Take a photo of a barcode or cover
abby_ace_of_books 's review for:
Holy Terrors
by Margaret Owen
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I picked up Little Thieves on a whim, but I'm now officially solidifying Margaret Owen's spot as an auto-buy author because I've eaten up all the books I've read by her so far.
Holy Terrors is the stunning conclusion to the Little Thieves trilogy, and I think it's landed the series a spot on my favorites list. I read this series in a little over a week (with other books in between) because I was so obsessed with it from the beginning. I had some concerns going into this book just because of the ending of book two and some reviews I saw that implied a resolution that did not occur, but I shouldn't have worried because Margaret Owen always delivers.
Vanja and Emeric have gone their separate ways. Emeric is a fully-fledged Prefect now, and Vanja has become something of a local legend, taking on the role of the Pfennigist who grants justice to those who ask. When the members of the royal family begin dying, and Vanja's telltale red penny is found alongside the bodies, she and Emeric must join forces again to find the serial killer and prevent the empire from falling into the wrong hands. Admittedly, I did find the pace a bit slower than the last two books, but I think it's partly because the setting doesn't change much, the stakes are lower for the protagonists (at least initially), and it's also just longer than the first two books. The first 50% felt a lot longer than the second, and the ending was rapid-fire pacing past 80%. I kind of called the plot twist, but not because of foreshadowing in this book so much as previous ones. I loved the ending, even though it was a bit confusing at times, and definitely could've been improved. There's just something about endings like this one that makes me fangirl every time. The symbolism, the themes, the IMAGERY - it was all perfect. There's also a fair amount of angst in this book, which I both enjoyed and hated.
As always, these characters were amazing. Vanja's growth in this book is beautifully written; I also just love her banter and her narration. Emeric, too, grew a lot. His dynamics with Vanja were realistic, and I liked his arc. Their dynamics together are why they're probably one of my favorite fictional pairings ever, especially with Junior now, too. I actually started to like Lilje in this one; I respect her a lot and feel bad about not liking her in the short stories. I was also happy to see the return of Gisele and Ragne, especially Gisele (she's an unsung hero). Some other familiar faces made returns, but I was just grateful to see the dynamics of the previously existing cast continue to shift.
Holy Terrors is the thrilling end to one of my new favorite YA fantasy series that features twisty mysteries, a loveable cast of characters, plenty of banter, and an amazing conclusion.
4.5/5
(Also, SPOILERS, y'know how I said after book one that I thought by book 3 they'd be fighting god? Yeah, they kind of did, and they also kind of became gods?!)
Holy Terrors is the stunning conclusion to the Little Thieves trilogy, and I think it's landed the series a spot on my favorites list. I read this series in a little over a week (with other books in between) because I was so obsessed with it from the beginning. I had some concerns going into this book just because of the ending of book two and some reviews I saw that implied a resolution that did not occur, but I shouldn't have worried because Margaret Owen always delivers.
Vanja and Emeric have gone their separate ways. Emeric is a fully-fledged Prefect now, and Vanja has become something of a local legend, taking on the role of the Pfennigist who grants justice to those who ask. When the members of the royal family begin dying, and Vanja's telltale red penny is found alongside the bodies, she and Emeric must join forces again to find the serial killer and prevent the empire from falling into the wrong hands. Admittedly, I did find the pace a bit slower than the last two books, but I think it's partly because the setting doesn't change much, the stakes are lower for the protagonists (at least initially), and it's also just longer than the first two books. The first 50% felt a lot longer than the second, and the ending was rapid-fire pacing past 80%. I kind of called the plot twist, but not because of foreshadowing in this book so much as previous ones. I loved the ending, even though it was a bit confusing at times, and definitely could've been improved. There's just something about endings like this one that makes me fangirl every time. The symbolism, the themes, the IMAGERY - it was all perfect. There's also a fair amount of angst in this book, which I both enjoyed and hated.
As always, these characters were amazing. Vanja's growth in this book is beautifully written; I also just love her banter and her narration. Emeric, too, grew a lot. His dynamics with Vanja were realistic, and I liked his arc. Their dynamics together are why they're probably one of my favorite fictional pairings ever, especially with Junior now, too. I actually started to like Lilje in this one; I respect her a lot and feel bad about not liking her in the short stories. I was also happy to see the return of Gisele and Ragne, especially Gisele (she's an unsung hero). Some other familiar faces made returns, but I was just grateful to see the dynamics of the previously existing cast continue to shift.
Holy Terrors is the thrilling end to one of my new favorite YA fantasy series that features twisty mysteries, a loveable cast of characters, plenty of banter, and an amazing conclusion.
4.5/5
(Also, SPOILERS, y'know how I said after book one that I thought by book 3 they'd be fighting god? Yeah, they kind of did, and they also kind of became gods?!)