Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Treasured One in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed reading this book, I got through it very quickly. I love the idea for the story with two different worlds colliding, human and fae.
Main character Avery has an ability to heal other people and with Riel’s help she is getting to learn more about her ability and becomes even stronger.
I enjoyed seeing the main characters falling for each other knowing it won’t be easy for them to be together.
I would definitely recommend reading this book if you love romance that’s not very spicy.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one! Although it didn't do anything particularly groundbreaking, the almost dystopian opening setting was completely unexpected and added a really interesting layer to the story.
Instead of being immediately thrust into a fantastical world, we first spend some time in the White House - and the descriptions of the people waiting outside the gates to be healed definitely had an apocalypse-style feel to me. As we continued from this into the fantasy aspects, I was cautious at first. We were introduced to two princes right off the bat and I had a horrible feeling we were setting up for a 'vying for her love' situation. Once I realised that wasn't the direction this book was going to head in, I was able to relax and actually found that the majority of these characters had some real depth to them.
One love-hate aspect of this novel for me was all the cultural references. I loved Riel's general confusion and demonstration of how fluency in a language doesn't equal full understanding of a culture, but also so many of the phrases and expressions in here already felt a little forced and dated - as is the nature of internet-based discourse.

This was a cute, fun, easy to read fae romance.

The premise was good, about a magical rift that appeared in the world that opened up a portal between the fae and human realms, which allowed magic to enter into the human realm, allowing certain humans to be born with magic.

I would have loved to see more of the politics play out, and not just a focus on the romance and magic, but the characters were good, and for a light, fun romance, it was a good read.

A rift has opened connecting the human realm to the fae realm, and through that rift magic has seeped into the human world causing some humans to be born with magic. The main character, Avery, is one of those humans. At age 8, she is brought to the White House and sequestered there for her safety. The US government trots her out once a month in couture dresses that she thinks are hideous to heal the lucky terminally ill who manage to make the trek there and also make it to the front of the gates. Suddenly in her early 20's, Avery's magic stops working during a healing event and she passes out. Turns out, her organs are all failing and the doctors have no idea why. She is taken to the fae realm under the protection of their royal family to heal and learn about her magic.
Despite the two realms being at least accessible to each other for many years, Avery knows nothing about them due to her near imprisonment.

Avery is up against a clock set entirely by her government caretakers who are clear that they want her to come back as quickly as possible so that they can resume her healing events. The government official in charge of those events is the absolute worst and clearly does NOT care about Avery, only about getting her back to do more events. And poor Avery believes that she has to get back as soon as possible-to her life of healing, internet, and video games-because she feels like she owes it to the government because they have fed and housed her for all these years.

I really enjoyed the plot and worldbuilding of this book, and I really enjoyed that Avery was learning the world right along with us. Riel was a very great and lovable MMC, and it was interesting watching him and Avery attempt to navigate a relationship with a bit of a culture barrier between them. There were only two complaints I had about this book. The first is that I have no idea how much time actually passed during the duration of the book. The only time a timeframe is ever stated is between the last chapter and the epilogue. There are several times where it is stated that Avery has been in the fae realm for a while, but then there are also times later on where she says she has not known Riel that long, so it is too soon for love, and that confused me a bit because I was thinking she had been there like close to a year or something at that point. The other thing is that the dialogue could be cringey at times, particularly when Avery had to explain modern sayings to Riel. The one that stands out the most is after they have sex she says something like he could be a "daddy" and then not long after says "mama" has it covered when talking about her healing herself and Riel asks her if it is commonplace to talk about parents in sexual conversations. There are several other references and things too that would have been funny just on their own as the musings of a 20-something girl who doesn't get out much, but explaining it made it weird.

Overall, great book!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. This was.. very hard to get through. There were many times that I considered DNF'ing it. The FMC wasn't very relatable imo, and while she was an adult, she spoke and acted like a teenager. I also never felt any true chemistry between her and the MMC. I wasn't captivated by the story, and I kept waiting for something exciting to happen, but it didn't. This read like a YA book, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it wasn't for me. I think my expectations were just a tad bit too high.

First off, thank you Hannah Levin, Aethon Books, and NetGalley for providing this eARC and allowing me to read this book for an honest review.

Things I enjoyed: the story concept was unique and had a lot of promise. The pacing was on point for this type of story and I’m intrigued with where this is going since it’s said to be the first book.

Things I didn’t enjoyed: character development was lacking. Avery felt more like a YA character and it was hard to relate to her. It just felt kind of flat compared to some of fae books I’ve read so far.

I think there is huge promise for this series, but as it stands I didn’t love this as much as I wished I had. I’m excited for where Hannah goes as an author because I feel that her skills are totally there. I’ll definitely continue to support.

I read this as an arc from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

First off, I appreciate the pronunciation guide at the beginning of the book. It gives me the impression that it was a well-written story. There was some decent research into the language variation when I read it. Lists of characters are always fun to have and reference back.

The first scene in the prologue had the elements of a proper European/medieval fantasy read. But then comes the funny language usage such as; "Iron hardware" which to me sounded like a hardware store, "head cocked" which cheapens the writing, and many more throughout the story that disturbed my reading experience. A seer character in that prologue meant to talk in a riddling manner, but I find them very childish instead. I saw the vision, but the execution was not it.

The first chapter had a good fantasy chapter name, "The Golden Child". Aside from that, I couldn't find anything else to like from the first chapter. The writing was blunt in a way that annoyed me. Avery, the main character annoyed me at times. Not a single thing from her character stood out as unique or memorable to me.

I stopped reading at the 4% mark to this book and I don't feel like reading more into it.
I figure I was not the target market for this book. The cover was really beautiful, the premise was alright, but the end result is not for me.

3.75⭐️
I received this book as an ARC, and I enjoyed it! I really liked the concept of this book. The modern day America with a Rift to the Fae world was a cool and unique concept. The love story was fun and I enjoyed the FMC learning about the Fae world while she was there. This was a bit slow for a lot of the middle of the book and I wished we were able to see a little bit more action in the story, but overall I had a good time. There is some spice so be aware of that when going into the book. I did find Avery, the FMC, a little bit childish at times but Riel (the MMC) absolutely made up for it. It’s nice reading a quick, standalone fantasy book that I would recommend if it sounds up your alley!

This is a solid 4 ⭐️ book for me.

Urban fantasy may not be for everyone but the way our modern day world and the Fae realm were intertwined was just so beautifully done!
Our FMC is extremely relatable and actually realistic for once. I think this book is a fantastic example that you don’t need a annoyingly weak main character to make for some good growth in their power and self.
The MMC is simply lovable.

While I really enjoyed this book, my only con is the end as it felt way too rushed. The pacing is great through the story but everything quickly wraps up with the last few pages which I wish the author had taken a little more time with.

Overall, however, this is a great read and a lovely story!

I had no issues with the section I read, but I was bored. The fmc did seem very young, tho. Thank you to Netgalley and Aethon Books for an arc of this.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!</i>

2.5 stars rounded to 3.

The Treasured One is based in modern day society and follows Avery through her journey as a healer/mender in to the fae realm after becoming sick and losing her powers. I really did like the idea that there was our world, normal and real-life like, and there was the fae world, which could be traveled through a rift due to magic. The fae world was fun, the animals were cute, but I found it kind of boring.. They had magic but didn't use it much which made it feel less 'fantastical'. I think the plot had a lot of potential and the romance between Avery and Riel was very cute. I do not think that the whole book was as fleshed out as I hoped, as it seemed to lack substance. I was wanting more war or angst or even politics between the fae and humans, but it wasn't as action packed as I hoped.

It did feel quite young for me although the fmc was in her 20's. I was hoping for more adult level fantasy, but found the fmc having pop culture references and certain slang to be quite childish.

The best part of the story to me was Avery and Riel and their journey as strangers to lovers. I do wish there was more angst and more tension, as it did feel a little insta-lovey.

The ending was quite abrupt and I felt it was rushed, not everything was cleared up and had me wanting more.. The ideas of the book were great and it was a really interesting concept, I do wish it was slightly better executed.

The Treasured One by Hannah Levin drew me in with its stunning cover, captured me with its wonderful prose, and kept me enthralled with its amazing pacing.

I loved that this story hones in on the wounded or emotionally injured healer trope with a main character who is exceptionally sheltered due to the nature of her powers and role in society.

I think this story will read particularly well for adult readers who enjoyed the themes and writing of tamora pierce previously but are looking for more romantic elements in their stories now.

I enjoyed following Avery as she heals from her trauma, and most of all, witnessing her journey to finding herself and her voice was an amazing read. It was funny to see her transition from our world, where we have access to so much (mostly technology), to a simpler kind of life where she easily finds boredom. This is so typical—I mean, let's be honest, if we had a blackout, no electricity even for just a few hours, what would we do with our time?

Anyway, back to the book. The world-building (Fae realm) was really nice to read, and the author made it easy for me to imagine it by drawing links to our own world. I was not expecting it to be so good, and honestly, midway through reading, I thought… damn, I started reading a series again and will have to wait a long time to read book two. But I was so wrong… Well, I guess there could be a book two, but this book finishes on a great note. Some unexpected and sad things happen by the end, but the happy ending is still there! All and all a great read!

The Treasured One takes place 24 years after The Rift opened, a portal between Earth and where the Fae live. After that, some human children were born with the magic only the Fae used to have, called Golden Children. Avery is one of these Golden Children, and she's a healer. Her life has always been out of the ordinary: she moved to the White House after her parents couldn't handle the attention anymore, and she does monthly healing events. Her only connection to the outside world are her two body guards and her online gaming. Despite such a wild background, Avery is a really likeable character. She's funny, a bit relatable. She's not perfect, and she's just really nicely written.
So Avery basically performs a few miracles every month, but the toll has been higher than she ever knew, and one day she loses her magic. To try and heal her, she's sent across the Rift to go live and learn with the Fae. There, not only does she come to learn more about her magic, she also gets pretty close to her teacher, the second prince Riel. He is also a very good character.
The two have good chemistry, the book has very easy pacing. The world building is a little basic, but that's fine. All around it's a very nice, mid-stakes romantasy,

“The Treasured One,” by Hannah Levin

Avery has the ability to heal any illness and injury. She lives sheltered and brought out to heal people. She wants her freedom but is afraid to go against everyone. Her powers start acting up, preventing her from healing others and instead she is getting ill. Avery travels through The Rift to the Fae realm, in hopes of answers to her powers. Prince Riel has agreed to teach her about her rare magic. As they work together, they cannot help but to continue to get closer.

I absolutely loved this book. I liked that the main character is a human with magic, she is very innocent and sweet and just wants to do the right thing. Her inner conflict of wanting to use her powers to heal everybody but also experience freedom and live for herself was relatable. Riel is also a character that has a good heart and wants to trust but also protect his loved ones despite everyone else things the worst of humans and Avery. 5 out of 5 stars.

-Fae
-Multi POV
-Magic

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

I received an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this book from NetGalley. The Treasured One is due for release on July 9, 2024.

The cover and the blurb of this book were what caught my attention. I was expecting some epic romantasy (romantic fantasy) story…, and while there were aspects of that within it, I was rather let down by it.

I have to be honest, I found it rather boring. Nothing much happened. Significant gaps existed between the action, and the action/drama didn’t last longer than about a page. There are characters within the story who could have caused drama but didn’t; if they had, it would have added an extra layer of interest. There weren’t any obstacles for the main characters to overcome in their ‘journey’. This also meant I felt like there was little to no character development for the MCs and the side and extra characters. The fae don’t trust the humans, and the humans don’t trust the fae, but that isn’t something that is improved or developed along the way. It is part of the plot but felt more forced and wasn’t overly thought out.

The main plot line was the relationship between Avery and Riel. I was, however, somewhat surprised when Avery started saying she had growing feelings for Riel. When did that even happen? I didn’t feel that there was much romantic build-up or proper ‘get-to-know-you’ moments. It was just skipped over, and then they had feelings for each other and were being protective.

There are some wonderful descriptions of the fae world. It was well imagined and really interesting, with some wonderfully unique places and ideas.

I was somewhat angry at the ending. It felt unresolved and left me asking, “Why? Was there not a better way to go about it?”

Needless to say, I was not a huge fan. I feel it could have done with a touch more development and interaction between all the characters, not just the MCs. It is a debut, and Levin has the potential to be an awesome author.

If my best friend was telling me this story I would be enthralled and loving every second of it. However, it reads at best as good fanfic/AO3, which if it was a friends would be heavily invested in. As I’m not it was enjoyable but lacking. Great for a quick fun read but nothing that’s going to keep you obsessed until the next one
The time line was probably one of the better ones for a fantasy novel. Problems weren’t quick fixes and required effort.
Points for preface and glossary.
The new world/culture and creatures was wonderful but surface level. Gave Avatar (Cameron) vibes. Where it’s bright and shiny but not complex. moderate attention was given to environment and creatures. politics, religion, and society was rather brushed off.
Characters were two dimensional without character development to go with angst, exception to the main character. Avery was sweet and kind and brave but naive at best and cringy at other times. Every other character was in her world as plot points without substance.
A very pro America novel. That survived a world changing event unscathed and in a typical manner.

Thank you Aethon Books and NetGalley for the access of this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Here goes.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It felt long and rushed all at the same time: the first 75% of the book dragged on a little bit whereas the conflict resolution felt a little too fast. From the blurb, I was expecting adventure and I'm sad that there wasn't that much adventure going on.

As much as I wanted to, I don't think was able to form a proper connection with the characters... They just didn't click for me.

I was also a bit confused by the few third-person POV switches (from different characters) when the majority of the book was first-person from Avery's POV.

However, what I liked was the idea of these two worlds colliding. It's different from the usual fantasy worlds and it sort of reminded me of a Marvel multiverse.

In the end, it wasn't a bad book and I still enjoyed reading it even though it's not what I was expecting.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶/5

Avery possesses exceptional healing talents, making her a treasured helper to people worldwide. Living a sheltered life, she dutifully works for her government. Despite her yearning for freedom, she hesitates to challenge the established system. However, when her abilities start to waver, endangering her health and putting strain on her relationship with her caretakers, her life takes an unexpected turn.

While this book didn't strike a chord with me personally, its writing was of high quality. The author's depiction of the fae world was intricate and captivating. The lively descriptions and compelling imagery made for a quick and enjoyable read that I appreciated.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Aethon Books for the opportunity to read and review.

This would have been a read I would have loved in my teen years but as an adult it’s very juvenile. An interesting concept but story lines are not cohesive and are wrapped up very quickly. I didn’t hate it but I wouldn’t go out my way to read it again.