I did not really enjoy reading this. I read a fair bit of thrillers and I was not captivated by this. The writing was hard for me to get into personally and it seemed a bit all over the place at times. There were also some plot holes. I know this was YA but the main character felt REALLY young, and I couldn’t see past that do to how she acted and responded to situations, I also was not a fan or the mental health representation in this. Over all it just left a lot to be desired, the idea was there; it was original and sounded like it would be great but it just didn’t live up to what I expected. The pacing was off for me too, and was a bit exhausting to stay engaged.

What a fantastic book! It was easy to forget Jo is just a 16 year old girl when she’s kicking fairy butt and saving lives! I really liked how her mom also came around and realized that Jo’s dad Enzo wasn’t really crazy, and that Jo had a place there at the house in Vermont. I’d love a follow up to this book where maybe Jo finds a way to trap the old ones and return them to the UK where they were originally taken from. This was one I couldn’t put down once I started it. The writing was very good and the story flowed nicely. I’d recommend this book to others for sure!

I was unable to finish this book. I tried and tried, taking breaks only to try again, but I just couldn't make it far. The writing is not my style and the awful stereotyping and abundance of triggers are just too much for me.

At first I wasn't sure I'd enjoy this read because of too many parallels to my own childhood. I grew up on a farm and I did not enjoy any aspect about it, the early mornings and nonstop work and being located in such a remote area we couldn't get cable TV (internet wasn't even a thing at that time). I didn't want to read anything remotely similar and expected I might give up on the book before giving it a fair chance, but the writing was so good and I became so invested in the characters and their story that it never occurred to me to stop reading. I wanted to find out what Jo's grandmother's mysterious letter meant, when she told her she was leaving her all her property and belongings and that it was her duty to care for them. I wanted to know the full story behind Jo's dad's alleged mental illness and his kidnapping her. I was desperate to learn more about the people on the farm, why they behaved so strangely and what secrets they were hiding. I chose to read this book based on the beautiful cover alone and didn't really pay attention to the synopsis, and I had no idea what was coming.

The full first half of this book is an introduction to the characters and hints about their backgrounds. Jo is the lead, a teenage girl whose grandmother has left her everything in her will. But her mom and stepdad tell her under no uncertain terms that the farm must be sold because it's worthless. Jo has a couple years before she's of legal age to own a house, so it seems she has little choice in the matter. She and her mother go to inspect the property, have a realtor provide some information on the value of everything, and to clear out whatever is just garbage that needs getting rid of, since the house is anything but tidy, filled with expired food and piles of laundry and even rat droppings.

I thought the characters and their relationships felt incredibly real and they were realistically complex. Jo has a typical teenager's relationship with her mother. Her father died and she has a stepfather she doesn't think cares for her at all, and she has feelings of jealous and spite over the fact that her mom is pregnant and she'll have a much younger stepsibling to contend with. Her mom's family comes from money, and they have blatant racist feelings toward her deceased father (who was adopted), which makes Jo self-conscious about her own skin color. Her paternal grandmother is the one that is leaving everything to her, and Jo has conflicted feelings about that situation because she hasn't seen her grandma in so many years, and her memories from childhood days spent on the farm are blurred but she thinks her grandmother may have beaten her. It was interesting to see her memories come in focus as she spends time on the farm and begins to relieve some of the events from long ago.

I liked exploring the farm and the nearby town with Jo. It was driving me crazy how everyone seemed to know the Big Secret except Jo and her mother, and I wanted to know so badly what was going on. I had my own suspicions but they were way off the mark. I couldn't have predicted how dark the story was going to get after the halfway mark.

The second half of the book has Jo realizing exactly what her grandmother was protecting and what is at stake. The situation is far graver than she could have guessed, and she has to do awful things that are so beautifully written that you can feel and empathize with her as she goes through the new tasks set before her. There were moments I felt her terror and remorse.

I felt the story wrapped up beautifully with Jo accepting what her life's purpose will be, and trying to make amends with the people in town and on the farm that she's put in danger. I loved how her relationship with her mom and stepdad evolved as well. The story had dark moments but in the end you really feel hopeful that everything will work out. I loved this book so much and would love to read more of this author's work in the future!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book!

This book was weird in a lot of ways. I don't feel like the faries were fleshed out. Why were they attacking the house? Why were they stealing kids? Things were happening, but there was nothing explaining why it was happening. The characters were fine. I didn't really connect with them. The teenager main character doesn't act like a teenager. Overall it was okay but nothing to write home about.

Some problematic representations of schizophrenia. The writing format is odd - presumably because it is trying to relay the mental instability of the character. I feel like the story had potential, but it fell flat in many places.

Rather underwhelming, really. The premise is intriguing and there's the bones of a good book here, but it just mostly falls flat.

I think this would have worked a lot better with an older protagonist; Jo as a sixteen year old has no agency, but instead of upping the stakes or having her make hard choices, everything is just tedious as she argues with her mother.

The story aims for folk horror a la Midsommar or The Wicker Man, but due to the way the plot forces importance on Jo, instead of the townsfolk's vague warnings adding tension, it mostly makes everyone seem very stupid that they won't give the supposed chosen one the information she actually needs.

It feels like there's attempts at setting up a sequel, but it seems unlikely that it'll ever manifest.

My thanks to the author and the publisher for the chance to read this book. Unfortunately, this just was not the book for me. I felt very disconnected from the characters and underwhelmed as the description promised far more than what I got. I expected gothic and creepy with a dose of symbolism and social commentary - unfortunately I just got a rather boring attempt at an eerie house with none of the payoff or investmenr required to enjoy myself.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review.

I fell in LOVE with this cover. It is absolutely stunning, whoever created this deserves a raise. When I read the blurb I became very excited for this book, the premise sounded great, the cover was phenomenal, it was pitched as YA Horror/ Thriller with Fairies- I was anticipating this to be a fantastic book.

It, however, did not meet my expectations. The writing was extremely clunky & continually pulled me out of the story. The main character was sometimes okay, but the scenes with her mother were excruciatingly painful to read- the mother acts selfish, childish & and made me want to grind my teeth in irritation. I do not 'DNF' ARCs that I have requested unless they are absolutely unbearable, and it almost happened with this book. I constantly wanted to put it down, and would have if it had been any longer than the 230ish pages it was.

16 year old “Jo” inherits her grandmother’s property that legends say harbors fairies, that if they escape their world, kidnap young children and from town and take them back with them. Jo has also received a letter from her grandmother explaining that along with the house comes great responsibility. Jo’s mother and stepfather attempt to force Jo to sell the property, but will Jo carry out her generational tasks?

I did not like the writing style of this book whatsoever. The run on sentences mixed with choppy short ones gave a horrible reader experience. This seriously needs to go back to editing, I DNF’ed at 40%. Thank you for the advanced copy

TW: racism, mental illness, kidnapping, domestic abuse, death of a parent

What was even this book? This book was an experience to say the least. The storytelling from a horror aspect was horribly done and it didn't know it wanted to be a regular horror book or a gothic horror. The plot most of the time didn't make sense and felt so cookie cutter. The writing was too confused to be wanted from the back and front of the past to present, one dimensional characters, lackluster plot with random excerpts that didn't make sense for the story at all. All though I didn't really notice the racism aspect of book but there something mention about in connection to nazis and that did make me rather uncomfortable. This was such a big disappointment from a book with such a gorgeous cover.

If I could give this zero stars I would. I couldn’t get more than 10% into this book before I had to stop. The writing is unbearably childish. Every single sentence is a slog to get through, and the first sentence is an entire paragraph of nonsense. This book needs to go back to an editor ASAP

I enjoyed some of the books this was compared to in the blurb, but I struggled to get into this one. I think the writing style was just not for me.

First off, this cover is so good! It's what initially drew me to this book to begin with. Then, the description of a "visceral horror thriller in the vein of Midsommar". Um, yes, please!

Unfortunately, this story left a lot to be desired. The writing was... interesting. It is chalk full of really long run-on sentences. Lots of unnecessary descriptions and then at times blunt and not adding to the story at all.

The characters were just meh for me. I really didn't enjoy them 😬 and the story itself left a lot to be desired. It really could have been a great story, but the writing and some elements made it feel flat, yet clunky.

The pacing is way off. It takes forever to get to anything, and even then, it seems to take even longer. The concept was there, it just was not well executed.

I always feel bad leaving "bad" reviews, but I also try to always be honest, and this one just didn't do it for me. I didn't find it to be as described.

Unfortuantely, and I see this isn't unpopular, this didn't do it for me. I didn't like the writing, and I felt it to be choppy and weird at times. There was a great invision for this story but in actuality, it didn't work the way it was supposed to. I'm really bumbed about it, and I hope that it can get better before it's published.

This book was phenomenal! I never thought I’d be pulled in by a story about fairies. I always figured that they were much like Tinker Bell at the store. It made me rethink that thought. I loved the characters, especially Jo and Hattie. Jo was just an ordinary girl until she realized she wasn’t. I love how she had to deal with real life issues, like her overbearing mother, and incredibly boring stepfather. This was wonderfully written and I’m definitely looking forward to more from this author!

The Cherished by Patricia Ward was a gripping YA horror story!

I enjoyed this book way too much!
It was a fun, intriguing and entertaining read.
Honestly it was a bit of a slow-burn.
But the storytelling and characters were well-developed and compelling.
My first time reading Wards work and I'll most definitely pick up another one by her.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperTeen for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The writing in this was chopping but i did enjoy it. And liked the setting and the plot and characters as well. And really thougjt this could be a favorite but the writing wasnt all there

Wild story about a young girl that inherits her grandmother's home and property. As a minor, her parents plan to pack everything up and sell it. Jo is not so sure that she wants this to happens and reminds her parents that the inheritance is hers. Regardless, Jo and Mom head to the property ... and this is where the story actually begins. The inheritance is more than just tangible property. Jo is introduced to a world that she didn't know existed and is given the opportunity to become so much more than just a kid! This magical story is so unique and entertaining! A wonderful read!