Little Thieves (Little Thieves, 1)

Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop

A new take on the classic Goose Girl, Little Thieves makes a hero out of a thief and plays with the gods of Fortune and Death.

The Goose Girl is one of those fairy tales that doesn’t get enough attention, and it’s nice to see another fairytale told other than the typical ones.

That said, while the story was interesting, it wasn’t wholly memorable.

Characterization

Overall, I liked Little Thieves, but there were times when the story suffered from slow pacing.

Little Thieves follows Vanya, our anti-hero who was left as a child with Death and Fortune as caretakers. When the time came to choose, they wanted a servant, not a daughter. Angry and even a little bitter, Vanya ran away and then “stole” the identity of a princess. During the day, she is a princess; at night, she uses her luck to be a thief and steal enough treasure to buy her freedom away from the two gods who raised her.

I found the plot interesting because this was a different approach to retelling a classic fairytale.

However, the plot seemed to drag. There were times when the atmosphere and setting were reminiscent of the Brothers Grimm. While I usually loved that, in this case, I feel that that made the pacing inconsistent.

I did appreciate the feel of the story. Still, it was the repetition, this constant need to reestablish the atmosphere that I found boring. It distracted me from the storytelling and the characterization. It made the story more drawn out than it needed to be.

Sometimes, I was reading it, and I wanted the story to just move on. As the reader, we know about her complicated relationship with her godparents. This world here is supposed to be old world Germany, fairytale like, dark, mysterious, and otherworldly. I didn’t need it to be coming back every few pages. I needed the plot to develop faster.

I do think Vanya was an interesting character. This anti-hero developed a slow-burn romance with those looking for her alter ego. However, I wish more time had been given to making the characters shine because while Vanya does grow as a character, I just didn’t find her memorable.

Final Thoughts

Little Thieves is great if you’re looking for a different retelling, especially on a fairytale that doesn’t get told enough. It has a strong atmosphere, but sometimes the author’s focus shifts into the unimportant, making the story drag and, ultimately, unmemorable.

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I wasn't really sure how I would feel about this book but than I saw the dedication and instantly thought, was this written about me? As I read more I just fell in love with Vanya, who is a delightful, hilarious and witty little thieve. I absolutely adore Ragne, who can turn into cute critters and Poldi, who reminded me of a more violent califer. Emeric was a bit of a surprise but brought something extra to the story. I found myself laughing quite a bit during this and enjoyed this so much. This was the perfect blend of humor and brother Grimm vibes.

Normally I struggle with books where the main character, especially if you're in their perspective, is unlikable. I found Vanja compelling despite her severe flaws, and I had a feeling I'd enjoy following her character journey. I was right. I also found myself getting very immersed in the setting and growing mystery. I loved the group of characters that came along for the ride and pushed Vanja to grow. I felt like the ending was rewarding as it brought different plot points together. I enjoyed the portrayal of the gods. I found myself giddy to read more, and it's that excitement to get back to the book that made me rate it 5 stars. I listened on audiobook and the narrator was great. I was a little worried because the only other book I had listened to narrated by Saskia Maarleveld was one I didn't enjoy, but the problem clearly wasn't the narration. This book is technically the start of a series, but it can be enjoyed as a standalone in my opinion.

Content Warnings:
Moderate: Child abuse, Murder, Blood, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Violence, Death, and Body horror
Minor: Vomit, Sexual violence, Animal death, and Sexual assault