Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen

10 reviews

amyteurhour's review against another edition

3.5

Content warning: abandonment, child abuse, neglect, rape, classism, toxic relationship, panic attack

The pacing felt a bit slow and dragged out for me, but overall a decent amount of angst. I wish the friendship between the Goose Girl/main character and the bird girl were more developed. The bird girl's relationship felt kind of instalove. I did check out Book 2, but haven't gotten around to it/made it a priority to read, make of that what you will. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Child abuse, and Toxic friendship

amelianotthepilot's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

4.5

A mother gives her 13th daughter to Death and Fortune rather than raise her. Instead of killing her Death and Fortune take the girl as their goddaughter and find her a place in a castle as a servant. She becomes close to the Princess of the castle eventually swapping places with her and stealing her place. She will do anything to survive and cares about no one because no one cares about her but eventually her past and lies will catch up to her.

I really enjoyed this story it's a very spooky and intricate tale of female rage. All the characters were very complex and interesting and I enjoyed the multiple deadlines rushing our characters to the end. However, I didn't really love the beginning. It wasn't until I was about halfway into the story that I was finally invested. I also didn't love the ending. It almost seemed like the author realized she backed herself into too much of a corner and just reversed it.  But I did like the little interludes that were told as tales before each section and I think the end section interlude is my favorite. I also like what she did at the end but not how we got there. The germanic words and culture were interesting but not well explained so I spent most of the book skipping over the words I didn't know since they weren't really explained. I loved the gods aspect and I love a good enemies to lovers and a good morally grey main character. I also loved the casual lgbt+ representation (including lesbians, gays, and a demi character!).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Chronic illness, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Classism, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, and Sexual harassment

aytac's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Violence, War, Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Blood, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Genocide, Confinement, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse

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

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

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

quill88's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny tense 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Murder

Moderate: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Physical abuse

marleywrites's review against another edition

adventurous 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

Margaret Owen, I love you forever for writing this book. I’m writing this review after reading this book for the second time in preparation for Painted Devils. 

Vanja is incredible. I adore Emeric. I could not create a more perfect duo. Add Gisele and Ragne to the mix and you’ve got the perfect conniving crew. 

This story had action, adventure, sleuthing, chaos, and beautiful romance(s). It features a queer normative world. It has magic and gods and politics. It has thieving and scheming. 

This story made me cry both times I read it. Vanja is such a strong character, I love her and I see so much of myself in her story and her fears and her hopes. She is an excellent example of how to write PTSD in characters, without glorifying or romanticizing their traumas. 

Emeric is possibly one of my favorite book boyfriends ever. I’ll leave it at that! 💛

I cannot wait for Painted Devils! I’m posting this review 8 days from the release date!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Death, Grief, Child abuse, Abandonment, and Animal death

Moderate: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Violence, Infidelity, Police brutality, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Sexual assault

There are moments when a character is triggered by her previous sexual assault. But the sexual assault does not occur on page.

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

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

oddduck's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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

I like stories that are assembled with the precision of a watchmaker. Every detail matters. Each tiny piece works together to move forward. If one thing is even slightly off, the story doesn’t work the way it should.

This is one of those stories.

500 pages is getting to be on the long side for me, so I was expecting a little bit of drag. There was none. Every single scene in this book is there for a reason and 500 pages practically flies by. Yet it also didn’t feel like we were moving too fast at any point.

The plot came at just the right pace and with just the right amount of detail that it all came together perfectly in my head, without me figuring out the end too soon/easily and without me feeling frustrated because I didn’t have enough information until the very last second. I figured out part of Adalbrecht’s plan shortly before Vanja and Emeric did, which was ideal timing for me. And everything I hadn’t figured out fell into place as it was spelled out. This plot was like a carefully conducted symphony and it went off without a hitch.

I also loved all the characters, even when some of them weren’t particularly likeable. There’s such a clear motive for their actions that though I may not agree with them, I understand and feel sympathetic for them (except Adalbrecht and Irmgard, they’re both just terrible – that’s a compliment though). They were all so beautifully written, but Vanja and Emeric were the standouts for me.

Vanja’s character arc was incredible. I, admittedly, have a soft spot for characters who have been so hurt they think the only way to protect themselves is to close themselves off and harden their heart, and Vanja is no exception. I love this type of character because it’s moving to see them learn to love and be loved again (even if they’re dragged into it kicking and screaming, like Vanja). The way she grows over the course of the story - going from hating/resenting Emeric, Ragne, and Gisele to calling them her friends and making peace with her past and wanting Emeric to catch her - is brilliantly done. It feels natural and inevitable.

I fell for Emeric in exactly the way Vanja did (er, that is his façade, not the kissing part). It was absolutely delightful to find out how wrong my impression of him was. Like, I actually laughed out loud at the reveal and I’m gleeful just thinking about it. I liked the façade, but the real Emeric was even better. He’s smart and flawed and eager to prove himself and he cares so deeply. He’s just such a great character and Vanja’s many descriptions of him are both correct and hilarious.

There’s also the obligatory shout out for the art, which was done by Margaret Owen as well. She’s talked about a lot of the symbolism and composition of each piece on her twitter, and it’s definitely worth a read through. The art on its own is beautiful, but her explanations of it make it even better.

There is so much else to talk about in the book - the structure, the fairy tale, the casual queer rep, the demi rep (!), the magic system, the rest of the world building, the creatures (Poldi!) - and it’s all so, so good. Honestly, I loved every single thing about this book and I could talk about it for hours. The highest praise I can give it is this: I want to take this book apart like it’s a clock to see how it works. What an absolutely phenomenal book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism

Moderate: Abandonment, Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, and Violence

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

hanarama's review against another edition

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. 
 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Body shaming, and Animal death

booksfilledwithpaiges's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Abandonment