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tinysierra's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“To the gremlin girls,
I would like to tell you something inspiring, but the truth is, when life closes a door for us, it doesn’t always open a window. The good news is: That’s what bricks are for.”
Little Thieves is a work of art. From the gorgeous cover, to the illustrations inside, to the way the story is broken up into 7 tales, to the writing itself. I love how even the Author’s Note is written with care. Be sure to check the trigger warnings! Hanging is mentioned a lot as well as sexual assault/harassment.
This book was confusing to get into at first. In this aspect, it reminds me of how it felt starting Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows duology without knowing anything about the Grishaverse.
Little Thieves was hard to slug through in the beginning, but it did pick up and then I didn’t want to put the book down.
I loved the writing style with the way Vanja told the story like a fairy tale.
I love the humor and wit.
You get to really see Vanja’s insecurities and growth through her narrative. You can see how her trauma affects her perceptions of the situations she goes through.
I loved all the characters, even the side ones!
The romance was amazing, too.
I don’t think the word demisexual is said on page but both the main characters are demi <3
“I’ve read fairy tales, of course, and listened to plaintive love songs, but I never understood why anyone would wake up after a hundred years and marry the prince who broke into their bedroom for a kiss. Or dance with a stranger once and decide to spend the rest of their lives together.”
There’s also wlw and some other LGBTQ+ rep that’s normal in this world. There is lesbophobia but in more of a “the princess is supposed to produce an heir” kind of way.
I love Vanja and Emeric so much <333 a cat and mouse chase… yes please!!
Update ~ 07-14-2023
Reread before I get into Painted Devils. I definitely found it less confusing and easier to breeze through the second time around.
Update ~ 03-13-2024
If you’re a big fan of Vanja and Emeric’s relationship, read Painted Devils immediately!!! I swear it doesn’t suffer from “second book syndrome.” It’s so amazing.
And check out Margaret Owen’s instagram account (@what_eats_owls) for more art and memes of the characters!!
Graphic: Child abuse, Animal death, Body horror, Abandonment, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder
Moderate: Physical abuse, Body shaming, Grief, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, and Sexual assault
Minor: Blood, Excrement, Lesbophobia, and Vomit
hey_evelina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minor: Death, Abandonment, Alcohol, Vomit, Sexual assault, and Murder
sarahaf712's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Violence, Classism, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Lesbophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Fatphobia, and Ableism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Police brutality, and Toxic friendship
lri_reads's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment and Classism
Moderate: Murder, Body shaming, Violence, Torture, Gaslighting, Bullying, Death, and War
Minor: Animal death, Sexual assault, and Drug use
readwithria's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
I wasn’t expecting to love this YA fantasy novel, but here we are. Although it was off to a bit of a slow start, I completely fell in love with Little Thieves and the characters within it. It’s so hard to write a review of a book you love, but let me give you a rundown of some of my favorite aspects.
Things I loved
- I’m a sucker for a good found family story, and this found family is build exceptionally well!
- The growth of all four of the central characters was so well written! Vanja, Gisele, Ragne, and Emeric all grew as individuals and also developed strong relationships
- Vanja and Emeric!! They’re so cute! Gotta love a classic enemies to lovers storyline
- the casual queer representation was lovely! While it wasn’t integral to the plot, having this world accept LGBTQIA+ folks was fabulous
The book wasn’t perfect, but it was exceptional. Definitely check trigger warnings before you read, but then dig in! 4.5 stars.
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Dysphoria, Body shaming, Animal death, Fatphobia, Transphobia, Abandonment, and Bullying
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Violence, and War
anniereads221's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Animal death, Sexual assault, Murder, Domestic abuse, Rape, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Abandonment, Violence, Grief, Gore, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Death, Body horror, Blood, and Body shaming
livetgjennomb_ker's review against another edition
- 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
Little Thieves has it all, adventure, lesbians, slow burn, knife to the throat, enemies to lovers, single bed trope, you name it and it’s in there, and it’s expertly crafted and deliciously dark.
It’s my first 5⭐️ read of 2022, and I am not disappointed, it kept me thoroughly entertained and I probably would have consumed it in a single day if I didn’t keep leaving it at work to read there.
Minor spoiler about the lesbians:
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Child abuse, Murder, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Body shaming, and Gaslighting
farmchick's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child abuse and Violence
Moderate: Death, Bullying, and Murder
_alina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Blood, Rape, and Murder
Minor: Classism and Colonisation
theespressoedition's review against another edition
- 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
That's how I felt about Little Thieves. It was incredibly creative - truly, I've never read anything quite like it. Though I will say that if you're a fan of Six of Crows, you may enjoy this one. It's really not similar at all, but it gives off some of the same vibes? I hope that makes sense.
I picked this up because everyone was raving about it on bookstagram at the end of 2021 and I can see why. The magic was incredibly unique (though never really explained beyond the gods having some hand in it, I believe), there was fantastic diversity, and the twists were excellent - nothing totally mind-blowing, just really fun!
There were definitely some triggering elements to it, but you know what? THE AUTHOR INCLUDED TRIGGER WARNINGS. Like, hello! Thank you! That should be at the beginning of every book ever. And guess what else? That actually made it easier for me to read the book, because I knew what I was getting into ahead of time, and when those moments arose, I wasn't put out by it.
Despite giving it 4.5 stars immediately following reading it, I've already forgotten a great deal. That could just be because my mind is elsewhere lately. Okay, actually, yeah, I'm gonna just blame it on that, because honestly, I think if I were totally focused right now, I'd be able to tell you every single detail. At least I can remember most of the character names (that's a new one for me).
Anyyyyways, it immediately went on my wishlist because I'd really like to read it again. I feel as though I could gain more from it with a reread in the future!
Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, and Torture
Moderate: Abandonment and Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail