Little Thieves

Little Thieves follows Vanja Schmidt, a young woman posing as Princess Gisele while secretly moonlighting as a jewel thief in a fantasy version of medieval Bavaria. As the goddaughter of Death and Fortune, Vanja uses magic to maintain her false identity while robbing the nobility who once mistreated her. A curse threatens to turn Vanja to precious stones, giving her two weeks to make amends for her crimes. She must navigate palace intrigue, supernatural forces, and the pursuit of a determined young detective as she races against time to break the curse. The story draws from Goose Girl folklore while incorporating elements of heists, romance, and dark fantasy. Multiple magical systems and immortal beings shape the complex world where Vanja operates as both criminal and nobility. This tale explores themes of class inequality, identity, and the cost of survival in a society built on rigid hierarchies. The narrative questions ideas of justice and morality while examining how trauma shapes choices and relationships.

Readers highlight the morally gray protagonist Vanja, calling her "snarky," "complex" and "unapologetically herself." Many reviews praise the Germanic fairy tale elements and world-building, with the magic system and gods receiving specific mentions. Fans note the LGBTQ+ representation, found family dynamics, and romance subplot. Multiple reviewers say the humor balances well with darker themes. Common criticisms include the slow pacing in the first third and occasional confusion about the magic rules. Some readers found the multiple plot threads hard to follow. A few reviews mention the length (512 pages) as excessive. Ratings: Goodreads: 4.2/5 (24,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (1,200+ ratings) StoryGraph: 4.27/5 (6,800+ ratings) "The banter is top-tier" appears frequently in positive reviews. Critical reviews often note "took a while to get into it but worth pushing through" and "could have been shorter without losing impact."

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🌟 The author was inspired by the lesser-known Grimm Brothers' fairy tale "The Goose Girl," but wanted to tell the story from the perspective of the villainous maid rather than the princess. 🌟 Margaret Owen worked as a professional artist before becoming an author and creates detailed character art of her book's protagonists. 🌟 The book incorporates elements of Bavarian and Eastern European folklore, including creatures like the Rusalka and house spirits called Domovoi. 🌟 The novel's unique magic system is based on different types of fortunes: bone fortune, blood fortune, and death fortune, each with its own distinct properties and limitations. 🌟 The book's protagonist, Vanja, was partially inspired by historical female thieves and con artists of the 19th century, particularly those who posed as nobility to commit their crimes.