Title: Little Thieves
Author: Margaret Owen
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release Date: October 19th, 2021
Number of Pages: 512
Book Blurb: 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 a 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.
My Thoughts: I have been interested in reading this book since before it was released and with the second book about to be released next month I decided to give it a go. This book is a retelling of The Goose Girl with a twist. I haven't actually read the story of The Goose Girl but I am familiar with the plot. We are told this story from the point of view of Vanja who is the imposter princess. She is quickly embroiled in trying to figure out why the princess's fiance wants her dead while trying to break the curse that was placed upon her because of greed.
I have to say I really loved the inclusion that the author wrote into this book. Same-sex marriages and relationships are openly accepted in this world. I will say that if anybody is triggered by rape (and who wouldn't be) it is implied that the princess's fiance raped her maid before they traveled to his homeland. She remembers it briefly towards the end of the book when she's heavily kissing her love interest and towards the first third of the book. So be aware of those couple of scenes. I enjoyed this book but it did take me a bit to really get into it. I definitely recommend this book if you're looking for a good young adult fantasy retelling of a fairytale.
I will be reviewing book two soon as I managed to get my hands on an advanced copy.
Rating: 4 stars
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