This was fun but nothing spectacular. It felt very YA which was fine but you have to be in the mood for this type of writing. I will continue reading this book on audio.

I will not be providing feedback on this book for I had not the opportunity to read it before it got archived! However, I am still interested in reading this book and I’m hoping to review it in the future on my social media platforms!

This is just a sample of Painted Devils, but I picked up the rest of the book once I finished with this. This is such an important story of teens navigating love and sexuality and virginity, and Owen deals with this heavy, rather controversial topic perfectly. There is such a healthy portrayal of teen wants and desires without making self-discovery seem trivial and silly, and I appreciate the change in perspective so, so much. The only problem is that the plot seems lacking compared to the first in the series, but still a great read.

Amazing world building, beautifully developed characters, and so much magic continue in this continuation of Little Thieves.

Vanja finds herself accused of starting a cult and non other than her abandoned paramour is tasked with the investigation into her crimes. Members of her former family start to emerge, as Emeric tries to find the truth despite his supervisor's extreme dislike of Vanja. It ended on a cliffhanger, and I cannot wait for the sequel.

Beautiful cover!

Thank you for the Painted Devils chapter sampler! This novel is already looking to be everything I had hoped, and I can't wait to continue reading in the copy I just picked up.

WOW. What an amazing sequel. This book is atmospheric: Owen is masterful in showing us more of this world in a way that makes you never want to leave.

This book is different from book 1 in that some readers may feel it has too strong of a focus on the romance, but I feel like it made sense for it to be such a huge focus. It just feels like a natural progression of the timeline and makes it realistic.

I cannot wait for book 3!

DNF@30% of the full book

The “losing your virginity” plot line ruined it for me. It reads as cringy and childish. Plus the “cult” is barely even a cult. Very disappointed in this.

Enjoyed this sampler. Loved the tone of the writing and the world building. Looking forward to completing this story as well as her other works.

Since receiving the approval for the sampler, I have purchased and read the entire book which I found to be a great sequel to Little Thieves. I cannot wait for the next book!

Clever and action packed, I loved Painted Devils even more than Little Thieves, and I can't wait for what comes next. The romance is just right, with a healthy exploration of sexuality that I was pleasantly surprised for. I believe this is ideal for 17 year olds or older.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story.

Got me very excited for the full book! I loved Little Thieves and now Painted Devils looks like it is going to take us on another great adventure.

I received a chapter sampler for this book and I absolutely cannot wait to read the rest of this book! The way it’s sucked me in already is unreal

This series is incredible and honestly, raving about it is about to become my entire personality. I loved Little Thieves and was so excited to read Painted Devils, which of course did not disappoint! Painted Devils takes readers on a journey with Vanja and Emeric as they try to defeat the Scarlet Maiden who is maybe going to demand Emeric as a blood sacrifice. I loved seeing their relationship develop and I so enjoyed seeing Vanja learn more about herself and her family. This book is hilarious, fast-paced, exciting, and THE ENDING HAS LEFT ME UNWELL. Book 3 better be RIGHT around the corner! 10/10 highly recommend!

I love everything about this except that it's not the whole book.

I cannot wait for my pre-order to arrive.

I fell in love with Little Thieves earlier this year and although I wasn't expecting a sequel, I'm literally so excited for this I can't wait!

A big thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for providing an eARC in one of my most anticipated reads of 2023.

Wait. What? This all started because Vanja girl bossed a bit too close to the sun?!

Painted Devils by Margaret Owen is the sequel novel to Litt Thieves, that follows Vanja as she girl bosses a bit too close to the sun and starts a cult. Which in turns awakens a sleeping low god, and starts a whole mess in itself. With Emric's help, and a little bit of pinning, Vanja must track down the sleeping low god and resolve her issues by summer's end. All while trying to find her way back home.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! And I can't believe Own left us with that ending. I need book three like right now.

This review is for the entire book because I forgot I downloaded this preview!

Little Thieves was one of my favorite reads of 2021, so I was stoked to learn that a sequel would be coming (and now a trilogy!). Upon starting Painted Devils I immediately fell back into this German fairytale world and Vanja's unique sardonic voice. The writing style is so funny and smooth. As a big fan of established relationships, I love that Vanja and Emeric are together working as a team throughout this book. I did find that the focus on their physical relationship was a bit much and distracted from the plot, but I also know that this aspect would have been a selling point to teenage me. The plot was a little difficult to follow at times, partially because Vanja is intentionally left in the dark of Emeric's investigation, but also because there are a lot of moving parts. In the end, these parts all come together in a way that makes sense in retrospect, but that doesn't change how I felt in the middle of the book thinking, "Where is this all going?" Vanja's heists and schemes were probably my favorite parts, even though they were almost tangential to the overarching plot. Little Thieves was about power, and privilege, and justice, and Painted Devils is about autonomy, and self worth, and choices. While I was taken aback by the ending, I understand Vanja's decision (I don't think she's simply making the same mistake as the beginning of the book--it's a new and different mistake, and very on-brand for her character). I have faith that Margaret Owen has a plan to explore the fallout in the third book, which I am hightly anticipating!

TW: cult, emotional abuse and manipulation, loss of autonomy (mind/body control), past parental abandonment, past physical abuse (lashings) and scarring, blood magic, animal death, classism and exploitation of the poor, references to sex work

Thanks you Netgalley for the chapter sampler. I loved Little Thieved so much last year, and I liked getting a quick preview of the sequel. I can't wait to read the full book later this year.

I adored Little Thieves and cannot wait to read the rest of Painted Devils! After this chapter Sampler it is my #1 most anticipated read for 2023!

Thank you Netgalley, Margaret Owen, and publishers for gifting me a copy of your chapter sampler of painted devils in return for my honest opinion.

3.5/5 stars

When chapter one starts off by saying "Let me state one thing up front: I wasn't trying to start a cult" you know you are in for an interesting book. I was a little confused bt the Seventh Lie: Faith and what it was, I am assuming it is a prologue or intro but it doesn't say explicitly.

These two chapters did a wonderful job of gaining interest and wanting the reader to continue reading. This is a very strong start and I cant wait to finish reading this book.