Little Thieves by Margaret Owen Review

 Title: Little Thieves

Author: Margaret Owen

Age Group: Teen/Young Adult

Genre: Fantasy/Mystery

Series: Little Thieves, book one

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.

TW: past sexual assault on-page, abuse and neglect on-page, murder. If any of these things trigger you, I would suggest not reading this book. Your mental health always matters!

This book has been sitting at the top of my library stack for a while, so, as soon as I was finished with A Magic Steeped in Poison, I dove in. This is my first Margaret Owen novel, but it most certainly will not be my last! A retelling of The Goose Girl, Little Thieves follows Vanja, a young woman who is the thirteenth daughter, and bad luck. Given to the gods of Fortune and Death at just four years old, she has come to learn to depend on one person, and that’s herself. Desperate to get away from her godmothers, Vanja steals from the wealthy, under the guise of her former mistress and with the aid of a little bit of magic. But everything changes when she is cursed by a god for her greed. If she doesn’t somehow find a way to make amends for everything she stole, her entire body will turn to precious gems. Forced to aid a young junior prefect to bring down her mistress’s fiance, Vanja begins to wonder if this life may indeed be better off with people she can trust.

I absolutely adored this novel! I was immediately captivated by Vanja’s sharp, bitter voice, as acidic as vinegar. The pacing was breakneck, and I loved the way that the book was broken down into smaller chunks of stories. The illustrations were beautiful, and I loved them just as much as the prose in the book. I adored the political intrigue, though at times it was a little hard to follow, with so many nobles and such to keep up with. I also loved the rich, dark world that Vanja inhabited, ruled by fickle gods, wicked creatures, and even more evil humans. I loved all of the characters, but my favorites were Gisele, Ragne, Josiza, and Emeric. I loved how this book took a typical antihero/villain and made her the focal point; that happens so rarely in media. And that ending! It made me so happy! Little Thieves might be one of my favorite books I’ve read in 2022! Next on deck: City of Dusk by Tara Sim!