Oh My Goodness… Holy Terrors: The end of the Little Thieves Trilogy

 IT’S FINALLY OUT. Well, technically it’s been out for over a month… and I’ve already read it twice, not that I have a problem. Quick warning here, this review will definitely contain spoilers for Painted Devils and maybe Little Thieves, so read at your own discretion (and please just read the books, they’re long but I swear they’re worth it). 

After vanquishing the spirit of her mother, the scarlet maiden, reuniting with her family after nearly fifteen years, and saving the love of her life, Vanja was finally ready to have a normal life. For once, everything she wanted was in her reach. Until she ran away, leaving Emric behind her, stealing herself away and returning to her life as the Penny Phantom… again. Because we have to keep the books coming somehow (not that I’m complaining haha).  

She couldn’t hide forever. Not when the Penny Phantom changed with the beliefs of the people. And certainly not after an imposter killed the Blessed Empress, leaving Vanja’s signature in her mouth, framing her for a murder she would never commit. She couldn’t hide with Emeric tracking her down.

But she had to clear her name somehow, or she would become what people thought of her, a murderous phantom of pennies. She had to clear her name somehow, even if it meant teaming up with the boy she’d abandoned two years ago without so much as a goodbye. And yet, it’s never that simple. Forced to face the demons of her past, Vanja must come to terms with who she has become and the choices she’s made before she becomes everything she fears. Before she loses the penny phantom, before she loses herself, before she becomes what they all believe. 

I don’t think there’s much I can say that I haven’t said before about Maragret Owen’s books other than: OH MY GOD THE ENDING OF THIS BOOK. I’m trying not to spoil it right now, but it just ties everything together so, so, so nicely. Things come back all the way from the first book as HUGE plot components, and it was just so well put together. I enjoyed this series so much and I cannot recommend it enough.

It’s almost bittersweet for me to see the Little Thieves trilogy come to an end. It’s been my favorite series for almost three years now and I have adored every moment of it. That said, I wouldn’t have wanted it to end any other way and I’m really looking forward to seeing what Margaret Owen does next. That’s it from me. Thank you for reading.

Childhood Books

Hello everybody and welcome to my last blog post of 2025! In honor of this school year ending, I wanted to review some childhood books that I’m sure everyone has read before. Back in elementary school, I remember loving to listen to books on Storyline Online (here is the link: https://storylineonline.net/) and reading books on Epic!. Here are some nostalgic children’s books that I would like to share with everybody.

1. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

• Summary: A bus driver takes a break and leaves the reader in charge, with one important instruction: “Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus!” and the pigeon shows up pleading and throwing tantrums to get permission to drive. This is a funny, goofy, extremely easy-to-read book for anyone who wants a little chuckle.

• I rate this book an 11/10.

2. Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems

• Summary: Trixie and her father go to the laundromat with Knuffle Bunny, which is Trixie's beloved stuffed bunny. However, soon after, Trixie realizes that she left Knuffle Bunny behind in the laundromat! The rest of the book is about the family's efforts to find Knuffle Bunny, emphasizing the power of a child's emotional attachment to their favorite toy.

• I love this book. 30/10.

3. A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon

• Summary: The main character, Camilla Cream, loves lima beans but won’t eat them because she’s worried that people will judge her. One morning, she wakes up covered in colorful stripes! She keeps trying to please others and “fit in”, but her condition just gets worse— she changes colors, shapes, and even turns into her surroundings. Doctors and experts can’t figure it out but eventually, a wise old woman gives her lima beans, and Camilla finally eats them without caring what others think and she gets cured.

• I rate this book a 20/10.

4. Clark the Shark by Bruce Hale

• Summary: Basically, Clark the Shark is really enthusiastic and loves school a little too much. He is too loud, plays too rough, and forgets to share with others. Soon, his classmates start avoiding him. But with help from his teacher, Mrs. Inkidinkity (or something like that) Clark learns to control his behavior by remembering short rhymes like “Stay cool in school.” Over time, he learns to balance his excitement and be a better friend.

• The book has so many fun rhymes and exposes tuff bars to people at a young age! I rate this book a 100/10.

5. Arnie the Doughnut by Laurie Keller

• Summary: Arnie is a freshly made doughnut at a bakery and he is way too excited about being chosen by a customer. One day, Mr. Bing buys him and Arnie learns that he is supposed to be eaten… And he is horrified! Instead of becoming a snack, Arnie convinces Mr. Bing to find a different use for him. Eventually, they come up with a solution and Arnie becomes Mr. Bing’s pet doughnut!

• This is a very fun and cute story. I rate this book a 13/10.

-Chloe L. :)

A new addition to the series! (The final sendoff)

  As we approach the final blog cycle, here is my last blog post for this year! Recently, one of the authors I previously mentioned (Tahereh Mafi) released another book in her Shatter Me series. The new book is called Watch Me, and it was released on April 25th, 2025! I just recently picked it up this previous weekend, and I hope to get around to reading it relatively soon.

Since I have not read the book, there won’t be spoilers in this post, but there will be information given from online sources. Mafi stated that this specific book will be through the perspective of James; James is Adam’s younger brother, and it should also be noted that we have never had James’ perspective. This opens a new point of view since he technically is one of the youngest within the main line of characters. Towards the earlier books in the series, he was being introduced as this shy child who was dealing with an unusual situation. In this world, he lived in his own apartment-like place, and he got pre-packaged meals that he put in the “automat” (microwave). I think it’s rather interesting that only now do we get his perspective. Mostly because he is set as a 21-year-old now, but when he was first introduced, he was 11. The other perspective within the book is a new character who goes by the name Rosabelle. Rosabelle is 21 years old and a mercenary for the reestablishment. That is pretty much all of the information that we are given about this new character, unfortunately.

I feel like this book is also stretched out from the main idea of the initial Shatter Me series. I have talked to some people who have either loved the 5th and 6th books in the series or thought that they were pretty similar. Personally, I do think that the 5th and 6th shared a lot of similarities when it comes down to it, but there are extra details added in each one that were also interesting. When I say stretched out, I mean that the initial idea was about Juliette being in an insane asylum for her accident, but now it has expanded to a lot more, such as her escaping. It has sort of drifted from that initial idea, and now it seems like some sort of battle between the reestablishment and her team is going to happen. I believe, as most books go, the main character(s) will win the battle, and that will be the end. I hope that that isn’t the case, though, and Mafi adds in more information or details, I suppose. With Rosabelle working with the reestablishment, I also hope we get some sort of balancing perspective between the two sides. 

All together, I’m pretty excited to read Watch Me, I think it will bring new insights about the original characters and the new ones too. The cover also deserves an honorable mention because it looks so so pretty. (I’ll link a photo below, but it is actually so gorgeous.) Other notes are not coming to my mind right now, but thank you for reading my post! I hope some of you consider checking this book in the future. That’s all for this post (and year too??). Bye-bye!

-Chloe B.🦆