novel felt gripping. I enjoyed the fairy tale aspect of it, it felt mystical. Enjoyed the short stories at the beginning of each part.

The villain was a bit obvious and I didn’t feel any sympathy for him at all.

Loved the use of the low gods- Fortune, Death, Time, Justice etc. Magical!

I have so many highlighted quotes!

4/5 ⭐️

Little Thieves is a loose retelling of the Goose Girl, and whilst I do not know much about the original tale there’s definitely little snippets that are fairly accurate to it. There’s a talking horse head at one point, and the entire story feels fairytale-like at times due to Margaret Owen’s writing.

The magic and fantasy lies closely with the inclusion of gods in the story. Fortune and Death are Vanja’s godmothers, and there’s a plethora of Small Gods that we hear about with some more that we encounter in the story. The Small Gods are both good and bad for the people in this world, and gods differ per culture. If Vanja could raise enough money to leave to another country, then she is potentially exempt from the deals she’s made with gods in hers. This distinction made the Gods and their system even more interesting.

One such god was Eiswald, the Lady of the Forest. Her inclusion brings about the start of the story and is what pushes Vanja into becoming not just the antagonist of Gisele’s story but the hero of her own. She also acts as a contrast from Vanja’s godmothers as she treats her own daughter, Ragne, much better than they did.

Our main character Vanja is well rounded as the villain of the tale, whilst being the hero of the actual story. Her history is explored so we fully understand (and sympathise) with the actions she takes, and she’s written to be likeable due to her wit and humour. Despite the “evil servant” taking the place of the princess and being a high-profile thief, you do end up rooting for her to succeed. Her overall aim is to escape to another country to find happiness, and most of all freedom which you want her to gain.

Then we have Gisele, the princess that Vanja stole from. Her story arc shows off the classism in this world, and the entitlement gained through her upbringing. As the story gets more high stakes, we see how Gisele has adapted to her new life, and whilst resentment is there she’s not unhappy that she doesn’t get to marry a prince and live “happily ever after”. Gisele also works as a tool to show motivation for Vanja’s actions, as well as a reminder for those actions.

The relationships between characters are wonderfully written also, I appreciated the strength of female friendships which help Vanja overcome some of her bigger problems. Ragne is the daughter of Eiswald, the Lady of the Forest who places a curse on Vanja to turn to gemstones. As the story unfolds, Ragne learns more of what it means to be human and finds that she loves Vanja and other characters in the story.

Speaking of relationships, we can’t not talk about Junior Prefect Emeric Conrad. Being the one to investigate around Vanja, he becomes a vital part of the team once they realise how many other bad things are happening. He’s our introduction to the Prefects who are like magical law enforcement, and a bit more skilled than the local security at identifying threats. The overall goal of Prefects is to call the Little Gods down to judge criminals for their crimes.

Then there’s Gisele’s betrothed, Margrave Adalbrecht von Regenbach. Adalbrecht is an awful human being, only amplified as the story goes on and we learn more about his actions. As with Vanja, he does get given backstory which tries to explain his behaviour, but as he’s a much less likable character it’s harder to emphasise with his actions.

Adalbrecht brings some of the more horrible magic into the story. From the trippy hallucinogenic poison, Augur’s Tears to the nightmarish Nachtmahrs. The Augur’s Tears link closely with another low god, Truth, and the writing as it peels away the present so Vanja could see history (and horrors) of the rooms she were in were so engaging.

Some of the more fantastical magics were the necklace enchantment allowed Vanja to take Gisele’s place, Emeric’s magic that he learnt from the prefects and the small pieces of magic that the little Gods perform. Overall these little uses of magic help make this world more whimsical.

As a whole I adored Little Thieves and would recommend it to any fantasy lover. It was a wonderful story with interesting characters, world building and magic systems. Perfect for anyone who’s read Margaret Owen‘s previous books like The Merciful Crow.

From chapter one, I knew this was going to be a five star read. Margaret Owen crafts a witty, enchanting, and addictive tale, I never wanted it to end. Little Thieves is a fantastic and satisfying standalone, following an anti-hero seeking freedom and revenge. Owen takes various tropes readers know and love – heists, enemies to lovers, found family, enchantment and hidden heirs – and weaves them into an original tale.

I fell in love with the writing style. Vanja – the main character – would stop at various moments and address the reader, allowing us to gain insights into various plot points and characters. Each part began with a tale, creating an enchanting atmosphere.

Vanja was a perfectly written main character. She was flawed but loveable, readers know when she was in the wrong, and yet you cannot help but root for her. She is a good character who has been dealt bad cards, and in retaliation, robs the rich in order to save enough money to escape the clutches of her godmothers, Death and Fortune.

The supporting cast of characters only enhances Vanja and the world. Emeric, Ragne and Gisele, the characters are truly the highlight of this book. Emeric was a particular favourite of mine, and I cannot wait for you all to meet him.

I loved the magic system in this book, and all the various and terrifying mystical creatures. There are gods and cursed, and a shapeshifter, all clearly explained and fitting into the story perfectly, the plot flowed so well.

The character development felt so natural, there were no unrealistic jumps in through, it was a slow, rocky road that didn’t always go straight, and I loved the realism within this fictional world.

The romance as well was natural, balanced. If you liked the romance in Serpent & Dove, you’ll love this one too.

Little Thieves was outstanding, addictive, charming and unique. I absolutely loved this book, and by the end of chapter three, I was texting friends and telling them to pre-order it. This is a book I will think about for a long time and one that I now call one of my favourite books.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for providing me eARC of this book via NetGalley


Little Thieves is one of the best retellings I’ve read and certainly the best Goose Girl retelling!

This book is so much fun. We follow Vanja, the former maid to Princess Gisele, who now is impersonating the princess herself. I absolutely love books with anti-hero main characters and Vanja did not disappoint. She is selfish, greedy and mean to almost everyone, but the circumstances she finds herself in force her to change, which for her is really difficult, but the author did really good job showing us how, bit by bit, she becomes the person she should be while not losing all her wicked ways in the process. It was really amazing. And the secondary characters were also very good written, I liked everything about Emeric, Ragna and even real Gisele. The romance was a slow burn and took quite a long time to develop, but all the scenes in the second part of the book between Vanja and Emeric were worth the long wait. They were so adorable together!

I really enjoyed this book and definitely reccommend it to everyone. I did not much like this author’s other book, Merciful Crow, but I am so glad I gave this book a chance because this one is simply perfect! Can’t wait to see what the author writes next.

Thank you to netgalley & the publisher for allowing me early access to this book!

If I hadn’t already if known the author the synopsis alone would’ve convinced me to pick this book up!

A truly amazing take on a lesser known fairytale ‘the goose girl’ what a fabulously written book!

Deceptive maids, princesses and let us not forget death! Who wouldn’t want to read!
I 100% recommend this book! I absolutely loved it!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of the best retelling I've read recently. Vanja, a 16 year old has been impersonating the Princess Gisele for over an year now. She has it all figured out but her fortune quickly proves to be tricky thing. She has little time to decide whether she chooses to serve either of her Godmothers: Fortune or Death. To make matters worse, she is being hunted and her impersonation of the princess seems to be coming to an end. What she does to get out of this seemingly impossible situation and loveable characters makes this story very engaging. Vanja is one of my favourite anti-hero main characters. Her selfishness, fears, and desires are something so painfully real that I fell in love with her character. I was angry and sad on her behalf. The writing was easy to follow with an interesting world building. I read this book in one sitting. All the characters were well developed with Emeric and Ragne being my favourite. The romance was so cute but I did wish to see more angst but this story was not just about romance anyway. I feel the author did a marvelous job in weaving the story and keeps the reader entertained throughout it all. All in all, this is a fantasy that readers will surely enjoy. I highly recommend this.

“Little thieves steal gold, and great ones steal kingdoms, but only one goes to the gallows.”

Things I Liked:
♥ Little Thieves has incredibly lush, unique, world building. I found the gods really interesting and the city as a whole was very vivid.
♥ The side characters were some of the best I’ve read in a long time. I felt super connected to everyone and had a great grasp of them all, even the villains. I loved some of them so much that I would happily read a spin off book about them.
♥ I loved how normal queerness was in this world. Our two main characters are demisexual, there is a prominent sapphic relationship, and mentions of a M/M marriage, and trans and nonbinary characters who appear to just be accepted without issue.
♥ I love a morally grey MC and Vanja was so fun. She was gritty and unflinching and her emotional journey was really well done. She was an incredibly complex main character and I really loved watching all of the pieces of her come together.
♥ And what goes better with a morally grey MC than a perfectly above board hero? Literally nothing. The relationship between Vanja and Emeric was so good! It was paced really well—no insta-love here—and I loved the kind of cat and mouse nature of their relationship.
♥ Narrative and plot wise, this book was just really clever. Vanja is such an unreliable narrator, and we learn things on her terms which makes it so fun to try and figure things out as you go.

Things I Disliked:
♡ This is a pretty small dislike, but I think I probably have to re-read this book to fully grasp everything. There was sometimes too much detail at once in terms of world building and politics, and I got a little lost in it. That being said, I finished the book and immediately wanted to read it again, so I’m sure I’ll enjoy my re-read.

Overall thoughts:
This was my first Margaret Owen book and won’t be my last. I really enjoyed her characters and world and this was such a fun read. I would recommend Little Thieves for fans of Celaena Sardothian, Blood Heir, Caraval, or Six of Crows (this is a weird mix, I know, but trust me.)

Content warnings:
Abuse, rape and sexual assault (off page, but discussed,) murder, whipping, drug use, abandonment, fire, body horror.