Owen: Something that’s stuck out to me about “The Goose Girl” is that, in the original tale, the evil maid forces the princess to trade places with her through plain old bullying-and it works. What made you want to pick apart “The Goose Girl” and refashion it into something that has similar bones but is otherwise an extremely different tale? I also was very interested in stories about “socialite” scammers like Anna Delvey/Sorokin, who use illusions of fortune and status to grift the wealthy.Ĭulturess: I love that this is technically a fairytale retelling, but not one that’s a carbon copy of the original story.

I also had been nursing an idea for a story about a con artist who was cursed to do good deeds and found herself very bad at them. Margaret Owen: Thank you so much! After I turned in The Faithless Hawk, I had one more standalone book left to write to fulfill my contract, and I needed a break from the world of The Merciful Crow.

Tell me a little bit about how this story came into being. Culturess interview: Margaret Owen talks Little ThievesĬulturess got the chance to chat with Owen herself about Little Thieves, what she’s working on next, and why young adult fiction is having such a moment right now.Ĭulturess: I have loved everything you’ve written, but Little Thieves may just be my favorite yet. (You can thank me later, is what I’m saying.) Don’t believe me? Well, you can see what the author herself has to say about her new fairytale retelling, its complex characters, and the message at its core. With the news that the book is getting a sequel, you’ve really got no excuse not to dive into this series ASAP. Throw in a bunch of literal gods with their own agendas, an enemies-to-lovers romance, and several complex female friendships, and you’ve easily got one of the best fantasy books of the year. Little Thievesputs a unique spin on the Grimm’s fairytale, “The Goose Girl,” using the story’s familiar framework to turn the story of the character who stole her mistress’s life on its head and explore the lived experiences that might drive her to make such a desperate choice. (And by “world of YA fantasy,” I also mean “my personal reading list”.) From her debut duology comprised of The Merciful Crow and The Faithless Hawk to her new novel Little Thieves, her books are full of unexpected surprises, from their complex worldbuilding to their unconventional heroines. Margaret Owen has become quite a buzzy name in the world YA fantasy of late.

Margaret owen little thieves