Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen

22 reviews

tasig's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

cookiecat73's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I finished this book in 3 days, which considering the amount I've been reading on average per day so far this year, is fast. The writing style is one that I flew through, and the plot had me hooked from chapter one, which isn't common. Despite the constant threat of death, the trauma, and dark topics, this is the funniest book I've read in a while. It doesn't make light of the heavy stuff, but the narration and dialogue contain a lot of jokes which so happened to be exactly my sense of humour, and I laughed a lot. I also cried a little bit.

I adore so many of the characters, especially Ragne. The world was good, though nothing incredible. The Gods were amazing, probably my favourite Gods that I've ever read in a story, though to be fair I'm not normally a big fan of Gods in stories so there's not much competition. The description of Eiswald was incredible.

Unfortunately, this book isn't 5 stars for me. So many parts of it were, and I wish it had been 5 stars, but there were certain things in it that I just didn't like as much. Nothing it did wrong really, just things that brought my enjoyment of it down.

I can't believe they called this Untitled Goose Girl when it was being written, reading that in the acknowlegments cracked me up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Outing, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Body horror, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Transphobia, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Acephobia/Arophobia, Pregnancy, and Lesbophobia

mothie_girlie's review against another edition

adventurous funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, and Violence

jokehelldo's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Blood, and Murder

aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

This was a surprisingly heavy story using folktales/fairytales and the typical princess imagery as a backdrop to a sinister situation rife with magic. It's a tale of growth, of hurt and healing, of reclaiming autonomy, and ultimately of justice. Seriously enjoyed it but def recommend anyone to check out content warnings first.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Full review to come - but for now, let me just say I adored this!

I don't say this often about a book, but I'll say it for Little Thieves - I bow down to Margaret Owen, because this is a work of genius in just about every way.

First of all, let me heap praise on the way this novel has been constructed, because oh, wow. The only way I can describe it is like one of those Russian matryoshka (or nesting) dolls. The overall novel is divided into three parts. Within each part are "tales" - initially told in the third person in a fairy-tale style to illuminate a past event, before switching back to the present day in first person, our narrator and (somewhat anti) heroine, Vanja. And that isn't even the end of it, because each tale is further divided by chapters. Confused? Don't worry, it makes sense once you read it. Oh, and one more thing - the beginning of each "tale" is accompanied by stunning black-and-white illustrations, which I have just discovered that Owen created herself. Seriously, it isn't fair how one person can have THIS much talent.

The world-building is brilliantly intricate and comprehensive, which isn't something I say a lot when it comes to fantasy novels. But this one was *chef's kiss*.

Diversity in characters is spot-on, too. Even though this world is clearly inspired by central Europe, within that Owen has taken care to include people of other ethnicities and religions, briefly sketched but still vivid. LGBTQIA+ rep is also pretty solid, with various minor (and major, although I won't spoil who) characters who identify as being somewhere on that spectrum.

And the characters, I could go on and on (except for Adalbrecht, he's evil and nasty, and Irmgard barely rates a mention for the same reasons). First up, Vanja. I really appreciate how Owen wrote her character. Almost straight away I admired her cleverness and ingenuity, although she wasn't the most likeable at first. But Owen dropped subtle hints as to why Vanja behaves the way she does before it is explicitly revealed later on in the novel. I figured it out pretty early, and it was nice to be proven (mostly) right. 

Emeric is an absolute cinnamon roll, and I loved the way he

turned the tables on Vanja

and their eventual

romance was developed subtly and beautifully

. 

Ragne is hilarious and I adore her cluelessness, humour, spark, and honesty. The character of Gisele was well done too, and I loved the

development and backstory of her relationship with Vanja

. I also enjoyed the minor characters, like Joniza, and Ummaya - and who could forget Death, Fortune, and the formidable Eiswald (

Ragne's mother

).

The plotting was excellent too, and that final climactic twist had me gaping. 

I'm pleased to hear that there is a sequel coming, and I'm looking forward to reading it when it comes out. Brava, Margaret Owen!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Cursing

that_person_logan's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

mirandaburel's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, Violence, and Blood

Minor: Physical abuse

shaipanda's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was super intense but honestly? By far one of the best books I’ve read this year and possibly ever read 
The main character was such a morally grey little shit and I love her so much 
I would actually do almost anything for the sequel cause I can’t believe it comes out in almost a year and I can’t get it till then 😭😭 I’m literally considering trying to become a book influencer so I can get the ARC sooner lol 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Sexual assault, and Fire/Fire injury

sarahaf712's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Blood, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Violence, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Police brutality, and Toxic friendship