#BookReview: Little Thieves (Little Thieves #1) by Margaret Owen

Synopsis: Once upon a time, there was a horrible girl... 

Vanja Schmidt knows that no gift is freely given, not even a mother's love--and she's on the hook for one hell of a debt. Vanja, the adopted goddaughter of Death and Fortune, was Princess Gisele's dutiful servant up until a year ago. That was when Vanja's otherworldly mothers demanded a terrible price for their care, and Vanja decided to steal her future back... by stealing Gisele's life for herself.

The real Gisele is left a penniless nobody while Vanja uses an enchanted string of pearls to take her place. Now, Vanja leads a lonely but lucrative double life as princess and jewel thief, charming nobility while emptying their coffers to fund her great escape. Then, one heist away from freedom, Vanja crosses the wrong god and is cursed to an untimely end: turning into jewels, stone by stone, for her greed.

Vanja has just two weeks to figure out how to break her curse and make her getaway. And with a feral guardian half-god, Gisele's sinister fiancé, and an overeager junior detective on Vanja's tail, she'll have to pull the biggest grift yet to save her own life.

Margaret Owen, author of The Merciful Crow series, crafts a delightfully irreverent retelling of "The Goose Girl" about stolen lives, thorny truths, and the wicked girls at the heart of both.



Goodreads | Amazon

Rating: 1 Star
My Review: The cover grabbed me with this one. But sadly it just was not for me at all.  I found the character under development and the setting and world just were not up to par with other stories I have read.  I kind of really hated what the author did with the folklore she used to create this story.  None of it worked for me and I was bored out of my mind.  The writing felt more like Juvenile versus young adult and the gods felt like children to me.  I think that this one just was a full mess of things tossed together and I just did not enjoy it at all.  I think readers who enjoyed this authors other books might like this one but that is just my opinion since I did not care for her other title because it had pretty much the same issues.  Things were confusing and boring and I just had to put it down.  I did try this one three times just because I loved that cover but sadly it just was not for me. 

Review

"A wild, adventurous romp that will leave you breathless at every turn. Expect sharp edges balanced with delightful humor and good fun—but I'll warn you: Vanja will steal your heart." —Hafsah Faizal, New York Times-bestselling and award-winning author of We Hunt the Flame


"Margaret Owen has done it again, yanking me between surety and nail-biting anticipation the whole way." —Brittney Morris, Bestselling Author of Slay, The Cost of Knowing, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales - Wings of Fury, and The Jump


★ "In this epic fantasy rooted in Germanic myth and culture, Owen reimagines 'The Goose Girl' as a magic-infused caper—part heist, part adventure, with a slow-burning romance at its heart." ―Publishers Weekly, Starred Review


★ "A lush and lively adventure replete with romance, revenge, and robbery." ―Kirkus, Starred Review


★ "Owen flips the tale of the Goose Girl on its head for a breathlessly inventive, never-a-dull-moment adventure of found family and second (or fourth or fifth) chances. If you're not careful, it'll steal your heart, too." ―Booklist, Starred Review


★ "Packed with heists, gods, and monsters, the Germanic worldbuilding is easily accessible and readers will love rooting for Owen's clever antiheroine with ambition. [...] Highly recommended and not to be missed."―School Library Journal, Starred Review

About the Author

Margaret Owen was born and raised at the end of the Oregon Trail and has worked in everything from thrift stores to presidential campaigns. The common thread between every job can be summed up as: lessons were learned. She now spends her days writing and negotiating a long-term hostage situation with her two monstrous cats. She is the author of the Merciful Crow series. In her free time, she enjoys exploring ill-advised travel destinations and raising money for social justice nonprofits through her illustrations. She resides in Seattle, Washington.

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 Disclaimer: "All opinions are 100% honest and my own."  Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information. Buying via these links allows my site to get a % of the sale at no cost to you. 

FTC Guidelines: In accordance with FTC guidelines regarding endorsements and testimonials for bloggers, I would like my readers to know that many of the books I review are provided to me for free by the publisher or author of the book in exchange for an honest review. If am compensated for any reviews on this site I will state that post has been sponsored. 

Posted in: 1 Star, BookishFirst, Henry Holt and Co., Jessica P., Review, Young Adult