A lovely conclusion to the Little Thieves series; I just absolutely adored this ending for Vanja and loved the worldbuilding, romance, and magic of the world.

Margaret Owen delivers a gripping and emotionally charged finale in *Little Thieves' *sequel, weaving together high-stakes intrigue, razor-sharp wit, and a protagonist who refuses to be defined by her past.

Vanja, a deeply flawed yet fiercely compelling heroine, is thrust into a deadly game of political maneuvering and magical peril, forcing her to confront the very system she has spent years defying. The mystery of the impossible killer is expertly crafted, with twists that keep readers guessing until the very end. The tension between Vanja and Emeric crackles with unresolved emotions, making their reluctant partnership all the more engrossing.

Owen’s worldbuilding is as rich and immersive as ever, seamlessly blending dark fairytale elements with sharp social commentary. The novel balances its thrilling plot with poignant themes of redemption, identity, and the weight of past choices. With its breakneck pace, complex characters, and emotionally satisfying conclusion, this book cements the *Little Thieves* series as a must-read for fans of dark fantasy with heart.

This was/is one of my most anticipated releases of the last like 3 years! This was so so much fun and I just adore these characters with my whole entire heart and am so happy with how this ended! I need more of these characters and this world in my life.

A beautiful end to a trilogy I have loved the whole way through. Vanja’s wit makes me laugh while her heart makes me think that not all is bad in the world.

Holy Terrors is the third and (as of now) final installment of the Little Thieves series. Because it's a third book, there will be spoilers for books 1 and 2. Also of note, there was also a set of short stories published on AO3 by Margaret Owen called The Fallow Year that covers the gap between the second book, Painted Devils and this third volume. I highly, highly recommend reading through the stories first before you read Holy Terrors. Characters and events from the interim stories do have a significant impact on the story.

I just finished this book moments ago, after a two-day marathon, and I'm currently buzzing with excitement. When we last saw Vanja Ros, formerly Vanja Schmidt, she was making a terrible decision at the end of Painted Devils. When this book opens, almost two years have passed (as detailed in the short stories). Vanja is continuing to work as the Pfennigiest, a Robin Hood figure working as a force for justice for people who have no recourse, following her calling from the second book. Quickly, she discovers that someone has been killing members of the seven royal families and trying to frame the Pfennigiest for the crimes. It doesn't take long for the Prefects to get involved, including Vanja's ex-boyfriend and everyone's favorite walking law textbook, Emeric Conrad. Vanja is up against two formidable foes: her personal angst over how things ended with Emeric and clearing her name of the suspicion being cast on her by an old enemy.

This installment continued to have the humor and heart I expect from Vanja's narration. She swings between immature when she's needling Emeric, to mature self-reflection as she comes to grips with who she was and who she wants to be. Holy Terrors pulls together threads from all three of the books as well as The Fallow Year. The new main characters introduced, Lilje and Benno (both of whom first show up in the interim stories) are great fun. Ragne also continues to be a delight, and her relationship with Giselle is finally further explored.

Although she spends the beginning of the story acting pretty childish, Vanja undergoes a ton of character growth in this volume. She finally faces a lot of the choices she made. Similarly to the first two books, there are short, fairy-tale stories interspersed between the chapters, featuring what would have happened if Vanja had made a different choice at various pivotal moments in her past. These are accompanied by beautiful, stained-glass style artwork drawn by the author.

I was a little nervous about the fact that Vanja and Emeric both explored relationships with other people during The Fallow Year and into this book, simply because I love their relationship dynamic so much and was rooting for them. These relationships, and sex in general, are handled in a way that is mature and realistic. If you are a fan of Vanja and Emeric together, I think you will be happy with how it all turns out.

The story is wrapped up cleverly, with the antagonist(s) meeting fates that feel earned and satisfying character moments. Holy Terrors leaves a potential opening for future stories set in this world and about these characters without feeling incomplete. Overall, I enjoyed it very much, and it was well worth the wait.

Little Thieves and Painted Devils were both five star books for me, so the bar for Holy Terrors was incredibly high, and my most anticipated read of 2025. Needless to say, it absolutely lived up to my expectations, surpassing them and establishing the Little Thieves trilogy as a five star series for me..

All the events leading up to Holy Terrors set the scene for Holy Terrors to potentially fall into the trap of feeling too similar to the other books. Margaret Owen truly puts her characters through it, and her characters always rise above and grow from that, and this book is no exception. I think Holy Terrors broke through the framework of what was expected and took this series to a whole new level. Within the first few chapters I was crying, laughing and wanting to throw this book at a wall. Not only do we see growth from our characters in this, but the world grows as well. We have new characters, new settings, and new plot lines that fit seamlessly into the web that Margaret Owen has woven. In addition, the return of characters, themes and the magic from the other books that truly are what make this series so unique. I love Vanja in this book, and I love Emeric. Our characters are flawed, and they are growing, and they are doing that apart, but also learning how to do that together.

I think that is something that makes Margaret Owen's books so compelling, is that every person has flaws, and so when you read books with characters that don't have them, it takes you out of the story. This story doesn't shy away from the flaws of characters, the hardships of growing up, or falling in love. It highlights those so that they feel normal and beautiful.

I can't recommend this book, or this series enough. The one thing I will note for this book is that there are A LOT of characters, and so at times I had to re-acquaint myself with them, but I never felt confused or taken out of the story. This series is one that is as beautiful as it is clever, perfect for our main characters who are the same way, and that story really pushes that. I reread Little Thieves and Painted Devils in preparation for this story and am glad I did, as they were just as beautiful on reread as I know this story will be as well.

I can't recommend this story enough, and I probably will never stop recommending this series.

I read this book in one sitting… I remember reading the first book and being so excited that I got to read more of this book. I love the main character and I can’t wait to see if and when this series gets another book

Absolutely loved this story— wonderfully written and a great addition to the series. Definitely recommend!

wow I loved this!!!

When I first started Little Thieves, I could immediately tell that it was special and I was quickly obsessed with the writing, the world, the characters, everything!!! I, of course, loved Painted Devils and, in a surprise to no one, Margaret Owen's writing continues to be so clever and witty and heartfelt in Holy Terrors.

This book was absolutely packed!!! Between characters (old and new!), events, locations, murders, angst, banter -- SO MUCH happened!!!! I did think maybe *too much* happened, and at 90% I was like "how can this possibly be wrapped up in the next 10%???" but it was wrapped up in a really satisfying way that truly felt like the ending this amazing trilogy deserves.

Also, the audiobooks for this series with Saskia Maarleveld as the narrator have been some of my favorite audiobooks, and I'm excited to reread Holy Terrors in that format!!!

Thank you to Macmillan for the ARC!!

this is the conclusion to the little thieves trilogy.

it’s been nearly two years since vanja brought down the cult she started, and she’s still paying the price. a killer is making their way through royalty and leaving vanja’s signature red penny on every victim, raising suspicion and turning the pfennigeist from a folk hero to a nightmare. when the blessed empress falls victim to this poser, the empire’s seven royal families gather to elect her successor…even though this puts all the royalty conveniently in the killer’s reach. she works with emeric to survive the chaos around them, though they’re both still heartbroken. with the stakes so high, it’ll take everything vanja has to save her loved ones and her future.

so, i read the fallow year shortly before this, and i thought it was a great novella, but i couldn’t say for certain whether it should be considered required reading before going into this. now that i’ve read this, i will say i 100% recommend reading the fallow year before reading this. first, there is a time gap between painted devils and holy terrors, so reading the fallow year will help fill in a bit of this gap. this makes the reading experience even more enjoyable! second, this book is told through vanja’s viewpoint, whereas the fallow year is split between her pov and emeric’s!

now that that’s out of the way, let’s get into my thoughts about this book! honestly, i don’t have an abundance of thoughts i can easily articulate, but let me just say that this book was ANGSTY (saying this positively). aaku and i commented so many times about the tension between vanja and emeric all throughout this book. more than that, though, was the growth vanja had as a person. she had so many deep-rooted insecurities that she had to work through, and i feel like the progress she made in this book with that was satisfying.

the plot, of course, was also interesting! we had a murder mystery, some run-ins with royalty, and something toward the end that i’m not quite sure how to describe, but that really hooked me.

overall, this was a great book. i can’t wait to read more from margaret owen!

“I am a daughter, lover, legend, ghost. I am the Pfennigeist. I am Vanja Ros. And this is my story.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, for granting me an advanced reader copy of Holy Terrors.

Margaret Owen has done it again.

The final book in the Little Thieves series has been a total page turner. I loved the first book, I adored the second book and I COMPLETELY fell head over heels for the final one.

Watching Vanja’s journey to self love and self discovery has been a tear jerker. She is literally the bravest girl I have ever known. The characters are again : AMAZING. The storyline: CHEF’S KISS. Everyone has their own lives and it never feels like they’re just there to fill in the gaps. The writing is even more amazing this time??!! And the plot twists !?!? The whole angst and pining and the whole ass sherlock holmes shit. The banter between Vanjameric. Lilje. Kirkling. Gisele. Benno(my sweet sweet boy). I loved every second of the book and would give my right kidney to have my memory erased just so I could read it again.

Vanjameric’s story has come to an end but my love for them will never end. mic drop.

This last book is more similar to the first book, which made me realize how full circle the story was going to close out. All the hard work done in books 1 and 2 were going to be paid off in full swing, and I sat up as a reader and started paying close attention to the mysteries Vanja and Emeric had to solve.

HOLY TERRORS was gas gas gas all the way to the end with brief stops of soft moments that doesn't let you breathe, but forces you to cry instead (and I cried many times, I like the angst thank you). I think part of the fun is being in Vanja's head. She is still a terrifyingly funny character despite her dire circumstances. I adore her so much and I have to give Owen credit for being able to write first person so incredibly, because it's a skill I haven't seen done well in a long time.

On more craft and prose: I don't know anyone who is as gentle with their readers like Margaret Owen is. Consistently, she acknowledges that there is a lot of pain in the world, and people have wounds and scars much like her characters do. Not only does she acknowledges it, but she provides care, advice, and space. Owen is an unbelievable writer; I aspire to achieve an ounce of her skills.

Overall, a beautiful ending. Everyone should read this series. Every writer should attempt to make a series as compelling as this. I'm so glad LITTLE THIEVES was written because I can now embed it into my soul as well.

(And to those curious, yes, please read THE FALLOW YEAR on ao3. It helps.)

While the premise was nice, the writing was... not what I expected. I wanted more from the characters because I felt that what was on the front cover and the front flap was not what we were given.

Title: Holy Terrors
Author: Margaret Owen
Genre: Fantasy, YA   
Rating: 5 out of 5

It's been nearly two years since Vanja brought down the cult she started, and she’s still paying the price. As the Pfennigeist, she bucks the law in order to help the desperate and haunt the corrupt all across the empire—and no matter what, she works alone.

But an impossible killer is tearing through royalty, and leaving Vanja’s signature red penny on every victim. Suddenly the Pfennigeist is no longer a folk hero but a nightmare. When even the Blessed Empress falls, the empire’s seven royal families must gather to elect her successor within a matter of weeks, or risk the collapse of reality itself… even though it puts every house in the killer’s sights.

Vanja tells herself she’s wading into the royalty’s vicious games only to save the name she made, and the loved ones also in jeopardy. But the Order of Prefects has also put their sharpest official on the case, the one who swore he’d always find Vanja—until she broke his heart. Journeyman Prefect Emeric Conrad may no longer be the boy Vanja knew, but they’ll have to work together one last time to have any chance of surviving the deadly catastrophe coming for them all.

With bloody conspiracy, sinister magic, and old adversaries closing in, it will take everything Vanja has to save not just the people she loves, but the future she’s fought for.

I really loved this! Vanja’s voice, her wry sarcasm, is just so on point it had me laughing all through the book. She’s a great character: she can see her flaws, but she just goes ahead anyway—and somehow it works out for the best (mostly). Emeric is so uptight it makes me laugh—and Vanja’s descriptions of him are even funnier. Junior and the sausages probably made me laugh the most.

As far as the murder mystery…I never had a clue what was going on, who was going to die next, or who the murderer was—much less how Vanja was going to figure out the whole mess. I enjoyed all of this book immensely!

Margaret Owen has a degree in Japanese. Holy Terrors is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 4/1).

Holy Terrors
by Margaret Owen
Pub Date: Apr 01 2025

It's been nearly two years since Vanja brought down the cult she started, and she’s still paying the price. As the Pfennigeist, she bucks the law in order to help the desperate and haunt the corrupt all across the empire—and no matter what, she works alone.

But an impossible killer is tearing through royalty, and leaving Vanja’s signature red penny on every victim. Suddenly the Pfennigeist is no longer a folk hero but a nightmare. When even the Blessed Empress falls, the empire’s seven royal families must gather to elect her successor within a matter of weeks, or risk the collapse of reality itself… even though it puts every house in the killer’s sights.

Vanja tells herself she’s wading into the royalty’s vicious games only to save the name she made, and the loved ones also in jeopardy. But the Order of Prefects has also put their sharpest official on the case, the one who swore he’d always find Vanja—until she broke his heart. Journeyman Prefect Emeric Conrad may no longer be the boy Vanja knew, but they’ll have to work together one last time to have any chance of surviving the deadly catastrophe coming for them all.

With bloody conspiracy, sinister magic, and old adversaries closing in, it will take everything Vanja has to save not just the people she loves, but the future she’s fought for. In this thrilling final chapter of the Indie Next series Little Thieves, New York Times-bestselling author Margaret Owen shows us the pain and beauty of choosing which demons to face, and which to forgive.

Good lord this was a hefty book. I am almost scared to see how thick the physical copies are.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillian for an advance copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

This book seriously could have been split in two, I feel like the story we ended with is so drastically different from the start of the book. For good chunks of the story I didn't even know what was going on, I was just going along with it. But then we get some scenes with Vanja and Emeric that are just....*chefs kiss.*

The first half of the book is very political. The world needs a new holy emperor, and the candidates keep being killed off. There are guesses on who is doing it, but Owen found a way to surprise me with that reveal. Then we find that Vanja and her Pfennigeist powers are shifting into something she does not enjoy, but we don't really know why or how she will solve it. Plus, the power of the Prefects is also wonky with no real rhyme or reason why.

Then we start getting time jumps, and multiple timelines, and.....the story gets a bit convoluted. Everything plays a part in the story as a whole, but there were times where I found it hard to understand what was happening and what was real or not. These are the parts I was just along for the ride, and I still found them enjoyable.

The book gets pretty crazy toward the end, and there is a lot of commentary on the power of stories and how easily the "powerful people" can be corrupted by their own power. Vanja, of course, brings everything crashing down in a way only she knows how. Even with faced with disdain from those around her, she still sees what is right and knows how to fix it. Even without the Low Gods on her side.

Overall, this book is a wild ride from start to finish, with no real slow parts in between. The story shifts and grows as the story goes on, and Vanja has a greater character arc than the first two books combined. I enjoyed this one more than book two, but nothing will ever beat the first in this series. I am happy with the conclusion of this trilogy, and I can only hope for the best for these characters moving forward. Thanks for letting me part of this world one more time.

Content warnings: violence, death, torture, surprise pregnancy, murder, classism, child abuse, emotional abuse, abandonment, sexual assault, blood, police brutality

I am literally sobbing, I will never be over this. I love this series, I love these characters. I can’t believe it’s over and done, and I am going to go cry for the next 24 hours, thank you.

Thank you so much for allowing me the honor of reading the ARC.

The Little Thieves trilogy has been one of my absolute favorite series I’ve ever read! I’m so excited to receive an eARC of Holy Terrors from NetGalley!

I was so glad to be sucked back into this world with these characters. Vanja is such a lovable character, flaws and all, with such a great sense of humor I laugh out loud. Every character from the main characters to the side characters all return for this final installment and I missed every single one of them!

This final book was the cherry on top of a fantastic series. Literally, this is the way every single book series should end. There was action, humor, and so many twists and turns that it kept me on my toes the whole time. Everything came together in such a great way that I teared up at the end. Vanja and Emeric’s relationship has my whole freaking heart. From beginning to end, they are seriously just the cutest ever. I’m not really one for “book boyfriends,” but if I did, Emeric would be near the top for sure. We love a nerd! There were quite a few extra characters for Holy Terrors that it did get a little confusing at times to keep track of who was who but it wasn’t too bad.

Honestly just the best end to a series I’ve read in a really, really long time. Definitely in the top books I’ve read this year so far! Add it to your list because you won’t regret it! Thanks again to NetGalley for an eARC!!

Thank you, NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

It's been two years since Vanja brought down the cult she started, but as the Pfennigeist she bucks the law in order to help those in need and she's becoming a symbol for them, haunting corrupts, helping people. Even though she works alone, after leaving Emeric.
But there's a killer killing royalty and blaming her, leaving her signature red penny on the victims. The Pfennigeist is no longer a hero, but a criminal and Vanja herself could risk to change, if she doesn't do something soon. When the Blessed Empress falls, the empire's seven royal families are gathered for an election or risking the reality itself, Vanja and Emeric's paths soon intertwined again. Now a Journeyman Prefect, Emeric has to work again with Vanja in order to find out the real culprit and protect their loved ones.

With conspirancy, magic, pearls, evil brothers, old adversaries, Holy terrors is the last chapter of the trilogy started with Little Thieves and it's gonna break, hurt and heal your poor heart! Reading this book was an experience. I was moved, I laughed, I cried, I wanted to hug and slap Vanja and Emeric, to hold them and protect them from the world and magic and to give them their happy ending.
Wow. This book was a journey. Not only a murder mystery intertwined with gods and magic, but also the final step of Vanja's journey of self-healing, self-love and self-worth, started in the first book.
After leaving Emeric, fearing their relationship could hurt his career, after that painful cliffhanger, Vanja, through Margaret Owen, came back with a bloody conspirancy, gods and love, old enemies and friends and the chance to heal everything and everyone.
I LOVED this book with all my heart. It was funny and brilliant and full of twists and mysteries and magic, incredible and unexpected moments.
Stunning from start to finish.

margaret even if you stabbed me in the heart a thousand times, i would still experience less pain than this book caused me.

one more dance!?
ONE
MORE
DANCE????

i’ll never recover and never reading another book cause nothing will ever compare.