Owen, Margaret. Painted Devils. Little Thieves Series; bk. 2. Henry Holt, 05/2023. 512pp. Fiction. Trade $20.99. 978-1-250-83116-3. GRADES 8 – Adult. OUTSTANDING.
Vanja and Emeric are back to delight readers and confuse their kingdom in the follow-up to Little Thieves. Though Vanja is the goddaughter of Death and Fortune, she takes a detour into drunkenness due to her self-doubt and past trauma, and ends up inventing and then accidentally invoking a destructive mythical figure in the form of The Scarlet Maiden. Owen’s writing is a delightful mix of humor, action, and insight, and she is especially powerful examining the way people need to heal from their pasts before they move forward and make good choices. Politics and power are central themes of the book, as well as self-advocacy, but perhaps the most remarkable achievement in this story is the honest and open examination of how awakening desire and physical intimacy impact young people and their communities.
Lesley Mandros Bell—Unaffiliated