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A review by enchantedfiction
Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
Little Thieves is a retelling of the Goose Girl fairytale. Vanja Schmidt has a stolen life. The life of luxury, wealth, and easy comfort, what more could she want? But she knows she has a limited time where this can survive, and she sees using this ruse as a means to an end. But when the Prefects are called in to investigate a string of robberies and as time whittles down, Vanja is backed into a corner. Will she be able to escape the looming curse that has been put on her, or will those who are following her trail catch her before she succeeds?
I was so invested in this story and honestly started reading it slower in hopes it would never end. (SO GLAD THERE WILL BE A SECOND BOOK!) Vanja was such an interesting character, holding her cards close with other characters as well as the reader. I always love when authors succeed in portraying their characters' traits and directing some of that towards the reader, and Owen has done a wonderful job of this. There were small crumbs to her past as Vanja had inner monologues that were fueled by slight panic and fear, and it was so refreshing to have a character whose emotions and story weren't all laid out on the table from the beginning. Her distrust in everyone around her got me in the same mindset, but being able to see that slowly melt away was also what I look for in character growth in books.
This story was driven both by the characters and the hanging axe of a time limit. There were some parts that felt slower than others, but with the writing, it didn't make it boring, which can be hard to do. I found a lot of what Vanja did believable, no matter how trivial something seemed.
I highly recommend Little Thieves if you enjoy fairytale retellings and snarky characters. I enjoyed the world and the connection to the lore of the Godly Court and lesser Gods. This was one of my favorite reads of the year so far!
I was so invested in this story and honestly started reading it slower in hopes it would never end. (SO GLAD THERE WILL BE A SECOND BOOK!) Vanja was such an interesting character, holding her cards close with other characters as well as the reader. I always love when authors succeed in portraying their characters' traits and directing some of that towards the reader, and Owen has done a wonderful job of this. There were small crumbs to her past as Vanja had inner monologues that were fueled by slight panic and fear, and it was so refreshing to have a character whose emotions and story weren't all laid out on the table from the beginning. Her distrust in everyone around her got me in the same mindset, but being able to see that slowly melt away was also what I look for in character growth in books.
This story was driven both by the characters and the hanging axe of a time limit. There were some parts that felt slower than others, but with the writing, it didn't make it boring, which can be hard to do. I found a lot of what Vanja did believable, no matter how trivial something seemed.
I highly recommend Little Thieves if you enjoy fairytale retellings and snarky characters. I enjoyed the world and the connection to the lore of the Godly Court and lesser Gods. This was one of my favorite reads of the year so far!