Spellbinding, cunning, and engrossing from the first sentence.
I adored Margaret Owen's last duology, The Merciful Crow and The Faithless Hawk. In it, she created a vivid, detailed world of a broken, imbalanced society, the individuals caught at both extremes of this society, and how they use their gifts--an incredible, wildly creative magic system--to challenge the norms. In Little Thieves, she again addresses the concept of an unfair world, where poverty paints its victims' lives wretched, while the nobility sips warm glohwein at balls. Owen's writing is mesmerizing--two pages in, and I was already engrossed and invested: I was easily able to visualize Vanja's surroundings, and--although she posits herself to be a bad person--already rooting for the cunning protagonist and empathizing with the desire for vengeance that burns in her.
The cover pulls you in with its contrasts of bright and dark, giving the sense of children's fairy tale turned dark; its style feels almost folkloric, like traditional woven arts, possibly a nod to the story's roots. It sets exactly the right tone for what follows within the pages. I would love to read more!
The cover pulls you in with its contrasts of bright and dark, giving the sense of children's fairy tale turned dark; its style feels almost folkloric, like traditional woven arts, possibly a nod to the story's roots. It sets exactly the right tone for what follows within the pages. I would love to read more!