This series was GOOD. This book did a great job tying it so together and clearing up all the loose ends. It wasn’t a series I’d shout to the rooftops over, but that’s mostly because the language/ names are tricky and there are so many people it can be tough to follow. But still kept my attention and was overall a good read.

I received an advance review copy for free from the publisher via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Loved this addition to the series! Since book one, this story has felt like a modern fairy tale and I love it!

This book is messy, a bit too long, and somewhat hard to get through. However, three books into the series, it feels true to the nature of these characters and their journey that, while the plot is convoluted and the decisions don’t always make sense, they are able to overcome their trials, their differences, and their hangups to have their happy endings.

Thank you to NetGalley, Margaret Owen, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I have loved this series dearly since I received the first book as an audio arc for the first book. This book was a great finale and I'm looking forward to any and everything else that Margaret decides to write.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

When I read "Painted Devils," the prequel to the trilogy-ending "Holy Terrors," my review contained these lines:

"This is one of the best books I have ever read. I've read thousands - literally *thousands* - of books, and this book (and its sequel, "Little Thieves") has earned a venerated place in my top 10.

10 stars. 100 stars. I don't believe in magic, but if I DID, Margaret Owen certainly possess some form of it."

---------------------------------

"Holy Terrors" was THE book for me. The one I was looking forward to most this year. Perhaps ever. The emotion I felt when I was approved for the e-arc was nothing to the emotion I felt upon finishing this absolute masterpiece. Margaret Own is a GODDESS. A fiend. A *holy terror*, if you will. I can say nothing that hasn't already been said, but if your eyes consume no other works this year, let them consume this. A masterpiece on all fronts and, truly, one of the most magnificent series I have ever read in my life.

This book has been haunting me from my Kindle because I was not ready to admit this series was over. But I am so glad I finally picked it up because it's just SO GOOD. Vanja is sassy and smart as always, and she grows more and more every book. I want to go back through these books and highlight every silly way she describes Emeric. Now I am not usually a fan of a story that throws a whole extra plot into the last third of a book but somehow it really works in this one! These books have plot twists and twists of the knife in equal measure. Margaret Owens, you have a lifelong fan. Drink this book: Enjoy with a bright Gamay from anywhere.

2.5 stars!!!

Unfortunately, this series really went downhill for me. I didn't like the romance and this book really focused on it. The love interest just gave me the ick the whole time, which could've absolutely been a me thing, so every time they interacted I was cringing, hoping things wouldn't move on. I do fully believe that if this book had come out 5 years ago I would have eaten it up and loved every second of it! My reading taste, especially with fantasy, has changed so much since I started this series and that definitely affected my enjoyment/rating. It's hard to go into detail with why I didn't love this book without going into spoilers so I'll just leave it at that. There is a market out there for people who will LOVE this book, I'm just not a part of it.

Just finished Holy Terrors by Margaret Owen and I’m a wreck in the best way. This book is everything—funny, dark, heartfelt, and so smart. Vanja’s final journey is full of cursed magic, haunted forests, and emotional gut punches. The character growth? Top tier. The found family vibes? Immaculate. A pitch-perfect end to one of the most unique and clever trilogies I’ve read. If you liked Little Thieves, this is the closure you didn’t know you needed.

"I am my best with you."

It's always hard saying goodbye to a beloved series. I love this trilogy with every bit of my soul. Vanja and Emeric hold a permanent place in my heart. Holy Terrors was bittersweet and perfect and I could not ask for a more fitting end to Vanja's story.

The only thing that would have made this read more perfect is if I reread the first two. I had a hard time keeping up with the what's what and who's who. I should've kept notes. All in all, Holy Terrors exceeded all my expectations and more.

Fucking amazing. I shouldn't have worried. Full review to come once I stop these happy tears.

Full Review:
Holy Terrors is the kind of finale that makes me believe in trilogies again. After reading several “meh” endings lately, this book gave me hope; and emotional devastation in the best way. And I get it - endings are HARD. But this was just so satisfying.

Margaret Owen leans hard into what made this series great: the characters. She doesn’t abandon the emotional arcs in favor of story and plot only. Instead, she doubles down on the messiness, the growth, and the heartbreak of Vanja and Emeric. Their evolution here? Amazing. I am in awe of how much they’ve grown and how earned it all feels. I would die for these two characters.

The plot wasn’t perfect. I didn’t always care about the politics. But I was never here for that; I was here for THEM, and even if it wasn’t flawless, it was everything I needed. Yes, the plot goes a little “timey wimey,” and the number of side characters and royal names is… overwhelming. I couldn’t remember half of them. But honestly? Didn’t care. Because Owen somehow makes me care deeply about even the briefest character interactions. She builds attachment with such precision, and even if I couldn’t keep the names straight all the time, the emotional beats always hit.

This book is everything I wanted from a final book. Messy, heartfelt, and absolutely devoted to its characters. I laughed, I cried, I giggled. I will read anything Owen writes next.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Macmillan for the complimentary copy. This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

This was a great way to end the trilogy. I have to admit though that my dumb brain did not keep a lot of the names straight when it came to some of the side characters. It was also a little hard to say a lot of their names in my head so I don't think that helped either. I was really sad that Benno ended up actually dying. I was hoping there would be some clause that would bring them all back but I guess not. He was one of the best additions to the book and one of my favorite new characters. The ending of the story itself was unbelievable. They literally broke down time and space to save the day. The angst between Emeric and Vanja nearly killed me though. I kept trying to think up ways that Emeric and Lilije wouldn't end up together in the end and none of it worked out the way I thought it would but the way Own wrote it was even better than what I imagined for the story. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.

Thank you NetGallery for a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. To be fair, I had also preordered it a year in advance and read both copies at the same time.

Oh my Goddess, High and Low... This final book was exactly what I needed to complete this trilogy.

Brief summary: It's been roughly two years since the ending of "Painted Devils" (which broke my heart) and Vanja has been using the Pfennigeist to help those who fall through the cracks of Justice. Until one day where she is pursued by the Prefects as a suspect in a murder. This brings her right back to our favorite prefect Emeric... and his fiancée. ((internal screaming)) Together, they have to solve not one, but MULTIPLE murders of members of the royalty while trying to pick a new emperor/empress before the end of the holiday that could lead to the veil between the gods and humanity being broken. Yeah, no pressure.

I love these characters. I do, I cannot lie. These characters feel real to me because there are consequences. The way Vanja left at the end of "Painted Devils" GREATLY effects the Emeric we see now: angry & untrusting while trying to move forward, but having to be thrust back and work with the person that broke his heart. All while also working with his fiancée who has an ability that is beyond bad ass. And the way they all interact is so refreshing. Seeing the struggle and growth in Vanja is amazing. This was a woman torn apart mentally for YEARS and still struggles with those negative voices in her head, but is trying so hard to move forward and select voices from her siblings who are helping her heal, trying to remember not everything is her fault. The physical and mental growth of these characters made me love them even more as the store progressed.

There were things I did not care for, mainly the lack of Vanja's family. I understand it would have been difficult to add scenes with her sisters and brothers, but I missed them after having them be so essential in book 2. There was a scene with Giesle and how she did not want to become empress because of Ragne, but that did not fully develop or make much sense to me

Overall, I absolutely loved this book and trilogy so much. I am sorry to see it end, but am completely satisfied with how it ended. Definitely a series I will be rereading for years.

This series and these characters are everything to me. When I first read Little Thieves shortly after it was released, it quickly became one of my favorite books. The way Margaret Owen story tells with depth and creativity, weaving layers of emotions and whimsical elements, is truly something else. Not only the rollercoaster ride she takes us on with the plot through all 3 books, but the way she writes banter and comedic relief is top tier and one of the many reasons I love this series.

The stakes for this book are the most intense out of the 3, but it’s the character arcs that truly drive the story. From where they all began in book 1, to seeing them grow into their true and unapologetic selves and then grow into a found family. Every single character was so well-rounded and I’m going to miss reading their messy, chaotic adventures.

Vanja and Emeric, my babies 😭 They are so adorable despite their flaws. The sacrifices they continue to make for one another, if a bit miscommunicated (can’t fault them though, they are young adults still learning), are selfless motivations to keep the other thriving despite their contradictory lifestyles. They both are so relatable and up there on my list of favorite characters ever written.

I literally will not shut up about this series until it gets the recognition it deserves, I HIGHLY recommend this to everyone!!

The perfect end to the Little Thieves trilogy, this tied up the series well. I loved reading about Vanja's journey from start to finish, and I can't wait to see what's coming next from Margaret Owen!

*Thank you to Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Full of folklore and political intrigue, we finally close the cover on our Pfennigeist. What a freaking ending. It's slow to start, but soon we're chasing our Vanja through the streets, uncovering malicious plots, and facing demons from our past. It was so nice being back with these characters, though I wish they could've had a few moments of happiness at the beginning before Margaret Owen ripped it away from them.

I definitely felt like the book was a skosh too long and maybe could've done with one less interstitial chapter. But overall, I felt like it wrapped up the series in a befitting way.

My gosh, this book, this series, is so satisfying and good and ahh!! I loved it. I did feel like the fourth part felt a little slower compared to the rest of the book and it took me longer than I anticipated to finish it, but it was totally worth it. I love how much this is a book of choices and possibilities and how Vanja and Emeric and everyone else are shaped by those things. I really love how this was done and love the ending Vanja and Emeric get together.

OMG I SURVIVED HOLY TERRORS and it positively ruins me 🩷

I love how it ended the way it ended. Smart move. This is the completion of coming of age Vanja going through all throughout the series. The love, the future, the friends, the enemy.

Plotwise, this is the hardest to follow, the heaviest on the political intricts and powerful houses. The murders, the catch. BUT IM HERE FOR THE ANGST AND THE HEAL and I'm not disappointed at all.

This book is about closure and I'm so glad this series found me 🩷

Thank you for the arc in exchange for honest review 🫶🏾✨

Holy Terrors is the last book in one of my all-time favorite series, and I am so sad it's over. If you haven't read this series yet, I cannot recommend it enough.

These characters had me laughing, crying, and cheering them on. Vanja is genuinely one of the only characters I've ever resonated with so deeply, which did not change in this book. She is wholly human to me. She is my best friend. She is me. I love her. All of the characters feel that way. Everyone is just trying to make the best of their situation, and sometimes their choices are not the right ones, but it feels right to them. Not once did something have me going, "I cannot see anyone doing that," because these characters are so perfectly written as humans, and their motivations make perfect sense. None of them were good for the sake of being good, or bad for the sake of being bad. They just ... were. And it was beautiful.

It's been a year since I've read the last book, so my memory is a little fuzzy regarding the world and the prior books' plots, but I think Margaret Owen did a good job of reminding us of what happened, without going into too much detail. Of course, what's happened before is vital to the plot, but I never felt like I was getting a SparkNotes version of the previous books. All the reminders she threw in felt like they were in the right place and never so "in your face" that you knew she was doing it just to remind you. I bring this up because I really appreciated that aspect of her writing style.

I'm not going to lie, though, that plot was all over the place. Not in a bad way, as we've seen some crazy things happen to our characters before, but it did get a little confusing at times. Surprisingly, even with such a massive cast of characters, they were all distinct enough that I never mixed anybody up, which deserves a round of applause, as that is an impressive feat. However, it did feel like some of the plot got lost in the craziness. It took an extremely long time to really get to the point. I wasn't bored, per se, but there were moments where I didn't understand what we were doing anymore, if that makes sense.

This series was one heck of a good time, and Holy Terrors was a worthy finale. Whatever your usual reading genre, you should read this series. Seriously. I guarantee there's something in here for everyone. Again, I cannot recommend it enough.

I received an advanced copy of Holy Terrors directly from the publisher through Netgalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Margaret Owen has done it again, she has let Vanya get away with invading my mind and stealing my heart. This third book in the Little Thieves series is one of the best finale novels ever written for a series. HOLY TERRORS is a nuanced exploration of trauma, regrets, and what-ifs set against a deep unfurling mystery with tension and twists around every corner. I will not be sharing spoilers - you'll just have to read the full series and find out what happens for yourself. I will be singing the song of Vanya (and Margaret, of course) for years to come.

"I wish someone had held me like this at seventeen, told me that even after everything, I'd be loved, wanted, proud, that it wouldn't always hurt like this. Maybe I wouldn't have made the same choices if I knew what was waiting."

me, waiting for this book to be released:
[ "It's been 84 years..." .gif from Titanic ]

Margaret Owen could write me a story about Vanja for every year for the rest of Vanja’s life and I would read every single one of them.

Holy Terrors jumps in about a year after Painted Devils.

Vanja is living on her own, doing her own vigilante-style work in her area, until royal/noble people begin getting murdered, and the Penny Phantom (Vanja) is being framed for the murders. who else should show up on the scene to investigate but our very own Emeric.

the beginning of this book WRECKED me. Vanja is such a painfully relatable character to me. her trying to hide her feelings for Emeric while having to be FACE TO FACE with him AND his new relationship had me SCREAMING.

the book felt a little long when we got into the 70-75%ish area. the political system was really difficult for me to follow, so any time we got into the logistics of who could potentially rule now that so-and-so is dead, I felt my eyes glaze over every time because it just felt too complicated to keep straight, so I stopped trying.

I also felt a little robbed of Vanja x Emeric scenes. imo, it felt like we spent too much time on the villains elaborate schemes and not enough time letting Vanja and Emeric reconnect and have their moments.

plot: ★★★★☆
to be honest, the plot got a little convoluted as the story progressed. the villain was left ambiguous for too long, and by the time the reveals started to happen, I was beginning to feel checked out of the story. I love the plot, but just the execution was a little rough for me. when I first finished, I felt a little “meh” about the villain and the motivations, but after taking the time to sit with it, I appreciate it more. I think it fits Vanja’s character arc.

writing: ★★★★★
look, there was never a doubt in my mind that I was going to think the writing was 5/5 stars.

I do wish the political system had been clearer/not as… chaotic. I know I said this already, but I gave up trying to follow it pretty early on, which turned out to be a detrimental mistake towards the end when they started getting hella deep into discussing the outcomes of the votes and who would rule. but it also felt like TOO much time was spent hashing all of that out.

if my options are the inner workings of a fictional world’s political system or more time reading about Vanja and Emeric interacting with each other, I am picking Vanja and Emeric every single time.

that said, if we are focusing on politics, I would have liked to see a little more of the after when things start changing. if we had to focus on politics, I think less on how the elections run, and more on how they were able to make a change. with a line like:

“She hid her murders because we just expect the royal families to be power-hungry cutthroats, and we keep giving them thrones anyway. They're supposed to lead and protect us, but it took servants and bastards and artists and commoners to stop Imgard and House Winterburg. The only royalty who helped know what it's like to live like us." I take a deep breath. "They're failing their duty and staying in power. Something needs to stop that."

how could we NOT explore that more??? I’m not begging for a spin-off series or anything (or am I?), but I’m just saying it could be really cool to explore changing an entire system like that.

pacing: ★★★★★
the pace was great. I think where I struggled was towards the end when everything was culminating and it felt like a little too much was going on all at once and the fact that I just didn’t want the series to be over so I was intentionally dragging my feet on finishing the book.

romance: ★★★☆☆
honestly? not enough.

after the way Painted Devils ended and how much misery and longing was jam packed into the first half of this book, I felt like the romantic scenes were going to be SMACKIN in the last half of the book. but they were a bit fleeting. like I felt like we were given just morsels.

characters: ★★★★★
I love that Lilje never turned into like... an evil “other woman” kind of trope. obviously we’re all #TeamVanja, but by the end of the book, I liked Lilje a lot too.

Vanja, Vanja, VANJA!!!!!!!!!! she is hands down one of my top favorite book characters to ever exist. I love her always and forever. it was really cool to see her come full circle with believing she was worthless and always needed to run away from the people she cared about, to acknowledging that she is actually a fantastic person and people genuinely love her for her and not what she can do for them and that she DESERVES that love.

low key, I kind of wanted Emeric and Kirkling to squirm more. I felt a little robbed that I didn’t get to witness Emeric discovering what Kirkling did and him and Kirkling talking about what she did.

that said, I did enjoy that she got a bit of a retribution arc. I think that’s one of my favorite things about the story is it’s hard to FULLY hate any one character for very long (except Irmgard).

over-all: ★★★★★
I genuinely meant it when I said I would read a book about Vanja for as long as she lives. I love her so much. this series is also on my short list of books I would like to have a tattoo dedicated to someday. I do think this one was the weakest of the trilogy, but I still love them all dearly.