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.

I put off reading this book (and writing this review) as long as I could, simply because I didn't want this series to end. In LITTLE THIEVES, Margaret Owen created a world so spectacular that I couldn't help but want to stay a little longer. That's exactly what I did in book two, PAINTED DEVILS. Two long years later, the final book in the series is here. I think after writing two books that blew my mind, it would be difficult to write a third. The bar for this book was so high, one could say it was through the roof - in the clouds even. Yet, this book was different than the first two in many ways. Rather than get up to more shenanigans, HOLY TERRORS is a reflective book, filled with emotional distress rather than physical. It's a story about finding love, finding a home, and finding yourself. While reading, I kept waiting for the telltale sign that Vanya would make a questionable decision in her own self interest, but it seems that Vanya in book three has grown in ways that Vanya in book one couldn't possibly imagine. The journey that Vanya has been on has been marked by her internal battles with herself - and this final book asks: what if she lets her demons win?

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.

I’m crying. I’m laughing. I’m unable to function.

It is amazing to me that Margaret Owen was able to tell such a big story in this series and yet make it feel so personal, so lived in, so spectacularly unique. Vanja and Emeric are real people. They are actually my best friends.

The folklore! The spirits! The emotional baggage! THE SAUSAGE JOKES. READ THIS SERIES

Oh, she ATE. This is a five star series like few others.
Emeric and Vanja have some of the best chemistry I've ever read. While reading this, I repeated posted on Instagram about it reminding me of a 9-1-1 fanfiction inspired by the show Manifest that I read two weeks ago that caused an existential crisis. I could not believe how miserable it was making me for about the first 40%. The friendships and romantic relationships are so meaningful, especially Vanja with the girls she grew up with who reappear in this installment of the series. You /definitely/ need to read The Fallow Year, which is the novella Margaret Owen posted on AO3 for free in ten installments taking place between Painted Devils and Holy Terrors, which was also incredible??? Her consistency with this series is truly incredible. I do need to mention that Miss Owen CONFUSES me sometimes. It's hard, especially in this book, to tell exactly what's happening at times. That's what happens when you read a fantasy/murder mystery/romance fusion, I fear! But it's all tremendously enjoyable and worth the confusion. I actually read this entire book while my best friend was sleeping because I started shortly after she went to bed for the night and genuinely could not put it down. One craft thing to highlight: Margaret is so so so good at putting you in the minds of her characters in Holy Terrors and The Fallow Year. Truly some of the funniest, most redeemable characters I've ever read about.

4.5⭐️

Holy Terrors was a whirlwind of emotions! It’s been two years since the events that happened in the second book and now, some is framing the Pdennigesit—aka Vanja. Throughout this book, I loved the bickering banter between Vanja and Emeric, though not when they said hurtful things to each other 😩. This book definitely takes on an unexpected turn of events between those two and the plot that makes you want to keep reading while you’re thinking ‘there’s no way this is how things end’. There’s so much going on in this book—in a good way—with all the twists when you thought it was over, but it isn’t, and more stuff is thrown at you!

There’s nothing that gets me going like heavy angst and pining so when I finished Painted Devils, I just KNEW Holy Terrors was going to hit different. The yearning and ache were absolutely *chef’s kiss*!!!!!! I haven’t been fed such good angst in a long time, like inject it in my veins!!!! Holy Terrors was just so freaking good and a perfect ending to a fun trilogy. I will always love my babies, Vanja and Emeric, with my whole heart. I’m sad to see their stories end, but I’m grateful to have experienced it. I loved the coming of age elements and Vanja finally finding a way to love herself not in spite of who she’s been and what’s been done to her, but BECAUSE of it. Both Emeric and Vanja have grown so much over the series and I think the author did them and their character arcs justice. I was absolutely sucked in to Holy Terrors and fell asleep reading this almost every night because I just didn’t want to put it down! My only minor complaint is that Holy Terrors felt incredibly long, but I had such a good time reading it, I don’t even care. Everything was wrapped up in a nice little bow and I definitely recommend this series to basically anyone who can read.

Thank you so much to Henry Holt & Co., NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!

4.0

Both a fitting end to the Little Thieves trilogy and, quite honestly, a bit of a tangled mess.

The plot felt overly complicated, crammed full of layer after layer and about six more plot twists than anyone could reasonably follow.

The ways this worked:

- Vanja has never followed a direct path through any of the books, and generally her hesitation and backtracking and mistakes add to the complexity of her character and make her story feel worthy of the YA genre, in a way many other YA books lack. This book was about her understanding the value of her own complicated story, which I loved.

- The setting for this trilogy, a fantasy parallel to the Holy Roman Empire, has always been appealingly chaotic, political, and diverse. That setting is on full display in this book as the Blessed Empire is roiled by a massive crisis that compromises its political foundations and exposes its arcane intricacies. I love this world, and I loved seeing more of it in this final chapter of Vanja’s story.

What didn’t work:

- It was impossible for the reader to follow the direction of the plot— not because of its clever intricacy but because we simply are not given enough information to anticipate anything. Instead, we are buried in an avalanche of characters— new and old— and plot points that feel less like a clearly directed story arc and more like a frantic attempt to cram MORE into this last book.

- The world building, always a strength of this series, felt haphazard and shallow at times in this one. New features of the Empire seem to blossom for the convenience of the plot, without any regard to putting down roots in the previously established universe of the Blessed Empire. It felt a little “Rise of Skywalker”, if I’m being fully honest.

Overall, the four star rating reflects my own previous investment in the world and the main characters. I’d still wholeheartedly recommend the trilogy, even taking into account the flaws of this final entry.

This was an amazing conclusion to this trilogy (plus the novella I highly recommend to read first as it introduces key characters from this book). Vanja's growth and insight really made the series worth it. While the characters are aged up a couple years, two year having taken place since book 2, and there are more mature subjects discussed, I do think it still works as a YA novel as the overall theme is still Coming of Age.

You can expect:
YA Romantic Fantasy
Germanic Folklore
Magic & Low Gods
Vigilante teams up with the Law
Serial Murder Mystery
Found Family
Queernormative
Early20s MCs
Single, 1st POV

4.5 star rating: I docked a half star because it is a longer book that gets bogged down with politics, I had a hard time keeping all the royalty straight and wasn't always sure who was actually murdered or why it mattered. I saw the author posted a guide to the houses on her Instagram, which could have been helpful. Ultimately though the ending redeemed it as I loved how it all came together and resolved.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan for providing an eArc for my honest opinion.

This book had me STRESSED. I definitely had a moment of "CAN EVERYONE PLEASE STOP DYING" which was a little ironic considering the heavy murder mystery aspect of the plot.

It was so incredibly lovely seeing Vanja and Emeric come back together and eventually be all the stronger for it. After reading the Fallow Year I was absolutely ready for some healing for them and I'm glad we got it in the way we did. Vanja also stayed a hilarious troublemaker throughout and I will always adore a gremlin girl.

I loved our new characters and seeing the strengthened friendships and relationships between the old ones. The plot had me hooked throughout, even when everything started feeling balls to the wall insane and mildly overwhelming. It was cool to relate to the characters actually experiencing the plot that way. It was so cool seeing the previously mentioned alternate options for Vanja end up an actual part of the book. I loved seeing her make peace with these other selves and that we all got to realize that her running actually ended up working out in the end.

I don't know how much I can say this being the third and final book in the Little Thieves series other than I would die for every single one of these characters. This is not where I thought this final chapter would go and there were so many times my heart was just stomped on, but I honestly should expect nothing else from the brilliant mind of Margaret Owen. I hope she continues to write amazing stories with compelling characters that give me all the feels for many years to come.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), for this eARC to review.

10000/5 stars!

Margaret. MARGARET. This book was all gas no breaks and laughing even through the pain, and I wouldn't have it any other way. An absolutely immaculate finish to one of my favorite series to exist. The different "pre" stories throughout the book giving you different timelines/perspectives without quite knowing why until the end, had me a MESS. The world was so well fleshed out, everything felt vivid and real, and I've never been so attached to so many characters in my LIFE. I 110% cried for the last chapter/epilogue, solely because I was so sad to finish it knowing there wouldn't be any more books. Also, on behalf of the general public I'd like to thank Mac/BYR for allowing Margaret to use her talent in art to really bring the story alive throughout the book! It took everything to the next level and really immersed you in what was happening in the story. and Junior. JUNIORRR MY BABY MY BOY, thank youuuuuu for giving him so much character with the superscripted "mep", "meeh", and just about every single meow somehow being a different word. It had me dying laughing through the entire book, even when things were dire (because Junior doesn't give a damn lmao). Margaret Owen is an automatic auto-buy author for me for the rest of time.

Holy Trinity! Margaret Owen knows how to keep us coming. I loved book 1, book two was okay, and lastly i enjoyed the ending to this series. I am excited to see where Owen goes next and can't wait. The side characters and banter are always the best but keeping tracking of who's doing what with the pacing was a struggle. The writing got better at over halfway through. The ending and conclusion for this series was worth the wait! Thank you so much to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this arc!

3.75 ⭐️

Me the first 2/3 of this book: We are SO back babyyyy!

I seriously couldn't put it down and was reading my ARC on mobile, so that's saying something because I'm not a fan of reading on a device. I was so thrilled that Ragne, Giselle, and Joniza were back as supporting characters. Also enjoyed getting to know new characters we briefly met in The Fallow Year. (Loved Lilje and was so thankful she didn't turn out to be evil)

Loved the toxic bantering, but I'm a bit of a sucker for enemy and angst shit. I was very thrilled to be swept up in the plot given how much Painted Devils disappointed me. I went from Little Thieves (a 5 star read) to Painted Devils, which I gave 1.5 stars. I was super wary about the 3rd and final book to the series.

The final act went a bit off the rails and I found it pretty difficult to follow. However, the end itself I did enjoy and found the characters really grew from when we first met them in book 1. Despite not loving this book as much as Little Thieves, this redeemed the series after book 2 tarnished it for me. Finally, I will miss the gremlin and her encyclopedia of a boyfriend.

Huge thanks to NetGallery for the ARC and giving me a week headstart on one of my 2025 anticipated reads!

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.