A review by bookcub
Painted Devils by Margaret Owen

adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted 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

4.0

I’m not going to lie, I was a little worried about this book. I always am with books I love that have strong endings. 

I should not have worried. 

First thing I want to say is this book made me laugh out loud in a store and also had me tearing up multiple times. It covers a range of emotions. 

 Vanya has one of my favorite voices. I love an mc who is snarking and learning to love themself. Her voice is distinct and clever and emotional. I also want to find her a therapist ASAP

Painted Devils was way more focused on romance than Little Thieves, which worked for me, I adore Vanya and Emeric’s relationship and I liked how they discussed the future as well as sex (cause there is a lot of talk about sex, none of this vague, flowery nonsense, but fairly explicit conversations around consent and touch and it was great to see). 

One disappointment I had was how little we saw of the found family that had formed at the end of Little Thieves. We did get to see some of our old faves, but there was a whole new cast of characters, many of which were delightful, I just missed the old gang. You will have new favorites tho, fear not!! (Once again, soooo many characters) 

There was a side plot I honestly didn’t put much effort in following it because I wanted to follow the main mystery so I found it a little distracting. The main plot … .whoa, I can’t wait to reread and see all the good foreshadowing sprinkled in beforehand. 

I am endlessly impressed with how Owen weaves in modern slang into her text, I honestly can’t believe it works but it makes so much sense for Vanya to speak that way and view her world that way it seems effortless. 

The end me had me dying for the next one and ready to throw my book across the room. 
Anyways, whenever you get a chance to read it, please message me, I could talk about these books all day!!