Thank you to Henry Holt and Bookishfirst for this book in exchange for an honest review!
Little Thieves by Margaret Owen is a magical YA retelling that transports the story of the Goose Girl to an old Grimm, German-inspired fantasy world. The story revolves around Vanja, a maid who steals a pearl necklace from Princess Gisele, her former best friend. With this pearl necklace, Vanja can transform into Gisele, and she uses it to take her place. In her new guise, Vanja charms the nobles around her and steals jewelry from them when they aren't looking. One day, she is cursed to turn into the same jewels that she covets. Will she be able to break the curse? Or will her dangerous secret be discovered?
Here is an excerpt from Chapter 1 that sets up the fantastic setting:
"And for most of the last year, that’s the face I’ve worn: the princess.
Or to be precise: Gisele-Berthilde Ludwila von Falbirg of the Sovabin Principality, Kör-prinzessin of the Blessed Empire of Almandy. Soon to be Markgräfin Gisele you-get-the-idea von Reigenbach of the empire’s largest territory, the border march of Bóern, once the margrave gets around to a wedding.
Though not if I can help it.
(We’ll come back to that.)
I squint out the gilt-trimmed carriage window, studying the timber-and-plaster blocks of Eisendorf Manor as the horses draw us closer. Shadows pass behind the first-floor windows, turning them to rosy eyes winking into the frosty twilight gloom. It looks crowded already, even for a Sunday night party. Good—a princess ought to be the last of the von Eisendorfs’ guests to arrive. There was a reason I dawdled in my bedroom at Castle Reigenbach: to make sure we hit peak Minkja traffic when we left an hour ago."
Overall, Little Thieves starts off like a dark breath of fresh air but ends up becoming a light-hearted comedy with very little action or romance. If you enjoy morally-grey heroines like the protagonist in Shadow in the Glass, then you'll enjoy Vanja, who masquerades as a princess and becomes a jewel thief at night. The first half of this book was great. I loved the magical, old German-ish setting, and this book had the potential to be dark. Halfway through, the plot starts to lose steam, and then the last 20% turns into a Disney Channel Original Movie-like comedy of errors. This book would have benefited from a bit more action or tension, or even a more interesting love interest. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA fantasy, you can check out this book when it comes out in October!
Little Thieves by Margaret Owen is a magical YA retelling that transports the story of the Goose Girl to an old Grimm, German-inspired fantasy world. The story revolves around Vanja, a maid who steals a pearl necklace from Princess Gisele, her former best friend. With this pearl necklace, Vanja can transform into Gisele, and she uses it to take her place. In her new guise, Vanja charms the nobles around her and steals jewelry from them when they aren't looking. One day, she is cursed to turn into the same jewels that she covets. Will she be able to break the curse? Or will her dangerous secret be discovered?
Here is an excerpt from Chapter 1 that sets up the fantastic setting:
"And for most of the last year, that’s the face I’ve worn: the princess.
Or to be precise: Gisele-Berthilde Ludwila von Falbirg of the Sovabin Principality, Kör-prinzessin of the Blessed Empire of Almandy. Soon to be Markgräfin Gisele you-get-the-idea von Reigenbach of the empire’s largest territory, the border march of Bóern, once the margrave gets around to a wedding.
Though not if I can help it.
(We’ll come back to that.)
I squint out the gilt-trimmed carriage window, studying the timber-and-plaster blocks of Eisendorf Manor as the horses draw us closer. Shadows pass behind the first-floor windows, turning them to rosy eyes winking into the frosty twilight gloom. It looks crowded already, even for a Sunday night party. Good—a princess ought to be the last of the von Eisendorfs’ guests to arrive. There was a reason I dawdled in my bedroom at Castle Reigenbach: to make sure we hit peak Minkja traffic when we left an hour ago."
Overall, Little Thieves starts off like a dark breath of fresh air but ends up becoming a light-hearted comedy with very little action or romance. If you enjoy morally-grey heroines like the protagonist in Shadow in the Glass, then you'll enjoy Vanja, who masquerades as a princess and becomes a jewel thief at night. The first half of this book was great. I loved the magical, old German-ish setting, and this book had the potential to be dark. Halfway through, the plot starts to lose steam, and then the last 20% turns into a Disney Channel Original Movie-like comedy of errors. This book would have benefited from a bit more action or tension, or even a more interesting love interest. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA fantasy, you can check out this book when it comes out in October!