Man this book hooked me through and through. What i thought would just be a fun heist story loosely based on the brothers Grimm fairytale of the goose girl ended up being a super compelling redemption story of a girl who has every reason to be wretched after the world has been wretched to her due to a lowly status, misfortune and being unwanted by her parents, being worked to the bone and abused by a noble family while making it seem like every lash is due to her own incompetence, and teaching her that she always needs to choose for herself to survive, because no one will look out for her, experiencing all this as a child.

In Vanja's mind, it's eat or be eaten, and she comes up with a plan to steal her way to fortune, to be able to escape not just her abusive environment but also her godly godmothers, fortune and death, which give her the choice between them to be bound to them in servitude, which Vanja rightly doesn't see as a choice at all. When a fumbling spectacled detective follows her tail, seeming to not only know the details of the heisting she's been up to, but he's also dug deep enough that she needs to look into the mirror and actually process the horror's that she's been through in her childhood, to grow past them. Emeric makes for a fun counterpart where they're both constantly keeping each other on their toes, and a true match to Vanja's cleverness, though Emeric does actually have a conscience.

Will her own greed take her over in the end? She's got riches, the stolen life of a princess, and nearly her freedom. But when she's cursed over her wants to become the very riches she's always dreamed of, the clock starts ticking for her. I didn't expect her to truly be able to come to the realization that she can learn to trust again and she can learn to be selfless for those she loves, but Emeric makes for a very compelling case, with them growing closer throughout the book, and him showing her that she's a good person who became bad through her circumstances. One thing I like is the commentary on nature vs nurture, but also how it's easy to be a good person when your class, wealth and social connections are all handed to you on a golden platter while the rest go through hardships that the nobles can't even imagine, let alone think it's because of them. 

Amazing book. I'm rating it a 5* because this seems to be catered specifically to me, and with each new break in, lie, tall tale, heist and even a court case in the end, I was impressed with how well the author managed to tie every loose end together for a satisfying ending and a hopeful view on Vanja and Emeric's futures.  And I didn't even realize there would be demi rep, but I love how it was done so organically.