Holy Terrors concludes one of my favourite YA trilogies with just as much heart and humour as the first. It is such an inventive fantasy series with a focus on introspection and character development, as well as fantastically constructed and twisty mystery plots that make you race through the pages.
This trilogy has such a fantastic protagonist at its heart. Vanja really is the driving force—you fall helplessly in love with her. The snarky, sharp and scheming protagonist from Little Thieves is still there and making disastrous decisions, but you understand her much better now. She is so caring and loyal and fiercely protective of those she loves. Her narrative voice is arresting and infused with such a quick wit that catches you by surprise. She has always had to think ten steps ahead, which shows in the spiralling narrative voice Owen gives her. It is always on the defence, always thinking about what her next move will be. Her trajectory over these books has been nothing short of transformative. She is probably one of the most memorable YA protagonists I have read about for a while and feels like she will have always stolen a sliver of my heart.
That is all a defensive mechanism built from years of trauma. The previous two books have delved into her past and battling the demons within in such interesting ways that allow for her character to develop (and regress) as the situation changes. We come to the pinnacle of that theme in this book with a bold and brilliant move from Owen. The way this book depicts grappling with your trauma and facing your past is nothing short of inspired. I will be vague here to avoid spoilers but it is a showstopper. Everything in this trilogy has been centered around Vanja’s journey and it peaks here. This feels like such an evolution of the previous books in every way.
Owen has created such a fascinating world with a magic system that is innovative and thought-provoking. I still have such a soft spot for Death and Fortune who get some brilliant moments here. Their relationship with Vanja is wonderful to witness even as it is tested and fractured. The world they inhabit is so rich and layered with all these great details. Vanja has often been entangled in these complicated mystery plots that unfold around her, with the meddling of gods and men alike. This is no exception with a tightly woven plot that keeps you glued to the pages. It is bloody and does not hold back. We get a vaster sense of scope in this book, with the various royal families coming into play. It adds geographically to the world but also in terms of the political scheming that Vanja has dabbled in throughout becoming more prominent. There are many games of chess going on here with fraught dynamics and shifts in power, as well as the murders. The stakes are sky-high and you feel that tension build around you. Owen really digs into these themes here—giving nuance and sensitivity in the handling of the overarching themes the series has been grappling with. The classism that has permeated each book is on full display as well. The actions of these elite will affect everyone, as Vanja well knows, so resolving this is vital.
Overall, Owen levels up in every aspect in this firecracker ending to the trilogy. This is such a grand book, giving Vanja’s story a fitting ending. It feels like an epic conclusion and it is well deserved.
Holy Terrors is the culmination of a spectacular YA trilogy that is constantly tricksy and thrives most in its incredible characterisation and mysteries.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
It’s been nearly two years since Vanja brought down the cult she started, and she’s still paying the price. As the Pfennigeist, she bucks the law in order to help the desperate and haunt the corrupt all across the empire―and no matter what, she works alone.
But an impossible killer is tearing through royalty, and leaving Vanja’s signature red penny on every victim. Suddenly the Pfennigeist is no longer a folk hero but a nightmare. When even the Blessed Empress falls, the empire’s seven royal families must gather to elect her successor within a matter of weeks, or risk the collapse of reality itself… even though it puts every house in the killer’s sights.
Vanja tells herself she’s wading into the royalty’s vicious games only to save the name she made, and the loved ones also in jeopardy. But the Order of Prefects has also put their sharpest official on the case, the one who swore he’d always find Vanja―until she broke his heart. Journeyman Prefect Emeric Conrad may no longer be the boy Vanja knew, but they’ll have to work together one last time to have any chance of surviving the deadly catastrophe coming for them all.
With bloody conspiracy, sinister magic, and old adversaries closing in, it will take everything Vanja has to save not just the people she loves, but the future she’s fought for. In this thrilling final chapter of the Indie Next series Little Thieves, New York Times-bestselling author Margaret Owen shows us the pain and beauty of choosing which demons to face, and which to forgive.
