Sometimes I need a little push to start reading a book I'm really excited about. The first book in this series has been on the shelves for quite some time already and yet there were always other books keeping me away from it. Until I saw I could request a review copy of this second book via Netgalley and the publisher, Hodder & Stoughton, granted me one. I started the first book and was even more excited that I could read the sequel right after finishing the first one.

The first few chapters of this book are in a sad way hilarious. After getting to know our heroine in the first book I couldn't be surprised that this was the kind of situation she ended up in and yet it's quite clearly also a situation only SHE can end up in. And those small moments of dramatic humor were spread throughout the entire book, partly because of the writing style and the way our heroine describes her own life.

For a moment I was afraid that this book would end up being nothing but a road trip. Challenges, side challenges, loads of traveling and at some point coming back home. Luckily the moment I started to fear the road trip some very nice reveals were thrown in and I was completely invested again. It does take a while but the author does an amazing job connecting everything this story offers and shows us in a brilliant way in the finale.

What I loved most about this book though is the romance. The first book was all about the getting to know and the falling. This book was about the "what now?" and about the future. This book was also about our heroine trying to become her own person before becoming simply his. She wanted to be someone without him. She wanted to be someone worth him. That journey wasn't always pleasant, but it was very real, very raw and very heartbreaking.

The ending of the book is brutal and yet very fitting. I can't wait for the next book! (I mean, there's gonna be one, right?)

Ohh this book was so much better than the first one! I didn’t really like Little Thieves, so I was very sceptical starting this book. But this was actually enjoyable!

The story is great. It starts out hilarious but turns quite serious after a while. It’s exciting and the stakes are high.

I also quite liked Vanja in this one. She’s not as miserable as in LT and she was actually seriously funny. I was also able to sympathise soo much better with her, so another plus.
Emeric was also pretty great and the other characters were nicely fleshed out as well.
The Scarlet Maiden was creepy as hell but also kind of cool and definitely an interesting character.

I also liked the writing style in this one. The book is fast paced and hilarious, with funny and serious and emotional scenes alternating, which made it very easy to read.
The thing that had bothered me the most in LT was the abysmal butchering of the German language. I know, I know, it’s not actually German, it’s just “inspired” by it, but yeah, no. It’s butchered German. Maybe it’s nice enough for English speakers to read, but if you actually understand German… well, maybe I’m the only one, but I had to stop myself multiple times from throwing it out of the window in frustration.
The terror continues in this book - but waaaay less. I was actually able to ignore most of the words when they did appear and it made me able to enjoy this book.
Soo much better.

The ending was... well. Let’s just say, I’m actually looking forward to the next book!

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder&Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This has exceeded all my expectation. I already loved the first book, Owen has a gift of writing a story with gripping fantasy plot and integrating humor flawlessly (Emeric writing poetry, beeing mercilessly teased for it), and important topics (the flawed law/ I really enjoyed how Owen incorporated Agnethe's story without it taking away from the main parts).
I did not expect as much romance, but I'm so thankful for it. The romance was *chef's kiss* I'm looking forward to what the next book will give in that regard, it's hard to imagine Owen can step up her game, but the ending 💔 certainly made for an interesting dynamic for Emeric and Vanja, so I might be alone in this but that's why I actually loved the ending. (I'm kind of masochistic in my love for Cliffhanger)

The only criticism I have is that Owen needs to get her German spellchecked. For a book that heavily leans on German being integrated that's a given.
Scheit doesn't mean shit (Scheiß means shit) and Scheit actually means log (of wood)
Since that word comes up a lot that should've been correct.
Then there are smaller ones like it's Wilde Jagd not wildejogt, Dampfnudeln not damfnudeln, Glühwein not glohwein, and so on.

Vanja Schmidt (let's call her that, it's easier) is chaos incarnated. And whoever crosses her path is destined to get drowned by her chaos.
It's refreshing to see that nearly every character in this book is deeply flawed yet relatable (not ALL of them, but you know...), and you feel and fear for them.
The opening of this book is hilarious, and Vanja pulling a Klaus from Umbrella Academy had me in tears. I also loved the dynamic with Emeric and threat they both have no clue about relationships and still try to make it work.
Then however the story feels disconnected with weird pacing for a long stretch, as if the author got drowned by Vanja's chaos as well. It was hard for me to get through it, but gladly the ending makes up for all of this und you'll want to read the next book asap.
I'm still puzzled by the fictional language the author is using, which is German but also very not German. At times I felt she overdid it, just trying to be clever, but in the end it didn't bother me too much.

Solid 4/4 stars

Thank you so much @netgalley and @hodderbooks for the eARC!

I have been eagerly awaiting the release of "Painted Devils," as "Little Thieves" was one of my top reads in 2022. And I was not disappointed! It was a joy to be reunited with the familiar characters and to get to know some new ones along the way.

The character development in the book was superb, and I was impressed by how the main characters grew both individually and together over the course of the story. Owens' writing style is clever and humorous, and I found myself laughing out loud at the moments where the fourth wall was broken. But what really stood out to me was how the author managed to balance humour with poignant moments and insightful commentary on real-world issues.

While I enjoyed the surprises and plot twists, I felt that a few key points could have been clarified earlier in the book, rather than all at once towards the end.

Overall, "Painted Devils" is an excellent read, and I can't wait to see what happens in the third book in the series.

Painted Devils spins a new tale of mischief and mayhem for one of YA fantasy’s standout characters, but beware of leaving your heart unguarded.

Little Thieves left me absolutely stunned in 2021 and I have been craving the sequel ever since. Luckily, Painted Devils smashes through every lofty expectation I had.

Owen’s gorgeous writing entranced me once more. I loved how much she expanded the world here, taking us to new lands and traditions. Every page is so evocative and lushly described, allowing you to fully lose yourself in the story. Little Thieves’ structure felt like an sprawling epic tale combining the past, present and future. Here, that structure allows the past and present to collide but in somewhat more grounded terms. This is very much a fantasy story, with all the requisite magic, meddling from gods and mischief from mortals. However, at its core, this is a story about family in all its forms. The mesh of times is more about working through trauma and learning to live with your past, confronting it without forgiveness if needed. Owen really digs into these various forms of family - blood, found and chosen. This creates a mesh of intriguing and fleshed-out characters around our central duo of Vanja and Emeric.

Vanja has changed, but she is still the spikey, occasionally manipulative and determined character we left at the end of Little Thieves. She is an endlessly complex and interesting protagonist who I absolutely love. That ruthlessness has diminished somewhat, except from when it comes to defending the people she loves. Her morality is still dubious and I adore how you cannot pin her down into the hero-villain dichotomy. However, Owen knows exactly what she did with that ending and I will be demanding revenge. It is a cruel cliffhanger but boy, do I want more.

I also loved how Vanja and Emeric’s dynamic grew over the course of the book. Certain plot elements drive discussions around sexuality and intimacy, something that is complicated for both of them. This was a refreshing change, with natural progressions and nuanced conversations around the topic. It felt mature and tenderhearted, making me root for them all the more.

Painted Devils is an achingly beautiful story around family in all its forms, but beware the devastatingly cruel sting in its tale.

I know I said I was just pausing it for now, but that often ends up with me deciding a short time later that I'm not going to start reading a paused book again. So it was the same with Painted Devils. I really liked Little Thieves, it was about so many different things: politics, class differences, friendship, love.... There was a plot that made sense and the whole book had a fairytale feel to it. Painted Devils, unfortunately, feels a bit disconnected and forced from that for me. The book starts with Emric meeting Vanja again and being super happy to have found her again because he thought he had lost her forever. But that doesn't make so much sense with the ending of Little Thieves, because Vanja didn't leave him at all, she just had to go away, for a while. In Painted Devils, however, this is described as an inherited conflict. My biggest problem, though, was that the book had little plot. There was too much talk around Vanja and Emric's relationship, far too much for my taste. Where are all the other themes in the first book? So unfortunately I won't be reading it any further.

*actual rating is 4.25 stars*

This book was a hard one for me to rate. The first third of the book I was fully invested in the story. As soon as I started chapter 1 I was already entertained, I was even chuckling and laughing out loud at Vanja’s silly predicaments. The cult aspect was interesting, and proved once again that she’s literally the walking embodiment of F around and find out. She’s the architect of her own misfortune, but I just can’t help to cheer for her and her outlandish ideas. The story had the magic touch that made me fall in love with Little Thieves.

But then the story just got a bit… slow after a strong start. The story just seemed to drag a bit, despite having new things constantly happening. Maybe that's why I started having a hard time focusing on the story. The combination of this with all the new characters being introduced, it was a bit overwhelming. But luckily, the last like 25% of the story just all in and got as exciting and invested as the first part of the book. The book ended on a high point. The plot twist was such a surprise, but also kind of made sense now that all the puzzle pieces were in place. Not to mention that the absolute last pages how me both excited and scared for what will happen to Vanja and Emeric in the third book.

The thing with this book is that the good parts were REALLY good, and absolutely magical. And while the bad parts were a bit dull, they weren’t really bad. I also love the fairytales woven throughout the story used to describe Vanjas backstory and situations. They’re really clever, not to mention that the accompanying artwork is gorgeous. Like straight out a classic fairytale book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing an eARC to review!

Painted Devils does a lot of what I loved about Little Thieves - it covers complex themes like trauma and healing, but is still firmly YA, which seems to be getting rarer these days. Vanja is still grappling with her abandonment issues and the idea that she'll never be good enough, and has to literally face her demons. It was really nice seeing how everyone supported her through this, and how her issues weren't just dismissed. I think it also really did a great job of highlighting that healing isn't linear, especially when you've been on survival mode for over a decade.

Unfortunately, I just didn't connect to this one as much as book 1. One of the main plotlines was focused on Vanja and Emeric's romantic relationship, especially the more physically intimate elements of it. There were important conversations here too about having open communication, consent, and not letting yourself be pressured by others into thinking your relationship isn't valid because it doesn't follow the norm. But just personally I wasn't expecting this when I picked up the book, and it's not something I actively seek out. It was cool to see their relationship develop, but yeah just not super up my alley.

I'd still be really interested to see where book 3 goes, and I think this is an extremely unique and well-developed YA story so I'll keep on recommending it, just don't think that this instalment was to my personal taste unfortunately.

This was absolutely phenomenal, I loved every minute of this. From the retuning characters from book 1 (Ragne has my heart) to the brand new Ros family introduced in this book, they were all deeply flawed but relatable characters. The threads of the story were all interconnected masterfully and I cannot wait for book 3! Vanja & Emeric forever!!

Also the backstreet boys reference I’m emerics poem had me chuckling! 😂

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I read Little Thieves last year and it completely took me by surprise. I assumed I was going to like it, but I did not expect to love it so much, I couldn't stop thinking about it and it ended up in my Top 10 of the year.
So needless to say, Painted Devils was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023, and it was everything I wanted it to be.

It made me FEEL all the emotions. I was so engrossed in the story and so emotionally invested, it really just got to me.
Just like Little Thieves, it was hilarious. The author has such a talent for infusing humor into the story, it's so effortlessly funny and provides comedic relief even at dire times, I absolutely loved it.
It also made me so emotional to read about Vanja's past, her feeling of being abandoned, and her search for her family. I thought it was really well done how everything in the book eventually fed back into this core element of the book. There was a lot going on but it felt really cohesive.

As a fellow demisexual person, I also just loved and deeply connected with the demisexual rep in this book and Vanja's struggle with intimacy. As someone who has at times felt like I'm weird or that I just need to "get over" not wanting physical intimacy right away, it just really healed a part of my soul to watch a character as strong as Vanja, who is a badass and funny and scheming, to also have the same issues like me.
I also love the way sex and intimacy were talked about in general, this is a really wonderful example of how you can include this talk in a book for YA readers and make it really meaningful and empowering.

Overall, I just loved everything about this book, the plot was so good, the vibes, the writing, the characters, it all just made me happy and I really found and lost myself in the story.
I loved it even more than the first book and cannot wait for the conclusion of the trilogy.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy! It was absolutely fantastic from start to finish and a roller-coaster of emotions. I cried, I loved and overall enjoyed it!

✨Spoiler Free review✨

It’s like Margaret Owen looked into my brain and saw everything I’ve ever wanted in a book and wrote it down, for more eloquently and humorous than I ever could.

I read the whole book in two days and now I have to wait for the next one. I love loved Little Thieves so much, but I think Painted Devils might be my favourite!! I’m writing this review with tears still dripping, and the feeling that I will not find a book like this again for awhile.

Everything I loved about the first book is beautiful preserved in the second. Vanja is still a troubled-making gremlin, and Emeric is still the human equivalent of a protractor, and their relationship is still witty and everything I’ve ever wanted. Neither lose their individual personality, which can often happen in sequels. Instead, they both grow together in a really healthy and productive way.

Vanja has fully cemented herself as one of my favourite fmc, and the journey she goes on was so personal to me that I felt so seen and so safe in these pages. She’s grown but has maintained her best qualities and now there’s a Vanja shaped whole in my heart.

I honestly can’t recommend these books enough. They’re funny, devastating, tense, and absolutely beautiful things to read.

Painted Devils will be released on the 16th May.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this e-arc. This review is entirely my own.

I love this world and these characters so much!! Book 1 was one of my favourites of 2022, so much so it was my first Student Book Club read of the year (and they loved it too!!) In this sequel, there is more high jinx, more adventures and maybe even more to love than Book 1!

4.75/5
I was so looking forward to Painted Devils because Little Thieves is one of my absolute favourite books.

I was not disappointed at all! I was so happy to be back with these characters and meet some new ones on the way too.

The character development is brilliant and I loved the way our MCs grew individually as well as together.

Owens’ writing is so witty and the moments breaking the 4th wall really made me laugh. The writing style is so funny but also heartfelt and so many observations/take homes relevant to the real-world were made which were brilliant.

The only reason it’s not a full 5 stars is that I feel a couple of points could have been clearer or explained more rather than it all being revealed at one point. I like the elements of surprise and the big reveals & twists but would have liked to see a little bit more of the dots being connected in real time if that makes sense!

Bring on book 3!!!!

THIS BOOK. DEVIATED SO FAR FROM MY EXPECTATION. BUT STILL MANAGED TO SURPRISE ME.

Vanja wanted to find her birth family after 13 years surviving on her own. But she accidentally raised a cult and tangled in another dire problem.

I requested this ARC because of course I’ve read Little Thieves and loved it. I knew Vanja’s character. So I expected this book to be like feral, explosive, and drastic. But turns out its just about healing and love. I was reminded of Reputation album by Taylor Swift the whole time reading this because thats basically just it: finding love in the darkest time. Oh I should stop talking about this particular thing right now before its getting out of control🥲

About the first half of the book, I frowned at the plot because its SO wild and seemed reaching but of course Margaret managed to make everything make sense at the end. Emeric and Vanja’s dynamics were EVERYTHING. They’re so real. Its tender, fragile, and lovely. They tried to work things out while Vanja also trying to navigate her abandonment trauma. Only God knows how many tears I shed throughout the book. I love them so much

BUT THE ENDING KILLED MEEEEE how am I supposed to wait for probably 2 years for the finale😭😭😭 I believe in Margaret with my whole heart but I still hope that she’ll make it super worth it.

Anyway, if you loved Little Thieves for the plot and didn’t really care about Vanja and Emeric, you probably would have a hard time reading this book at first. You might not even need to read this because Little Thieves ending was perfect.