Scan barcode
kaseybereading's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
bluejayreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
- 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
5.0
This seems like a fairly straightforward plot, right? A thief steals the wrong thing, gets cursed, and has to return everything she’s stolen to get un-cursed. It sounds straightforward and doable, if personally difficult for our protagonist.
Except that there are so many complicating factors that this simple-sounding plot becomes a 14-hour audiobook of surprises, magic, unexpected friendships, and one of the most thoroughly evil antagonists I’ve encountered in a long time. The true purposes behind Vanja’s curse aren’t even revealed until the climax. The back cover leaves out the villain entirely, along with two of the three major characters helping Vanja.
There is a lot of plot in this story, but there are also very strong character arcs. Giselle got an obvious one of learning how the other 99% lives and how to not be a spoiled rich girl, and I wasn’t sure if I would like her but she turned out pretty decent in the end. Ragne, the half-human shapeshifter daughter of the goddess who cursed Vanja who is attempting to help Vanja undo her curse, learns how to act like a human and how to fall in love. Emeric, the investigator trying to find the culprit behind Vanja’s jewel thefts, learns to deal with loss and discovers some things about his sexuality.
I saved Vanja for last because, as the main protagonist, she has the most going on character-wise. She has a metric ton of trauma, and her character is one of the best-written descriptions of trauma I’ve ever seen. There’s no “saved by the power of love” or torture porn or anything, she just feels and reacts in a way that had me thinking, “Yeah, that’s just How Trauma Is.” Her path has some steps forward and some steps back (like dealing with trauma in real life), and she gets some stunning character growth as she learns to start trusting people again.
I love that everybody in this book is just allowed to feel things. These characters have suffered a lot of pain, Vanja especially, and there aren’t any easy answers but the story doesn’t try to give them any. There are a lot of big emotions but the book makes space for those and they’re handled with respect and care.
Since so much of the story is not mentioned in the back cover, I’m going to limit my discussion of it. That said, I did thoroughly enjoy it. It’s absolutely full of shenanigans, from delightful jewel heists to playacting as a ditzy princess to get out of trouble to the natural hilariousness that comes from pretending to be both the princess and her maid at the same time. This book doesn’t explore the world much, and in many ways it relies on “generic vaguely-18th-century-Europe fantasy” tropes, but it has a distinct German flavor and an interesting pantheon and religious system that elevated the setting far above pure trope for me.
I’m also going to mention the antagonist, who doesn’t even show up until a quarter of the way through the book but whose threat level rapidly increases as the story goes on. He is the worst, most hateable kind of enemy, the nobleman who sees everyone else as beneath him and those beneath him as less than human, and who thinks his feeling entitled to rule everything is exactly the same as Vanja feeling like she deserves to be treated like a human. He’s an abuser and a sexual predator and so very powerful and I can’t express how much I hate him but from a story perspective he did make a good antagonist.
I’m leaving a ton out of this review just for space considerations, but I could talk about this book for a long time. There’s so much in this book. Not only was it a stellar story, reading it was incredibly cathartic. I got to see some fantastic hijinks, solve a couple magical mysteries, encounter several gods, tell off some self-centered nobles, enjoy some hilarious one-liners, and fight a seemingly-unstoppable antagonist armed with little more than quick thinking and thievery skills, and I also got to wrestle with some complicated feelings about mothers, face lingering trauma, stand up to past abusers, seize control over my own destiny, and start learning to be happy.
If you want a fantasy adventure mystery that will make you laugh, this is your book; if you want a cathartic emotional read that might make you cry, this is also your book. Basically, just read this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Murder, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Animal death, and Vomit
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Fatphobia
ladymickbeth's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Abandonment, Violence, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, and Alcohol
malgamma's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5.0
One of my new favorite books. A beautifully creative and clever fairy tale retelling that both has interesting things to say about the old story and makes it entirely the author’s own. Full review to be posted after I give it a reread so I can fully convey my love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
kaetheluise_nckl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Blood, Violence, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Animal death, Death, and Alcohol
forced betrothalbi_n_large's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse and Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
adancewithbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.
TW/Cw: Poisoning | Whipping | Attempted Rape Off Page | Physical Abuse | Emotional
Little Thieves is a loose Goose Girl retelling that takes the elements of the maid taking the noble's face and life. But where the real story follows the life of the stolen here we follow the life of the one that does the taking. And steps very far away from the one dimensional take of it all.
While the synopsis and this book start with that there once was a horrible girl, there is absolutely nothing horrible about Vanja in my eyes. She is just trying to survive in a world that does not protect her at all. Being given away as a small child to two gods who leave her at the steps of a household where she is abused throughout her childhood, there has been no real security for her. And if she wants anything she has to do it all herself. Eat or get Eaten. So she takes Giselle's life as her own and tries to steal as much money as she can so she can dissapear before her so called fiancee returns. Unfortunately her fiancee returns too soon with a detective dipping his toe in the thefts.
ittle Thieves is greatly crafted plot wise. While it is a bit on the long side, that sits in the conclusion that gets somewhat dragged out and then sped through too fast, before that there are so many twists and turns that worked so well to keep your attention going. I read this 500+ page book in a day.
And it helps that I cared about the characters. Like I said, I never saw Vanja as a horrible person but as someone who needs to do whatever she can to surive. Ragna, the shapeshifting daughter of a god, was a great asset to Vanja to show that kindness is something that does exist, for her too. Not everything comes with a price. Our lovely detective keeps offseting Vanja with his smarts which is not something she is used to. And then adding in characters from her past like Gisele and a friend maid from previous years, it tugs at your heart strings it does.
The only downside for me was the ending. I felt like the build up to the wrap up was a bit too long and then there was the actual ending where I felt we fast forwarded to. It just jolted me out a bit.
TW/Cw: Poisoning | Whipping | Attempted Rape Off Page | Physical Abuse | Emotional
Little Thieves is a loose Goose Girl retelling that takes the elements of the maid taking the noble's face and life. But where the real story follows the life of the stolen here we follow the life of the one that does the taking. And steps very far away from the one dimensional take of it all.
While the synopsis and this book start with that there once was a horrible girl, there is absolutely nothing horrible about Vanja in my eyes. She is just trying to survive in a world that does not protect her at all. Being given away as a small child to two gods who leave her at the steps of a household where she is abused throughout her childhood, there has been no real security for her. And if she wants anything she has to do it all herself. Eat or get Eaten. So she takes Giselle's life as her own and tries to steal as much money as she can so she can dissapear before her so called fiancee returns. Unfortunately her fiancee returns too soon with a detective dipping his toe in the thefts.
ittle Thieves is greatly crafted plot wise. While it is a bit on the long side, that sits in the conclusion that gets somewhat dragged out and then sped through too fast, before that there are so many twists and turns that worked so well to keep your attention going. I read this 500+ page book in a day.
And it helps that I cared about the characters. Like I said, I never saw Vanja as a horrible person but as someone who needs to do whatever she can to surive. Ragna, the shapeshifting daughter of a god, was a great asset to Vanja to show that kindness is something that does exist, for her too. Not everything comes with a price. Our lovely detective keeps offseting Vanja with his smarts which is not something she is used to. And then adding in characters from her past like Gisele and a friend maid from previous years, it tugs at your heart strings it does.
The only downside for me was the ending. I felt like the build up to the wrap up was a bit too long and then there was the actual ending where I felt we fast forwarded to. It just jolted me out a bit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Rape
Poisoning | Whippingazrah786's review against another edition
4.75
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
CW: abandonment/neglect, child abuse, violence, blood, whipping, mention of attempted sexual assault, death, vomit, drug abuse/addiction, body horror
Over the last year or so I have been left stunned by the ingenuity behind the reimagining and twisting of classic stories and this book is unquestionably amongst the cream of the crop.
Little Thieves is a retelling of the Brothers Grimm story The Goose Girl told from the perspective of the maid, but it isn’t just your usual “story from the eyes of the villain”.
The adopted daughter of Death and Fortune, Vanja Schmidt eluded servitude to her Godmothers by taking up a role as the maid to the princess of a noble house. When opportunity struck Vanja stole the princess’ identity and life, and has spent her time with her new status stealing from the aristocracy as a means to buy her way out of her fate. However, her carefully laid plans start to unravel when she steals something she shouldn’t have and lands herself a curse from Eiswald, another Low God.
To break the curse Vanja must make amends for her thievery or else turn into a pile of treasure herself. But with Eiswald’s shapeshifting daughter as guardian, the Princess’ shady fiancé pushing for marriage and a junior detective following the trail of robberies, the road to freedom isn’t going to be an easy one.
More than your standard retelling, Little Thieves has made my list of favourite reads of the year. I’m not going to give much away about the overall plot but you can expect heist vibes, lots of action, witty banter, intriguing magic and folklore all meticulously woven around a significant mystery with brilliant twists that will keep you hooked through and through.
There was SO MUCH that I enjoyed about this book but first and foremost I have to talk about Vanja. Our fiery, unapologetic protagonist kicks off the story by swindling the rich and I instantly fell in love with her. From her snarky narration, her quick-whited attitude and sassy quips with other characters, her journey throughout this book was nothing short of entertaining. She’s a character who keeps everything close to her chest but with each turn of the page more and more of her heart is uncovered and you can’t help but root for her.
Each and every single one of the side characters also made this book shine and their interactions and developing relationships with Vanja were especially gold – some of the dialogue had me outright cackling. There’s a slow burn enemies to lovers romance that’ll keep you on your toes and some wholesome friendships and found family content too!
I wasn’t too familiar with what The Goose Girl was about so I skimmed through a summary of it before picking up this book and thus really appreciated the nods to the original tale. I particularly loved that at the beginning of each section of the story there were snippets recounting the primary backstory, providing a link back to the fable as well as helping to add perspective to present circumstances.
Furthermore, Owen’s writing immerses you right into the rich, medieval German setting and the integration of German folklore into the worldbuilding really enhanced the story. I’ll admit the lore and vocabulary did throw me a little at first (the review copy was missing a glossary) but I found myself entranced by the atmosphere and all the magic.
This is a standalone fantasy with an endearing cast of characters that ticks all the boxes and you can bet if Owen ever decides to write other stories with any of these characters or set in this world I will come running.
Final Rating – 4.75/5 Stars
**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
CW: abandonment/neglect, child abuse, violence, blood, whipping, mention of attempted sexual assault, death, vomit, drug abuse/addiction, body horror
Over the last year or so I have been left stunned by the ingenuity behind the reimagining and twisting of classic stories and this book is unquestionably amongst the cream of the crop.
Little Thieves is a retelling of the Brothers Grimm story The Goose Girl told from the perspective of the maid, but it isn’t just your usual “story from the eyes of the villain”.
The adopted daughter of Death and Fortune, Vanja Schmidt eluded servitude to her Godmothers by taking up a role as the maid to the princess of a noble house. When opportunity struck Vanja stole the princess’ identity and life, and has spent her time with her new status stealing from the aristocracy as a means to buy her way out of her fate. However, her carefully laid plans start to unravel when she steals something she shouldn’t have and lands herself a curse from Eiswald, another Low God.
To break the curse Vanja must make amends for her thievery or else turn into a pile of treasure herself. But with Eiswald’s shapeshifting daughter as guardian, the Princess’ shady fiancé pushing for marriage and a junior detective following the trail of robberies, the road to freedom isn’t going to be an easy one.
More than your standard retelling, Little Thieves has made my list of favourite reads of the year. I’m not going to give much away about the overall plot but you can expect heist vibes, lots of action, witty banter, intriguing magic and folklore all meticulously woven around a significant mystery with brilliant twists that will keep you hooked through and through.
There was SO MUCH that I enjoyed about this book but first and foremost I have to talk about Vanja. Our fiery, unapologetic protagonist kicks off the story by swindling the rich and I instantly fell in love with her. From her snarky narration, her quick-whited attitude and sassy quips with other characters, her journey throughout this book was nothing short of entertaining. She’s a character who keeps everything close to her chest but with each turn of the page more and more of her heart is uncovered and you can’t help but root for her.
Each and every single one of the side characters also made this book shine and their interactions and developing relationships with Vanja were especially gold – some of the dialogue had me outright cackling. There’s a slow burn enemies to lovers romance that’ll keep you on your toes and some wholesome friendships and found family content too!
I wasn’t too familiar with what The Goose Girl was about so I skimmed through a summary of it before picking up this book and thus really appreciated the nods to the original tale. I particularly loved that at the beginning of each section of the story there were snippets recounting the primary backstory, providing a link back to the fable as well as helping to add perspective to present circumstances.
Furthermore, Owen’s writing immerses you right into the rich, medieval German setting and the integration of German folklore into the worldbuilding really enhanced the story. I’ll admit the lore and vocabulary did throw me a little at first (the review copy was missing a glossary) but I found myself entranced by the atmosphere and all the magic.
This is a standalone fantasy with an endearing cast of characters that ticks all the boxes and you can bet if Owen ever decides to write other stories with any of these characters or set in this world I will come running.
Final Rating – 4.75/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Violence, Body horror, Blood, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Death
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Vomit
mybookthrone's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
More...