Little Thieves

Once upon a time, there was a horrible girl . . .

Vanja Schmidt knows that no gift is freely given, not even a mother's love. The adopted goddaughter of Death and Fortune, Vanja has long made her own way in the world as the dutiful servant of Princess Gisele. Until a year ago, when her otherworldly mothers demanded payment for their care, and Vanja decided to steal her future back . . . by stealing Gisele's life.

With the help of an enchanted string of pearls, Vanja transformed into her former mistress and took her place, leaving the real Gisele a penniless nobody. Now, Vanja leads a lonely but lucrative double life as princess and jewel thief, charming the nobility while emptying their coffers to fund her great escape. Until, one heist away from freedom, Vanja crosses the wrong god and is cursed to turn into jewels, stone by stone.

With a feral guardian half-god, Gisele's sinister fiance, and an overeager junior detective on her tail, Vanja has just two weeks to pull off her biggest grift yet, or she risks losing more than her freedom - she could lose her life.

In this delightfully irreverent retelling of 'The Goose Girl', Margaret Own crafts an unputdownable tale about stolen lives, thorny truths, and the wicked girls at the heart of both.

Gorgeous prose, delicious magic VE Schwab, author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
A wild, adventurous romp that will leave you breathless at every turn. Expect sharp edges balanced with delightful humor and good fun - but I'll warn you: Vanja will steal your heart Hafsah Faizal, New York Times-bestselling and award-winning author of We Hunt the Flame
Margaret Owen has done it again, yanking me between surety and nail-biting anticipation the whole way Brittney Morris, bestselling Author of Slay

With Six of Crows and The Cruel Prince as readalikes, this will find an audience anywhere there are fantasy fans. Highly recommended and not to be missed

School Library Journal, starred review
A lush and lively adventure replete with romance, revenge, and robbery Kirkus, starred review
Owen flips the tale of the Goose Girl on its head for a breathlessly inventive, never-a-dull-moment adventure of found family and second (or fourth or fifth) chances. If you're not careful, it'll steal your heart, too Booklist, Starred Review
Masterpiece of storytelling... This is YA fantasy at its very best Armadillo Magazine
Little Thieves really does have all the elements for a truly memorable fantasy fable. It's a book for anyone who loves classic fairytale retellings with hear-stealing characters and a thrilling cat-and-mouse adventure at its heart Culturefly
Margaret Owen has written my favourite fantasy novel of 2021. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys fairy tales, murder mysteries, heists and clever twists Reach Plc Regional
Fantasy fans will love this YA reimagining of Brothers Grimm classic Goose Girl Heat Magazine
This book spools out a plot you think you've seen before but then delights in gleefully wrong-footing you. A perfectly delightful Picasso ... will leave you chock-full of joy SFX
A great read for this time of year with curses and a range of terrifying creatures to keep you spooked to the end Reach Plc (BirminghamLive)
A sparky and irreverent reimagining of Goose Girl, the German fairytale by the Brothers Grimm, Little Thieves is rich with detail and zippy dialogue... I wasn't prepared for quite how much I loved this book Culturefly - Best Books of 2021
Margaret Owen has clearly thrown all her ideas at the wall to see what sticks and, amazingly, not only have they stuck but they've formed a Picasso SFX
Thrilling and laced with frightening magic and irreverent humour Metro

Margaret Owen was born and raised at the end of the Oregon Trail, and now lives and writes in Seattle while negotiating a long-term hostage situation with her two monstrous cats. In her free time, she enjoys exploring ill-advised travel destinations, drawing a lot of nonsense, and raising money for social justice nonprofits.

Once upon a time, there was a horrible girl . . . Vanja Schmidt knows that no gift is freely given, not even a mother's love. The adopted goddaughter of Death and Fortune, Vanja has long made her own way in the world as the dutiful servant of Princess Gisele. Until a year ago, when her otherworldly mothers demanded payment for their care, and Vanja decided to steal her future back . . . by stealing Gisele's life.With the help of an enchanted string of pearls, Vanja transformed into her former mistress and took her place, leaving the real Gisele a penniless nobody. Now, Vanja leads a lonely but lucrative double life as princess and jewel thief, charming the nobility while emptying their coffers to fund her great escape. Until, one heist away from freedom, Vanja crosses the wrong god and is cursed to turn into jewels, stone by stone.With a feral guardian half-god, Gisele's sinister fiance, and an overeager junior detective on her tail, Vanja has just two weeks to pull off her biggest grift yet, or she risks losing more than her freedom - she could lose her life. In this delightfully irreverent retelling of 'The Goose Girl', Margaret Own crafts an unputdownable tale about stolen lives, thorny truths, and the wicked girls at the heart of both.

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