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Little Thieves #1
Little Thieves
Once upon a time, there was a horrible girl...
Vanja Schmidt knows that no gift is freely given, not even a mother’s love―and she’s on the hook for one hell of a debt. Vanja, the adopted goddaughter of Death and Fortune, was Princess Gisele's dutiful servant up until a year ago. That was when Vanja’s otherworldly mothers demanded a terrible price for their care, and Vanja decided to steal her future back… by stealing Gisele’s life for herself.
The real Gisele is left a penniless nobody while Vanja uses an enchanted string of pearls to take her place. Now, Vanja leads a lonely but lucrative double life as princess and jewel thief, charming nobility while emptying their coffers to fund her great escape. Then, one heist away from freedom, Vanja crosses the wrong god and is cursed to an untimely end: turning into jewels, stone by stone, for her greed.
Vanja has just two weeks to figure out how to break her curse and make her getaway. And with a feral guardian half-god, Gisele’s sinister fiancé, and an overeager junior detective on Vanja’s tail, she’ll have to pull the biggest grift yet to save her own life.
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.
512 pages, Hardcover
First published October 19, 2021
1841 people are currently reading
141302 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Owen
10 books2,840 followersBorn and raised at the end of the Oregon Trail, Margaret Owen spent her childhood haunting the halls of Powell’s Books. After earning her degree in Japanese, her love of espresso called her north to Seattle, where she worked in everything from thrift stores to presidential campaigns. The common thread between every job can be summed up as: lessons were learned.
She now spends her days wrestling disgruntled characters onto the page, and negotiating a long-term hostage situation with her two monstrous cats. (There is surprisingly little difference between the two.)
She now spends her days wrestling disgruntled characters onto the page, and negotiating a long-term hostage situation with her two monstrous cats. (There is surprisingly little difference between the two.)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,606 reviews
January 2, 2023
This was a fun take on The Goose Girl that expands upon the handmaid character from the fairytale, her background story, what led her to stealing the princess’s identity, and her personal redemption. The romance is sweet, and I enjoyed the sapphic subplot as well. I found some inconsistencies with tone and pacing: the plot drags a lot and could have been shortened to make up for this, and some of the juvenile humor took me out of the serious parts of the story at times. The book is still technically well-written though, so it gets 4 stars from me.
October 19, 2021
ive never heard of ‘the goose girl,’ so i have no idea how this compares as a retelling, but i do appreciate the unique story. i feel like the same tales get retold and retold, so its nice to read something new, even if im not familiar with the source material.
overall, i think this is a fine story. i didnt fall head over heels in love with it, but its definitely far from terrible. i like the atmosphere of the story - it has very woodsy, german village, dark fairytale vibes. i also really enjoyed the use of an anti-hero and found vanya to be a compelling character.
the things that prevented me from enjoying this more were the slow pacing and long length. the plot and writing are also pretty simple, so combine all of these and it just makes the story feel drawn out and sometimes a chore to read.
but all in all, this would be the perfect book for someone who is looking for a fresh retelling that promises some interesting magic, world-building, and mystery.
thanks so much for the ARC, macmillan/henry holt and co!
↠ 3 stars
overall, i think this is a fine story. i didnt fall head over heels in love with it, but its definitely far from terrible. i like the atmosphere of the story - it has very woodsy, german village, dark fairytale vibes. i also really enjoyed the use of an anti-hero and found vanya to be a compelling character.
the things that prevented me from enjoying this more were the slow pacing and long length. the plot and writing are also pretty simple, so combine all of these and it just makes the story feel drawn out and sometimes a chore to read.
but all in all, this would be the perfect book for someone who is looking for a fresh retelling that promises some interesting magic, world-building, and mystery.
thanks so much for the ARC, macmillan/henry holt and co!
↠ 3 stars
Want to read
November 10, 2021I will cover buy the heck out of this.
Who even needs a synopsis?!
P.S. Preorder received!
This is on the November TBR. I'm really hoping a get out of this slump soon. This one is a chunky monkey!
Who even needs a synopsis?!
P.S. Preorder received!
This is on the November TBR. I'm really hoping a get out of this slump soon. This one is a chunky monkey!
July 7, 2023
To all the girlies who love an underhanded, morally corrupt, violent, selfish, gleeful anti-heroine: This one's for you!
I'm one of those girlies, so I fell in love with Vanja, the anti-heroine, immediately.
Little Thieves was a ton of fun to read. Vanja is for the most part a bad person, but she also constantly has conflicts thrown in her path, which seems like fair narrative punishment for her crimes.
Right off the bat Vanja has four big problems:
1. She was raised by the gods of Fortune and Death, who upon her adolescence gave her a choice: serve either one of them for eternity. Vanja isn't much for serving, so she chose neither. But in order to fully escape her godmothers' influence, she needs to amass enough money to flee the country.
2. Though she formerly worked as a maid in a princess's household, Vanja seized an opportunity to magically switch places with her and now lives in the palace as an impostor. Then the princess's power-hungry, abusive fiancé returns from the front and declares he wishes to marry her in two weeks' time. He also begins trying to assassinate her.
3. To amass the fortune she needs, she has been stealing from nobles in the princess's circuit, under the guise of a master thief called Red Penny. This has worked out well for her, right up until her husband-to-be calls upon the cunning and far-reaching Order of the Prefects to hunt her down.
4. As if that's not enough trouble to deal with, she steals from the wrong people and angers a local deity. The deity puts a curse on Vanja which will slowly turn her body to gems and pearls over the course of two weeks unless she can find a way to make up for all the wrong she's done.
Vanja trying not to panic under all this pressure
All this comes together to create an exciting plotline with a little bit of enemies to lovers romance sprinkled in, as well as some slowburning friendships and complicated themes of forgiveness and revenge.
The world is Germanic inspired, which was particularly fun for me. German is actually my native language, though more than a decade in the US has made me sound very American. I got to delight in some of the winks and nods made towards German folktales and terms.
I'm one of those girlies, so I fell in love with Vanja, the anti-heroine, immediately.
Little Thieves was a ton of fun to read. Vanja is for the most part a bad person, but she also constantly has conflicts thrown in her path, which seems like fair narrative punishment for her crimes.
Right off the bat Vanja has four big problems:
1. She was raised by the gods of Fortune and Death, who upon her adolescence gave her a choice: serve either one of them for eternity. Vanja isn't much for serving, so she chose neither. But in order to fully escape her godmothers' influence, she needs to amass enough money to flee the country.
2. Though she formerly worked as a maid in a princess's household, Vanja seized an opportunity to magically switch places with her and now lives in the palace as an impostor. Then the princess's power-hungry, abusive fiancé returns from the front and declares he wishes to marry her in two weeks' time. He also begins trying to assassinate her.
3. To amass the fortune she needs, she has been stealing from nobles in the princess's circuit, under the guise of a master thief called Red Penny. This has worked out well for her, right up until her husband-to-be calls upon the cunning and far-reaching Order of the Prefects to hunt her down.
4. As if that's not enough trouble to deal with, she steals from the wrong people and angers a local deity. The deity puts a curse on Vanja which will slowly turn her body to gems and pearls over the course of two weeks unless she can find a way to make up for all the wrong she's done.
Vanja trying not to panic under all this pressure
All this comes together to create an exciting plotline with a little bit of enemies to lovers romance sprinkled in, as well as some slowburning friendships and complicated themes of forgiveness and revenge.
The world is Germanic inspired, which was particularly fun for me. German is actually my native language, though more than a decade in the US has made me sound very American. I got to delight in some of the winks and nods made towards German folktales and terms.
October 20, 2021
This is exactly what a fairytale retelling should be. Little Thieves takes a lesser known fable, The Goose Girl, and picks it apart at the seams, only to refashion it into something far grander than you may have thought you could get from the original material. All the initial elements are present, the same characters follow familiar beats at first, only to eventually diverge. The story’s themes are turned on their heads, and the end result is just as much a reaffirmation of the source material as it is a challenge to it.
“Once upon a time, there was a horrible girl…”
I mean, come on, who wouldn’t want to read a book with that introduction?
This retelling, like many popular ones now, focuses on the antagonist of the original story. Vanja is the disloyal maid who abandons her princess and steals her life for her own. In the year since that faithful day on the road, Vanja has more than settled into her life as ‘Prinzessin Gisele’, now not only living a luxurious life but boldly robbing the nobility she’s met through her newly acquired status. It’s after one of these robberies where things begin to go wrong for her, though, as she finds herself cursed by a Low God offended by her thievery. Vanja will have to break the curse by ‘making amends’ or slowly succumb to her greed by becoming the very stones she’s stolen.
Or…….she could just ask her godmothers for help. After being forfeited by her birth mother, Vanja was taken in by Death and Fortune, who have made her an offer: their assistance for her servitude. But after years as a servant for the lost princess and her family, Vanja would rather fall to the curse than fall in debt to her overbearing godmothers, which is not as unreasonable as it sounds to those of us with mother figures like this in our lives.
Despite Vanja’s general demeanor and attitude, she actually manages to make some friends that will try to help her break this curse. The characters in Little Thieves will delight anyone who loves a good ensemble cast. And while probably not technically a heist, there’s definitely a heist-type feel to a lot of the scheming Vanja and her gang partake in.
I know this probably sounds like a lot so far, and that’s because it is. There’s also a ton more than I’m not going to get into so readers can experience it for themselves, but it’s really impressive the way Owens is able to juggle so many different plot lines at once, especially in a standalone fantasy like this. And it’s not all action and plot, there’s some really immense personal struggles that the characters experience along the way. Within the 500+ pages of this novel are seven ‘Tales’ recounting important backstory to the current timeline. Several are intense gut-punches and give so much context as to why the characters make the choices they do.
I think what I liked best, though, is how well-structured this book was. It would have been so easy for something like this to go off the rails, but Owens felt fully in control of the narrative at every twist and turn. The way she confronts traditional lessons in morality, what we as an audience equate with goodness and evil, is so smart. I don’t think it’s possible to rave too much about Little Thieves, but in the interest of not overhyping too much I will stop here. Still, please don’t sleep on this gorgeous, germanic fantasy retelling. ✨
**For more book talk & reviews, follow me on Instagram at @elle_mentbooks!
I’m going to include a summary of The Goose Girl below in spoiler tags. Not because I believe it spoils anything for the book—far from it as I think reading it right before going in helped me appreciate the changes Margaret Owens made all the more. But some people like to go in totally blind, so I’ll let readers decide for themselves. Again, though, this isn’t a spoiler for the book any more than the publisher-provided synopsis is:
“Once upon a time, there was a horrible girl…”
I mean, come on, who wouldn’t want to read a book with that introduction?
This retelling, like many popular ones now, focuses on the antagonist of the original story. Vanja is the disloyal maid who abandons her princess and steals her life for her own. In the year since that faithful day on the road, Vanja has more than settled into her life as ‘Prinzessin Gisele’, now not only living a luxurious life but boldly robbing the nobility she’s met through her newly acquired status. It’s after one of these robberies where things begin to go wrong for her, though, as she finds herself cursed by a Low God offended by her thievery. Vanja will have to break the curse by ‘making amends’ or slowly succumb to her greed by becoming the very stones she’s stolen.
Or…….she could just ask her godmothers for help. After being forfeited by her birth mother, Vanja was taken in by Death and Fortune, who have made her an offer: their assistance for her servitude. But after years as a servant for the lost princess and her family, Vanja would rather fall to the curse than fall in debt to her overbearing godmothers, which is not as unreasonable as it sounds to those of us with mother figures like this in our lives.
Despite Vanja’s general demeanor and attitude, she actually manages to make some friends that will try to help her break this curse. The characters in Little Thieves will delight anyone who loves a good ensemble cast. And while probably not technically a heist, there’s definitely a heist-type feel to a lot of the scheming Vanja and her gang partake in.
I know this probably sounds like a lot so far, and that’s because it is. There’s also a ton more than I’m not going to get into so readers can experience it for themselves, but it’s really impressive the way Owens is able to juggle so many different plot lines at once, especially in a standalone fantasy like this. And it’s not all action and plot, there’s some really immense personal struggles that the characters experience along the way. Within the 500+ pages of this novel are seven ‘Tales’ recounting important backstory to the current timeline. Several are intense gut-punches and give so much context as to why the characters make the choices they do.
I think what I liked best, though, is how well-structured this book was. It would have been so easy for something like this to go off the rails, but Owens felt fully in control of the narrative at every twist and turn. The way she confronts traditional lessons in morality, what we as an audience equate with goodness and evil, is so smart. I don’t think it’s possible to rave too much about Little Thieves, but in the interest of not overhyping too much I will stop here. Still, please don’t sleep on this gorgeous, germanic fantasy retelling. ✨
**For more book talk & reviews, follow me on Instagram at @elle_mentbooks!
I’m going to include a summary of The Goose Girl below in spoiler tags. Not because I believe it spoils anything for the book—far from it as I think reading it right before going in helped me appreciate the changes Margaret Owens made all the more. But some people like to go in totally blind, so I’ll let readers decide for themselves. Again, though, this isn’t a spoiler for the book any more than the publisher-provided synopsis is:
November 14, 2021
My pitch: kind of like Six of Crows, only set in medieval Germany with traditional German fae folk.
My not-so-coherent thoughts: This book!!!! Is probably one of my favorites for this year! I LOVE the demi rep and the characters! Vanja is most definitely not a morally good character, but she is written so well. I bawled about 3/4 of the way through the book and didn’t stop until the end.
I love the German too— I never see any medieval German settings done well in books!
GIVE ME THE NEXT BOOK!
My not-so-coherent thoughts: This book!!!! Is probably one of my favorites for this year! I LOVE the demi rep and the characters! Vanja is most definitely not a morally good character, but she is written so well. I bawled about 3/4 of the way through the book and didn’t stop until the end.
I love the German too— I never see any medieval German settings done well in books!
GIVE ME THE NEXT BOOK!
June 10, 2023
Re-read June 2023: YEP! This remains one of the best books I’ve ever read. I’m emotional. Also I can’t believe I didn’t mention in my original review that this book is hilarious because the humor is a massive part of the charm, it’s outrageously, laugh-out-loud funny.
I love this book. So much. Little Thieves is bitter and sweet and sad and happy and wholesome and frustrating and thrilling and basically what I'm saying is that I ran the gamut of emotions with this book.
I tend to feel weird giving reviews for books I LOVE because I so enjoy going into a good book completely blind and I don't want to give anyone else hints of what they might see, but rest assured this book is everything. Beautiful writing, a variety of characters, plot twists and turns, GROWTH, and magic. What more could I ask for?
I cannot wait for the official release in October so I can physically hold this book in my hands, because I know this is one I'll come back to more than once.
I love this book. So much. Little Thieves is bitter and sweet and sad and happy and wholesome and frustrating and thrilling and basically what I'm saying is that I ran the gamut of emotions with this book.
I tend to feel weird giving reviews for books I LOVE because I so enjoy going into a good book completely blind and I don't want to give anyone else hints of what they might see, but rest assured this book is everything. Beautiful writing, a variety of characters, plot twists and turns, GROWTH, and magic. What more could I ask for?
I cannot wait for the official release in October so I can physically hold this book in my hands, because I know this is one I'll come back to more than once.
May 3, 2023
3 May 2023
In preparation for reading Painted Devils, I decided to reread this work. What stood out to me on this reread is just how excellent the secondary characters really are. Ragne is the perfect amount of comedic relief and fierce friend, and she stole the show for me this time. I still love a morally grey protagonist, especially when there's some excellent character development/growth that comes along with it. Something else that stood out to me was that I thought the protagonist was older than she was. She's 17 in the book, but to me she came across as early- to mid-twenties. This isn't a huge discrepancy, and I'd rather have my protagonists act older than younger, so it didn't really detract from my enjoyment.
I enjoyed this read just as much the second time, and can't wait to see what the next book holds!
Original Review
Vanja is a thief, not by choice but by necessity. And her greatest theft so far? Stealing someone else's position and life. But now she finds herself trapped in an engagement to a dangerous man and trapped in debt to her godmothers, Death and Fortune. She continues stealing from the rich, hoping to accrue enough money to flee her godmothers. But when she is cursed by someone she crosses, she finds herself with two weeks to save her life.
First, the cover to this book is absolutely gorgeous. I knew nothing about the book, but once I saw the cover, I decided I needed to read it. The story was also interesting and well written. The worldbuilding was fascinating - I loved the inclusion of the palace Kobald, the lesser gods and their children, and the monsters.
The characters were varied in their motives, personalities, and quirks. Ragne's unusual approaches from not being around humans, Vanja's humor, and even Death's stolidness. I appreciated that relationship/gender diversity was woven into the story in a way that didn't feel like it was just checking a box. Vanja was a morally-grey protagonist, which made for a fun and exciting read.
The author addressed some heavy issues in this work but did so in a way that was not ham-fisted or gruesome. Sexual abuse and physical assault were used as plot points, but they weren't the whole plot. Similarly, she examined characters' motivations for doing "bad" things in a way that made them three-dimensional.
I did feel like the book slowed down a bit in the latter half, as the characters were trying to piece together clues and evidence. But other than that, there wasn't anything I disliked about the work. I recommend this work to people who like fantasy, heists, and/or enemies-to-lovers.
In preparation for reading Painted Devils, I decided to reread this work. What stood out to me on this reread is just how excellent the secondary characters really are. Ragne is the perfect amount of comedic relief and fierce friend, and she stole the show for me this time. I still love a morally grey protagonist, especially when there's some excellent character development/growth that comes along with it. Something else that stood out to me was that I thought the protagonist was older than she was. She's 17 in the book, but to me she came across as early- to mid-twenties. This isn't a huge discrepancy, and I'd rather have my protagonists act older than younger, so it didn't really detract from my enjoyment.
I enjoyed this read just as much the second time, and can't wait to see what the next book holds!
Original Review
Vanja is a thief, not by choice but by necessity. And her greatest theft so far? Stealing someone else's position and life. But now she finds herself trapped in an engagement to a dangerous man and trapped in debt to her godmothers, Death and Fortune. She continues stealing from the rich, hoping to accrue enough money to flee her godmothers. But when she is cursed by someone she crosses, she finds herself with two weeks to save her life.
First, the cover to this book is absolutely gorgeous. I knew nothing about the book, but once I saw the cover, I decided I needed to read it. The story was also interesting and well written. The worldbuilding was fascinating - I loved the inclusion of the palace Kobald, the lesser gods and their children, and the monsters.
The characters were varied in their motives, personalities, and quirks. Ragne's unusual approaches from not being around humans, Vanja's humor, and even Death's stolidness. I appreciated that relationship/gender diversity was woven into the story in a way that didn't feel like it was just checking a box. Vanja was a morally-grey protagonist, which made for a fun and exciting read.
The author addressed some heavy issues in this work but did so in a way that was not ham-fisted or gruesome. Sexual abuse and physical assault were used as plot points, but they weren't the whole plot. Similarly, she examined characters' motivations for doing "bad" things in a way that made them three-dimensional.
I did feel like the book slowed down a bit in the latter half, as the characters were trying to piece together clues and evidence. But other than that, there wasn't anything I disliked about the work. I recommend this work to people who like fantasy, heists, and/or enemies-to-lovers.
August 15, 2023
Bardzo ciekawy pomysł, ale rozwiązanie trochę zbyt proste jak na mój gust.
June 3, 2023
4 ⭐
This was really good!! 🤩🤩 Such a great fairytale retelling and so many aspects were right up my alley. I had a great time reading it! 💗💗
“Once upon a time, there was a girl as cunning as the fox in winter, as hungry as the wolf at first frost, and as cold as the icy wind that kept them at each other's throats. Her name was not Gisele, nor was it Marthe, nor even Pfennigeist. My name was -is- Vanja. And this is the story of how I got caught.”
Little Thieves is a retelling of the Goose Girl- but from the villain's pov. Vanja is the goddaughter of Death and Fortune, working as a palace maid for Princess Gisele. But when her godmothers demand payment for their care and the horrible treatment from the royals she is employed by gets too awful to handle, she decides to take her future into her own hands. Posing as Gisele with a magical item and leaving the real Gisele penniless, Vanja starts stealing from the nobles for her debt as she plots her revenge. But now that there is a curse, a terrible scheme and an awfully handsome boy in the mix, Vanja's life is about to be thrown into chaos...
“There's a saying in the Blessed Empire: Little thieves steal gold, and great ones steal Kingdoms, but only one goes to the gallows. I'm not sure I agree. I've little interest in kingdoms, but even less in dancing with the hangman. And I've gotten very good - great, you might even say - at stealing gold.”
I've been eyeing this book for a while bc it sounded really interesting AND had a gorgeous cover. However, I never picked it up initially and so I'm really glad I finally got to it!! And it ended up being a really entertaining read 🥰🥰
Starting with the characters! ... which was actually one of my main issues with the book 😬😬 They weren't awful but they definitely didn't impress me that much. While the mc, Vanja, was very fierce and morally grey (2 things I love), I never really connected to her character and found it difficult to root for her. She made some REALLY stupid decisions and had me facepalming a lot 🤦♀️🤦♀️🙄🙄 Like, there were aspects of her character I liked, but she was just so FRUSTRATING. I do also think the side characters lacked development and weren't amazing either.
HOWEVER, I did really like Emeric! 😍😍 He was super sweet and wholesome and i just really connected to him. He came off a bit boring and snobbish at the beginning, but as the book progressed, i really grew to appreciate his character. He's really 'nerdy' and quiet, but his development was done really well & i liked him a lot ❤
However, the writing and plot were much better than the characters!! ✨ I really liked Margaret Owen's writing, it was really easy to read and gave the book a great atmosphere. All the dark fairytale vibes were there and i LOVED that. Also, the inclusion of German culture in this book was really really interesting and made the world feel very developed! 🥰🥰
The plot was enjoyable as well- it had a really interesting storyline with quite a bit of action. I loved the twist the author put on the Goose Girl fairytale and there was a fun little mystery with a great solution. The book also wrapped up really well with a sweet ending 💗
My only critique with the plot tho was that the middle had a serious lack of action and lost my interest at times. The beginning and ending were both great, but I think the middle just needed to be sped up a bit 🙁
There was also a small little romance subplot- and I liked it way more than I thought I would?! 🤭🤭 Emeric and Vanja were a great couple- there was a lot of chemistry and their connection just felt really REAL 🥰 It was not forced at all. They both had baggage but helped each other work through it and supported each other- which is exactly what a relationship should look like!! 😍😍 It was just a genuinely healthy and sweet romance that was a nice break from the usual darker romance in fantasy books 💗💗
“I can't say if you're a good person or not. But the more I know of you, the more I understand that the world keeps making you choose between survival and martyrdom. No one should fault you for wanting to live.”
Overall, a really great read!! 🤩🤩 Would recommend if you're looking for:
✔ Great fairytale retelling
✔ Morally grey mc
✔ All the good dark fairytale vibes
✔ Sweet romance subplot
It was a really enjoyable read to start off the month 💗💗
《 2023 challenge: Book 70 of 110 》
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I really enjoyed this!! 🥰🥰 It gave all the good dark fairytale vibes AND it had a really cute romance 💗💗
RTC!
This was really good!! 🤩🤩 Such a great fairytale retelling and so many aspects were right up my alley. I had a great time reading it! 💗💗
“Once upon a time, there was a girl as cunning as the fox in winter, as hungry as the wolf at first frost, and as cold as the icy wind that kept them at each other's throats. Her name was not Gisele, nor was it Marthe, nor even Pfennigeist. My name was -is- Vanja. And this is the story of how I got caught.”
Little Thieves is a retelling of the Goose Girl- but from the villain's pov. Vanja is the goddaughter of Death and Fortune, working as a palace maid for Princess Gisele. But when her godmothers demand payment for their care and the horrible treatment from the royals she is employed by gets too awful to handle, she decides to take her future into her own hands. Posing as Gisele with a magical item and leaving the real Gisele penniless, Vanja starts stealing from the nobles for her debt as she plots her revenge. But now that there is a curse, a terrible scheme and an awfully handsome boy in the mix, Vanja's life is about to be thrown into chaos...
“There's a saying in the Blessed Empire: Little thieves steal gold, and great ones steal Kingdoms, but only one goes to the gallows. I'm not sure I agree. I've little interest in kingdoms, but even less in dancing with the hangman. And I've gotten very good - great, you might even say - at stealing gold.”
I've been eyeing this book for a while bc it sounded really interesting AND had a gorgeous cover. However, I never picked it up initially and so I'm really glad I finally got to it!! And it ended up being a really entertaining read 🥰🥰
Starting with the characters! ... which was actually one of my main issues with the book 😬😬 They weren't awful but they definitely didn't impress me that much. While the mc, Vanja, was very fierce and morally grey (2 things I love), I never really connected to her character and found it difficult to root for her. She made some REALLY stupid decisions and had me facepalming a lot 🤦♀️🤦♀️🙄🙄 Like, there were aspects of her character I liked, but she was just so FRUSTRATING. I do also think the side characters lacked development and weren't amazing either.
HOWEVER, I did really like Emeric! 😍😍 He was super sweet and wholesome and i just really connected to him. He came off a bit boring and snobbish at the beginning, but as the book progressed, i really grew to appreciate his character. He's really 'nerdy' and quiet, but his development was done really well & i liked him a lot ❤
However, the writing and plot were much better than the characters!! ✨ I really liked Margaret Owen's writing, it was really easy to read and gave the book a great atmosphere. All the dark fairytale vibes were there and i LOVED that. Also, the inclusion of German culture in this book was really really interesting and made the world feel very developed! 🥰🥰
The plot was enjoyable as well- it had a really interesting storyline with quite a bit of action. I loved the twist the author put on the Goose Girl fairytale and there was a fun little mystery with a great solution. The book also wrapped up really well with a sweet ending 💗
My only critique with the plot tho was that the middle had a serious lack of action and lost my interest at times. The beginning and ending were both great, but I think the middle just needed to be sped up a bit 🙁
There was also a small little romance subplot- and I liked it way more than I thought I would?! 🤭🤭 Emeric and Vanja were a great couple- there was a lot of chemistry and their connection just felt really REAL 🥰 It was not forced at all. They both had baggage but helped each other work through it and supported each other- which is exactly what a relationship should look like!! 😍😍 It was just a genuinely healthy and sweet romance that was a nice break from the usual darker romance in fantasy books 💗💗
“I can't say if you're a good person or not. But the more I know of you, the more I understand that the world keeps making you choose between survival and martyrdom. No one should fault you for wanting to live.”
Overall, a really great read!! 🤩🤩 Would recommend if you're looking for:
✔ Great fairytale retelling
✔ Morally grey mc
✔ All the good dark fairytale vibes
✔ Sweet romance subplot
It was a really enjoyable read to start off the month 💗💗
《 2023 challenge: Book 70 of 110 》
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I really enjoyed this!! 🥰🥰 It gave all the good dark fairytale vibes AND it had a really cute romance 💗💗
RTC!
May 27, 2025
All my regards to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for proving me with this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review
This is my first Margaret Owen book, so my expectations were extremely high. I just finished this one hour ago and I don't think I will be able to tell if this book lived up to them yet.
I went into this book without the knowledge that it is a retelling of "The Goose Girl", but that's okay, because I cannot, for the love of my life, remember what it was about, so that was okay. This book lives up perfectly as its own. While reading, I couldn't tell this was a retelling at all, so I assume that Owen did a good job?
This is set in an Ancient German empire-inspired world. I adore the dark and mysterious atmosphere. The magic system with the Gods is also amazing (and one of them is genderfluid or non-binary!! diversity for the win!!)
Nevertheless, the absolute highlight of this book is the character development. Throughout 500 pages, Owen managed to build complex and compelling characters whose actions are motivated and relatable. The protagonist, Vanja, is an anti-hero and more villain than hero. However, her actions are justified and relatable. Her journey to accept kindness and affection truly affects me in a personal way (and the found family is *chef's kiss*). I don't know what to do with that ending, should I be worried???
However, this book is not perfect. I have a few problems with this book. For example, this book could have easily been 350 pages-ish instead of 500. Some passages are unnecessarily dragged out. Furthermore, this was not an easy read for me. There is something about the first 40% that gives so much pain (I took 10 days to read the first 40% while I crushed the rest in two hours)
At last, this was an interesting and dazzling read. The writing style is not really my thing, but I would recommend checking this book out if you want an atmospheric and mysterious dark fairy tale.
This is my first Margaret Owen book, so my expectations were extremely high. I just finished this one hour ago and I don't think I will be able to tell if this book lived up to them yet.
I went into this book without the knowledge that it is a retelling of "The Goose Girl", but that's okay, because I cannot, for the love of my life, remember what it was about, so that was okay. This book lives up perfectly as its own. While reading, I couldn't tell this was a retelling at all, so I assume that Owen did a good job?
This is set in an Ancient German empire-inspired world. I adore the dark and mysterious atmosphere. The magic system with the Gods is also amazing (and one of them is genderfluid or non-binary!! diversity for the win!!)
Nevertheless, the absolute highlight of this book is the character development. Throughout 500 pages, Owen managed to build complex and compelling characters whose actions are motivated and relatable. The protagonist, Vanja, is an anti-hero and more villain than hero. However, her actions are justified and relatable. Her journey to accept kindness and affection truly affects me in a personal way (and the found family is *chef's kiss*). I don't know what to do with that ending, should I be worried???
However, this book is not perfect. I have a few problems with this book. For example, this book could have easily been 350 pages-ish instead of 500. Some passages are unnecessarily dragged out. Furthermore, this was not an easy read for me. There is something about the first 40% that gives so much pain (I took 10 days to read the first 40% while I crushed the rest in two hours)
At last, this was an interesting and dazzling read. The writing style is not really my thing, but I would recommend checking this book out if you want an atmospheric and mysterious dark fairy tale.
January 11, 2022
This book did not disappoint! I absolutely love Margaret Owen's creativity and ability to birth characters that are intriguing, unique, and hard to let go. Vanja has been added to the morally ambiguous, Slytherin girls' unite hall of fame. Emeric took me by surprise, as he starts off as Wesley Wyndam-Pryce in Buffy...
but ends up really being Wesley circa Angel.
He has this vibe when he goes after Vanja, cause he is smart and figures her out in no time at all. Vanja of course takes offense and immediately assists him off a very-high-and-possibly-not-survivable-window.
The relationship between Vanja and Gisele is complicated. Vanja was Gisele's maid, and she considered herself Gisele's best friend, until a certain point in their lives when Gisele's family makes it pretty obvious to Vanja where she stands. Gisele comes from privilege and is unable to see how Vanja is really treated by her family as Gisele herself tries to treat Vanja as a sister but has huge privilege blinders on making her unable to really have a connection. Vanja is of course resentful, so when opportunity to get back at Gisele, and greatly improve her odds, arrives she does not hesitate. Gisele has problems of her own, as her mother treats her terribly and hacks at Gisele's confidence bit by bit, ultimately giving her off to our antagonist (an extremely unpleasant fellow) as one does in medieval times to improve their odds.
Ragne is a shapeshifter, daughter of the goddess that curses Vanja for stealing one of her protection amulets from a high born lady. Vanja is cursed to grow gems on her body until she makes things right and returns what she has stolen/does a truly selfless act. Ragne sticks around Vanja, and quickly becomes the most adorable pseudo human as she slowly learns human etiquette but only the parts she wants/likes and leaves the rest behind. She is powerful, and a truly great companion to Vanja as she is the only one who is always there and understands her better than everyone.
I truly came to love these characters. The world, the magic, the ways goddesses mess with human lives, the morally grey decisions... *in lurve* Margaret Owen is an instant buy/pre order author for me. She has written two duologies so far (because I guess this book has a sequel!!) and I loooved her first, and love this one as well.
PS; I was provided a review copy in exchange for an honest review. Thanks go to the publisher!
Old comment pre publication:
This could be Margaret Owen's grocery list, and I'd still pre-order.
PS; I need this cover in my liiife. Please someone make a special edition with red sprayed edges <3
but ends up really being Wesley circa Angel.
He has this vibe when he goes after Vanja, cause he is smart and figures her out in no time at all. Vanja of course takes offense and immediately assists him off a very-high-and-possibly-not-survivable-window.
The relationship between Vanja and Gisele is complicated. Vanja was Gisele's maid, and she considered herself Gisele's best friend, until a certain point in their lives when Gisele's family makes it pretty obvious to Vanja where she stands. Gisele comes from privilege and is unable to see how Vanja is really treated by her family as Gisele herself tries to treat Vanja as a sister but has huge privilege blinders on making her unable to really have a connection. Vanja is of course resentful, so when opportunity to get back at Gisele, and greatly improve her odds, arrives she does not hesitate. Gisele has problems of her own, as her mother treats her terribly and hacks at Gisele's confidence bit by bit, ultimately giving her off to our antagonist (an extremely unpleasant fellow) as one does in medieval times to improve their odds.
Ragne is a shapeshifter, daughter of the goddess that curses Vanja for stealing one of her protection amulets from a high born lady. Vanja is cursed to grow gems on her body until she makes things right and returns what she has stolen/does a truly selfless act. Ragne sticks around Vanja, and quickly becomes the most adorable pseudo human as she slowly learns human etiquette but only the parts she wants/likes and leaves the rest behind. She is powerful, and a truly great companion to Vanja as she is the only one who is always there and understands her better than everyone.
I truly came to love these characters. The world, the magic, the ways goddesses mess with human lives, the morally grey decisions... *in lurve* Margaret Owen is an instant buy/pre order author for me. She has written two duologies so far (because I guess this book has a sequel!!) and I loooved her first, and love this one as well.
PS; I was provided a review copy in exchange for an honest review. Thanks go to the publisher!
Old comment pre publication:
This could be Margaret Owen's grocery list, and I'd still pre-order.
PS; I need this cover in my liiife. Please someone make a special edition with red sprayed edges <3
February 25, 2022
*4.5 stars
July 23, 2022
4.5 Stars
Well hell, I loved it!! 😉
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Well hell, I loved it!! 😉
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
October 18, 2024
protect Vanja at all cost
Thank you guy who lets cats in the room for doing a buddy read with me
Thank you guy who lets cats in the room for doing a buddy read with me
October 27, 2021
Heists? Tick. Morally complex protagonists? Tick. Delicious romance? Tick tick tick. I devoured every page. Bring on book two!
![Profile Image for Namera [The Literary Invertebrate].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1647896333i%2F31792110._UX200_CR0%2C96%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
February 22, 2021
Once upon a time, there was a girl as cunning as the fox in winter, as hungry as the wolf at first frost, and cold as the icy wind that kept them at each other's throats.
You should read this book if you like the sound of:
⤅ An unrepentantly wicked, deeply likeable, abrasive antiheroine who slowly softens over the course of the story
⤅ A buttoned-up, starchy, stuffy hero who basically gets turned inside out by the heroine during their cat-and-mouse relationship
⤅ Fairy-tale retellings from the POV of the villain (a little loose of a retelling maybe, but recognisable elements are there)
⤅ Truly beautiful prose that's lyrical without being purple
⤅ An intriguing Germanic fantasy world where queer and nonbinary characters are normal
Little Thieves follows 16-year-old Vanja Schmidt, who's been the goddaughter of the Low Gods Death and Fortune ever since her mother abandoned her to their care when she was four years old. Though she always considered herself a full daughter, she was horrified to discover four years ago that they think of her more as a potential servant... and she only has one week left until she must choose which of them she wants to serve for the rest of her life. The only way she can escape is if she raises 1000 gilden, which will let her flee to a new life in a foreign country.
Which is why she has a cunning and highly complex plan. Since she was a child, she's been a servant in the household of the royal von Falbirg family, and a playmate to their daughter Princess Gisele. A terrible event shattered their faith in each other, and now Gisele is a poor beggar somewhere in the streets, while Vanja has taken her place with the help of an enchanted pearl necklace that lets her look like Gisele. For the last year, she's been using her newly elevated position to moonlight as the Pfennigeist, a ghost who steals from all the aristocrats.
The little thief steals gold, but the great one steals kingdoms; and only one goes to the gallows...
But her time is running out in more way than one. As well as Death and Fortune, she also now has 18-year-old Junior Prefect Emeric Conrad on her heels. Even though he looks like just a bumbling oaf, he's the Prefect in charge of investigating the Pfennigeist,, so she has to watch her step. Her fiancé (or, rather, Gisele's fiancé) Margrave Adalbrecht von Regenbach is also on his way back from the border wars, and he's a horrible person she really needs to steer clear of. But the worst deadline of all is the curse she gets placed on her for stealing from the god of the forest. Infuriated at her theft, the god has decreed that Vanja will slowly turn into a statue made of precious gems, unless she can undo all the wrongs she's done. Ragne, the god's feral shapeshifter daughter, is tasked with watching over Vanja for what looks to be the last week of her life.
In order to juggle all these competing deadlines and enemies, Vanja is going to have to work very, very hard...
Okay, I listed some of my favourite things about this book up at the top already, so I won't go too much further into that. But I will admit that I did have to forgive a couple of things in order to let this book have a 5-star rating.
The ending for one, feels weaker than the rest of the novel. Slightly rushed, and nowhere near as fleshed out as it could've been. Also... I'm more than ready to see Margaret Owen write more nuanced villains. I know she can write great antiheroines, so I was really surprised to see how one-dimensional the villain is. He's not just a murderer, he's a rapist, cheater, patricide, militia-leader... really?
Also, on a final note, I really would have liked to see this as an adult novel. Spoiler tag, but there's no spoiler in it, just me rambling a few thoughts about Vanja and Emeric.
OVERALL
I'm so grateful that the amount which I enjoyed The Merciful Crow wasn't a fluke.
January 8, 2022
This is a rating that I talked myself into rounding up (initially it was a 4.5) instead of my usual sad panda mope about it being so close, or oh I wish I could round up but blah, etc etc. Because, y'all, LITTLE THIEVES? Was so so good. Also it's December twenty-ninth, it's been a long year (make that two), and I've barely given out any full ratings in what feels like a decade, so. YOLO.
"Is there anyone in Minkja you haven't robbed, swindled, or backstabbed?"
"I mean, in the grand scheme of things, isn't funding the extravagance of the nobility through the blood of the commoners the real swindle?"
I delayed reading this for a few reasons; mostly fear that Owen would end up a one-hit-series-wonder but also because I saw some mixed reviews which fed into that fear. But I should not have worried because once again I've been blown away by this author.
"You're just mad I tossed you in the river."
"I think it's reasonable to take issue with you nearly drowning me."
"Sure, but you're not mad because you nearly drowned. You're mad because you went to all that trouble to set a trap and stage your big triumphant reveal and I still tossed you in the river."
The synopsis basically tells you everything you need to know about this except the feels you will have while reading it; or the heartbreak and tragedy you'll experience; or even the many many lines that will make you laugh out loud; and the sheer delight in everything about it all. Except, you know, the bad stuff you aren't going to delight in, see aforementioned heartbreak and tragedy. Yes, naturally, I did cry. Maybe twice. Who is to say.
I see myself for what I am : a scared girl, alone in a cruel world, abandoned by family and friend, who would rather turn herself to bloodstained stone than let anyone get close enough to leave another scar. A girl who would rather die than serve anyone ever again. Even myself. And it is killing me.
On that note, the author does provide a lovely little passage with some content warnings at the beginning, so keep your eyes out for that if you need it.
"I can't say if you're a good person or not. But the more I know of you, the more I understand that the world keeps making you choose between survival and martyrdom. No one should fault you for wanting to live."
But yeah, I have so little to say because this is one of those classic "I fucking loved it!" feelings that has left me pretty speechless. I have so many highlights, way more than can fit in this review, and the whole experience was just fantastic. The only thing I'm mad about is that the sequel (!!) isn't coming out until 2023. Which, wow. Talk about a devastating blow. But if that's the trade off for yet another banger? I will suffer bravely and with dignity. Cue sobs.
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
"Is there anyone in Minkja you haven't robbed, swindled, or backstabbed?"
"I mean, in the grand scheme of things, isn't funding the extravagance of the nobility through the blood of the commoners the real swindle?"
I delayed reading this for a few reasons; mostly fear that Owen would end up a one-hit-series-wonder but also because I saw some mixed reviews which fed into that fear. But I should not have worried because once again I've been blown away by this author.
"You're just mad I tossed you in the river."
"I think it's reasonable to take issue with you nearly drowning me."
"Sure, but you're not mad because you nearly drowned. You're mad because you went to all that trouble to set a trap and stage your big triumphant reveal and I still tossed you in the river."
The synopsis basically tells you everything you need to know about this except the feels you will have while reading it; or the heartbreak and tragedy you'll experience; or even the many many lines that will make you laugh out loud; and the sheer delight in everything about it all. Except, you know, the bad stuff you aren't going to delight in, see aforementioned heartbreak and tragedy. Yes, naturally, I did cry. Maybe twice. Who is to say.
I see myself for what I am : a scared girl, alone in a cruel world, abandoned by family and friend, who would rather turn herself to bloodstained stone than let anyone get close enough to leave another scar. A girl who would rather die than serve anyone ever again. Even myself. And it is killing me.
On that note, the author does provide a lovely little passage with some content warnings at the beginning, so keep your eyes out for that if you need it.
"I can't say if you're a good person or not. But the more I know of you, the more I understand that the world keeps making you choose between survival and martyrdom. No one should fault you for wanting to live."
But yeah, I have so little to say because this is one of those classic "I fucking loved it!" feelings that has left me pretty speechless. I have so many highlights, way more than can fit in this review, and the whole experience was just fantastic. The only thing I'm mad about is that the sequel (!!) isn't coming out until 2023. Which, wow. Talk about a devastating blow. But if that's the trade off for yet another banger? I will suffer bravely and with dignity. Cue sobs.
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
July 25, 2025
Little thieves steal gold, and great ones steal kingdoms, but only one goes to the gallows.
rating: 4.5★
omg this one it was so much fun and such a pleasant surprise. it's based on the goose girl which i actually have no familiarity with so everything was very fresh, new, and just overall fun and exciting read.
set in fictionalized central europe / germany, filled with folklore, and set to an intriguing mystery plot, this is definitely one of my favorite YA fantasy reads in a while. vanja is rough around the edges, with a quickwitted humor and even sharper mind. she balances the art of deceit and thievery while stealing the identity of a princess and gets cursed by a low god. then the princess's husband to be shows up unexpectedly and shit gets weird fast.
i'm always gonna love an fmc who's a little rough and tumble, and vanja also has very justified reasons for being how she is. the way her background and unbalanced relationship with gisele is explored was also very well done. also YAY queernormative world!
“You’re what happens when an encyclopedia wishes on a star to be a real boy, if that encyclopedia was also an absolute prick.”
No. I am not coming out of this night grudgingly liking the smug bastard. I refuse on yet another principle (which is: There’s only room in this town for one smug bastard. That smug bastard is me).
anja meets her match in the ambitious but outcast junior prefect, emeric. their dynamic was so much fun; it's something i've seen in many YA/adult fantasy romances, but this is a time when it was expertly crafted and executed. it's the cat mouse cat chase where two characters from two opposing sides of the moral divide challenge each other intellectually. there's also some angst and yearning hehe
I don’t know what’s worse: that he’s slipped into my heart like a knife, or that I like the feel of him there.
i genuinely hated every time i had to put this book down to go to sleep, and all i can think about during my workday was getting back to it. i'm so excited to see where the series goes, i have high hopes! (might have to have some bratwurst, mead, and sweet dumplings on hand for those 🤭)
If you want me to chase you, I will chase you. If you want me to find you, I will find you. If you’ll have me, I will choose you every time.
rating: 4.5★
omg this one it was so much fun and such a pleasant surprise. it's based on the goose girl which i actually have no familiarity with so everything was very fresh, new, and just overall fun and exciting read.
set in fictionalized central europe / germany, filled with folklore, and set to an intriguing mystery plot, this is definitely one of my favorite YA fantasy reads in a while. vanja is rough around the edges, with a quickwitted humor and even sharper mind. she balances the art of deceit and thievery while stealing the identity of a princess and gets cursed by a low god. then the princess's husband to be shows up unexpectedly and shit gets weird fast.
i'm always gonna love an fmc who's a little rough and tumble, and vanja also has very justified reasons for being how she is. the way her background and unbalanced relationship with gisele is explored was also very well done. also YAY queernormative world!
“You’re what happens when an encyclopedia wishes on a star to be a real boy, if that encyclopedia was also an absolute prick.”
No. I am not coming out of this night grudgingly liking the smug bastard. I refuse on yet another principle (which is: There’s only room in this town for one smug bastard. That smug bastard is me).
anja meets her match in the ambitious but outcast junior prefect, emeric. their dynamic was so much fun; it's something i've seen in many YA/adult fantasy romances, but this is a time when it was expertly crafted and executed. it's the cat mouse cat chase where two characters from two opposing sides of the moral divide challenge each other intellectually. there's also some angst and yearning hehe
I don’t know what’s worse: that he’s slipped into my heart like a knife, or that I like the feel of him there.
i genuinely hated every time i had to put this book down to go to sleep, and all i can think about during my workday was getting back to it. i'm so excited to see where the series goes, i have high hopes! (might have to have some bratwurst, mead, and sweet dumplings on hand for those 🤭)
If you want me to chase you, I will chase you. If you want me to find you, I will find you. If you’ll have me, I will choose you every time.
Want to read
October 28, 2025Adding this in my 'current-read' list just to motivate myelf more to pick up this series.
______________
I think it is now becoming a very appropriate time for me to finally pick up this book! (I received the arc for the third book (and probably the last book of the series?))
______________
I think it is now becoming a very appropriate time for me to finally pick up this book! (I received the arc for the third book (and probably the last book of the series?))
January 10, 2022
This review is spoiler free!
Where to start with this… I was disappointed by this book.
The premise started out great. I love fairy tale retellings and to see a lesser known one be chosen was exciting!
I also liked that the author chose to write from the perspective of the “villain” (in the Grimm original, the maid steals the innocent princess’s identity and later is executed when she’s found out).
Unfortunately, there were too many things that bothered me to fully enjoy this book.
The first thing I noticed was the horrible use of “German” in this book. I suspect the author tried to change it, because it’s a fantasy Germany, not real Germany, but… it doesn’t work like that. Some examples: Mäestrin instead of Meisterin - which sounds vaguely Italian, Bórn – the German language doesn’t use accents, plenty of wrong plural forms, but perhaps most jarring of all: “Prinzeps-Wahl”. My guess would be that the author took the English term of Prince Elect and translated it LITERALLY. Which, as people with a basic grasp of different languages would know, is a horrible idea. If the author had consulted someone from Germany or at least done a little more research than Google Translate, she would have seen that the correct term for Prince Elect is Kurfürst. That’s just lazy research. (source: am German)
The plot is set in Germany, but the author never took the time to describe anything – not the landscape, not the castles, only some dresses’ colour is mentioned. Winter in Germany can be quite beautiful and magical, so I’m not sure why she didn’t use that imagery, it would have been a fantastic setting. She also never explained anything about the fantasy world this is set in – I still have no idea what a grimling is supposed to be (curiously though, the concept of pawn shops is explained in detail).
However, plenty of pages were dedicated to completely unnecessary explanations. I don’t need constant crude reminders to get that Vanja is an impostor, who has stolen the princess’s identity, and she is NOT the princess, but everyone thinks she is, because she is deceiving them, and they don’t know about that, which is why they call her princess… you get the idea.
Which brings me to the next point: Vanja is quite frankly horrible at deception. She’s supposed to be a great thief and liar, but she frequently demonstrates that this is not the case. She can’t lie at all under pressure (she stutters and takes a looong time to come up with the most bizarre lies ever), she pick-pockets someone impulsively when it could blow her whole cover and she leaves a red penny at every one of her crime scenes. Her nickname is red penny. I don’t know why she was so surprised a junior investigator found out it was her within a week of looking into the thefts.
One of my main grievances was that the characters are very two dimensional. Only a few of them get a back story at all and even that is so cursory that it might as well have not been mentioned. None of them really have a personality and the side characters have to make do without any traits at all. Perhaps worst of all is the villain, who has a habit of using the most ridiculous nicknames for Vanja/Gisele and is himself portrayed as so ridiculous that I could hardly take him seriously. And if you can’t take a villain serious, where is the suspense, the concern for the characters?
The characters don’t really fit into the world either. They use modern language like “canoodle” and “totally” and in general sound more like a bunch of high school students (if high school students used words like canoodle) than characters from a fantasy world set in the past. And while I love when diversity is portrayed in books, it just doesn’t make sense that characters are openly gay and transgender and nobody bats an eye.
The plot is weirdly paced too – there are several subplots (the thefts, Adalbrecht, Vanja’s curse, her godmothers), but there are simply too many for this book, which is why most of them don’t receive the attention they’d deserve. She is surprisingly unbothered by a curse that will kill her in a few days, for example. The curse also makes little sense – she is punished for her greed, but it doesn’t seem like greed at all to me. She’s looking out for herself in a world that’s been cruel to her. Trying to earn enough money to flee the country doesn’t exactly sound like amassing fortunes out of money hunger to me.
Last thing I have to say: the Trinity of Want. Oooh boy. This is Vanja’s pet theory that gets mentioned All. The. Time. Never mind that it’s pretty much bs, why are you trying to sell me this oh so wise theory every other page? I felt like I was being chased by Jehova’s Witnesses.
I gave two stars, because I loved the idea, but the execution was very underwhelming
Where to start with this… I was disappointed by this book.
The premise started out great. I love fairy tale retellings and to see a lesser known one be chosen was exciting!
I also liked that the author chose to write from the perspective of the “villain” (in the Grimm original, the maid steals the innocent princess’s identity and later is executed when she’s found out).
Unfortunately, there were too many things that bothered me to fully enjoy this book.
The first thing I noticed was the horrible use of “German” in this book. I suspect the author tried to change it, because it’s a fantasy Germany, not real Germany, but… it doesn’t work like that. Some examples: Mäestrin instead of Meisterin - which sounds vaguely Italian, Bórn – the German language doesn’t use accents, plenty of wrong plural forms, but perhaps most jarring of all: “Prinzeps-Wahl”. My guess would be that the author took the English term of Prince Elect and translated it LITERALLY. Which, as people with a basic grasp of different languages would know, is a horrible idea. If the author had consulted someone from Germany or at least done a little more research than Google Translate, she would have seen that the correct term for Prince Elect is Kurfürst. That’s just lazy research. (source: am German)
The plot is set in Germany, but the author never took the time to describe anything – not the landscape, not the castles, only some dresses’ colour is mentioned. Winter in Germany can be quite beautiful and magical, so I’m not sure why she didn’t use that imagery, it would have been a fantastic setting. She also never explained anything about the fantasy world this is set in – I still have no idea what a grimling is supposed to be (curiously though, the concept of pawn shops is explained in detail).
However, plenty of pages were dedicated to completely unnecessary explanations. I don’t need constant crude reminders to get that Vanja is an impostor, who has stolen the princess’s identity, and she is NOT the princess, but everyone thinks she is, because she is deceiving them, and they don’t know about that, which is why they call her princess… you get the idea.
Which brings me to the next point: Vanja is quite frankly horrible at deception. She’s supposed to be a great thief and liar, but she frequently demonstrates that this is not the case. She can’t lie at all under pressure (she stutters and takes a looong time to come up with the most bizarre lies ever), she pick-pockets someone impulsively when it could blow her whole cover and she leaves a red penny at every one of her crime scenes. Her nickname is red penny. I don’t know why she was so surprised a junior investigator found out it was her within a week of looking into the thefts.
One of my main grievances was that the characters are very two dimensional. Only a few of them get a back story at all and even that is so cursory that it might as well have not been mentioned. None of them really have a personality and the side characters have to make do without any traits at all. Perhaps worst of all is the villain, who has a habit of using the most ridiculous nicknames for Vanja/Gisele and is himself portrayed as so ridiculous that I could hardly take him seriously. And if you can’t take a villain serious, where is the suspense, the concern for the characters?
The characters don’t really fit into the world either. They use modern language like “canoodle” and “totally” and in general sound more like a bunch of high school students (if high school students used words like canoodle) than characters from a fantasy world set in the past. And while I love when diversity is portrayed in books, it just doesn’t make sense that characters are openly gay and transgender and nobody bats an eye.
The plot is weirdly paced too – there are several subplots (the thefts, Adalbrecht, Vanja’s curse, her godmothers), but there are simply too many for this book, which is why most of them don’t receive the attention they’d deserve. She is surprisingly unbothered by a curse that will kill her in a few days, for example. The curse also makes little sense – she is punished for her greed, but it doesn’t seem like greed at all to me. She’s looking out for herself in a world that’s been cruel to her. Trying to earn enough money to flee the country doesn’t exactly sound like amassing fortunes out of money hunger to me.
Last thing I have to say: the Trinity of Want. Oooh boy. This is Vanja’s pet theory that gets mentioned All. The. Time. Never mind that it’s pretty much bs, why are you trying to sell me this oh so wise theory every other page? I felt like I was being chased by Jehova’s Witnesses.
I gave two stars, because I loved the idea, but the execution was very underwhelming
October 31, 2021
While I enjoyed the atmosphere, somehow this just didn't grab me enough.
Also, I'm not sure what the whole slightly misspelling German words thing was about - either adding or removing letters here or there was just distracting to be honest..
Also, I'm not sure what the whole slightly misspelling German words thing was about - either adding or removing letters here or there was just distracting to be honest..
July 17, 2023
Such a pleasant surprise! This was a very well-executed YA fantasy that deals thoughtfully with healing from trauma, while having an engaging story, deadly curses, great characters, and an interesting world. If you like a prickly, damaged heroine with a great growth arc and some excellent thieving skills, Vanja is your girl.
Little Thieves follows a a young woman with lots of trauma who is a fantastic thief, and has even stolen a life and identity that are not her own. But trouble is about to come calling.... I don't want to spoil the story, but I was really impressed with this book and while I know it's the start of a series, this is a very satisfying book all on its own. Also there are casually queer side characters and while there is plenty of class oppression and misogyny, there's not much in way of homophobia in the world. Love that choice.
Little Thieves follows a a young woman with lots of trauma who is a fantastic thief, and has even stolen a life and identity that are not her own. But trouble is about to come calling.... I don't want to spoil the story, but I was really impressed with this book and while I know it's the start of a series, this is a very satisfying book all on its own. Also there are casually queer side characters and while there is plenty of class oppression and misogyny, there's not much in way of homophobia in the world. Love that choice.
October 21, 2024
I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH. that's all
September 6, 2023
this book was gold. it was so captivating, so amusing and so, SO enjoyable.
it made me laugh out loud! it made me cry! it had me clutching my chest because damn it had my favourite type of angst in bucketloads. the characters were so real and vibrant and FUN, our main character especially was a ball of intelligence and trickery and determination. she was so damn funny, and her relationship with the love interest... it had me giggling and everything, they were so cute and chaotic.
and i adored the writing style, the start of every section was written like a fairytale with STUNNING artworks (so obsessed) that matched each section perfectly and the inclusion of gods and magic was brilliantly done.
i haven't had such fun in way too long!! i want to reread already. read this!!
it made me laugh out loud! it made me cry! it had me clutching my chest because damn it had my favourite type of angst in bucketloads. the characters were so real and vibrant and FUN, our main character especially was a ball of intelligence and trickery and determination. she was so damn funny, and her relationship with the love interest... it had me giggling and everything, they were so cute and chaotic.
and i adored the writing style, the start of every section was written like a fairytale with STUNNING artworks (so obsessed) that matched each section perfectly and the inclusion of gods and magic was brilliantly done.
i haven't had such fun in way too long!! i want to reread already. read this!!
September 24, 2021
Rating 2 DNF @40%
*Sigh* I really, really wanted to like this book. This book has such a gorgeous cover that immediately piqued my interest. After reading the synopsis I was even more excited to read this story. Unfortunately, that’s where all of the excitement comes to an end for me. I tried giving this book three attempts and still I couldn’t get into it. The writing seemed to be all over the place and almost seemed too rushed. While I love a strong female main character she was not at all likable. I found myself rolling my eyes and I had no interest in what would happen to her. As far as plot goes there were too many good ideas instead of just having one overall great idea. Even though this book wasn’t for me I can see how others might enjoy it.
**Received an advanced copy through NetGalley in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **
*Sigh* I really, really wanted to like this book. This book has such a gorgeous cover that immediately piqued my interest. After reading the synopsis I was even more excited to read this story. Unfortunately, that’s where all of the excitement comes to an end for me. I tried giving this book three attempts and still I couldn’t get into it. The writing seemed to be all over the place and almost seemed too rushed. While I love a strong female main character she was not at all likable. I found myself rolling my eyes and I had no interest in what would happen to her. As far as plot goes there were too many good ideas instead of just having one overall great idea. Even though this book wasn’t for me I can see how others might enjoy it.
**Received an advanced copy through NetGalley in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **
January 9, 2022
4.5 stars! This book was so intriguing and enchanting! The world that the author created is so unique: it has gods, monsters, princes, curses and more. I really liked Vanja, she’s the definition of a morally gray character. Vanja is very brave but she’s also a thief. I really liked Emeric he’s very sweet and smart. My favorite character was Ragne, she’s so loyal and kind! The enemies-to-lovers romance was *chief’s kiss*. I love that the book included LGBTQ+ representation! I loved that the book included German fairy tales!
November 27, 2025
morally gray characters i love you
November 28, 2021
1 million/5 stars, this was ferocious and tender in equal measures
I was looking forward to this book from the moment it was announced, as I loved Margaret Owen's other book series The Merciful Crow. Her use of darker themes to paint a big picture and message was astounding in this book just like the others. There was not a moment I wanted to put this book down, and I always wanted to pay the utmost attention to it so that I could gather all the details. This book is also a retelling of 'The Goose Girl' which I have never fully read but know of. I think this book does it incredible justice while also building off into something entirely itself.
This story follows Vanja, the not-so-loyal maid a year after she stole her princesses' life to live it as her own. She is the adopted daughter of Death and Fortune and when her godmothers demanded a price for their care she decided to take her own life back while taking Gisele's for herself. Now Vanja leads a life as a lucrative jewel thief and princess, charming nobles while stealing their riches. Then one heist away from her final freedom, she crosses the one god and ends up with a curse, an untimely end of being turned into jewels for her greed. She has two weeks to figure out if she can break her curse, on top of dealing with a half-god, Gisele's sinister fiance, and an overeager junior detective on her tail.
The pacing of this book was fantastic, it never missed a beat and constantly threw new plot twists around the story. It could have been very easy for this book to get tangled in on itself, but Owen had wonderful control of each and every piece. Every twist and turn came at just the right time, and her discussion of important themes once again shines through. In this book through the plot and characters, she confronts what the reader would see as traditional "good and evil" and turns traditional lessons of morality into something far greater.
Not even counting the original plot there is so much that goes on in this story regarding the characters' struggles and past. There were several 'tales' sprinkled throughout the novel that gave important insight into Vanja and Gisele's past, as well as set up how they viewed the world. Most of them are equivalent to gut punches, and truly show off why each character is the way they are. I think this was a delightful way to get some background on these complicated characters and create worldbuilding without dense info dumps.
Being set in a form of Germany was really fun, I don't often read books that are set in this area. There are a lot of fantasy books based around Europe, but usually England, and not so much Germany so this was a new and fun experience. It was still a pretty typical fantasy setting but I could honestly never get bored of that, there's something so comforting about a castle and a village for the characters to run through. I really liked the pieces of magic entwined with the story, as well as the gods. It was really unique, there were low gods that answered to humans and if something happened these specific people (won't say as spoilers) are able to call them to judge a person. They can also give curses to humans, but I couldn't choose a favorite they were all so fun. The magic was really unique and I'm not quite sure I understand it now, but I'm not disappointed, it leaves a little mystery for the second book.
Vanja was the epitome of a morally-gray unlikeable main character, but I fell in love with her right from the start. I have a soft spot for characters like that anyways, but Vanja was built around such excruciating circumstances that I couldn't help but have sympathy for her. Based on everything that happened in her past I totally understand why she did the things she did and why she felt so lost. I won't give too many details for fear of spoilers, but she was my favorite character of this entire book. All her sarcastic comments, tricks up her sleeve, heist plots, and moments of weakness were brilliantly written by Owen and I'm so happy to see another complicated main character from her.
Gisele was the character I had the most presumptions about, but she ended up being very well done. I think as we are seeing it from Vanja's point of view, it's easy to see Gisele as simply a villain. She didn't do everything right in her past, but the abuse that followed Vanja around also tiptoed behind Gisele. She experienced various types of abuse and mistreatment from people in her life growing up, and so she didn't know what to do to help Vanja. In the present tense of the story, Gisele is very complicated. Her story is very much a spoiler, but just know that in the end I really ended up appreciating her and what she ended up doing. She has a kind heart and I'm glad she was able to use it.
Ragne was just so much fun! She was chaotic all the time, but such a good friend as well. She's the daughter of a low goddess who can shapeshift into various animals, who are always fully black. She was extremely fun to have in the main cast as she served as a sarcastic comic relief, while also being naive about some things. Those two put together made her enter into some really fun conversations with the main characters. I couldn't get enough of her and how much fun she was, and how resourceful she really was.
Emeric was the only main character that I felt the reader should've gained a bit more from, but that could totally be my personal preference. He was the only male main character which made him stick out a bit from the others I think, but it also gave him charm. He's perfect, which are types of magical detectives, and he's in the story to investigate various things. His intelligence is something that adds to the main cast's skills, and I was really happy that he grew out of his shell as more time went on. He's interesting, and I almost know for certain we will see more of him in the second book. I'm very excited to continue to see him evolve.
The cast of this book, especially those above, was so much fun for me as I love large ensemble casts. Especially those reluctant to work with one another, but forced to anyways because of a situation. Each of them brought something unique to the table for their heists and plans, and it was so fun to see them work it out. The angst that was threaded through their group was rightfully placed and exposed just enough to give the reader an understanding of their dynamic. The history of characters played a huge role in the chemistry as well, and seeing every moment be important was something I really appreciated. As well the LGBTQ rep between two of the characters was done really nicely, it wasn't a giant plot point but inserted in a nice way anyways.
Overall, one of my most anticipated books all year, and rightfully so. Everything about this book was so perfect from the dark magic, the morally gray characters, and the wonderfully mysterious setting. I highly recommend this to anyone and everyone, the more people I can talk about this with the merrier.
[TW: poisoning, child abuse, child neglect, abusive environments and relationships, PTSD, attempted assault (off page), blood, injury, sexual harassment, manipulation, animal death]
I was looking forward to this book from the moment it was announced, as I loved Margaret Owen's other book series The Merciful Crow. Her use of darker themes to paint a big picture and message was astounding in this book just like the others. There was not a moment I wanted to put this book down, and I always wanted to pay the utmost attention to it so that I could gather all the details. This book is also a retelling of 'The Goose Girl' which I have never fully read but know of. I think this book does it incredible justice while also building off into something entirely itself.
This story follows Vanja, the not-so-loyal maid a year after she stole her princesses' life to live it as her own. She is the adopted daughter of Death and Fortune and when her godmothers demanded a price for their care she decided to take her own life back while taking Gisele's for herself. Now Vanja leads a life as a lucrative jewel thief and princess, charming nobles while stealing their riches. Then one heist away from her final freedom, she crosses the one god and ends up with a curse, an untimely end of being turned into jewels for her greed. She has two weeks to figure out if she can break her curse, on top of dealing with a half-god, Gisele's sinister fiance, and an overeager junior detective on her tail.
The pacing of this book was fantastic, it never missed a beat and constantly threw new plot twists around the story. It could have been very easy for this book to get tangled in on itself, but Owen had wonderful control of each and every piece. Every twist and turn came at just the right time, and her discussion of important themes once again shines through. In this book through the plot and characters, she confronts what the reader would see as traditional "good and evil" and turns traditional lessons of morality into something far greater.
Not even counting the original plot there is so much that goes on in this story regarding the characters' struggles and past. There were several 'tales' sprinkled throughout the novel that gave important insight into Vanja and Gisele's past, as well as set up how they viewed the world. Most of them are equivalent to gut punches, and truly show off why each character is the way they are. I think this was a delightful way to get some background on these complicated characters and create worldbuilding without dense info dumps.
Being set in a form of Germany was really fun, I don't often read books that are set in this area. There are a lot of fantasy books based around Europe, but usually England, and not so much Germany so this was a new and fun experience. It was still a pretty typical fantasy setting but I could honestly never get bored of that, there's something so comforting about a castle and a village for the characters to run through. I really liked the pieces of magic entwined with the story, as well as the gods. It was really unique, there were low gods that answered to humans and if something happened these specific people (won't say as spoilers) are able to call them to judge a person. They can also give curses to humans, but I couldn't choose a favorite they were all so fun. The magic was really unique and I'm not quite sure I understand it now, but I'm not disappointed, it leaves a little mystery for the second book.
Vanja was the epitome of a morally-gray unlikeable main character, but I fell in love with her right from the start. I have a soft spot for characters like that anyways, but Vanja was built around such excruciating circumstances that I couldn't help but have sympathy for her. Based on everything that happened in her past I totally understand why she did the things she did and why she felt so lost. I won't give too many details for fear of spoilers, but she was my favorite character of this entire book. All her sarcastic comments, tricks up her sleeve, heist plots, and moments of weakness were brilliantly written by Owen and I'm so happy to see another complicated main character from her.
Gisele was the character I had the most presumptions about, but she ended up being very well done. I think as we are seeing it from Vanja's point of view, it's easy to see Gisele as simply a villain. She didn't do everything right in her past, but the abuse that followed Vanja around also tiptoed behind Gisele. She experienced various types of abuse and mistreatment from people in her life growing up, and so she didn't know what to do to help Vanja. In the present tense of the story, Gisele is very complicated. Her story is very much a spoiler, but just know that in the end I really ended up appreciating her and what she ended up doing. She has a kind heart and I'm glad she was able to use it.
Ragne was just so much fun! She was chaotic all the time, but such a good friend as well. She's the daughter of a low goddess who can shapeshift into various animals, who are always fully black. She was extremely fun to have in the main cast as she served as a sarcastic comic relief, while also being naive about some things. Those two put together made her enter into some really fun conversations with the main characters. I couldn't get enough of her and how much fun she was, and how resourceful she really was.
Emeric was the only main character that I felt the reader should've gained a bit more from, but that could totally be my personal preference. He was the only male main character which made him stick out a bit from the others I think, but it also gave him charm. He's perfect, which are types of magical detectives, and he's in the story to investigate various things. His intelligence is something that adds to the main cast's skills, and I was really happy that he grew out of his shell as more time went on. He's interesting, and I almost know for certain we will see more of him in the second book. I'm very excited to continue to see him evolve.
The cast of this book, especially those above, was so much fun for me as I love large ensemble casts. Especially those reluctant to work with one another, but forced to anyways because of a situation. Each of them brought something unique to the table for their heists and plans, and it was so fun to see them work it out. The angst that was threaded through their group was rightfully placed and exposed just enough to give the reader an understanding of their dynamic. The history of characters played a huge role in the chemistry as well, and seeing every moment be important was something I really appreciated. As well the LGBTQ rep between two of the characters was done really nicely, it wasn't a giant plot point but inserted in a nice way anyways.
Overall, one of my most anticipated books all year, and rightfully so. Everything about this book was so perfect from the dark magic, the morally gray characters, and the wonderfully mysterious setting. I highly recommend this to anyone and everyone, the more people I can talk about this with the merrier.
[TW: poisoning, child abuse, child neglect, abusive environments and relationships, PTSD, attempted assault (off page), blood, injury, sexual harassment, manipulation, animal death]
April 23, 2025
5 stars !!
Okay, so like, is this the best book I've ever read? Please, that would be ridicul- ... Actually ... *checks notes* ... wait actually yah it might be.
I'm sorry Ms. Owen, I was unfamiliar with your game. I am genuinely shocked that this book is not on the same popularity level as something like ACOTAR, Shatter Me, or Red Queen. From start to finish, this book, or better yet, the author's writing, had me floored. There was not a single element of the story that I did not love and admire. The story is solid as a retelling, the plot is dynamic and full of moving elements, the characters are real and flawed, the writing style is both lyrical and quippy, the themes are topical and strongly delivered, the romantic subplot is engaging and has one of my favourite declarations of all time, the characters are all smart and make intelligent choices that drive the plot forward, the characters also all converge into a beautiful found family ... There is not a single part of this book that I can even think to critique. I am truly so impressed by Margaret Owen's skills as a writer. I found myself tearing up towards the end of the book, and not even because the plot was sad or anything, I was just so impressed at how the story had come together.
I know it's fairly popular, but I really do hope this book gains more traction in the bookish community. It's not a romantasy by any means, which is what's in vogue right now, but it's a very smart novel and absolutely worth your time. I'll also add that it can definitely be read as a standalone if you aren't feeling ready to commit to a whole series.
I'm excited to see where the plot goes next, but really, I'm just excited to pick up another work from this author.
Okay, so like, is this the best book I've ever read? Please, that would be ridicul- ... Actually ... *checks notes* ... wait actually yah it might be.
I'm sorry Ms. Owen, I was unfamiliar with your game. I am genuinely shocked that this book is not on the same popularity level as something like ACOTAR, Shatter Me, or Red Queen. From start to finish, this book, or better yet, the author's writing, had me floored. There was not a single element of the story that I did not love and admire. The story is solid as a retelling, the plot is dynamic and full of moving elements, the characters are real and flawed, the writing style is both lyrical and quippy, the themes are topical and strongly delivered, the romantic subplot is engaging and has one of my favourite declarations of all time, the characters are all smart and make intelligent choices that drive the plot forward, the characters also all converge into a beautiful found family ... There is not a single part of this book that I can even think to critique. I am truly so impressed by Margaret Owen's skills as a writer. I found myself tearing up towards the end of the book, and not even because the plot was sad or anything, I was just so impressed at how the story had come together.
I know it's fairly popular, but I really do hope this book gains more traction in the bookish community. It's not a romantasy by any means, which is what's in vogue right now, but it's a very smart novel and absolutely worth your time. I'll also add that it can definitely be read as a standalone if you aren't feeling ready to commit to a whole series.
I'm excited to see where the plot goes next, but really, I'm just excited to pick up another work from this author.
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