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A review by wlreed312
Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This is one of those I picked up at the library knowing nothing about and ended up absolutely loving it (pay no attention to how long it took me to read it, I can't concentrate on anything lately).
A retelling of The Goose Girl (a fairytale I knew nothing about), Vanja is the goddaughter of Death and Fortune, who lives her life as the servant of a princess. Until the day when she takes the enchanted pearls that belong to the princess and takes over her life. Using the pearls, she starts stealing from nobles, trying to accumulate enough wealth to get away from the marriage that she (or rather the princess Giselle) has been sold into and live life on her own terms. One of these thefts goes wrong, and earns her the curse of one of the lesser gods, leaving her two weeks to figure out how to break the curse before she dies.
It's well known I'm a sucker for a good fairytale retelling, and I adored the way this was structured. At the heart of it, this is a book about abuse and trauma, and how to move past that. Vanja was a servant who was incredibly mistreated by the family of the princess she served, and all she wants to do is get away. This has turned her into a person who is both lonely and very greedy. As she grows over the course of the book, she learns how to forgive and to accept responsibility for the harm she has done herself. I also appreciated Giselle, who learns how to acknowledge the harm she did by standing by, and how she and Vanja work past all of the damage they have done to each other. Their journey is both painful and lovely, and it doesn't shy away from the harsher aspects of going through traumatic events. I love how the relationships develop, I thought the world was enchanting, and I loved how the central mystery of the book unfolded. I really loved this.
A retelling of The Goose Girl (a fairytale I knew nothing about), Vanja is the goddaughter of Death and Fortune, who lives her life as the servant of a princess. Until the day when she takes the enchanted pearls that belong to the princess and takes over her life. Using the pearls, she starts stealing from nobles, trying to accumulate enough wealth to get away from the marriage that she (or rather the princess Giselle) has been sold into and live life on her own terms. One of these thefts goes wrong, and earns her the curse of one of the lesser gods, leaving her two weeks to figure out how to break the curse before she dies.
It's well known I'm a sucker for a good fairytale retelling, and I adored the way this was structured. At the heart of it, this is a book about abuse and trauma, and how to move past that. Vanja was a servant who was incredibly mistreated by the family of the princess she served, and all she wants to do is get away. This has turned her into a person who is both lonely and very greedy. As she grows over the course of the book, she learns how to forgive and to accept responsibility for the harm she has done herself. I also appreciated Giselle, who learns how to acknowledge the harm she did by standing by, and how she and Vanja work past all of the damage they have done to each other. Their journey is both painful and lovely, and it doesn't shy away from the harsher aspects of going through traumatic events. I love how the relationships develop, I thought the world was enchanting, and I loved how the central mystery of the book unfolded. I really loved this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Classism