Little Thieves: The astonishing fantasy fairytale retelling of The Goose Girl Paperback – 4 Oct. 2022

For some reason it me a while to read this book after downloading on kindle but so glad I read. I think it’s an utterly compelling read, skilfully handled full of dry humour, pathos and tension. I love a well written dark heroine and Vanja did not disappoint. She was the right level of cynic, comedienne, criminal mastermind s and victim, who really just wants to be loved. Brilliant story telling and am looking forward to the next in the series.

I really liked the setting, the worldbuilding, the characters (except Gisele - she really did my head in)The story was fun and original and I struggled to stop reading. However, I felt the ending was too rushed and I found myself underwhelmed.

"𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐬" 𝐛𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐎𝐰𝐞𝐧🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5Okay, let's just start by saying : that cover ?? Just gorgeous. 💖So this book is a retelling of the tale of "The Goose Girl", which I have never read, so I couldnt tell you how close the retelling is to the original story.And it is written from the "Wicked Maid" point of view, Vanja, which let's be honest is SO much more interesting than reading about yet another princess !This might be a long book but it never felt boring, there was always some kind of action or something happening. It just took me longer than it should have because I didnt want it to end...Vanja is just your perfect morally gray anti-heroine. I loved her SO much ! She's like a selfish-sassy Robinhood, stealing from the rich to fill her own pocket !I loved that we understood how Vanja's life led her to that point, as we walked with her through her trauma.She's a liar and a thief, she's selfish, smart, sassy, sarcastic, funny.... She's just a badass, and you gotta love her for it !And against all odds, she's learning to love, herself and others, and be loved.All of the characters are so well written, so amazingly complex ! They really do come to life between the pages ! And I loved them all ! Ragne above all else because she's just the best.I just probably needed a bit of that on the villain's sides too. I get he was bad and all that but I maybe needed a better understanding of his motivations. Just for him to feel as real as the other characters.Also there is a really great LGBTQ+ representation, and I loved that in this world it just was normal, it felt so easy !I dont think I can accurately review this book, because I really loved it so much and I feel like I wont be doing it justice !Did I cry ? Yes, I did.Was it the first time in a long time that I have cried over a book ? Also yes.But please, please, PLEASE, buy a copy of it, and make you own opinion. And I really hope you'll love it as much as I did !I am now gonna go stare at a wall, empty, being crushed under the weight of the book hangover.

When I first saw the cover I couldn’t help but add it to my wish list and then, as time drew closer to the release date, I pre-ordered it. THEN I saw it on NetGalley and without any expectations, I requested an ARC. I got it!Now came the nerves and excitement. Will it be good? Will the cover be the 2nd best thing about it? All those questions. And the answer is…. Oh. My. Vanja!This book is the best High Fantasy I’ve ever read! Granted, I’ve not read many, but this is phenomenal!What an imaginative, rich, vibrant and exciting world you walk into.The world-building is spectacular. Beautiful visions of a medieval-esq Germany. With stunning architectural wonders. A delightful array of characters both good, evil and some a mix of the 2. And a tale that has you so gripped you will struggle to put it down. I was hooked instantly. I wanted to read every single word, absorb all the delicious detail and feel all the emotions that the author wants you to experience.Please read the blurb/synopsis as I won’t include it in my review because I just want to gush about how much I love this book especially the MC, Vanja!Oh my, god! If you are looking for a fierce, strong-willed, flawed, exceptionally funny and supremely snarky/sarcastic MC, Vanja is it!I love her! Everything about her. I love that she isn’t perfect. And the whole reason we are following her tale is because she’s actually somewhat of a villain! I love the way her character develops, the relationships she forms. Seriously, I love everything.And finally, along with the daring Vanja, we are introduced to a beautiful parade of characters that are just a complex and interesting as she is.There’s so many tropes in here that, like me, I know you’ll love. I don’t want to say what tropes as I feel that they might give a hint of what could happen etc .. but if you love High Fantasy, you’ll adore this.There is also fantastic LGBTQIA+ representation.I am so glad I pre-ordered this & can’t wait for my copy that’s due today. I will treasure my copy.A MASSIVE thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and also NetGalley for sending me an ARC ebook in return for an honest review.

I wish they had refrained from using that mock-German language. As a native speaker it's annyoing and simply shattering every hint of immersion to constantly stumble over words that are either spelled wrong, used wrong or just wrong.

Imaginative and thoroughly modern in its handling of relationship, the story is a compelling look at young love and overcoming corrupt authority. I loved it!

I really enjoyed this book, it was fun and exciting. The magic system and the ties to Germanic folklore were so interesting, I really liked all the creatures. Cute love story and engaging to read.

This book has everything I could ask for. Dynamic protagonists that feel real, humor, action, slow-burn romance, all of it. Now that I've read the 2nd book as well (again, so incredible. How does Owens do it again?) and I'm left waiting for the 3rd, I'm trying to find authors of this level. I'm also a big fan of Sylvia Mercedes and Anastasis Blythe, but I've already read everything they have out! If anyone has other authors at this level LMK!

Main character is a survivalist who is able to steal gems from the vacuous upper class. Her bigger theft is stealing the identity of a Princess. The Princess has a pending marriage to a narcissistic murderer so she may not b interested in resuming her former role. Clever, witty unique cast of supporting characters.

So this book has presented an interesting conundrum from me. Is it good? Yes, it’s a really great story (and really quite funny)! Did I force myself to finish it? Also, yes.There are some technical issues I have with the book: if you have a glossary put it at the front or at least make mention of additional information being available; the writing is incredibly dense especially for a YA book; the book is fantasy, but has things too close to real world, just enough to make it confusing- the language was especially grating while reading (again-glossary in the front).I love reading. I love reading YA, but it drives me crazy when authors make the MC’s age young to be in line with that genre. The characters’ ages play a part in the plot, sure, but could this book be just as believable if they weren’t 16/17? Absolutely, and actually, more believable in certain instances. There are multiple conflicts between different aged characters that just don’t make sense specifically due to the age gap.Also, there was another point that really stood out to me in the book as a technical issue. This book is “political” with partner choice, being asked pronouns, etc- all points that aren’t an issue. However, there is a point where the author discusses Gisele’s preferences and alludes to F/F childbearing. The technical issue here for me is that it isn’t clear if that is meant to be a fantasy plot point or a modern day political point of contention. As this IS a YA book, I feel like this particular subplot point does the book a disservice (that whole paragraph could be missing from the book and you’d never even remotely wonder why it wasn’t discussed).Personally, I feel like this book shouldn’t be YA and I think being in that genre does it a disservice. The writing is great, but very dense (it took nearly a quarter of a way through the book for the writing style to really feel rhythmic/cohesive). The characters are great, but a lot of them you wouldn’t read and assume they’re teenagers. This book is great, but… and that’s the problem. Definitely worth the read, but not something I’d jump to read again.