The narrator was really good on this one. I started this and then realized that I had not read the book before so I had to stop reading it, but based on what I’ve read the pacing, the narration was all good.

So sad to say goodbye to these characters and this world, but I mean, what'sn ot ot love about a Margaret Owen book? Fantastic

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.

This is the third book in the enjoyable series of Little Thieves, the story of Vanya who has the power of the penny ghost. There is a lot of political intrigue here and that isn't always my favorite thing to read. but this was very exciting. There is some gore, some magic, a lot of action and a lot of fun!

Holy Terrors is the final book in the Little Thieves series - a trilogy I’ve thoroughly enjoyed! Think Grimm’s meets mystery, with an antihero FMC.

Vanja, our snarky, sharp-tongued con artist of a protagonist, is constantly scheming, stealing, and digging into secrets. Opposite her is Prefect Emeric, the uptight, by-the-book lawman who’s equal parts exasperated and intrigued by her chaos. Their dynamic is a delight.

Vanja’s heists and investigations are layered over a rich spiritual and political system, giving the whole series this fairy tale whodunit vibe I absolutely loved.

And while the plot pulls you in, it’s the character development that really shines. Vanja is infuriating and lovable—flawed, fierce, and so wonderfully complex. Her slow-burn romance with Emeric shifts into full-on divorce trope territory by book three, but it builds toward a resolution that feels truly earned. Watching them work together—clashing, trusting, and slowly unraveling their walls—was a definite highlight. Plus there’s so many great side characters.

This finale brings all the chaos—old gods, curses, court politics—but Vanja’s voice keeps it grounded: funny, sharp, and deeply human. The plot gets a tad twisty (okay, borderline bonkers) with one too many characters to keep track of. That said, the emotional payoff is so satisfying.

Read if you like:

Morally gray heroines with snark, trauma, and a redemption arc
Fantasy world with medieval Germany vibes
Twisted fairy tale retellings
Slow-burn romance full of banter, tension, and trust
Fantasy + mystery + magic
Heists, cons, cursed jewels
Found family
Personified gods
Big themes: trauma, choice, freedom, forgiveness
Sharp wit and beautiful writing

If you like your fantasy fierce, funny, and a little unhinged, this series delivers.

Thank you NetGalley for a ALC of Holy Terrors in exchange for my honest opinion.

Alexa, play "Behind Blue Eyes".

OMG!!! What a ride!!!! When I thought the Little Thieves series couldn't get any better, Margaret Owen blew it out of the park. The pinning in this book is THICK. So many times I screamed at my book: "y'all love each other you fools!"
The extra side characters were so on point, funny and complex like Vanja and Emeric.

The mystery surrounding the deaths was super interesting and it was carried out with a lot of twist and turns!
It was adorable, funny (the sarcasm was chef's kiss), deep, and even lyrical, I must say (Owen's writing is a perfect blend of the whimsical fairytale voice with some more modern elements).

I said before and I will say it again. I wish I had YA books like this when I was growing up!

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. the audiobook was phenomal., the narrator really brought the story to life! I enjoyed reading the arc and listening alongside.

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.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5

Summary: In the final book of Little Thieves by Margaret Owen, Vanja, now an outlaw hero known as the Pfennigeist, is falsely accused of a string of royal murders marked with her signature red penny. With the empire teetering on collapse, Vanja is forced to navigate deadly political games, team up with her former love and pursuer Emeric, and face old enemies. As sinister magic and a deeper conspiracy unfold, Vanja must fight to clear her name, protect her loved ones, and preserve the future she’s sacrificed so much to build.

The absolute chokehold that this trilogy has on me - I'm sad to see it end! I listened to each book, so I can't speak to physically reading and all the varying pronunciations that would likely pop up unbidden in my brain. Saskia Maarleveld does an amazing job narrating Owen's writing and bringing it to life in a way that made me feel like part of the story. Again, with this book as with the others, there seem to be so many different side stories, or quests if you will, and in this particular book, the time jumping was a bit difficult for me to grasp. However, I ugly cried with this book and not in a "my-favorite-character-just-died-greusomly" way, but in a way that acknowledges the challenges of healing oneself on all levels, which is exactly what Vanja did in this last book. I can't wait to discover other Margaret Owen books and highly recommend these audiobooks!

A HUGE thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Margaret Owen for allowing me the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review!

Holy Terrors is the third installment in the Little Thieves series. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook after reading the book. I like the narrator for this series. This is the continuation of the Pfennigeist and her journey in saving her reputation while trying to keep everyone safe. More deaths were inflicted in Holy Terrors than in the other two titles. Once again Vanja is accused of criminal acts that she did not commit or did she? It's up to her and the rest of the gang to disprove and save Vanja.

4.5 Stars A fitting end to a most beloved series, Holy Terrors is everything it needed to be to give Vanja and Emric the ending and the character development they deserve. I fell in love with both of these characters years ago with Little Thieves. Vanja's journey brought me to tears then, and it continues to do so now. Whereas Little Thieves explores their adolescence and Painted Devils finds them on the cusp of adulthood, in Holy Terrors we find them again as hurt, but not broken, fully formed adults. I must admit I was not a fan of the cliffhanger ending of Painted Devils, and hadn't quite forgiven Owen for leaving me in such a state, after reading this conclusion it makes much more sense. Each still needs to grow up a bit more, experience different relationships, and confront their own demons before finding their way back to each other. Without giving spoilers I will just say how Owen does this is a master class in character development and plotting. There would have been easy ways to get to the end that I feared we might go that would have left me far less satisfied and compromised their growth, Instead this is a cohesive, but distinctly different third act to the the tale, where each book is its own vital part.

These books are exceptional character driven stories, but they do also pack in a lot of fast moving plot. If I had to quibble a bit and explain why I rated this a 4.5 as opposed to 5, it is that the plotting of the latter 1/4 of the book was a little difficult to follow- we get into some magic and time travel that I am not quite sure I could fully explain. But even so, it works, it kept me on the edge of my seat, and it brings the story arc of these most beloved, insecure, genuine hot messes to a closure that fully satisfies. If you like reimagined fairytales, angsty YA, magic, friendship and romance, this is one of the best YA series you will ever read! Bravo Margaret, and thank you! Vanja and Emric will live in my heart rent free as one of my most cherished book couples ever.

I also listened to the audiobook of this novel thanks to Macmillian audio and loved it! Saskia Maarleveld adds a great deminsion to Owen's prose and captures the dynamic of all the characters so well. This is a well produced audiobook that is certainly enough on its own, but also a great way to listen along as you read with the text.

Holy Terrors is Owen's best yet. Little Thieves was a banger, Painted Devils lost me with the ending, Fallow Year spent 60k words convincing me Owen was in the right (she was. 5 stars) but Holy Terrors!!!!!!!! takes the cake. I've never read a YA book that sold second chance/reconcilliation as well as this one. And Margaret Owen got that DOG IN HER; I spent the entire book wondering if she'd kill off every character I love, keep them apart, end it all, you name it. She could've done it. The final act was a little hard to follow, but I didn't care at all. One of my favorite books of the year.

[CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR LITTLE THIEVES, PAINTED DEVILS, AND THE FALLOW YEAR]

“Blessed be the crown / Sacred be the bearer / Righteous be the spirit / And holy be the terror”

Vanja Ros, widely known as the Pfennengeist (penny thief), has been framed for the murder of several noblepersons – including the Empress. Prefect Emeric Conrad, her former lover and all-around Type A cliché, has been tasked with finding her and using her expertise to uncover the real assassin. Even with the help of old friends and new acquaintances (like Emeric’s betrothed, Lilja), Vanja may have met her match. This adversary is cunning, resourced, and knows enough about the Pfennengeist to be dangerous. And, of course, there’s a deadline looming – elect a new Emperor in the fastest turnaround in history or the throne will be filled by a Great and Terrible Evil, dooming the country and its Low Gods. Is the assassin aiming for the throne, or are they out for Vanja’s blood? Will Vanja and Emeric reach an understanding, or will their raging emotions rip each other to shreds? And will the adorable little kitten Junior ever learn how to behave himself around sausage?

As with the first two Little Thieves books, Holy Terrors is filled with irreverent humor and slapstick comedy. But it’s balanced against some deeper themes, like – what is justice, and can vigilantes be trusted to mete it out? How do we hold those in power accountable? Can love conquer all, or are some obstacles just too high to surmount? And how do we stop hurting the ones we love with our failures?

Vanja continues to struggle with her family trauma and deep-rooted belief that she is unlovable and hurts the people around her. Emeric continues to struggle with finding the shades of gray between the black-and-white letter of the law. They clash over the smallest of slights and differences because, in some part of their hearts, they are still the people who loved and separated from each other eighteen months ago. It is heartbreaking as the reader to watch the pair clash, push, pull, claw, and shred each other to pieces because they are each hurting so much. My heart was in pieces by the end of the book, but in the best way.

All of the characters – not just Vanja and Emeric, but Gisele, Ragne, Lilja, Death, Fortune, and others – experience massive growth in this book. The characters are so rounded and believable, and this fantasy is as much about the relationships as it is action-driven. Well-written queer diversity, including the most exceptional and clear description of demisexuality I’ve ever seen in literature. There’s a fully fleshed-out fantasy world with unique system of magic, and the author does not skimp on the visual details to immerse the reader.

The audiobook narrator was an excellent choice for Vanja’s POV. The slight raspiness and dry tones matches Vanja’s personality and sardonic sense of humor. The characters were well differentiated in tone and pitch without grandiose exaggerations or bad accents, which I appreciate. Saskia Maarleveld was also spot on with her pronunciations of the Germanic words and phrases, blending these in seamlessly with the English.

This title is perfect for existing Margaret Owen fans (she also authored the The Merciful Crow duology), those who love Naomi Novik (readalikes: Spinning Silver, Uprooted, and the Scholomance Trilogy), and anyone who enjoys a morally grey FMC, heaps of witty banter, and German-Russian-Old World fairytale retellings. Please read both books and the novella (free on Archive of Our Own) before embarking on Holy Terrors!

wow. wow wow wow wow wow.

I love this trilogy so much. I love all the characters and the banter and the representation and the magicalness. I love love love that this book got a little bit of complexity when it comes to our main character romance situation in terms of internal complexity. we all know that both of them have hoards of complicatedness happening outside of themselves individually.

I will say that this one of the three, was a little harder to follow for me. A lot of that comes down to how many characters there are and how many people there are to remember. I have a feeling that there's some sort of map situation or character chart in the physical books or at least I hope there is but for the audios that's not an option. A lot of the names also sound very similar and so I did struggle a little bit to kind of keep everybody straight (hehe) and organized.

That being said, My mind is blown by the ending of this and I absolutely finished this with a giddy little smile on my face. I cannot recommend this enough.

This book was wild. I wasn't sure where the story was going to go after the last book and the imagination of this author and her world is superb. My heart was broken to see Vanya and Emeric had one their separate ways, but I LOVED the concept of the Pfennigeist. It honestly felt so right and who Vanya was meant to be. I so enjoyed the premise of someone impersonating her and bringing her back into drama, danger and intrigue. This book is HEAVY on the political intrigue and court politics, so if you like that storyline then you will love this book (along with murder, magic, and romantic angst of course). Though I had an idea about the culprit I could not predict everything that was happening and all the mind-spinning secrets and action that occured. An epic conclusion to this series!

I somehow didn't realize this was the end of a trilogy, but I plan on reading the others now. Thanks to NetGalley, I was able to listen to this on audiobook, and I was immediately drawn in by the voice of Vanja, the main character. And when I talk about her voice, I mean the actual voice of the narrator and the way Vanja expresses herself. Vanja was likeable, smart, and so interesting, and the narrator really felt like her.
Vanja is also strong and independent, spending her time working for good, when she gets drawn into an investigation where a serial killer is trying to frame her. She has to work with people from her past, and those relationships were so interesting. This was a little long but it never felt long, and the story was never dull.
One of the best things was how well the world was developed-- the society and magic system were different but understandable, and Owens does a great job of teaching about this world by showing not telling.

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.❤️

*update for audiobook*

The narration for the audio book was excellent as always. The speech was clear concise and the German pronunciations were well executed. Saskia Maarleveld also narrated the two previous installments (little thieves & painted devils). Her voice is excellent for this adventure.

This was a phenomenal ending to the trilogy! And, it sets up more adventures for Vanya and Emeric and friends. I do hope we get more of them

It does start with quite a bit of angst for Vanya and Emeric, but they quickly settle back into their investigating partnership (and annoying one another). The plot twists and turns and is a little hard to keep track of towards the conclusion, so that I never knew what was really going on. It made for a very satisfying read, especially when it all clicked into place and all the hints and tidbits from the other books made sense.

Even in the midst of the confusion and plot twists and angst it was a satisfying read because of Margaret Owen's command of her writing. She is absolutely one of the best YA writers out there and by rights should be a household name alongside Leigh Bardugo and Sarah J Maas. (To be clear, her writing is much better than either of those, but they're the names people always think of.)

Vanya and Emeric also show quite a lot of personal growth in this book which was also very satisfying to read.

The audiobook narrator did a wonderful job bringing the characters and situations to life. I absolutely loved listening to her.

Absolutely phenomenal and I will be reading these books again and again.

*Thanks to Henry Holt & Co and Macmillan Young Listeners for providing an early copy for review.

An entertaining conclusion to the series, if a bit disappointing when weighed against the original book in the trilogy.

On the whole I think this was a good series, though there has been a notable slide from the first book to those that followed it, and I think it’s because the series migrated so far from its original premise. This was originally a Goose Girl reimagining, but that aspect of the plot is largely gone in the second and third novels, replaced by a lot of Will they/Won’t they romantic subplot nonsense that mostly annoyed me.

Romance readers might enjoy this, as it’s typical of the genre, but as these were originally fairy tale retellings, it winds up being a bit of a bait and switch for readers not looking for that specifically. It’s easy to root for Emeric and Vanja as a couple, but there’s a lot of manufactured drama that eats up pages and distracts from the better parts of the story.

There is also markedly less humor as the series progresses, which is too bad, as Owen really did well with this at the beginning. I think the whole series is still worth reading, but the first book is both differently plotted and far better in quality than those that follow.

This was a wonderful conclusion to the series 🥹🤍 Full of characters we all know & love, the tension- My goodness. The perfect balance of Fantasy & Romance w/ a dash of MYSTERY. I was locked in fr, like I had to be sat through this. Beyond the Gods & Goddesses, the unique magic system, & the court intrigue- There was just such beautiful character development. Vanja really been through it all!! My favorite was probably the bickering over Jr. 😹 It was just one of those reads that you’re sad to see end.