This book, was a perfect way to end the series even though it didn't go as I expected. Vanja and Emeric have my whole heart and I love watching their story unfold.
This book picks up 2 years after the whole cult incident that happened and Vanja is now back as the Pfennigeist, but someone is killing royalty disguised as her. She's then dragged back into dealing with Emeric and they have to figure out who is doing it.
I loved the continued small amounts of world building we got in this book and about halfway through I did realize who was doing the killing which didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. Now what upset me was a certain characters death I mean :( come on my heart broke.
The romance was decent, there wasn't a lot but small amounts but it was perfect for our two characters
Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillians Children Publishing Group for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Each book in this trilogy is better than the last. Holy Terrors is the satisfying and hopeful conclusion that Vanja deserves after everything she's been through and done.

ETA: My first read through made me want to go back to the beginning and re-read the whole series. I'm so glad I did, because I caught so many more references to previous books and it made the ending that much more satisfying.

I think yet again, I did this series a disservice by reading them all so far apart and not remembering what happened to the characters each time. I recognize names, but they would bring up plot points from the previous two books and I'd have to think "wait... that was something that happened?" multiple times.

The way this book started off was interesting, yet really confusing and I thought that I must have accidentally clicked on something that wasn't chapter 1 to start. There were a lot of twists and turns that kept me baffled and were hard to keep track of, but I did enjoy that the "time travel/multiple universes" plot point was a little bit different than normal to keep things interesting.

Emeric and Vanja are sweet, but once again I have no memory of their romance from the first two books to keep me SUPER invested in them. However, I was still very happy to read about their relationship and I think Margaret Owen did a pretty decent job of reminding us of certain plot points from the other books.

The book itself was very interesting and pretty good, I just think you'll have the best time reading it IF you have read the other two very recently so that you remember everything going on. Overall, if you were a fan of the first two books, I think you'll like this one a lot!! A good ending to a series.

An amazing addition to this series and a fantastic way to bring the series to an end. I loved seeing another adventure with Vanja and Emeric - and the new characters that we meet in this installation - and I appreciated that this wasn't just a filler adventure. It was meaningful and it was something that was significantly impacting Vanya's life throughout the course of this novel. There's a certain kind of whimsy that comes from this world, and while there are some moments of more poetic and beautiful, lyrical writing, the writing is more straight-forward and easy to follow. I truly loved these characters and I was sad to see their story come to an end - even if it's an end I was happy to see.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSS THIS BOOK WAS EVERYTHING I NEEDED, WANTED AND NEVER DID I KNOW WHERE IT WAS GOING. def gave very game of thrones vibes with the whole battle royale of houses championing for the seat.

Holy Terrors review💜 I’m always nervous going into a sequel when I haven’t recently read the start of the series. But these books each have pretty compartmentalized plots and characters that are so lovable they’re memorable through time. Just like the second book I had no trouble jumping into this one and loving it from page one!

The writing was as witty and emotional as always. My heart was melting and then on fire for Emeric and Vanja at the start of the book😩 The story just immediately pulls you in.

There were a few returning minor characters from the first and second books and I did find I forgot some of the details of those plots. But I still enjoyed the third book and imagine I will even more so when I one day do a full reread. This was in fact the final book💔 although I would welcome a crime solving spin off set!

I overall liked the ending and felt it did the characters justice! My only other qualm with the book is I wish we had more of Vanja and Emeric together🥹 I can not wait to see what the author writes next!

Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for a copy of this book, I loved every moment of it.

P.S. these are probably my favorite special editions that I own😍 STUNNING artwork.

I have loved this story and these characters since my fiancé (then boyfriend) bought me Little Thieves because he said “it looked like a book you would love.”

These characters in all their messy, unruly goodness make this one of the most human fantasy novels I’ve read in a while. This is a book about hope, letting yourself be happy, and getting out of your own way.

Love the horror aspects in this book & the little pop culture nods (I cackled when I read “There’s people that are dying” in one of the scenes in this book).

Team Vanja and Emeric for LIFE.

If you’ve not read these books, go do it now.

I find it remarkable that Margaret Owen managed to convey such an expansive narrative in this series while simultaneously making it feel deeply personal, authentic, and extraordinarily distinctive. Vanja and Emeric resonate as genuine individuals; they are, in fact, my closest friends. This trilogy concludes magnificently, shattering my heart before mending it. Margaret Owen is an exceptional author who has truly exceeded expectations.

I don't actually have words for this book. I laughed. I cried in my apartment kitchen in front of my roommates. My beloved darlings got the ending they deserved. I've been following this series since the release of Little Thieves and it's been honestly life changing. I see.a lot of my younger self in Vanja and her growth has meant the world to me.

VANJAAAA my love.

At some point I would like to re-read the whole trilogy in short succession bc I did not remember some key stuff from previous books and this plot is COMPLEX but the vibes are IMPECCABLE.

I love this trilogy! I was initially a little frustrated with the ending of the previous book in the series, but it was completely worth it for how this book played out! These characters, their dialogue, and the tension was top-notch. I do think the last 25% got a little lost, but was still worth the read.

The perfect ending to my favorite trilogy, Margaret Owen has out done herself with this conclusion!

I hold a very special place in my heart for these books and for Vanja and Emeric. I was nervous for this book because I didn't want it to be the end of something that I love so much. But they deserved their happy ending and man did they get it (with some rocky twists thrown in)

We pick up about two years after Vanja ran from Emeric, to avoid being his downfall. Vanja is now The Pfennigeist, exposing all sorts of corrupt behavior across the empire. But she is being framed for the deaths of royals and who other than Emeric is put on the investigation to help clear her name. Oh and he's brought along his new Fiance (that gutted me...and Vanja as well)

I loved getting to see our morally grey heroine and her law abiding hero back together again! Plus the longing and witty banter between Vanja and Emeric truly kept me on my toes. I loved this story and thought that it just as captivating and page turning as the first two installments of this series. It was a great balance of murder mystery, court intrigue and emotional growth for Vanja. Her character has come such a long way in three books and I'm so happy with how it turned out for her.

Thank you Netgalley, Macmillan/Henry Holt Co and Margaret Own for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I put off reading this book (and writing this review) as long as I could, simply because I didn't want this series to end. In LITTLE THIEVES, Margaret Owen created a world so spectacular that I couldn't help but want to stay a little longer. That's exactly what I did in book two, PAINTED DEVILS. Two long years later, the final book in the series is here. I think after writing two books that blew my mind, it would be difficult to write a third. The bar for this book was so high, one could say it was through the roof - in the clouds even. Yet, this book was different than the first two in many ways. Rather than get up to more shenanigans, HOLY TERRORS is a reflective book, filled with emotional distress rather than physical. It's a story about finding love, finding a home, and finding yourself. While reading, I kept waiting for the telltale sign that Vanya would make a questionable decision in her own self interest, but it seems that Vanya in book three has grown in ways that Vanya in book one couldn't possibly imagine. The journey that Vanya has been on has been marked by her internal battles with herself - and this final book asks: what if she lets her demons win?

2.5 stars rounded up - I ended up DNFing at about 85%.

I know many people absolutely adored the first two books in this series. I very much liked them but this one was just very much an "I don't care and nothing is happening to make me care." There is so much politicking that is under-explained that I had no idea what was going on or why the big issue was even happening. Someone gave me a pretty in-depth summary of the previous book and it felt like I needed to have taken intense notes to remember what was going on. The only parts I really cared for were between Emeric and Vanja, and I honestly didn't love the way they were handled in this one.

All of my friends are loving this one, so it may just be me. Who knows.

I’m crying. I’m laughing. I’m unable to function.

It is amazing to me that Margaret Owen was able to tell such a big story in this series and yet make it feel so personal, so lived in, so spectacularly unique. Vanja and Emeric are real people. They are actually my best friends.

The folklore! The spirits! The emotional baggage! THE SAUSAGE JOKES. READ THIS SERIES

Oh, she ATE. This is a five star series like few others.
Emeric and Vanja have some of the best chemistry I've ever read. While reading this, I repeated posted on Instagram about it reminding me of a 9-1-1 fanfiction inspired by the show Manifest that I read two weeks ago that caused an existential crisis. I could not believe how miserable it was making me for about the first 40%. The friendships and romantic relationships are so meaningful, especially Vanja with the girls she grew up with who reappear in this installment of the series. You /definitely/ need to read The Fallow Year, which is the novella Margaret Owen posted on AO3 for free in ten installments taking place between Painted Devils and Holy Terrors, which was also incredible??? Her consistency with this series is truly incredible. I do need to mention that Miss Owen CONFUSES me sometimes. It's hard, especially in this book, to tell exactly what's happening at times. That's what happens when you read a fantasy/murder mystery/romance fusion, I fear! But it's all tremendously enjoyable and worth the confusion. I actually read this entire book while my best friend was sleeping because I started shortly after she went to bed for the night and genuinely could not put it down. One craft thing to highlight: Margaret is so so so good at putting you in the minds of her characters in Holy Terrors and The Fallow Year. Truly some of the funniest, most redeemable characters I've ever read about.

4.5⭐️

Holy Terrors was a whirlwind of emotions! It’s been two years since the events that happened in the second book and now, some is framing the Pdennigesit—aka Vanja. Throughout this book, I loved the bickering banter between Vanja and Emeric, though not when they said hurtful things to each other 😩. This book definitely takes on an unexpected turn of events between those two and the plot that makes you want to keep reading while you’re thinking ‘there’s no way this is how things end’. There’s so much going on in this book—in a good way—with all the twists when you thought it was over, but it isn’t, and more stuff is thrown at you!

There’s nothing that gets me going like heavy angst and pining so when I finished Painted Devils, I just KNEW Holy Terrors was going to hit different. The yearning and ache were absolutely *chef’s kiss*!!!!!! I haven’t been fed such good angst in a long time, like inject it in my veins!!!! Holy Terrors was just so freaking good and a perfect ending to a fun trilogy. I will always love my babies, Vanja and Emeric, with my whole heart. I’m sad to see their stories end, but I’m grateful to have experienced it. I loved the coming of age elements and Vanja finally finding a way to love herself not in spite of who she’s been and what’s been done to her, but BECAUSE of it. Both Emeric and Vanja have grown so much over the series and I think the author did them and their character arcs justice. I was absolutely sucked in to Holy Terrors and fell asleep reading this almost every night because I just didn’t want to put it down! My only minor complaint is that Holy Terrors felt incredibly long, but I had such a good time reading it, I don’t even care. Everything was wrapped up in a nice little bow and I definitely recommend this series to basically anyone who can read.

Thank you so much to Henry Holt & Co., NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!

4.0

Both a fitting end to the Little Thieves trilogy and, quite honestly, a bit of a tangled mess.

The plot felt overly complicated, crammed full of layer after layer and about six more plot twists than anyone could reasonably follow.

The ways this worked:

- Vanja has never followed a direct path through any of the books, and generally her hesitation and backtracking and mistakes add to the complexity of her character and make her story feel worthy of the YA genre, in a way many other YA books lack. This book was about her understanding the value of her own complicated story, which I loved.

- The setting for this trilogy, a fantasy parallel to the Holy Roman Empire, has always been appealingly chaotic, political, and diverse. That setting is on full display in this book as the Blessed Empire is roiled by a massive crisis that compromises its political foundations and exposes its arcane intricacies. I love this world, and I loved seeing more of it in this final chapter of Vanja’s story.

What didn’t work:

- It was impossible for the reader to follow the direction of the plot— not because of its clever intricacy but because we simply are not given enough information to anticipate anything. Instead, we are buried in an avalanche of characters— new and old— and plot points that feel less like a clearly directed story arc and more like a frantic attempt to cram MORE into this last book.

- The world building, always a strength of this series, felt haphazard and shallow at times in this one. New features of the Empire seem to blossom for the convenience of the plot, without any regard to putting down roots in the previously established universe of the Blessed Empire. It felt a little “Rise of Skywalker”, if I’m being fully honest.

Overall, the four star rating reflects my own previous investment in the world and the main characters. I’d still wholeheartedly recommend the trilogy, even taking into account the flaws of this final entry.

This was an amazing conclusion to this trilogy (plus the novella I highly recommend to read first as it introduces key characters from this book). Vanja's growth and insight really made the series worth it. While the characters are aged up a couple years, two year having taken place since book 2, and there are more mature subjects discussed, I do think it still works as a YA novel as the overall theme is still Coming of Age.

You can expect:
YA Romantic Fantasy
Germanic Folklore
Magic & Low Gods
Vigilante teams up with the Law
Serial Murder Mystery
Found Family
Queernormative
Early20s MCs
Single, 1st POV

4.5 star rating: I docked a half star because it is a longer book that gets bogged down with politics, I had a hard time keeping all the royalty straight and wasn't always sure who was actually murdered or why it mattered. I saw the author posted a guide to the houses on her Instagram, which could have been helpful. Ultimately though the ending redeemed it as I loved how it all came together and resolved.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan for providing an eArc for my honest opinion.