Little Thieves by Margaret Owen

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen, 512 p.

"Vanja Schmidt knows that no gift is freely given, not even a mother's love--and she's on the hook for one hell of a debt. Vanja, the adopted goddaughter of Death and Fortune, was Princess Gisele's dutiful servant up until a year ago. That was when Vanja's otherworldly mothers demanded a terrible price for their care, and Vanja decided to steal her future back... by stealing Gisele's life for herself.

The real Gisele is left a penniless nobody while Vanja uses an enchanted string of pearls to take her place. Now, Vanja leads a lonely but lucrative double life as princess and jewel thief, charming nobility while emptying their coffers to fund her great escape. Then, one heist away from freedom, Vanja crosses the wrong god and is cursed to an untimely end: turning into jewels, stone by stone, for her greed.

Vanja has just two weeks to figure out how to break her curse and make her getaway. And with a feral guardian half-god, Gisele's sinister fiancé, and an overeager junior detective on Vanja's tail, she'll have to pull the biggest grift yet to save her own life."--Goodreads blurb

I'd heard about this book on social media, and the storyline sounded intriguing. Vanja leads quite a life, well, two lives really. I thought this story was original and the world-building, while solid, could have been a bit more expansive. Owen was a new-to-me author and I will try more of her books.

 

Witchtown by Cory Putman Oakes

Witchtown by Cory Putman Oakes - 310 pages

Macie and her mother travel from town to town stealing money from them before leaving.  They're never caught as Macie's mother casts a spell that erases them from everyone's memories.  But now they've arrived at Witchtown -- the last town they'll ever steal from as Macie's mother promises.  But can Macie really trust her mother?

This has been on my read list for a while now.  I'm glad I finally did.  I really enjoyed the book.  The characters were interesting with enough secrets to keep the reader interested.

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty, 533 pages

"Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles.

But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass, a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.

In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences."

I listened to this on audio, and while I got through it fine, there are a lot of characters that get mixed up quickly, so I think this might lend itself a little better to print reading. Very fantastical story line with djinn, flying carpets, love triangles, fanaticism, betrayal, and sea monsters. I will be picking up the next in this series quickly.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo - 536 pages

"Kaz Brekker and his crew of deadly outcasts have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives.

Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties.

A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets - a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world."

Solid second book in this duology. I think it could even be open to more stories with these characters. Fun story with lots of twists and turns, great action, and characters that you love, but also kinda don't. I'm looking forward to reading a different series in by this author set in the "Grisha-verse."

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - 465 pages

"Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price–and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone…
A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.
A runaway with a privileged past.
A spy known as the Wraith.
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first."

This is the second series written in this world, though I hadn't read that series yet. I was fine not having read it, but I could tell I would understand some underlying things a little better if I had. A slow start but I got really engrossed about a third of the way through. Characters that you hate to love and a story that brings them together as an begrudging family.

A Whole New World by Liz Braswell

A Whole New World by Liz Braswell 208 pages

When Jafar steals the Genie's lamp, he uses his first two wishes to become sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Agrabah lives in fear, waiting for his third and final wish.To stop the power-mad ruler, Aladdin and the deposed princess Jasmine must unite the people of Agrabah in rebellion. But soon their fight for freedom threatens to tear the kingdom apart in a costly civil war.

What happens next? A Street Rat becomes a leader. A princess becomes a revolutionary. And readers will never look at the story of Aladdin in the same way again.

Pilfer Academy by Lauren Magaziner

Pilfer Academy by Lauren Magaziner - 270 pages

George is shocked when he is kidnapped by an ice cream truck and taken to Pilfer Academy -- the premiere school for training thieves.  He excels at his schoolwork.  He enjoys being cunning, sneaky and mischievous.  Then he goes on his midterm and realizes that he might be too nice to be a master thief.

I really enjoyed this book.  It was great reading how George eventually starts listening to his conscience and realizes he has ethics and morals.  It is also a great friendship story.

Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne

Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne 376 pages

Growing up on Forge's streets has taught Kyra how to stretch a coin. And when that's not enough, her uncanny ability to scale walls and bypass guards helps her take what she needs.
But when the leader of the Assassins Guild offers Kyra a lucrative job, she hesitates. She knows how to get by on her own, and she's not sure she wants to play by his rules. But he is persistent-and darkly attractive-and Kyra can't quite resist his pull.
Tristam of Brancel is a young Palace knight on a mission. After his best friend is brutally murdered by the Demon Riders, a clan of vicious warriors who ride bloodthirsty wildcats, Tristam vows to take them down. But as his investigation deepens, he finds his efforts thwarted by a talented thief, one who sneaks past Palace defenses with uncanny ease.
When a fateful raid throws Kyra and Tristam together, the two enemies realize that their best chance at survival-and vengeance-might be to join forces. And as their loyalties are tested to the breaking point, they learn a startling secret about Kyra's past that threatens to reshape both their lives.

The Shadowhand Covenant by Brian Farrey

The Shadowhand Covenant by Brian Farrey - 375 pages
The Vengekeep Prophecies - Book 2

Jaxter Grimmjinx is celebrating his grandmother's retirement when he and his parents are called by the Shadowhand Covenant to help save its members before they all disappear.  While his parents set out immediately to try to contact the last members, Jaxter and an old friend turned enemy are kidnapped by the Sarosans in an attempt to free their imprisoned people.  Now Jaxter and that old friend must put aside their differences to save themselves, their families, and the Sarosans.

This the second book in the trilogy.  I really enjoyed the story.  While there wasn't a lot of connections between the first two stories, I have a feeling that the final book is going to explain what few confusing connections there are.  I'm looking forward to the third book.

The Vengekeep Prophecies by Brian Farrey

The Vengekeep Prophecies by Brian Farrey - 416 pages

Jaxter is the worst thief - in fact  he get's his whole family arrested when he sets a house on fire during his first assignment.  But then a prophecy is unveiled where the family of thieves will be the ones to save their town from a year of deadly calamities.  Now it is up to Jaxter and his only friend Callie to save the town, his family, and himself.
This was a great fantasy novel for kids.  It was fast moving but detailed.  And there are at least two more novels planned in the series.  I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of the series.

Scarlet by A C Gaughen

Scarlet by A C Gaughen  292 pages

Posing as one of Robin Hood's thieves to avoid the evil Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only her fellow outlaws, John Little, Much and Robin Hood know the truth - this agile thief is no boy but in fact a fearless young woman with a secret past. But Scarlet is torn between her desire to get as far from Lord Gisbourne as possible and a strong sense of responsibility to those who took her in when she was first on the run. As Gisbourne draws closer to Scarlet and puts innocent lives at risk, she must decide how much the people of Nottinghamshire mean to her, especially John Little and Robin, whose quick smiles and temper have the rare power to unsettle Scarlet.