Format: Hardcover, 512 pages
Release Date: October 19, 2021
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Source: Publisher Finished Copy
Genre: Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Fairy Tales & Folklore
A scrappy maid must outwit both palace royals and low gods in this new Bavarian-inspired YA fantasy standalone by Margaret Owen, author of The Merciful Crow series.
Kids' Indie Next pick for November/December!
Amazon Best Book of October 2021!
FIVE STARRED REVIEWS!
Seventeen-year-old
Vanja Schmidt is the thirteenth daughter of a thirteenth daughter, and
wherever she goes, misfortune follows. Luckily, her godmothers are Death
and Fortune, each of whom blesses Vanja with magic in exchange for a
life of servitude when she comes of age.
But when the time comes,
Vanja flees, swiping an enchanted string of pearls that allows her to
impersonate a princess. So begins a life of merry mayhem posing as a
royal to rob the nobles blind. At first, Vanja is thrilled with her
luck, but soon, she crosses the wrong god, and is cursed to turn into
the jewels she covets, gem by gem, unless she can right her wrongs and
pay back her debts—quickly.
A fresh twist on a classic Brothers
Grimm tale, this is an irreverent YA fantasy that reveals the fickle
hands that deal the cards of fate and fortune.
Little Thieves, by author Margaret Owen, is the retelling of the Bavarian fairy tale Goose Girl. Little Thieves is about a girl named Vanja Schmidt who was given away by her mother to Fortune and Death when she was a young. Vanja goes on to become a servant. After being treated like a punching bag by Giselle's family and friends, she takes the life of the princess with the help of some enchanted pearls. Vanya steals jewelry from the wealthy in order to save up enough money to escape the reaches of the goddesses Fortune and Death's constant meddling.
Death and Fortune told Vanja that when she turned 17, she would have to choose which of her mothers she wanted to serve for the rest of her life. She's one job away from gaining enough money to flee when she crosses the wrong god and is cursed. She has two weeks to break the curse or she will turn into jewels, stone by stone. As if she doesn't have enough problems, Gisele's odious fiance returns home from the war and a junior detective is hot on the case of her theft spree.
But there's more to the curse than meets the eye, and Vanja must navigate through a field of ever-more-dangerous obstacles, including Ragne, the daughter of the god who cursed her, a junior prefect, Conrad Emeric, bent on arresting a jewel thief, Giselle, and her hatred for what Vanya did to her, and, worst of all, the real princess's domineering, sinister fiance who has brought back darkness and evil with him in hopes of rising to the top. Vanja is greedy, cunning, sarcastic, selfish, and stubborn but also funny at times.
I think one of the most interesting parts of this story is whether or not Giselle will forgive Vanja for literally destroying her life and leaving her penniless. They grew up together, were best friends, but Giselle's family treated her like a punching bag. It takes a series of tragic events for these girls to take a step back and see the world through the other's eyes. I also loved Ragne. Ragne is a shapeshifter who is told to watch over Vanja and make sure she doesn't go off the rail, as it were, in her attempt to make right what she did wrong. Ragne also falls in love with Giselle which should make a certain part of the population eager to see how it plays out.
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