Scan barcode
A review by hanarama
Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Book at a glance:
• Fairytale retold
• Enemies to lovers, cat and mouse
• Medieval Germany-inspired setting
• Lgbt secondary and tertiary characters
• Gods and spirits
Vanja is the adopted daughter of Fortune and Death. But she must live in the mortal realm away from her mothers. Serving from childhood as a princess' maid, she decides to change her fortune. First she trades the princess' identity and life for her own.
With the princess' identity as a shield, Vanja goes on a crime spree. She targets the nobility, robbing them blind when they least expect it. But now a young inspector is hot on her trail, a God has cursed her for her greed, and her wedding to the princess' betrothed looms before her. Vanja has just two weeks to solve all of these problems. Does she have what it takes to save herself, or will she need to put her trust in others?
What I liked:
The worldbuilding is pretty solid. The Germanic inspiration is evident in the folklore, foods, and landscape. However, Owen makes it her own. The hierarchy of the nobility is unique and interesting, as are the gods of this setting. I would love to read more about them.
The characters are diverse and the world is accepting. In spite of the evil nobility, this setting seems like a nice place to live. Owen offers casual representation with LGBT+ and POC characters in the main cast and background.
The characters, though trope-y are generally likeable. The main cast feels friendly and are fun to read about. Gisele and Vanja were the most enjoyable.
Also, the interspersed "fairytale" chapters are really great. Accompanied by beautiful illustration, they capture the fairytale feel and flesh out Vanja's backstory.
What I disliked:
This book is distinctly ya. If you like ya tropes and conventions, you won't mind this, but for me it made the story feel overly quaint at times. It's very tropey and predictable in its plot. Characters' actions are very telegraphed and so it at points it feels absurd that the heroes take so long to uncover the villains true plot.
There were frequent miscommunications between characters to the point of frustration. At times I felt as though the plot would have been resolved faster if the characters just let one another speak before accusing them of some wrong doing. Certainly, I think some of these moments could have been cut, which likely would have quickened the pacing a bit.
At times I felt like the character Ragne was naive and annoying. Her speaking pattern felt artificial and came across as irritating rather than endearing.
• Fairytale retold
• Enemies to lovers, cat and mouse
• Medieval Germany-inspired setting
• Lgbt secondary and tertiary characters
• Gods and spirits
Vanja is the adopted daughter of Fortune and Death. But she must live in the mortal realm away from her mothers. Serving from childhood as a princess' maid, she decides to change her fortune. First she trades the princess' identity and life for her own.
With the princess' identity as a shield, Vanja goes on a crime spree. She targets the nobility, robbing them blind when they least expect it. But now a young inspector is hot on her trail, a God has cursed her for her greed, and her wedding to the princess' betrothed looms before her. Vanja has just two weeks to solve all of these problems. Does she have what it takes to save herself, or will she need to put her trust in others?
What I liked:
The worldbuilding is pretty solid. The Germanic inspiration is evident in the folklore, foods, and landscape. However, Owen makes it her own. The hierarchy of the nobility is unique and interesting, as are the gods of this setting. I would love to read more about them.
The characters are diverse and the world is accepting. In spite of the evil nobility, this setting seems like a nice place to live. Owen offers casual representation with LGBT+ and POC characters in the main cast and background.
The characters, though trope-y are generally likeable. The main cast feels friendly and are fun to read about. Gisele and Vanja were the most enjoyable.
Also, the interspersed "fairytale" chapters are really great. Accompanied by beautiful illustration, they capture the fairytale feel and flesh out Vanja's backstory.
What I disliked:
This book is distinctly ya. If you like ya tropes and conventions, you won't mind this, but for me it made the story feel overly quaint at times. It's very tropey and predictable in its plot. Characters' actions are very telegraphed and so it at points it feels absurd that the heroes take so long to uncover the villains true plot.
There were frequent miscommunications between characters to the point of frustration. At times I felt as though the plot would have been resolved faster if the characters just let one another speak before accusing them of some wrong doing. Certainly, I think some of these moments could have been cut, which likely would have quickened the pacing a bit.
At times I felt like the character Ragne was naive and annoying. Her speaking pattern felt artificial and came across as irritating rather than endearing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship