Aesthetically, this book deserves all the stars! I was completely enamored with its gorgeous cover and beautifully illustrated pages! This story, itself, was incredible, although it didn’t quite meet all of my expectations, as I thought I’d be giving all of those stars to the book, as a whole.
Little Thieves is a retelling of “The Goose Girl,” a tale I am unfamiliar with, told from, what I could gather, the villain’s perspective. But is Vanja truly a villain? She has stolen Princess Giselle’s identity, with the help of enchanted pearls, and she does steal from the rich in order to buy her way to freedom since her godmothers, Death and Fortune, wish to doom her into servitude. So, yeah, she doesn’t seem to be a character with high morals. But she is more than just a thief. Getting her side of the story is essential before one can judge what, exactly, Vanja is.
I loved the rich writing, especially as each section was introduced, and I really appreciated the important themes that Margaret Owen stitched into the story. She made some relevant statements about class, the heart’s motivation, and women’s rights. She was sensitive in the way she addressed potentially triggering elements, such as assault, and it was clear that telling a meaningful story without harming her readers really mattered to her.
I enjoyed most of the build, although I did feel pacing was a bit slow, which often made me vacillate between four and five stars. It was within the last 200 pages that I determined I wasn’t as in love with this as I’d hoped to be. The story did seem to crawl by in the second half, although I felt the conclusion was rather hasty.
I must also confess that I didn’t love the romantic aspect. While the tension was building with the love interest, I didn’t mind it, and I was really touched by the offering of a humble, validating apology at one point. But Vanja’s thoughts toward this love interest made me cringe after that. I think it’s just me, really, as romance isn’t my favorite thing, but I’ll also defend myself by saying that I have read some books with romance that I have enjoyed.
Little Thieves was a highly anticipated read for me and it’s fair to say I expected too much from Margaret Owen, especially after feeling deeply comforted by her short, powerful author’s note in the beginning of the book. Perhaps if I’d gone in with a different state of mind, I might have rated it higher. It is a good story and one I’d recommend all fairytale lovers devote some time to.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 💫
Little Thieves is a retelling of “The Goose Girl,” a tale I am unfamiliar with, told from, what I could gather, the villain’s perspective. But is Vanja truly a villain? She has stolen Princess Giselle’s identity, with the help of enchanted pearls, and she does steal from the rich in order to buy her way to freedom since her godmothers, Death and Fortune, wish to doom her into servitude. So, yeah, she doesn’t seem to be a character with high morals. But she is more than just a thief. Getting her side of the story is essential before one can judge what, exactly, Vanja is.
I loved the rich writing, especially as each section was introduced, and I really appreciated the important themes that Margaret Owen stitched into the story. She made some relevant statements about class, the heart’s motivation, and women’s rights. She was sensitive in the way she addressed potentially triggering elements, such as assault, and it was clear that telling a meaningful story without harming her readers really mattered to her.
I enjoyed most of the build, although I did feel pacing was a bit slow, which often made me vacillate between four and five stars. It was within the last 200 pages that I determined I wasn’t as in love with this as I’d hoped to be. The story did seem to crawl by in the second half, although I felt the conclusion was rather hasty.
I must also confess that I didn’t love the romantic aspect. While the tension was building with the love interest, I didn’t mind it, and I was really touched by the offering of a humble, validating apology at one point. But Vanja’s thoughts toward this love interest made me cringe after that. I think it’s just me, really, as romance isn’t my favorite thing, but I’ll also defend myself by saying that I have read some books with romance that I have enjoyed.
Little Thieves was a highly anticipated read for me and it’s fair to say I expected too much from Margaret Owen, especially after feeling deeply comforted by her short, powerful author’s note in the beginning of the book. Perhaps if I’d gone in with a different state of mind, I might have rated it higher. It is a good story and one I’d recommend all fairytale lovers devote some time to.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 💫