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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.
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
clarinet's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-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
Holy shit, I loved this book. It's a Goose Girl retelling that absolutely dismantles the premise of the evil maid from the fairy tale, and talks about how both the princess and the maid are trapped. ON TOP OF THAT, you have the enchanting magic system/religious lore of the Low Gods, who interfere in the lives of humans. Emeric, the love interest, is basically a magical cop so that does suck but he gets his authority from the Low Gods and convenes them to pass judgement on people which is soooo cool. A god's daughter, Ragna, becomes Vanja (maid from Goose Girl/MC)'s companion and she was hilarious and a clever mechanism to make Vanja actually tell the truth for once in her life/explain things to the audience/kickstart character growth. I love Vanja, I LOVE Emeric, and I love Ragne. I am preordering the next book.
The narration does get a little maudlin/heavy-handed occasionally and you gotta deal with a book in first person. But this is my favorite book so far this year <3
The narration does get a little maudlin/heavy-handed occasionally and you gotta deal with a book in first person. But this is my favorite book so far this year <3
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Child abuse
Minor: Sexual violence
kristae1's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, Body horror, and Body shaming
Minor: Homophobia
alys's review against another edition
adventurous
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment and Violence
suddenbreakdown's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is an excellent book. I got off to a bit of a bumpy start with it because I wasn't expecting Vanja to be so... abrasive. However, the reasons for that are compelling and the other aspects of her personality quickly one me over. It was smooth sailing after the first chapter, which the rest of the book more than making up for the mildest of rough starts.
Just about every character you meet is interesting and the interactions between characters are absolutely delightful. Moreover, the plot is very engaging. A lot of the story's compelling nature comes from the choices Vanja makes over the course of the book. She is just so different from many other characters in modern fantasy, and her choices, motives, and thoughts reflect that in the best way.
Additionally, the author does some excellent world-building along the way and populates that world with a host of intriguing, diverse characters. I absolutely adore the way Owen chose to tackle gender identity, sexual orientation, and the intersection of those themes with the politics and practicalities of her world.
I would highly recommend giving this one a try, especially for people who typically enjoy a heist story or character-driven works. Pay attention to the author note in the beginning though, just in case.
At any rate, I am eagerly awaiting whatever Margaret Owen writes next!
Just about every character you meet is interesting and the interactions between characters are absolutely delightful. Moreover, the plot is very engaging. A lot of the story's compelling nature comes from the choices Vanja makes over the course of the book. She is just so different from many other characters in modern fantasy, and her choices, motives, and thoughts reflect that in the best way.
Additionally, the author does some excellent world-building along the way and populates that world with a host of intriguing, diverse characters. I absolutely adore the way Owen chose to tackle gender identity, sexual orientation, and the intersection of those themes with the politics and practicalities of her world.
I would highly recommend giving this one a try, especially for people who typically enjoy a heist story or character-driven works. Pay attention to the author note in the beginning though, just in case.
At any rate, I am eagerly awaiting whatever Margaret Owen writes next!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, and Child abuse
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment
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
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
azrah786'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