A review by terrik_
Little Thieves by Margaret Owen

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious 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

4.25

I haven’t been a reader of the YA genre for a while, mainly because I think most books do not delve in-depth into their characters. Little Thieves, though, was exactly the opposite. 

For a YA book, and as a book in general, I loved the complexity of Vanja’s character. There are literally so many parts to her. First her actions can come off as childish. But when we get to know her backstory, I came to sympathise with her, wanted to protect her, and came to really hate some characters in the book. 

The romance in this book was so refreshing to read. It was necessary for the plot to move forward and it helped to unravel the last few layers to Vanja that really showed us who she was as a character. I also enjoyed that there was a gradual build up to their romance that made it feel more real (for lack of a better word). 

Apart from the character developments in this book, I would say that the events that took place were all well spaced out. Everything had its own time and place. 

That said, I think that the world wasn’t built up as strongly as it could’ve been. We are never really given a crash course of the sort about how humans coexist with the gods and other spirits. We don’t know how magic works and who has them. I didn’t mind it that much, but there were gaps that made me go ???.

The reason why this book doesn’t get a five star rating for me is because Vanja’s character doesn’t seem to really match her age. At 17, she draws butts for fun and she seemed too shy with the topic of sex for someone who’s lived such a hard life. (And, well, at 17, sex wasn’t a topic I shied away from). 

Overall a great book!
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