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starlitpage's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Body horror, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia
diorra's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
4.25
It was a fun read. I love the protagonist and her humor and the adventure element was very fun. The world was very magical and the world building was great. It's really charming and the characters are wonderful. I find Vanja very relatable and i understand her feelings completely. Yes she can be happy for others and she cares but she's bitter, kinda selfish, and she does want attention as she was neglected so much. She also craves other's validation and really wants to prove herself. Her development was great. I also loved the romance sub-plot. My only complaint is that some parts in the beginning bored me. It's not like things didn't happen, lots did. I just didn't fully connect with the characters before. I liked the ending though. This book also has great representation of queer characters and non-binary characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Bullying, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Abandonment, and Sexism
Minor: Body shaming
vivavia's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Classism, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Death, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Moderate: Rape, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
mxmarta's review against another edition
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
I loved everything about this book. I started reading it in 2022 but then too much time passed and I decided to re-read from the beginning so I didn't miss any of the finer plot points.
The plot, the pacing, the characters, the enemies-to-lovers vibe are *chef's kiss*
Most of all, the demi/ace spec representation by two of the main characters was amazing to read, it was the first time I read something with an ace spec character POV. The book has a lot of queer representation, including trans and non binary people, and it's especially well done in a fantasy medieval setting, although some of the mentions are only in passage, it was refreshing to see it so seamlessly done.
The only thing that left me mildly unsatisfied was the very last chapter, since it wasan epilogue but I wanted more dialogue between the two main characters after they finally got through everything and came out on the other side finally on the same page about being with each other (in particular, a passage that was just the narrator relaying what they said to each other... Much less squee worthy read like that instead of the actual scene!!! But it was just a small thing, so I still give it 5 stars because it really did not take from the story at all) , but it was also 1:30am and I stayed up late to finish it so it may have been influenced by that.
I'm excited to read the next book, and that this was the first book of the year!
The plot, the pacing, the characters, the enemies-to-lovers vibe are *chef's kiss*
Most of all, the demi/ace spec representation by two of the main characters was amazing to read, it was the first time I read something with an ace spec character POV. The book has a lot of queer representation, including trans and non binary people, and it's especially well done in a fantasy medieval setting, although some of the mentions are only in passage, it was refreshing to see it so seamlessly done.
The only thing that left me mildly unsatisfied was the very last chapter, since it was
I'm excited to read the next book, and that this was the first book of the year!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, Abandonment, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Classism and Sexual assault
middlekmissie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
4.5
This book is so fun. Plotty, twisty, heisty, and fantastical! Hugely deep worldbuilding too. I thought it was fine as a standalone, but I will be super pleased to read the sequel too! The side characters were delightful, especially Ragne, my love.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Physical abuse
cardanrry's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Rape
whenjessreads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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
4.5
This book is loose retelling of the Grimm fairy tale ‘The Goose Girl’, in which a greedy chambermaid undermines her princess, forcing them to switch places so that the chambermaid can live a life of status and luxury, while the princess is relegated to the servant’s quarters and the geese. As expected from the Brothers Grimm, it ends in a particularly gruesome way, and hammers home the dangers of deception and greed.
This book was SO, SO much more than that. Little Thieves is narrated by Vanja, the maid who has conned her way into the place of the princess - and it IS a con, because Vanja is a liar and a thief, with no illusions about who she is. Not only has she taken the place of Princezzin (princess) Gisele while Gisele herself scrabbles for survival in a nearby orphanage, but she is also systematically robbing the elite of their jewels and gold under the pseudonym of the Pfennigeist - the penny phantom… until something happens to stop her in her tracks. Pursued by the law, the aristocracy, and even the gods, things start to get messy for Vanja.
I know I don’t usually write a summary of the plot before I get into reviewing, but this book was just so fascinating. It was witty, irreverent, deeply emotional, and hilarious, all at once. Somehow Owen has taken a literal conwoman, spoken at length about her greed and selfishness, and yet made her into an incredibly sympathetic character. I love a morally grey MC, and I ADORE a damaged one, so by the end I was pretty much ready to bow at her feet. Not only was Vanja a well developed, three-dimensional character, but all the central characters were. WHICH IS A DAMN HARD THING TO DO.
So many boxes were ticked here without them FEELING like boxes were being ticked. There was queer rep, the discussion of trauma without it being the entire plot, magic as a subtlety rather than a focus, slight commentary on the social ideals of beauty and gender-acceptable behaviours.
And it was just so, so funny.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Blood
Minor: Rape
albernikolauras's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is a retelling of Goose Girl from the perspective of the thief. It starts off slow and Vanya is an extremely stubborn and frustrating character (which I can relate to at times).
As the book carries on and you learn more about Vanya and Vanya starts being forcibly befriended by multiple people, the book gets better and better. By the 30% mark, this book had stolen my heart.
It's not a book that will work for everyone, but some of the scenes between Vanya and other characters just hit me. It was the perfect ideal fairytale to help break the slump for the time.
As the book carries on and you learn more about Vanya and Vanya starts being forcibly befriended by multiple people, the book gets better and better. By the 30% mark, this book had stolen my heart.
It's not a book that will work for everyone, but some of the scenes between Vanya and other characters just hit me. It was the perfect ideal fairytale to help break the slump for the time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Torture, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Classism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Bullying, and Abandonment
mpbookreviews's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Alcoholism, Animal death, Violence, Death, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Murder, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
onthesamepage's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
slow-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
3.0
Thinks I liked:
* Overall, the story has a lot of fun elements, what with the heists and people teaming up to defeat the big bad.
* It's not so much a retelling of The Goose Girl, as a story that is loosely inspired by the setup of The Goose Girl, which works in its favor.
* The writing style lends itself really well to the story and brings with it a certain lightness and sense of humor that work very well with our POV character.
* Vanja is an interesting character to follow, because there is so much to discover about her and her motivations. In fact, there isn't a single character (villains aside) that I didn't like.
* I found myself getting a bit emotional during a couple of scenes, when we finally get to the core of why Vanja is the way she is. She's morally grey in a lot of ways, but also very relatable, which I appreciated.
* I loved the demisexual representation and the way the romance developed between Vanja and Emeric (for the most part).
Things I didn't like:
* The writing was too quirky and "clever" sometimes, in a way that would take me out of the story. For example, Vanja likens one of the characters (someone she has known for a few years) to an animal, says she has no idea why that character reminds her of that animal, and then goes "oh, wait, maybe it's because of so and so" because she just now realized why.
* I understand that Vanja has issues, but her "I do care about people but I will never let them know it" attitude got exhausting after a while. And so did her constant, willful misunderstanding every time Emeric tried to protect her.
* The 3rd act conflict in the romance made me roll my eyes so hard and felt overblown.
* The book is way too long for the story it's trying to tell.
* The ending was satisfactory, and I don't understand why we're getting a sequel. It feels very unnecessary, and you can absolutely read this as a standalone.
* Overall, the story has a lot of fun elements, what with the heists and people teaming up to defeat the big bad.
* It's not so much a retelling of The Goose Girl, as a story that is loosely inspired by the setup of The Goose Girl, which works in its favor.
* The writing style lends itself really well to the story and brings with it a certain lightness and sense of humor that work very well with our POV character.
* Vanja is an interesting character to follow, because there is so much to discover about her and her motivations. In fact, there isn't a single character (villains aside) that I didn't like.
* I found myself getting a bit emotional during a couple of scenes, when we finally get to the core of why Vanja is the way she is. She's morally grey in a lot of ways, but also very relatable, which I appreciated.
* I loved the demisexual representation and the way the romance developed between Vanja and Emeric (for the most part).
Things I didn't like:
* The writing was too quirky and "clever" sometimes, in a way that would take me out of the story. For example, Vanja likens one of the characters (someone she has known for a few years) to an animal, says she has no idea why that character reminds her of that animal, and then goes "oh, wait, maybe it's because of so and so" because she just now realized why.
* I understand that Vanja has issues, but her "I do care about people but I will never let them know it" attitude got exhausting after a while. And so did her constant, willful misunderstanding every time Emeric tried to protect her.
* The 3rd act conflict in the romance made me roll my eyes so hard and felt overblown.
* The book is way too long for the story it's trying to tell.
* The ending was satisfactory, and I don't understand why we're getting a sequel. It feels very unnecessary, and you can absolutely read this as a standalone.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Torture
Minor: Sexual assault and Abandonment