Little Thieves is a retelling of the Goose Girl fairy tale by Margaret Own from the perspective of the maid who stole the princess's identity.
The book starts well. Vanja has usurped the princess's identity and is stealing from wealthy aristocrats in order to buy herself a chance at freedom. Vanja's godmothers, Death and Fortune, have made it clear that a certain time Vanja must choose between serving one or the other her godmothers. Vanja, however, is determined to be in service to no one.
After a heist that she hopes will provide the final amount to buy her freedom, she encounters one of the lesser gods who curses her, but gives her two weeks to break the curse.
So much is going on in Little Thieves, the "princess" is soon to be married off to a brute of a man, Vanja needs to get free before that marriage takes place, the real princess is in the village in much reduced circumstances and justifiably angry, a Junior Prefect arrives to catch the jewel thief--and the story devolves in a half dozen ways.
Much of the Little Thieves is very good. I like the idea of telling the story from the POV of the maid that takes over the life of the princess. Vanja can be practical and funny, but at sixteen, she isn't always seeing the situation clearly. The curse is one that is intended to make Vanja consider events in a different light AND has another purpose besides punishing Vanya.
There is a lot going on, suspense, a little romance, a growth experience, all kinds of complications cropping up.
Somehow though, I was never as invested as I wanted to be. I enjoyed it, but didn't love it.
Two of my favorite fairy tale re-imaginings of the Little Goose Girl story are Shannon Hale's The Goose Girl in her Bayern series and Intasar Khanani's Thorn.
NetGalley/MacMillan's
Teens/YA. Oct. 19, 2021. Print length: 512 pages
Gated Prey is the third entry in Lee Goldberg's Detective Eve Ronin series. In order to have a better understanding of the background, it is better to begin with the first and second books that explain how rookie Eve Ronin ends up in the homicide squad and the resentment the Sheriff's department expresses toward for her high profile appointment and for her role in exposing the corruption in the department. Two plot threads are included in this third book. One has to do with a Eve and partner Duncan Pavone pretending to be a wealthy couple in order to catch the home invaders who have been hitting very wealthy homes in an exclusive and gated community. The second has to with Eve's questions about a still birth that has serious implications.
From the first book, Duncan Pavone's imminent retirement has been discussed. If Duncan retires, I'm not sure the series will succeed. His mentorship and support help keep Eve balanced. He is the perfect experienced foil to Eve's impulsiveness.
Read in May.
NetGalley/Thomas & Mercer
Police Procedural. Oct. 26, 2021. Print length: 268 pages
A man, his wife, and his daughter are murdered in an isolated farmhouse. The murders are similar to murders that occurred in the same farmhouse twenty years earlier. Too similar to ignore.
This is the second book in this series, and I didn't read the first one.
There are some twists, but an important plot thread seemed obvious from early on. I didn't find the main character Detective James Walker particularly appealing and the references to a couple of previous cases felt more digressive than important.
Alex Pine has written a series of books on true crime, but I believe this is only his second novel.
read in August
NetGalley/Avon
Mystery/Thriller. Oct. 28, 2021. Print length: 400 pages
I do like fairy tale retellings, but for some reason The Goose Girl has never been a favorite story of mine. I don't know why. Maybe because I never read it much as a kid. And my favorite fairy tales are the ones I loved growing up. The Eve Ronin series interests me, but I think I need to catch up on a few series before starting a new one. ;D
ReplyDeleteFrankly, I don't like the original Goose Girl by the Brothers Grimm, but I love Shannon Hale and Intasar Khanani's re-imaginings! I did like the POV that Margaret Own uses, but I didn't enjoy the book as much as Hale's or Khanani's.
DeleteI can't seem to get enough fairy tale retellings lately. That's all I've been wanting to read, lol. I can't remember reading a retelling of The Goose Girl before, but was curious about Little Thieves. I believe I have a copy of Intasar Khanani's Thorn on my Kindle, so I'll definitely have move that up on my reading list. :)
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to read The Little Thieves, Hale's Goose Girl, and Kahnani's Thorn and compare them.
DeleteI'm also glad I took your suggestion of the Blue Beard retelling in Fly with the Arrow when you mentioned it as one you wanted to read. I loved it and will review soon! We definitely agree on that one, and I'm eager for the next in the series.
Lee Goldberg's new one sounds interesting, but thanks for alerting us that we should not jump into the series via this third book. I'll see if I can find the first one in the series.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned the two plot lines in this one...are you like me in that you've come to expect that from crime novelists now, at least two, sometimes three separate plot lines at the same time? I've gotten so used to it now that a straight-ahead single plot line often seems overly simplistic and almost boring in today's crime novels. Not sure that's a good way to feel about crime novels at all.
There are so many crime/mystery/thriller books with multiple plot lines. Sometimes they are well done and mesh beautifully. On the other hand, I still enjoy a character-driven police procedural that sticks to one major thread and the effects on different individuals.
DeleteI'll be trying to track the Goldberg books but I will take what I find! Not much in choice this side of the world.
ReplyDeleteI read mostly e-books and NetGalley is a great source of Advanced Reader Copies (and free!) Even if our library has a book, being way down a list of people who want to read the same book can be a problem, especially since Covid. Have you tried NetGalley or Edelweiss books, Mystica?
DeleteI love a good retelling and Shannon Hale's Goose Girl is definitely a great one! Little Thieves sounds intriguing to me; and I like the idea that it features the maid instead of the princess, which is something new to me. ;)
ReplyDeleteWhen Carl used to host the Once Upon A Time challenge, I read a lot of retellings and Shannon Hale's were always exciting and fun! So many discoveries as a result of that challenge. :)
DeleteI've always wanted to read a good fairy tale retelling. I will look for Goose Girl on your recommendation one of these days.
ReplyDeleteThere are many great fairy tale retellings, and Shannon Hale, Donna Jo Napoli, Robin McKinley have written some excellent ones. :)
DeleteI think the one that captures my attention the most is the Lee Goldberg series but I have to say that cover for Little Thieves is great.
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