Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! Enjoyed the book very much. Can’t wait for book 3.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced electronic audio review copy of this great book. Wonderful storytelling, great, fast moving plot, well-written characters, and a plot twist combine into an overall enjoyable read. Can’t wait for book 3!

If you have been ignoring 2021's 'Little Thieves' by Margaret Owen, then you need to repent for bypassing the healing gifts of that weird, dry little thieving gem of book.

Plus, you'll need to read it to savor this meal, 'Painted Devils.'

This time around, Vanja has accidentally started a cult that spirals out of control, thus necessitating her calling on friends old and new to help calm the storm, and maybe find her birth family in the process. Some sickening sarcasm, some unfortunate bed lice, and some sweet romance brings everything to a hearty boil.

Owen's on a streak here; 'Painted Devils' is every bit as kooky, whip-smart, and heartfelt as its predecessor. Although, sometimes it gets a little too smart for its own good- some of the financial laws that Vanja helps resolve needed a little more explaining (especially for money do-do birds like me), and the laws of magic get convoluted in parts.

But, every character (especially Vanja and Emeric) is fully imagined, the world is colorful and vast, and you'll snort laughing the whole way through. And maybe shed a tear? I won't tell, and Vanja wouldn't admit to crying if she could.

(Bonus, the audio version is a delight as well!)

I LOVED THIS! Of course she wasn't trying to start a cult lol!!!!! I love Vanja and I love her banter with everyone. She is the definition of "oh well I'll just go with it". I'm always so mad when I get ARC's because it means the 3rd book isn't even close to coming out and I need to know what happens!!!!!

There is a saying here in the north. A child’s eye fears the painted devil but an elder weilds the brush. We fear what we’re taught to fear. Not necessarily because it is worth fearing. I see a devil on the wall, real or not, the question that matters is who put it there?

For most of my life I’ve held to a theory called the trinity of want. It states that people are desired for three reasons: power, pleasure or profit. If you provide three of those, others serve you. Provide two they see you. One? They use you.

Now here is my disclaimer and where your miles may vary. Anyone who has paid attention to any of my reviews or Twitter rants knows one thing about me: I can’t deal with heavy romance. Especially when it is the type of romance when both characters are (even if it is mostly) on the same page or the boy is asking for the girl. My life. It is… complicated. I say this because some of what drags the book and some of my dynamic dislikes might be rooted in this feeling. It is definitely NOT the only reason Painted Devils slows down or makes me not like the characters or the book. But it is part of it. I would be doing a disservice if I said otherwise.

Some of what I did not enjoy will be some of the other readers’ favorite parts. I have no doubt about this- because it is romance rooted. And, in my opinion, it is a lot more romance than the Merciful Crow Duology.

Painted Devils (Little Thieves #2) By Margaret Owens- One Final Thought
I only have one other thing to say about Painted Devils, and that is about the audiobook. The audiobook is brilliantly produced. And Saskia Marrleveld, who has narrated all of Margaret Owens’ books, is absolutely stunning.

OH! And. Will I finish this trilogy? Absolutely. Because Margaret Owens wrote it.

3.75🌟

I enjoyed being back in this world with Vanja and getting to see more of that world in this story. Vanja down on herself, not wanting to face her feelings and avoiding Emerick accidently starts a cult in a nearby town and may have reawaken a God. So begins the quest and lots of scheming to avoid The Scarlet Lady's claimed sacrifice, save Emerick and potentially get answers about her birth family.

Overall it was good and anticipating the next book. But rated it lower as some of the logic of the magic system was too over reaching and some of the characters decisions did not feel like they fit them or the progress they previously made.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an advanced audiobook for review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

I don't really know how I feel about this book. On the one hand, I loved the plot more than that of the first book and felt like it was a lot more interesting and had more depth to it. But on the other hand, the incessant talk about sex, especially for a YA book, really turned me off. There would be a scene of plot and then a scene of them just talking about sex, then repeat, for the whole book.

I did enjoy the romance itself and thought that it was sweet. I loved the character growth in this book and the way that family and found family really play a role in that. It was well paced and had a lot of action mixed with humor that I really enjoyed.

If you liked Little Thieves, you'll probably like this one. Just not sure it was for me.

Of COURSE Vanja would accidently start a cult and unknowingly give power to a malevolent being.

Getting in to PAINTED DEVILS was a little rocky for me, I would LOVE for authors to start including brief recaps of "what's happened so far" in books 2 and on in a series. I read LITTLE THIEVES in January 2022 and there have been many books read between then and now so the events from the first book are hazy for me.

With that being said, I was able to quickly fall back into the wit and snark that is Vanja and the ridiculous situations she manages to get herself in to. I also enjoy the first love stumbles between Vanja and Emeric - it also helped to remind readers that these characters are in fact teenagers.

It was great to see Vanja find out more about her past, though I wish we had seen more of Death and Fortune. The resolution/reveal of the Scarlet Maiden was interesting. The ending will make you want to scream in frustration... and now I will very impatiently wait for Owens to write the next book to find out what happens next.

As always, Saskia Maarleveld does a wonderful job with the audiobook narration.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Macmillan Young Listeners in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very enjoyable read, albeit it didn't quite have the *magic* that Little Thieves did!

Lets start with all the great parts: I love Vanja, She is a top tier YA protagonist, funny and brave, loyal and loving and also still riddled with flaws. Owen really knows how to explore the depth of a character, and there are so many facets of Vanja. I also love Emeric, I love his nerdy antics as well as his swoon ones. I loved the two of the bantering together, and all of the pining and tension. I also loved how Owen's explored the idea of intimacy in a way that is appropriate for YA audiences, and also can help them get an idea of what a healthy and happy relationship can look like when there is trust and respect for the other person getting comfortable with the idea of being physically intimate. All of this was awesome and well done.

However, I really found myself missing the cast from book 1, including Giselle and Ragne. We did get Ragne for a time, but not until quite far into the story. This, added to the fact that the plot and conflict seemed kind of forced and just not nearly as severe or high stakes as Little Thieves did, took something away for me. And while I love how Owens explored physical intimacy, I do wish it hadn't been as central to the conflict as it was (if you've read this book, you'll know what I mean.) Vanja & Emeric are facing a lot of pressure about this, and I wish it had been more of a romantic/relationship development side bar than a plot point.

Speaking of the audio specifically though, I loved EVERYTHING about this. The narrator is absolutely wonderful and captures literally every character perfectly, especially Vanja, and I'm always impressed with how well she switches seamlessly from one voice to the next. I think going forward I am going to exclusively listen to this on audio because I enjoyed it so much more than I was when reading my ebook arc.

All together though, I can see a person enjoying this plenty, especially if you liked Little Thieves (which I really, really did). As is very common with books, it simply did not stand up to its predecessor, which did leave very large shoes to fill. It had lots of banter and action, magic and fun and humor. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the eArc of this title!

Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co./Macmillan Audio for the ARC! This is book two of Margaret Owen's Little Thieves series. Vanja has taken refuge (and inadvertantly started a cult) in a small town when Junior Prefect Emeric Conrad catches up to her. When Vanja's invented lesser god, the Scarlet Woman turns out to be real and places a claim on Emeric, the two set out on a mission to free Emeric and appease the Scarlet Woman, which covers several hidden secrets to Vanja's past. This is a fun and thrilling adventure sequel where the romance between Vanja and Emeric deepens and is sure to please fans of Little Thieves. Painted Devils ends with a set up for the next book in the series.

4/5 stars

This is going to be one of my favorite series ever, isn’t it.

Little Thieves was one of my favorite books of 2021, and I was cautiously excited for a sequel. Honestly, I thought the book worked perfectly as a standalone, so I was nervous that a sequel would ruin the world.

Thankfully, it did not. Painted Devils nicely follows Vanja in a brand new adventure where she accidentally creates a cult. The Scarlet Maiden has claimed Emeric as a sacrifice, and Vanja must find a way to defeat her before Emeric has to die.

Vanja might just be the most relatable protagonist I’ve ever read. It’s like Owen went into my brain and created a heroine. I love her.

Vanja has come a long way from how she was at the beginning of Little Thieves, but she still has a long way to go. Her struggles with insecurity and feeling wanted are so authentic and I love how Emeric handles it. While she leaves Emeric in the beginning of the book because of her intrinsic insecurity and fear, she leaves Emeric at the end of the book not because she doesn’t think he loves her, but because she thinks she cannot force him to choose her over and over. There’s a fine line that is so real to me, and I’m excited to read the third installment to see Vanja grow from that.

The plot is well-paced and I was at the edge of my seat throughout the twists. My only gripe is how focused the novel was on sex. Vanja grapples with her choice on “claiming” Emeric so he cannot be used as a sacrifice throughout the book, and they definitely do more than they did in the first book, but way more emphasis was placed on it than needed. I suppose it was another way to demonstrate Vanja’s growth, but it didn’t quite work.

I can’t wait until everyone can read this book.

ARC and ALC were provided via Netgalley and the publisher.

I struggle with second books in a series because sometimes they just become a wandering bridge book ... a book that has the reader spending money, adding nothing really to the story, and bridging the beginning to the end without it actually having any sort of impact overall.

This is the perfect second volume in this series. Tone was spot on. This was funny and pithy throughout while at the same time carrying the emotional gravity of what Vanja is discovering both about herself and the world she inhabits. The perfect combination of discovery, magic, thievery, and hijinks.

Vanja really shines in this one because you can clearly see her character growing. She's still a chaos demon (I mean, at one point she accidentally starts a cult ...) but you get to see her doing work to be a better person for herself and also to be better for Emeric (more so because she sees him as inherently good and wants to make sure that she's not taking advantage of him but being his equal in their relationship). We also see growth in Emeric - we see him continue to be vulnerable and honest, we see him be willing to buck the rules of the prefect system that he's working within, and the reader gets to see just how wonderful he actually thinks that Vanja is. This story also happens to hurl Vanja into an unexpected personal journey that has her discovering things about herself that were unexpected - both to her and to the reader.

I really like the first volume but I think that I like the second even more. I can't wait for book 3 to see what chaos and hijinks these two get up to next and what type of impact it will have on them personally as well as the overall magical world in which they live.

(Also, as a librarian, I like how potentially challenging these books are to teen readers. The inclusion of the German words, the density of both the writing and the world building, the complex and detailed storyline that forces a reader to pay attention for any detail that may matter later ... these are the types of super interesting stories that help readers grow without the reader even realizing it.)

*5 stars*

The road to hell is paved by Vanja Schmidt. She is also my child, and can do no wrong.

This is a fun, young adult adventure packed with cults, gods, and thieves, but it is also so much more. Owen writes about trauma with a raw openness that is literally helping me heal my own. She writes about sex and virginity in a positive, open way that I wish had been in the books I read as a teen. And she does it all with tenderness, humor, and a slight obsession with the word miasma. You will laugh, you will cry, you will scream in anger.

I loved Vanja as a character in Little Thieves because she was so dimensional and real. I love that we get to see her have so much growth in this book. Working through seventeen years of trauma and abuse isn’t easy and we get to see that. While the ending might seem out of character (and make you want to rip out your hair), I think it shows her humanity that, like so many of us, even after taking a step forward she takes two steps back.

I hope we get more Ragne and Gisele in book three. I’m excited to see Vanja to continue to grow into herself. This book exceeded my expectations for a sequel, and I can’t wait to see where the final book will take all of these amazing characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this work. All opinions in this review are my own.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC!

4.5/5 stars

WOW. I'm gonna start by saying that ending is CRUEL! Warning: This book is phenomenal, but it ends on a heart-wrenching cliffhanger and I am NOT OKAY.

Okay, moving on. While I didn't love this quite as much as Little Thieves, it was still spectacular. I loved getting to explore more of the world and see more of Vanja and Emeric, both individually and as an official couple. With visits from the original case plus a whole slew of new ones, the ensemble is fantastic.

The storyline...hurts. It's awkward and sweet and painful and just riddled with trauma, both new and old. We learn far more about Vanja's past, especially things even she didn't know. We see her learn about herself, her family, where she came from and, ultimately, watch as she decides what kind of person she wants to be.

We also get to explore a lot more about Vanja and Emeric's relationship as a core plot point. They explore themselves as a couple both emotionally and physically, growing together in both. It's awkward but real, tackling emotions I've never seen handled in a story before - kudos to Owen for having 2 demisexual characters and not shying away from how difficult physical intimacy can be, even when you're in love.

And of course we can't ignore the family trauma. Vanja's life is, unfortunately, riddled with pain and trauma at the hands of adults that were supposed to love and protect her - the worst of it all coming from her mother. Owen explores how, even if we can't fully remember it, trauma like that leaves a lasting impact and invades every part of your life. But more importantly, she shows you can heal from it, especially with love and support.

Overall, this is a phenomenal book and I just fell even more in love with Owen's writing. I can't wait for this series to continue!