The premise of this book got me really intrigued and I was excited to pick it up, thinking it was going to be super dark and twisty, but it didn't quite reach what I was hoping it would. In a lot of books I want to root for or identify with the main character, but in this one it's hard to do that with the attitude that Jo has most of the book.

I did feel that the book was mysterious and I wanted to see where it was going, but it did seem like a lot of the story was set up in a way. There were also a lot of plot holes that never really god addressed. I almost feel like this was set up with the intent of there being more to the story or further books, but there isn't.

I wanted to really love this one more than I did, but in the end I was left a little dissatisfied. There were certainly moments where it was fun and I was enjoying it - and I feel with some editing and refinement it could definitely be bumped up higher as the premise was fantastic.

I’m giving the book 2.5 stars. The idea was really good but execution didn’t live up to its potential. It wasn’t very well written and some of the ways people were described was insensitive. I don’t think calling a pregnant woman a whale, regarding a brown man as low class and a white woman as the “epitome of class,” calling someone a nazi because they were mean. I don’t think any of that is necessary, doesn’t add anything to the story or POV, just odd things people don’t say anymore. The ending wasn’t very satisfying but I’m not sure how else it could have been without making the book longer. I also think the first half could have been much shorter.

I have conflicting feelings about this book. I feel like the beginning and ending are frivolously drawn out. The first 3 chapters could’ve easily been left out and the story still be comprehensive. I almost DNFed it about 20% of the way through, until I read a review that compares it to the Labyrinth.
I wouldn’t totally agree with this comparison, but I will say the baby theft, fae being evil little demons, and a teenage girl who must solve it all match up. I’m not sure why we don’t get to experience faerie world, but I didn’t hate the mystery of it. I can only say that this book is vibe heavy, frustrating at times, and definitely not for everyone.

The Cherished is such a beautifully written YA fantasy. There are horror vibes throughout. The world-building is outstanding. The story is well written with an enchanting storyline and well-developed characters that engage from start to finish. The world is atmospheric and feels real with vivid descriptions and rich imagery. I cannot get enough. Highly recommended. Be sure to check out The Cherished today.

Jo has not had a relationship with her Gammy since she received a horrible scar as a child. But when her Gammy dies and leaves her a house and work to do, Jo must "do what must be done".

I loved the premise of this novel. There was the feeling of uneasiness as soon as Jo and her mother set foot on the property. But ultimately the book did fall flat. Jo is an ungrateful child that seems to complain about everything. It is not endearing. Add to that how her mother is, I found it hard to like them.

However, the characters of Tom and Hattie are intriguing. You know something is up with them the moment Jo meets them. But it's when we truly find out what they are that they become the best characters in the book.

Then there's the writing. It wants to be terrifying and pull you in with its visuals, but at many moments it was lacking. And I would honestly would have loved to get more than the little tidbits of Tom's point of view. Especially with the revelation about him near the end.

Overall, this wasn't a bad novel. It has the basics of a great concept and a few interesting characters. But I think it definitely needs to be fleshed out a touch more.

I gave this book a four out of five stars. I really enjoyed this book. I loved how this book went and I wasn't expecting it but enjoyed it so much.

I love the "woman inherits mysterious/sinister/weird/scary house from her deceased relative" trope that was going on here. It's an automatic read for me when I see that is the plot of a book. I like that Jo was developed fully - that's something else I like, when a single character in a single location is the main focus of a book. This story focuses on her fears, traumas, and findings in this house, and does get spooky/scary, but not too terrifying. I see that she is compared to Claire Legrand, Rory Power, and Danielle Vega. As someone who has read all of them, I can see how the comparison was made - each brings in the nuances of female trauma, often focusing on younger women.

I don't read reviews before I start a book, I never want to sway my opinion before reading, especially for review books. I received an email about The Cherished and thought that the premise sounded interesting and spooky, albeit there were also a lot of comparisons in it so I was a little skeptical. I started the book and was not initially feeling it but knew that I should press on.

The book follows Jo, a teen who is just trying to get by. Her mother is with a new man, her stepdad, who is controlling and her mom is pregnant and moody. One day she gets a note from her dad's mother that she is leaving her the house in Vermont, and it is her duty to take care of it. The note seemed weird and ominous, but Jo and her mom decide to go look at the house and see what needs to be done to sell it.

From the start, we hate Jo's mom, she is moody and rages a lot and takes it out on Jo mentally and emotionally, and Jo has been through a lot. Jo was kidnapped by her dad when she was young and he was having what seemed to be a mental break. So there is a lot of this story that is about mental illness and trying to heal, but none of it is done particularly well, and oftentimes even horribly to be honest. I hated the mother, she was not supportive of her daughter at all, in any ways, not even in her healing process... the stepdad was controlling and their relationship was weird too. It all felt forced. Once the plot really got going, I expected more creepiness and horror, and while the ending was a little scary, I didn't find myself too freaked out. I knew what was coming, the creatures were expected, and their reasons didn't feel fully fleshed out. There were a lot of ways the story could have gone, that the village could have been more proactive about to help the situation but they were all so passive and sad.

Overall, I just didn't like the book all that much. It had some ok elements and I finished it versus just putting it aside, but it as only Ok and I am not sure I would recommend it. If you are looking for something odd, and mental health doesn't bother you, i.e. you can put aside how horribly it is discussed, you might enjoy this book. If you are into cute fairies - also not for you.

I honestly am not sure what this book was aiming to be, but I’m guessing it didn’t achieve it. This book has some problematic and offensive language regarding race and mental illness to start with - which is a bold move in a book that is not set in a time period that could be leaned on to provide some basis for it.

In addition to that, there are mini entries between paragraphs, that I was thinking of as like diary entries of a not yet revealed other point of view…except those entries were never once explained. They were just dropped in for no apparent reason and didn’t add to, explain or support the story in any way.

As for the story itself, for me it was slow & stilted feeling for most of it. Closer to the end (maybe 75% in) I felt like maybe it was finally going somewhere, just to have it fall flat again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for early access to the e-ARC. My opinions & views are my own and while I hate to leave reviews that aren’t good, you just can’t win them all and this story didn’t work for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book wasn't horror. Maybe to people who are 100% new to the horror genre, this would be creepy, maybe. Maybe. If they can get past the stilted prose and unlikable main character.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love an unlikable MC. But Jo is unlikable in the way that she's a spoiled rich girl who is written in a way that makes you want to slap her. Mail is gross? Chores are unbearable? Hey, you're well off, maybe just hire a crew to fix the house and then a housecleaner? Like...?

The fairies weren't horror enough, the story wasn't spooky, and Jo was just a brat.

Two stars.

The good stuff: This book is about 16-year-old Jo who inherits a house in Vermont from her estranged grandmother, Gammy Maureen. This house holds memories of a traumatic past Jo struggles to recall. After what seems like a somewhat normal beginning to the story we walk into basically a nightmare situation. This was a very atmospheric detailed story with such a creepy vibe. This plot line was unlike anything that I have read before and it was an interesting concept. I think the fantasy aspect plays perfectly into the YA audience I assume this book was intended for.
The bad stuff: This book for me had no real redeeming characters. Perhaps it is my age and the fact that I was reading about a 16-year-old and that is how they act, but the MC for me just was really unlikeable. The pacing of this book was off for me with not a lot of stuff happening and then all the sudden it was over too quickly, and it was a lot of waiting for stuff to Let's also discuss the elephant in the room I noticed that the author approached certain topics in an outdated and offensive way. I think that mental health & body image topics are extremely important and if they are to be included in a story should be discussed in a different manner.
I did receive an ARC so perhaps some of this will be addressed and fixed in the released version so fingers crossed. I once again thank NetGalley, the author Patricia Ward and HarperCollins for giving me a chance to read, review, and give my honest opinion.

This book is extremely problematic and needs an entire reworking. The plot does not make sense and is all over the place. It is full of hateful rhetoric and harmful - full of fatphobic, ableist, and awful takes on mental health. Do better.

The Cherished is a story full of creepy atmospheric descriptions, suspense, and generations spanning mystery. What starts out as a relatively normal story of a young girl with a strange inheritance becomes something much more sinister and sad. The slow build-up to the end helps build tension. I also like how the ending remains a bit open ended, answering just enough to satisfy the reader's curiosity while still leaving some questions unanswered.
I do wish there was more about the other townspeople in the story. Most of the development came at the end when it felt too late. But the history of the town and their involvement in what takes place (trying to keep this vague to avoid spoilers) was one of the most interesting parts.
The Cherished is a quick, easy read for those looking for something to fill a rainy weekend.

The Cherished is a horror thriller novel by Patricia Ward that was released in 2023. The story follows Jo, a 16-year-old girl who inherits a mysterious house from her estranged grandmother. When Jo arrives at the house, she begins to experience strange and disturbing events. She soon learns that her grandmother was involved in a dark and dangerous cult, and that Jo may be the only one who can stop it.

The Cherished is a fast-paced and suspenseful read that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Ward does an excellent job of creating a sense of dread and foreboding, and the characters are well-developed and relatable. The novel is also full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end.

If you are a fan of horror thrillers, then I highly recommend The Cherished. It is a well-written and engaging novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading it.

I really tried to enjoy this but just wasn’t able to. There are comments that are racially insensitive and I’m hoping they were removed before being published. Besides that, the pacing is really off and nothing really seems to happen until over 50% in. Then the events at the end are rushed through. This story has an interesting premise but overall it just wasn’t for me. Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins Children’s Books for the arc.

After trying my hardest, this was another one that I couldn't vibe with. Some of this didn't make since and I kept having to go back and try to make sense. I've seen other talk about the racial remarks made, and I tend to agree. So this was a no for me.

This horrifying tale will leave your heart racing long after the story has ended. Aimed towards young adult readers, as an adult, I was properly spooked by the end.

The cherished is misleading based upon the synopsis and the comps. It starts off with a gothic set up-a young girl inherits the land and house of a grandmother she doesn’t know that well. There is a letter from the grandmother with instructions to care for a young tenant in her home. The home is atmospheric and the young tenant is odd. Jos father also has a history of delusions leading him to be estranged from her as well. However, as jo tries to unravel the past, she comes to question whether her father was delusional at all-what if his fantasy world was not a fantasy? It is at about the halfway point I lost interest as it moved more into dark fantasy territory. I feel like if the synopsis and comps were more accurate, I would have had a different experience, as it was well-.written and paced. The plot just wasn’t for me!

Thanks to the publisher for providing the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 10%

Holy god this was... something. From using "schizo state" to refer to a schizophrenic episode, to referring to non-white people in demeaning ways but calling white characters as "the epitome of class... honey hair...", to fatphobic remarks, to absolutely nonsensical writing, this book is a big no. I can't see it getting much better as it goes on.

Let's be honest, I picked this book solely on the cover. Loved this creepy, buggy cover and then after reading the synopsis I knew this could be a book for me. I do enjoy YA horror a lot. It can be disturbing without being too weird.

I didn't love this one. There were just some elements that didn't work for me, plus there are a lot of disturbing language that shouldn't be in books at this age of time, including racist and ableist commentary (very early on, but then it is not constant through out the book). If you manage to look past it and still would read the book, keep on reading.

I really liked the premise, a girl inherits a house from her grandmother. There are some bad memories there, including a weird night with her what looks like mentally disturbed dad. Even though she would rather keep the house, and move away from her mom and stepdad, her parents make the decision to sell it. There's a whole creepy vibe, of "you must keep it in the family", weird residents on the property, and some reverence from the whole little town for her grandmother and her family. The characters are not likeable in my opinion. There's a whole not enough communication trope going on, that would have solved so many problems if people just talked.

I don't want to tell the rest of the story, because that will give away the secret of the house. But the plot kind of fell apart from me with how the inheritance works, etc. There are some holes in there, that just don't make any sense.

I don't think I'll remember this book past this week. It wasn't memorable, and the "bad" kind of overshadowed the whole cool plot.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for my review copy, all opinions are my own.