Painted Devils

 Painted Devils by Margaret Owen, 512 pages.

In this sequel to Little Thieves, which I wrote about here, we catch back up with Vanja several months later, and she is not doing well. Her own self-destructive tendencies make her flee the friends and loved ones she had by the end of Little Thieves, believing herself unworthy of them and going off on her own to try to learn some honest skills that will make her feel worthy of love. Unfortunately, old habits die hard, and she accidentally starts a cult instead. This becomes an even bigger problem when the god she made up manifests and demands human sacrifice. It is an even bigger problem when she demands the sacrifice be Emeric Conrad, Vanja's (ex?)boyfriend, who was in town to investigate if divine fraud was being committed and finally earn full admittance to the prefects. A quest follows trying to find a way to resolve the multiple situations that are implied there, which soon begins to show ties to Vanja's past.

This was an excellent sequel. Although it wasn't quite as much my thing as the first book, Owen is a good enough writer that things that would drive me crazy in other books (such as a lot of pages dedicated to the sex lives of teenagers) are handled well and feel like they contribute significantly to the themes of the book overall. This is slated to be the second book in a trilogy, and it definitely reads like one. There is a lot of time spent developing relationships, establishing problems, and a less than satisfying ending. This book is written with craft and maturity, and is a great example of literary merit in young adult novels. I'm definitely looking forward to the next one!