Little Thieves - Becca In A Book

Once upon a time there was a horrible girl caught between Death and Fortune. They give her an impossible choice so she decides to steal her future back, by any means necessary.

My Thoughts

I am so grateful to NetGalley, Henry Holt, and the author for this copy in exchange for an honest review! This was such a crazy retelling from a story that I had never read, but has become one of my favorites! Margaret Owens has a way with telling a fantastic story and introducing us to female characters that are what I wish I had been introduced to when I was younger.

This was such a fun and unique fantasy and because it was a standalone, it was just what the doctor ordered. A lot of fantasies are series which I do love, but sometimes it is nice to read a one and done fantasy to get a little taste, but not feel overwhelmed by all the world building, the magic, and the constant stream of characters.

I went into this book completely blind and I’m glad I did. I chose this book because of the cover, I’m not going to lie and although that has done me a disservice in the past, it did do that to me this time! This fantasy was captivating, but I was not completely hooked at first, it took me a minute to get into the swing of things.

Each part of the book, the author tells a story about the main character, Vanja, past in a way that reminds me of reading a Grimms fairytale. I really loved this because this book is based on a retelling of the classic fairytale, “The Goose Girl.” I had never heard of this story, but I’m so curious to read it now that I’ve read the retelling. I felt like this choice was such a unique and captivating idea to relate back story in a way that’s fresh, but doesn’t seem like the author is driving too much detail into her audience.

The book world is surrounded with magic, ritual, magical creatures, and gods all named coming from Eastern European culture. I loved this element, but there were a LOT of things to remember so a glossary would very much be appreciated to keep everything on track. I ended up writing some things down so that I would keep it all straight. However, my confusion only led to further curiosity which then led me to truly devour the book and have an overwhelming need about what will happen next.

There were also so many layers to the plot that I LOVED. None of the characters were completely perfect and all of them could be QUITE unpredictable. I loved that component because it kept the plot very thrilling and suspenseful. All the characters were just so good and I loved them all, but of course Vanja stole my heart. She reminded me SO much of Aelin from Throne of Glass and I was so here for it. That sneaky little trickster stole my heart and ran away with it and I don’t even feel the hole she left when the book was over.

There was a little hint of sweet romance in this book too which was the cherry on top of the sundae and I enjoyed every single morsel.

Overall, this book was an entertaining and fun read and this author has once again stolen my heart with her amazing storytelling abilities!