Margaret Owen does it again! What a wonderful conclusion to one of my most fave Fantasy series ever! I really appreciate Owen's ability to write a solid unexpected twist! I really loved reading about Vanja and Emeric and their growth as individuals and together.

Holy Terrors is a phenomenal conclusion to the Little Thieves trilogy, and Margaret Owen absolutely knocks it out of the park. Her writing is sharp, heartfelt, and effortlessly funny. She balances high-stakes drama with emotional depth in a way that few authors can. The character growth is so satisfying, and the world she’s built is rich with folklore, grit, and heart. Owen has a real gift for storytelling that feels both clever and deeply personal. If you’ve been following this series, you won’t be disappointed!!

Help, why was this perfect? I didn't understand how it would go, but it's such a character driven book. I love Vanja's character. She's the perfect morally grey character. I can't deny that Emeric's character angered me when it came to Lilje, but he was so redeeming.

I love how it was all full circle. The way it tied back to the first book was perfect. And there was some chaotic justice that I really appreciated.

All in all, a 5 star book that literally made me cry at least 3 times. Also, shout out to Vanja's healing arc, it was perfect

This series is everything. Hilarious, outrageous, emotional, and downright perfect.

If you haven’t read Little Thieves yet, do yourself a favor and fix that ASAP. It’s easily the funniest book I’ve ever read — with the most lovable, morally gray FMC in Vanja. Truly, she’s iconic.

Then comes Painted Devils, where Vanja (in the most on-brand way possible) accidentally starts a cult. Yes, really.

Once you're hooked — and you will be — it’s time for the grand finale: Holy Terrors.

And wow, what a finale. The growth we see in Vanja and Emeric is so powerful, it’ll have you forgetting this is technically a YA series. It’s emotional, raw, and so beautifully done. The story begins with laughter and chaos, but evolves into a genuine, heartfelt journey of learning, loss, and love. Vanja makes big mistakes — and she learns from them in ways that feel honest and earned.

By the end, this series feels like it’s matured with its characters. It starts with lessons about selfishness and ends with wisdom about letting go and allowing yourself to be loved.

Not to be dramatic, but I’m holding back tears just thinking about it.

So seriously — stop reading this review and go read the book. Nothing I say here will do it justice.

Okay, this took me a really long time to read because I just love Emeric and Vanje and I could not deal with the amount of suffering in this book. I do think this was a great end to the series, wrapping up so many different plot lines and showing so much growth in characters in a very realistic and believable way, without being predictable. This is one of my all-time favorite series, and I felt like this was the ending it deserved. I do hope Margaret Owen pops back on a03 for a little epilogue of Emeric and Vanje happily together though. Please? Just a tiny glimpse.

I’ve been waiting so eagerly for this book to come out, and it didn’t disappoint!

If you’re like me and you haven’t read book two since it was published, I would recommend giving yourself a refresher. The author very kindly includes a quick and easily digestible recap of a lot of the important context I’ve forgotten since I read book two, without it feeling too infodump-y. This helped with some things (where things left off with Vanja and Emeric especially) but unfortunately not others. For example, a lot of side characters were brought back but I couldn’t remember who they were, and I couldn’t remember very well what had happened with Vanja’s family in the last book. She perhaps could have reintroduced those things a little more smoothly.

But really, that’s the only minor complaint I have for this book. It’s a worthy finale to this trilogy. The plot was compelling (though I did get a bit lost in the political maneuvering), character and dialogue were on point (as ever with this author!), the writing was gorgeous, and the ending was a satisfying one. I read these all as they came out but I’m planning on rereading them all in one go sometime soon, just so that I can have a more seamless story. I think it will be one well worth revisiting. Five stars, and I’m eagerly anticipating whatever Margaret Owen comes up with next!

Representation: LGBTQIA+ characters and relationships, polyamorous characters and relationships, POC characters, demisexual main characters

"Holy Terrors" by Margaret Owen closes the Little Thieves series with a bang. Bit strange seeing several series end this year, but appreciate the ride.

It's been two years. Two years of taking care of the desperate and looked over. But things have a habit of landing in Vanja's lap. A killer is taking out nobles and leaving her calling card on the bodies. To her consternation Journeyman Prefect Emeric is on the case, and also the person she left two years ago with no explanation. Won't be AWKWARD at all.

Reasons to read:
-Finished series, no excuses anymore, get after it
-Banter
-Wonderful side characters
-Oh that's petty
-Wrapping up character arcs beautifully
-Death

Cons:
-Yea... I don't forgive that easy and for much less

I was completely happy with the way this book ended the trilogy. There’s just something about Vanja’s character that is so appealing. She’s witty and irreverent and cares deeply about her friends, and she tries to make the best (although not always legal) choices she can. Vanja and Emeric together are sweet and while there’s not a ton of romance in this book, it’s still a good amount and I think anyone following their story will be happy with how things unfold. I read through this so fast that I know I missed some details and confused myself, but this is one of those rare series that I plan on rereading sooner rather than later, and know I’ll enjoy just as much as the first time.

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.