Reviews with content warning for Death - Muerte y fortuna

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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terrik_'s review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious 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

4.25

I haven’t been a reader of the YA genre for a while, mainly because I think most books do not delve in-depth into their characters. Little Thieves, though, was exactly the opposite.

For a YA book, and as a book in general, I loved the complexity of Vanja’s character. There are literally so many parts to her. First her actions can come off as childish. But when we get to know her backstory, I came to sympathise with her, wanted to protect her, and came to really hate some characters in the book.

The romance in this book was so refreshing to read. It was necessary for the plot to move forward and it helped to unravel the last few layers to Vanja that really showed us who she was as a character. I also enjoyed that there was a gradual build up to their romance that made it feel more real (for lack of a better word).

Apart from the character developments in this book, I would say that the events that took place were all well spaced out. Everything had its own time and place.

That said, I think that the world wasn’t built up as strongly as it could’ve been. We are never really given a crash course of the sort about how humans coexist with the gods and other spirits. We don’t know how magic works and who has them. I didn’t mind it that much, but there were gaps that made me go ???.

The reason why this book doesn’t get a five star rating for me is because Vanja’s character doesn’t seem to really match her age. At 17, she draws butts for fun and she seemed too shy with the topic of sex for someone who’s lived such a hard life. (And, well, at 17, sex wasn’t a topic I shied away from).

Overall a great book!

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tinysierra's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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!!

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