Little Thieves / Margaret Owen / Book Review

A little girl and her mother walk into the woods. Only the mother returns. That is how Vanja's story begins.

 Once upon a time, Death and Fortune adopted a little girl abandoned in the woods. They raised her as their own, found a household where she could serve among the living, even offered her a choice of which of them to serve forevermore. But Vanja doesn't want to be a servant, not to petty mortal masters and most certainly not to her godmothers, those who raised her--those she considered mothers more than mistresses. And so she is on the run. Posing as the Princess Gisele--her former mistress, may she rest wherever she ended up after Vanja took her enchanted pearls--things have never been easier for this thief and liar. She's amassed a fortune in stolen jewels taken from the elaborate parties where Gisele is a guest. She's amassed a fortune almost great enough to get her out of the country, away from the power of the Low Gods Death and Fortune--away from anywhere she has had to be anyone's servant but her own. She's so close to freedom--until she angers another Low God and gets cursed. Two weeks, two weeks until her body is completely encrusted in the jewels she loves so much. Two weeks to break her curse. And that's before Gisele's wicked betrothed comes home from the warfront at last, eager to marry the girl he thinks is his bride. And that's before the investigators show up, looking for the thief who has been stealing jewelry from the aristocrats all these months. 

Pros

• Death & Fortune: I love the interplay between these two characters. Margaret Owen's personification of these gods is spot-on. Their deity compared to Vanja's mortality creates tension and a witty sort of humor. The duality of Death and Fortune, two concepts usually not paired with each other, creates a good counterbalance--and even better stakes for Vanja, who is meant to choose between the two. Both Death and Fortune can be deadly, as Vanja well knows: which will she choose to serve? Or will she escape and break out on her own?

• Mixed Tales: Fairy tale fans beware--you'll fall in love here. This book is full of mixed tales, and they are all so faithfully woven together. This book is, largely, a retelling of the story of the Goose Girl (though here from the traditional villain's perspective instead of the princess's), but other tales make their way into the story as well: Cinderella and Red Riding Hood, magic and goodness, woven stories and splattered blood. With shifting roles of good and bad, this book is exactly the correct way to bring fairy tales to life again. 

• Forbidden Romance: This story features an ever-popular enemies-to-lovers romance, full of the requisite chemistry and tension. This book doesn't, however, dive into all-consuming passion (or lust) as is often the case. These love interests start as real enemies (not at all attracted to each other), and that initial relationship slowly builds into an antagonistic rivalry. With the rivalry comes a slow-building attraction to the forbidden, which is perfectly paced and perfectly balanced throughout the tale. 

Cons

• Slow Digestion: Margaret Owen's prose is intricate and vivid. Characters are brushed across the pages in broad strokes that develop over time in beautiful detail. That being said, it does take time to fully appreciate the complexity of this piece of writing. It isn't a fast read. It isn't a light read. It's a slow read, and as excellent as it is, some might have trouble pushing through to the end. 

• Meandering Plot: It makes sense here that the plot meanders a bit. Vanja herself doesn't know what to do. She has a goal, certainly--multiple goals, in fact--but she isn't quite sure how to get there. That makes the intermediate steps toward her goal meandering, both from her perspective and from the perspective of the reader. It is easy to lose focus because the plot just sort of wanders. The goals are known but not so pointedly pursued. 

• Gradual Pieces: Detective work is a major piece of this story, and as readers, we really are encouraged to investigate along with the characters. That being said, however, the pieces are particularly slow to fall into place. At about seventy-five percent through the book, I as a reader had little more than a few dangling leads. No solid evidence was presented to me. For someone following along for the detective part of the plot, this could be particularly frustrating. Without the leads--without enough information--the mystery aspect underlying this work becomes less intriguing and more irritating. 

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

9/10

Anyone who loves Shannon Hale's The Goose Girl will love this new rendition of the tale. Those who appreciate a found-family, ensemble cast like the one found in Leigh Barugo's Six of Crows will love this new cast of characters as well. 

Details

Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Date: October 5, 2021
Series: N/A
Buy It HERE

Note: I was provided with an ARC by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.