
Painted Devils
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $24.74
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Saskia Maarleveld
-
By:
-
Margaret Owen
About this listen
Long-listed, School Library Journal Best Books of the Year, 2023
A scrappy former maid and jewel thief must outwit gods, injustice, and her own past in this sequel to the Indie Next Pick, Little Thieves by Margaret Owen.
Let's get one thing straight—Vanja Schmidt wasn't trying to start a cult.
After taking down a corrupt margrave, breaking a deadly curse, and finding romance with the vexingly scrupulous junior prefect Emeric Conrad, Vanja had one great mystery left: her long-lost birth family . . . and whether they would welcome a thief. But in her search for an honest trade, she hit trouble and invented a god, the Scarlet Maiden, to scam her way out. Now that lie is growing out of control—especially when Emeric arrives to investigate and the Scarlet Maiden manifests to claim him as a virgin sacrifice.
For his final test to become a prefect, Emeric must determine if Vanja is guilty of serious fraud or if the Scarlet Maiden—and her claim to him—is genuine. Meanwhile, Vanja is chasing an alternative sacrifice that could be their way out. The hunt leads her not only into the lairs of monsters and the paths of gods, but also the ties of her past. And with what should be the simplest way to save Emeric hanging over their heads, he and Vanja must face a more dangerous question: Is there a future for a thief and a prefect, and at what price?
From the indie bestselling author Margaret Owen comes to the thrilling next installment in the Little Thieves trilogy.
A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.
©2022 Margaret Owen (P)2022 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Merciful Crow
- By: Margaret Owen
- Narrated by: Amy Landon
- Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fie abides by one rule: Look after your own. Her Crow caste of undertakers and mercy-killers takes more abuse than coin, but when they’re called to collect royal dead, she’s hoping they’ll find the payout of a lifetime. When Crown Prince Jasimir turns out to have faked his death, Fie’s ready to cut her losses - and perhaps his throat. But he offers a wager that she can’t refuse: Protect him from a ruthless queen, and he’ll protect the Crows when he reigns.
-
-
Worth the read/listen
- By Shannon on 09-13-19
By: Margaret Owen
-
The Fragile Threads of Power
- By: V. E. Schwab
- Narrated by: Kate Reading, Marisa Calin, Michael Kramer
- Length: 21 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once, there were four worlds, nestled like pages in a book, each pulsing with fantastical power and connected by a single city: London. Until the magic grew too fast and forced the worlds to seal the doors between them in a desperate gamble to protect their own. The few magicians who could still open the doors grew more rare as time passed and now, only three Antari are known in recent memory—Kell Maresh of Red London, Delilah Bard of Grey London, and Holland Vosijk, of White London.
-
-
Best in the series!
- By Pat on 10-09-23
By: V. E. Schwab
-
Fourth Wing (Part 2 of 2) (Dramatized Adaptation)
- The Empyrean, Book 1
- By: Rebecca Yarros
- Narrated by: full cast, Robb Moreira, Megan Poppy, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders. But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.
-
-
5 REDEMPTION-FOR-PART-1 ⭐️’s
- By ➷➹➸❥HFB🔹🔹🔹 on 03-02-24
By: Rebecca Yarros
-
Belladonna
- By: Adalyn Grace
- Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
- Length: 13 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nineteen-year-old Signa Farrow, orphaned as a baby, has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her last remaining relatives are the Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at the glittering and gloomy estate of Thorn Grove. Thorn Grove’s patriarch, Elijah, mourns his late wife, Lillian, through wild parties and drink, while eldest son Percy grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation and daughter Blythe suffers from the same mysterious illness that killed her mother.
-
-
The narrator is amazing!
- By Nemofishy on 10-05-22
By: Adalyn Grace
-
One Dark Window
- By: Rachel Gillig
- Narrated by: Lisa Cordileone
- Length: 12 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets. But nothing comes for free, especially magic. When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure Blunder from the dark magic infecting it.
-
-
Unique magical world with an annoying HEERTH
- By April on 07-15-24
By: Rachel Gillig
-
Once upon a Broken Heart
- By: Stephanie Garber
- Narrated by: Rebecca Soler
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings…until she learns that the love of her life will marry another. Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic, but wicked, Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing. But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game—and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’d pledged.
-
-
Disappointing
- By ShawnieT on 11-02-21
By: Stephanie Garber
-
The Merciful Crow
- By: Margaret Owen
- Narrated by: Amy Landon
- Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fie abides by one rule: Look after your own. Her Crow caste of undertakers and mercy-killers takes more abuse than coin, but when they’re called to collect royal dead, she’s hoping they’ll find the payout of a lifetime. When Crown Prince Jasimir turns out to have faked his death, Fie’s ready to cut her losses - and perhaps his throat. But he offers a wager that she can’t refuse: Protect him from a ruthless queen, and he’ll protect the Crows when he reigns.
-
-
Worth the read/listen
- By Shannon on 09-13-19
By: Margaret Owen
-
The Fragile Threads of Power
- By: V. E. Schwab
- Narrated by: Kate Reading, Marisa Calin, Michael Kramer
- Length: 21 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once, there were four worlds, nestled like pages in a book, each pulsing with fantastical power and connected by a single city: London. Until the magic grew too fast and forced the worlds to seal the doors between them in a desperate gamble to protect their own. The few magicians who could still open the doors grew more rare as time passed and now, only three Antari are known in recent memory—Kell Maresh of Red London, Delilah Bard of Grey London, and Holland Vosijk, of White London.
-
-
Best in the series!
- By Pat on 10-09-23
By: V. E. Schwab
-
Fourth Wing (Part 2 of 2) (Dramatized Adaptation)
- The Empyrean, Book 1
- By: Rebecca Yarros
- Narrated by: full cast, Robb Moreira, Megan Poppy, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders. But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.
-
-
5 REDEMPTION-FOR-PART-1 ⭐️’s
- By ➷➹➸❥HFB🔹🔹🔹 on 03-02-24
By: Rebecca Yarros
-
Belladonna
- By: Adalyn Grace
- Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
- Length: 13 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nineteen-year-old Signa Farrow, orphaned as a baby, has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her last remaining relatives are the Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at the glittering and gloomy estate of Thorn Grove. Thorn Grove’s patriarch, Elijah, mourns his late wife, Lillian, through wild parties and drink, while eldest son Percy grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation and daughter Blythe suffers from the same mysterious illness that killed her mother.
-
-
The narrator is amazing!
- By Nemofishy on 10-05-22
By: Adalyn Grace
-
One Dark Window
- By: Rachel Gillig
- Narrated by: Lisa Cordileone
- Length: 12 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets. But nothing comes for free, especially magic. When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure Blunder from the dark magic infecting it.
-
-
Unique magical world with an annoying HEERTH
- By April on 07-15-24
By: Rachel Gillig
-
Once upon a Broken Heart
- By: Stephanie Garber
- Narrated by: Rebecca Soler
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings…until she learns that the love of her life will marry another. Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic, but wicked, Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing. But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game—and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’d pledged.
-
-
Disappointing
- By ShawnieT on 11-02-21
By: Stephanie Garber
-
A Study in Drowning
- By: Ava Reid
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. Haunted by visions of the Fairy King since childhood, she’s had no choice. Her tattered copy of Angharad—Emrys Myrddin’s epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him—is the only thing keeping her afloat. So when Myrddin’s family announces a contest to redesign the late author’s estate, Effy feels certain it’s her destiny. But musty, decrepit Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task, and its residents are far from welcoming.
-
-
A thrilling joy from start to finish
- By Michael J. Anderson on 09-28-23
By: Ava Reid
-
Divine Rivals
- A Novel
- By: Rebecca Ross
- Narrated by: Alex Wingfield, Rebecca Norfolk
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette. To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish—into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper.
-
-
Wanted to like it
- By Amazon Customer on 08-11-23
By: Rebecca Ross
-
A Curse Dark As Gold
- By: Elizabeth C. Bunce
- Narrated by: Charlotte Perry
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gold thread promises Charlotte Miller a chance to save her family's beloved woolen mill. It promises a future for her sister, jobs for her townsfolk, security against her grasping uncle - maybe even true love. But to get the thread, Charlotte must strike a bargain with its maker, the mysterious Jack Spinner. This is an award-winning and wholly original retelling of "Rumplestiltskin".
-
-
Complex Retelling of Rumpelstilskin
- By Peggy Stuart on 09-27-15
-
Mysteries of Thorn Manor
- By: Margaret Rogerson
- Narrated by: Emily Ellet
- Length: 3 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Elisabeth Scrivener is finally settling into her new life with sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn. Now that their demon companion Silas has returned, so has scrutiny from nosy reporters hungry for gossip about the city’s most powerful sorcerer and the librarian who stole his heart. But something strange is afoot at Thorn Manor: the estate’s wards, which are meant to keep their home safe, are acting up and forcibly trapping the Manor's occupants inside. Surely it must be a coincidence that this happened just as Nathaniel and Elisabeth started getting closer to one another.
-
-
Begging for More
- By Janelle Elizabeth on 02-25-25
-
Let Me Love You
- McClain Brothers Series, Book 1
- By: Alexandria House
- Narrated by: Jakobi Diem, Adenrele Ojo
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Trying to put past hurts behind you is hard when your ex is a fool, but buoyed by child support and alimony, Jo Walker is moving forward with her life, pursuing a career, raising her little girl, and trying to live in peace. She believes she has all the bases covered in her world. But what about her heart? Rap legend Everett "Big South" McClain is divorced, too, knows all about failed relationships, and has relegated his love life to casual connections rather than pursuing something real. That is, until he lays eyes on Jo.
-
-
OMG OMG OMG IF YALL DONT READ THIS BOOK!!!!
- By Y f on 08-25-18
By: Alexandria House
-
House of Salt and Sorrows
- By: Erin A. Craig
- Narrated by: Emily Lawrence
- Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor with her sisters and their father and stepmother. Once there were 12, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls' lives have been cut short. Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that her sister's deaths were no accidents. The girls have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn't sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts.
-
-
a novelized folk tale
- By Sarah on 10-30-19
By: Erin A. Craig
-
Curious Tides
- By: Pascale Lacelle
- Narrated by: Gary Furlong, Shakira Shute, Toni Frutin
- Length: 16 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Emory might be a student at the prestigious Aldryn College for Lunar Magics, but her healing abilities have always been mediocre at best—until a treacherous night in the Dovermere sea caves leaves a group of her classmates dead and her as the only survivor. Now Emory is plagued by strange, impossible powers that no healer should possess. Powers that would ruin her life if the wrong person were to discover them. To gain control of these new abilities, Emory enlists the help of the school’s most reclusive student, Baz—a boy already well-versed in the deadly nature of darker magic.
-
-
Predictable? Riveting!
- By Julia on 03-03-25
By: Pascale Lacelle
-
A Broken Blade
- The Halfling Saga
- By: Melissa Blair
- Narrated by: Kyla Garcia
- Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Keera is a killer. As the King’s Blade, she is the most talented spy in the kingdom. And the king’s favored assassin. When a mysterious figure moves against the Crown, Keera is called upon to hunt down the so-called Shadow. She tracks her target into the magical lands of the Fae, but Faeland is not what it seems—and neither is the Shadow. Keera is shocked by what she learns and can’t help but wonder who her enemy truly is: the King that destroyed her people or the Shadow that threatens the peace.
-
-
DNF, Poor voice over choice, slow story
- By Melinda on 09-27-22
By: Melissa Blair
-
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy
- By: Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, and others
- Narrated by: Devon Bostick, Jack Falahee, Luke Pasqualino, and others
- Length: 17 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Simon Lewis has been a human and a vampire, and now he is becoming a Shadowhunter. The events of City of Heavenly Fire left him stripped of his memories, and Simon isn't sure who he is anymore. So when the Shadowhunter Academy reopens, Simon throws himself into this new world of demon hunting, determined to find himself again. Whomever this new Simon might be. But the Academy is a Shadowhunter institution, which means it has some problems.
-
-
Great narration and story about Shadowhunters
- By Lynn on 02-18-17
By: Cassandra Clare, and others
-
Anatomy
- A Love Story
- By: Dana Schwartz
- Narrated by: Mhairi Morrison, Tim Campbell
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hazel Sinnett is a lady who wants to be a surgeon more than she wants to marry. Jack Currer is a resurrection man who’s just trying to survive in a city where it’s too easy to die. When the two of them have a chance encounter outside the Edinburgh Anatomist’s Society, Hazel thinks nothing of it at first. But after she gets kicked out of renowned surgeon Dr. Beecham’s lectures for being the wrong gender, she realizes that her new acquaintance might be more helpful than she first thought.
-
-
Loves it!
- By megan mccuin on 01-20-22
By: Dana Schwartz
-
The Liar’s Crown
- Dominion (Owen), Book 1
- By: Abigail Owen
- Narrated by: Luis Moreno, Samara Naeymi
- Length: 14 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Everything about my life is a lie. As a hidden twin princess, born second, I have only one purpose―to sacrifice my life for my sister if death comes for her. I’ve been living under the guise of a poor, obscure girl of no standing, slipping into the palace and into the role of the true princess when danger is present. Now the queen is dead and the ageless King Eidolon has sent my sister a gift―an eerily familiar gift―and a proposal to wed. I don’t trust him, so I do what I was born to do and secretly take her place on the eve of the coronation.
-
-
DNF. So bad.
- By Mama Lewis on 02-05-23
By: Abigail Owen
-
Bloodleaf
- By: Crystal Smith
- Narrated by: Nicola Barber
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Princess Aurelia is a prisoner to her crown and the heir that nobody wants. Surrounded by spirits and banned from using her blood-magic, Aurelia flees her country after a devastating assassination attempt. To escape her fate, Aurelia disguises herself as a commoner in a new land and discovers a happiness her crown has never allowed. As she forges new bonds and perfects her magic, she begins to fall for a man who is forbidden to rule beside her.
-
-
Not Understanding All the Praise
- By GPChlorine on 08-23-19
By: Crystal Smith
What listeners say about Painted Devils
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Castalia
- 07-09-23
Love these stories
Disappointed that I have to wait until the next book is released to find out what happens.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Whimsical Dragonette
- 03-28-25
Outstanding writing and characters
The twists and turns of the unspooling plot and the misdirection left me breathless. Margaret Owen is a masterful writer and her characters are so real. The narrator did a wonderful job
Conveying all the emotions of the story. 15/10 will read again - and I can’t wait for the next book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Vivi
- 05-29-23
Refreshing, funny, brilliant
I love the way this authors writes! Canna is hilarious and so easy to love I can’t wait for the third book!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Maria
- 11-14-24
So good!! Loved this!!
This was so good!! This was just as good as book 1 and I can’t wait for book 3!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Deborah Overstreet
- 05-17-23
Absolutely adored this book!
“Little Thieves” stole my heart in 2021, and “Painted Devils” is keeping it.
Vanja didn’t mean to start a cult. She meant to go straight, to prove she was worthy of the boy she loved, but with a single, drunken mistake, she ruined everything. Desperate to reclaim the rubies she dropped in the river, Vanja weaves a story of the Scarlet maiden and the vision she was given to trick the villagers to help her. Suckered into staying longer than intended, Vanja is caught by Emeric, who was sent to investigate this new cult. Things are only complicated further when the Scarlet Maiden actually appears and demands a blood sacrifice, either Emeric himself or the blood of seven brothers. Desperate to save her protractor boyfriend, Vanja sets out on a quest to retrieve this blood, and in the process, discovers the family that abandoned her.
One thing I really loved about this book (other than Vanja’s creative ways of describing Emeric) was how much of a big deal they made about sex being consensual and pleasing to both parties. Since Vanja was abandoned as a child, no one had bothered to teach her about sex, and though the act itself was off screen, Vanja and Emeric discussed it thoroughly, making sure each was ready for that next step and respecting when they weren’t ready. It was a wonderful example of the consideration partners should have, and one very rarely seen in books.
I also loved meeting Vanja’s family, and the story they revealed that both fit with the one Vanja remembered and contrasted with it. It was beautiful to see the gremlin of a girl be accepted for who she is, just as she is, and helped to love herself.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Claudia Udy
- 08-07-24
Really good
So unusual and really great story and telling.
It is a story that teens as well as older people can enjoy.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Margaret
- 05-22-23
Can’t wait for book 3!
I got the first book out of curiosity and then fell in love. Book 2 did not disappoint and I can’t wait for 3!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Megan 📖
- 06-29-23
Easy 5 stars
The way I laughed AND cried in the same page. I can’t get enough of Owen’s characters. I can’t wait for book 3!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Vanessa
- 06-24-24
A High-Stakes Follow Up
I loved the emphasis on family. Painted Devils was a witty, fun ride with interesting villains.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Cat
- 05-25-23
Book Three When???
Amazing. Loved it. Rabid for the next installment. You know a book is solid when you're simultaneously rooting for the main character and wanting to shake them.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!