Anyone who has read the first two books of this trilogy clearly cannot expect that the story of Vanja and Emeric concludes in a concise, linear, simple way. And Margaret Owen did not disappoint, there is a jumble of plot that would irk me in any other book but somehow it works with these characters and the authors writing style. It is very much in-character for these two to complicate any choice they have and reach their destination in a convoluted round-about path. It would also be out-of-character for a simple adult conversation about feeling, but readers who have an interest in the romantic relationships between the two main characters do get an ending. The story also brings back some characters that were introduced in the prior books, involves a royal plot of succession, and has the mischief and misadventure that readers would expect from these characters. And beyond the amusing story, the illustrations in this book, like the prior books were absolutely marvelous. Anyone who has enjoyed the first two books of the series should find this an entertaining and fitting conclusion.
I received access to this eARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group - Henry Holt and Co.) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

THANK YOU FOR THIS ARC!!!!! I immediately put this at the top of my (perhaps too long) list of ARCs and am so glad I did.

Holy Terrors is a perfect finish to the Little Thieves trilogy and releases April 2025.

Vanja Ros has been running her whole life. From cruelty and fear, and now from love. After leaving Emeric behind for him to pass his Finding, Vanja has been keeping the Penny Phantom alive by helping those who the law cannot help.

But now there is an imposter who is killing royalty and the prefects are tracking Vanja down to once again be on the case... and face everything she has been running from.

Holy Terrors did a great job with the folklore elements that have been present throughout the series, and adding in some absolutely unexpected time-shenanigans that forced Vanja to face the very real fears she had to deal with her whole life. Getting to see Vanja and Emeric back together with the undeniable flame between them, even (or especially) when they are at each other's throats.

What we believe is real, and what is real is that sometimes people suck... But sometimes they can change. Other times they might just throw themselves off the edge rather than change 🤷🏼‍♀️

Wow. What a series. This book had me laughing and then in tears and then back to laughing. I love this story and these characters so much. Vanja's growth and realizations about herself and life are everything. I'm so sad I'm done with these characters but excited to see what Margaret has in store next.

I've rounded up 3.5 stars.

Holy Terrors is a high-stakes, angsty, and character-growth-filled finale that wraps up the Little Thieves trilogy well. There are aspects that I like and some that I do not like. However, I could not stop turning the pages regardless. I finished the book in less than 24 hours.

Like the two before it, Holy Terrors has a refreshing and witty narrative that I absolutely love. I enjoy this author's sense of humor. There are many quote-worthy lines, both funny and serious, that I highlighted. The banter and dialogue between the characters is amazing. Holy Terrors has new characters that I like as well as all the old ones everyone loves. Although there are new elements to the story that are not in the previous books in this series, the plot and setup are really similar to Painted Devils. I also did not like most of the characters' choices. No, it's that I expect them to be perfect, I just found their choices hard to read about, because some of them are straight-up crappy. I am still deeply upset about some things. However, If you enjoy Vanja's and Emeric's antics in the other books, you'll get more of them here. One thing that did bother me is that anytime the characters would try to have a meaningful conversation, something would conveniently come up so they couldn't finish the discussion. That happens a lot, and it seems to me that it is done to drag out the drama. There's quite a bit of miscommunication. As far as the plot goes, it is decent, but again, a bit repetitive and predictable. That's not necessarily something that some people will dislike, though, if they like the previous books. The themes regarding dealing with past trauma, dealing with the aftermath of bad decisions, forgiving oneself, and repairing broken relationships are touching. I think this series should have just been a standalone or a duology because the characters deal with the same things over and over. I understand that with complex trauma things are complicated and messy and growth is not linear whatsoever, but it gets a bit tedious. Holy Terrors has its strengths and flaws, but overall, I think the author is so freaking talented and funny. I plan to check out her other series that I have not read yet.

Content warnings: Language including the use of f-bombs/sexual references and vague sexual descriptions
Trigger warnings: references to a non-consensual situation/references to past physical and mental abuse

Although I ultimately enjoyed it, my one big critique is that without reading “The Fallow Year” stories “Holy Terrors” is extremely difficult and at times almost impossible to follow. It reads much more like the fourth installment in a series rather than the third. This won’t be too much of a problem if readers know to read “the Fallow Year” ahead of time, but I personally only knew about their existence because I follow the author on Instagram.

That being said I do love this series very much and was delighted to be reunited with its characters. This book has so much heart and soul. I’m sorry to have reached the end of it. Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge Little Thieves fangirl so I knew I would love this book. But it was so much better than I could event imagine. I started crying at the dedication and then just continued over the next two days as I tore through this book. Vanja and Emeric grow as characters while maintaining their intrinsic selves. The banter is hilarious. The kitten is adorable and mischievous. The body count is high. There's too much to love in this book and I cannot list them all so I won't try. I'm so sad this series is over but cannot wait to see what this author does next. Copies are already preordered and will be screeching about this one until it's on sale in April.