I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Loved every second of reading the Treasured on, it was fun energetic and thought provoking. Hannah made be feel close to those characters. I really enjoyed reading the slow burn romance and it is fresh, loving the stronger female lead aspect in this fea romance, watching her grow and blossom into the character that we all knew she should be, by herself is beautiful cause it shows her self-worth. this is the fattest 5 stars a person can give. sadly we are unable to give 10 stars so just picture me giving you two 5 stars instead.

2.5/5

This story follows Avery, a 22 year old American girl that was born with magic healing powers and raised with the responsibility to heal a nation. When her powers and her health start to deteriorate, she has no choice but to enter the Fae world through the rift that opened years ago, seemingly the cause for her and other “golden” children their powers. Through the Rift, Avery has to deal with regaining her health, learning how to use her powers properly, and meeting the two Fae princes.

It started out as a really easy read. Everything was flowing nicely and the plot was interesting. I was not expecting a low fantasy from the synopsis, but it wasn’t bad once o got used to it. The middle reaaally dragged for me. I thought I could read this book in 2 days, when all of a sudden it became two weeks. The last 50 pages did pick up the pace again though, so once I got through that middle it was smooth sailing again.

I didn’t love the main character. She’s supposed to be a sheltered 22 year old, but to me she read as a 16 year old. She also gave valley girl vibes, I don’t know how better to explain it.

The romance was kind of stale and a lot of its development was done off page (in my opinion). So to me it wasn’t fleshed out all the way. In this reason, Riel was also quite bland to me.

There is one spicy chapter if that’s what you’re looking for. Otherwise the romance is pretty tame.

I am interested in the world however. Maybe in the next week we’ll have 2 new main leads? Maybe a companion series type deal? I would be happy to give that one a go, hopefully with fresh perspectives.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for permitting this book to be a Read Now to help members develop their Feedback Ratio in exchange for an honest review.

Review Summary:
This is a romantasy set in modern day USA, with a twist… the sky has been split in two with access to a parallel realm. The split is called ‘The Rift’, and the parallel world is the magical home of the Fae. The Fae and humans reach a quietly civil co-existence, especially since the emergence of The Rift resulted in certain humans being born bearing some of the Fae’s gifts. But this civility is reserved for keeping their worlds separate, and the Fae remain wary of humans and in particular these gifted humans. One of these such humans is Avery, our main character, who has the gift of healing. She doesn’t understand her ability, only that when faced with somebody with seemingly terminal conditions she can touch them and bestow a flow of healing energy upon them, curing them. The only communication she has with her ability is an unexplainable feeling deep in her body, a source that she pulls from. Avery lives in the White House, managed by George and accompanied by her bodyguards-turned-friends Chris and Devon. Once a month, she is presented in front of the White House to a crowd of thousands to gift her ability to a select lucky few. But Avery starts to notice feeling weaker and sicker every time she uses her powers, and managing fewer people every time. She pushes herself to the limit, and loses consciousness during one of her presentations. Through envoys, the Fae communicate a willingness to diagnose and cure her ailments. Avery travels through The Rift to live with the most prominent family in the Fae realm, House Wysalar. Avery is assigned to the youngest brother, Riel, to discover more about her powers and the cause of her issues. The book follows Avery and Riel as they explore the Fae world, its magic and its politics, including the family’s rivalry with neighbouring House Leimor and Riel’s uncertain position amongst his own family. Avery must learn more about herself and find her place amongst the two worlds, one world who she must gain the trust of and another who relies on her for her gifts.
Positives are that I genuinely enjoyed the novel. I found the prose easy-going, the plot and world-building - while not perfect - were overall engaging. I became invested in the romance writing as there were some really strong and promising elements. I felt the same with the characterisation of the main characters.
Negatives are that the last act of the book was incredibly rushed. This part of the book brought my rating down because I was left feeling frustrated. There was also some tonal inconsistencies namely with the romance writing versus the characterisation as at times some of the romance writing, particularly the erotic aspects, were written extremely well to the point they felt out of place compared to some of the more young-adult style writing. While Avery and Riel were developed quite well as characters, the supporting characters were less so. I found the villains felt a little lacklustre and the minor characters a little one-dimensional. There were also aspects of the world building that I wish had been developed a little more.

3 stars. A fun story, interesting world and glimpses of phenomenal romance writing but let down by a weak final act and aspects of YA writing that didn’t align with my personal taste.

FULL REVIEW BELOW. AVAILABLE WITH THE ADDITION OF HIDDEN SPOILERS ON GOODREADS

World-building:
The first thing I noticed when I got to the end of the novel was that we never learn what the Fae realm is called. We are on Earth, of course, but an equivalent is never mentioned for the Fae. Just found that interesting. I have to say though that I didn’t particularly like the story being set in modern day. I can’t pinpoint why, but I feel like I may have enjoyed the story more if Avery’s world was in a more nostalgic and whimsical period like the 90s or earlier. I think because the reader and Avery are so used to technology the whole concept of travelling into another realm felt… regular? It lost a bit of that awe-inspiring mystical feeling for me. The Fae world itself had plenty of that, though. The descriptive writing was a real strength here, from the magical creatures to the landscape. Also the significance of Mana, although I will point out that it sounds extremely similar to Eywa in the Avatar films - a film Avery references as it happens. Where the depth started to dwindle though was the, ironically, ‘human’ aspects of the Fae world. Their culture, their politics, the realities of their day-to-day lives. Because Avery is kept so isolated from the rest of the Fae I felt I didn’t really get to delve into this as much, only Riel. What are common phrases or idioms? Common hobbies? Stereotypes, maybe between Kingdoms or classes? Avery shares enough of hers, would have been nice to know theirs. Riel is in an elite family, how do the ‘peasants’ feel about their class system? Is everyone just okay with having a monarchy? Does House Wysalar have a democratic kingdom, do they care about their people or exploit them without a care in the world? Plus the tensions with other Houses and especially the humans, what was the back story of that? What is the relationship with the other houses? Do they interact, liaise, avoid each other? Have the humans given the Fae reason to be so fearful of them? This lack of context made the last act of the story all the more vague and anticlimactic. The magic types in the Fae world were really interesting, and Riel did go into some detail about the limits of the magic and process of calling the magic. But again, it would have been interesting to see more of the magic types in action and in the context of society. Do those with a certain magic tend to favour each other, is one type seen as more elite than another? How important is this magic in the running of their society?

Characterisation:
Avery is quite annoying. There was context to her personality so I can’t criticise it from a writing point of view, but it did at times make it difficult to root for her or made her dialogue a little cringeworthy. She is chronically online, which as mentioned is contextualised by her loneliness and isolation at the White House, but unfortunately that results in lots of mentioning of TV shows, films, musicians, memes, games. To be honest she comes across as very immature. Plenty of reasons for that, but when we start to follow her exploring her sexuality it feels somewhat uncomfortable because she almost doesn’t sound or act old enough to be doing any of it. There is also a lot of references to a traumatic experience that Avery had when she was younger, involving her and another gifted human that she lived with being put in a dangerous situation. She has random flashbacks of it a lot, and I imagine it is an attempt to mature her, make her emotions more complex or explain her deep-set desire to please or be there for others. But to be honest it felt a little shoe-horned in, and didn’t really seem to do any of those things. In comparison I found Riel a really likeable and interesting character, and most of the emotion I experienced reading the book was related to him and watching him navigate vulnerability. His dialogue, his body language, his emotional complexity. It feels the only reason he can be friendly with Avery is his fascination with humans because other than that they have nothing in common. He was the main reason I carried on reading. His family though were a missed opportunity. His parents and his brother are sore spots for him, and in many ways his parents are painted as quite villainous and his brother is openly very threatening and confrontational. But I felt none of them were developed at all. His parents especially, I feel I know nothing about them at all really other than the fact they’re wary of Avery and wary of other houses. Why exactly, as discussed, is unclear. Another of the villains is much of the same. There isn’t much reasoning for their motive and any interactions with them are brief. Avery’s human companions, nothing to write home about. The Fae envoy Luenki becomes good friends with Avery but she’s just… nice. Nothing else going on there.

Story:
Slow burn romance - forbidden romance - with some smut, family feuds, betrayal, ‘whodunnit’. The actual back bones of the plot is quite simple but up until the totally rushed final act, it’s utilised well.

Prose:
The YA dialogue/references/quotes from Avery threaten to age the book poorly, plus it’s just something I don’t enjoy. It ruins my immersion. Some of the attempts of humour in people’s dialogue fall a little flat, but nothing too bad. The smut was really well written overall, some annoying tropes that bugged me a little, but overall really brilliant sexual tension and eroticism. Prose of the book is generally easy to follow.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book and the characters but I felt it needed a bit more world building. I really liked how Avery's powers were explained (including the fact that she was born after The Rift which indicated that's how/why she developed them) and the intermixing of people with powers and without reminded me a little of the X-men storylines. I struggled with the pacing of this book because it started out fairly slow, slowed down to a crawl, then sped to the end and a conclusion really quickly, but overall it was an enjoyable, fast read.

This was not a book for me. But maybe it will be one for someone else. The MMC was obnoxious and immature. I'm not a huge fan of time skips. It feels like there is important information being skipped. The end was rushed and the book just didn't feel right to me.

I really enjoyed The Treasured One, I was hooked immediately and couldn't put it down. I binged it in a few hours.

Riel and Avery were great main characters. Their chemistry was off the charts.
I enjoy Fae fantasy in particular and The Treasured One didn't disappoint.
This is the first book I've read from Hannah Levin. I'll definitely be on the lookout for more.

I highly recommend it.

4 stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley and Hannah Levin for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Treasured One- The Golden Children Book #1

✍️ By: Hannah Levin- debut author

🗣️ Narrator: Molly Stark voices all the characters. The narrator's voice fit the characters with standouts from Avery, Riel, and Luenki.The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrator worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story.The narrator paused and announced new chapters, and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along with the E-book and audiobook.

📃 Page Count:  386

🏃🏾‍♀️Run Time: 12:01

🗓️ Publication Date: 7-9-24  | Read: 8-4-24

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley and Aethon Books for this ARC ❤️! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Genre: Sci-Fi Fantasy, New Adult, Contemporary Romance

🌏Setting: Washington DC and the Rift

Tropes:
❤️family drama
❤️politics between humans and fae
❤️h illness/magical gift
❤️forbidden romance
❤️royal romance
❤️slow burn

⚠️ TW:h is a virgin, h estranged from parents, death of family member

POV: 1st person

💭 Summary 💭 Avery is a golden child with the gift of healing. When it makes her sick, she's sent from the White House to the Fae realm- the Rift. House Wysalar welcomes her and the "spare" prince agrees to help her control her magic. When their house is betrayed, Avery and Prince Riel will have to choose between love or country.


Heroine: Avery Nelson 20's- had a strict and lonely life in the capitol. She was given away at 8 years old by her parents, and rarely talked to them.

Hero: Prince Astonriel/Riel looks 20's but in 40's due to his fae slow mortality rate. He is the second son so he doesn't have much responsibility. He agrees to mentor Avery but under the eyes of his parents and brother.


Side cast: Solois-the crown prince/ Riel's brother, Luenki- a fae loyal to Riel that helps Avery, George Kepler- Secretary of U.S. Rift affairs & Avery's watchdog in the White House, Chris and Devon- Avery's bodyguards, Neyes- a seer assigned to the Queen, and The King and Queen Ralif and Elokima- Riel's parents.

My Thoughts: The world building was great showing the differences between humans and fae. Avery and Riel's relationship reminded me of Romeo and Juliet. Their nations and families were at odds but they fell in love anyway. Luenki helped them stay together even though Solois wanted Avery dead. The queen hated Avery too but the seer Neyes helped Avery settle into her powers. There will be repercussions for what happened and I'd love to get Marcia's back story.

Range of emotions: 😬🤔🙄

🌶️: Spice 3/5
🎧: Narration  4/5
😭: Emotion 4/5
❤️: Couple 4/5
⭐️: Rating 4/5

this one was a bit of a miss for me, the world building was great & i saw potential with the romance aspect! i wish the fmc was more mature, she seemed to be acting way younger than her age & the mmc didn’t really stand out to me! overall, this was a decent debut novel & i think there’s definitely room for growth!

I was pretty surprised to find out that this was supposed to be NA, as the FMC came across quite juvenile during the chapters that were her POV. Although the jumping between multiple POVS with no set trend was pretty disorienting in itself, so that probably didn't help solidify Avery as a character.

Overall, there was a lot drawing me into this book--particularly the tensions between the courts and the magic/human worlds. However, the lack of depth to the main female character Avery and the erratic pacing (you can skip the first 2/3 of the book and not really miss anything) made it difficult to stay engaged in the story.

I wouldn't read a sequel to this book, but I would pick up something else by this author in the future. Hopefully the writing style and structure are more sophisticated in future works to bring out the potential of the stories.

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.***

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I have to admit I had mixed feelings about this one. It was pleasant, but I didn't love it. On the one hand, it gave out great cozy vibes and had a perfectly "cinnamon roll" MMC in Riel. On the other hand, I felt it was all quite superficial.

The Treasured One is set in an alternate world where humans are aware of the existence of faes, who live in their own separate realm across the so-called Rift. Some humans have mysteriously been gifted with magic over the years since the Rift opened, and the protagonist Avery is one of them. Avery is a talented healer living at the White House under protection, until her magic starts waning and making her sick. To help save her, she is taken to the fae realm, where she is trained by Prince Riel.

The romance between Avery and Riel is quite predictable but enjoyable - they're extremely cute together and understand each other so well. Some moments felt quite awkward, possibly because of the stream of consciousness that was Avery's POV at times. As characters, they were both quite interesting but they felt insufficiently developed. The world of the faes sounds whimsical and magical and makes me want to visit in an instant - the author did an excellent job of painting vivid images in the reader's mind. I enjoyed the description of some of the creatures inhabiting this realm, especially the Avida, and would have liked even more of the world-building. The magic system sounds interesting, too.

The key plot point, besides restoring Avery's healing magic, is the brewing tension between fae courts and with the humans. I wasn't convinced by the development of this part of the story. Everything felt quite superficial and somewhat easily solved. Generally, I feel the book didn't have much depth. Yes to the cozy vibes, I love cozy fantasy, but it's nicer when characters and events have more layers and feel more tangible.

The writing was generally enjoyable and smooth. I struggled with the jump between POVs: most chapters were from Avery's POV in 1st person, but then some were in 1st person and some in 3rd person from Riel's POV? Others were also in 1st or 3rd person from the POV of a couple of supporting characters. The jump between 1st and 3rd person was quite jarring.

Overall, I'd (albeit a bit hesitantly) recommend this to fantasy readers who enjoy low-stakes, quick reads and faes.

An enjoyable standalone new adult urban fae romantasy. 20 years ago the goddess opened rifts between the fae & human realms bestowing her blessing on a few treasured children. Avery was one such child, her gift one of healing. After nearly depleting her mana she is sent to the fae realm to recover. Easy to follow world building, delightful characters & a pretty fast paced plot. I do feel like the ending was a little rushed, but it still made for a good story.

I liked the concept of The Rift and the two different worlds and cultures. The contrast between modern day America and the fae world was interesting. The relationship between the two MCs fell a little flat for me. I felt we were skimming the surface a lot with a few, brief delves into something deeper.

I did enjoy the fae world setting, the animals, and the political complexities. Although I felt as though some things were brushed past and too tied up in a neat little bow by the end. There were some times of risk/tension, which added depth and gravity to the story, which I needed as the reader. There were so many opportunities to do more with that in the book.

Overall, it was a good read. Not something I’ll come back to, but not something I feel was a waste of time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Are you looking for a short and sweet Standalone Romantasy with HEA ?

Well look no further, coz this beautiful book is just that 😇

📖✨The Treasured One✨
🧚🏻‍♀️Hannah Levin

🆂🅿🅾🅸🅻🅴🆁-🅵🆁🅴🅴 🆁🅴🆅🅸🅴🆆

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
🌶️🌶️.5


Tropes -
✨ Romantasy
✨ Standalone
✨ Swoon worthy Banter
✨ Slow Burn
✨ Hot Fae MMC and "Gifted" Healer FMC
✨ One "Horse"
✨ Political Intrigue
✨ Unique magic system
✨ Modern World
✨ Happily Ever After 😌


I was captivated with the very 1st page, because unlike other Fae Romantasies , here the fae realm is known about by the humans , which is beyond a veil in North America, and magic exists in some “chosen” humans as well.

Our FMC(Avery) is one of those Chosen Humans with the power of Healing.
The journey starts from Avery in the White House , and she takes us beyond the veil to the Fae Realm, where she meets the hot and charming MMC (Reil) who is an absolute sweetheart 💖.

There is swoonworthy banter and slow burn, Reil is an absolute Cinnamon roll!

The magic system is unique and Reil is an amazing teacher to both Avery and the readers 🤭.

The plot is intriguing, with fast pacing and good character development.
The Romance is adorable 🥰. There's a bit of court politics.


All in all , a PERFECT cure for book Hang0vers / reading slumps 🫶🏻

Thank you SOO MUCH ✨Hannah Levin✨ and ✨Netgalley✨ for giving me this amazing opportunity to be in your ARC team .

I was so excited to dive into this book once I read the synopsis and I was overall pretty happy with the book. It had great descriptive imagery which made it so easy to visualize scenes as I read. The storyline was quite interesting. The way the human world and Fae world were co-existing in the modern times was well done. I did feel that sometimes the words from our FMC Avery were a little too “modern and casual” compared to the elegance and eloquent words from our MMC Riel. They had a cute flirty banter dynamic throughout which made the romance part nice to follow. I did feel as though the last 25% of the book had the most “intensity” and was the “climax” of the story with there being conflicts that needed to be resolved, but it felt like a nice slow build up to it only to be rushed through it, which I wasn’t a big fan of. I also found the POVs to be interesting. The book was mostly written from Avery’s first person POV, but then would occasionally switch to a third person POV or to a first person from Riel’s POV. Overall, It was a fast-paced adventure that I enjoyed reading.

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first ARC from NetGalley. Thank you for the chance to give it an early review!

The Treasured One felt similar to the Cruel Prince in that it takes place in modern times and the fae realm is beyond some veil in North America. However, the fae realm is known about and government regulated and magic exists in some “chosen” humans as well. There is also a prince who is not the crown prince who is tasked with taking care of the FMC. I like the banter between the two main characters, especially in the beginning. I also like that the prince is not 800 years old or whatever. It does have a bit of instalove happening, though.

I was very invested in the book as soon as they got to the fae realm, which was almost right away. The pacing felt a little off to me, though- there were certain points where the plot dragged on, and then in the end, it was very, very fast. I feel like the conflict needed more room to resolve, and although I liked the ending, it felt rushed. There were also a couple of things that never really got solved and kind of left me wanting.

I was kindly gifted an e-ARC by Aethon Books and The Nerd Fam so thank you for allowing me to read before release!

I wasn’t too sure what to expect because the world is set on modern day earth but has magical elements to it. The concept of the magic was interesting but the world building and detail wasn’t strong enough for me so it just didn’t feel like I was immersed in another world.

The main bulk of the plot didn’t happen until the last third of the book so the flow didn’t work for me. I didn’t feel any connection to the main characters and felt like they didn’t have much in common.

It's a shame because the initial concept seems promising.

This is an absolute incredible book. From the first page I was drawn into a world of rich and immersive storytelling full of magic and the fae.

The characters are incredibly well-developed, each with their own unique, relatable traits and compelling backstories. I found myself deeply invested in their journeys, rooting for them through every challenge and triumph. My favourite was Avery but Riel is a close second.

The plot is expertly crafted, with a perfect balance of suspense, drama, and heartfelt moments. The author weaves in unexpected twists and turns that keep you guessing, yet everything ties together seamlessly by the end. The themes explored in the novel—love, loss, resilience, and the search for one's true self—are universal and deeply resonant. I was gasping at parts and kicking my feet at others.

One of the standout aspects of The Treasured One is the vivid, atmospheric setting. The descriptions bring every scene to life, making you feel as though you are right there alongside the characters. This level of detail enhances the emotional impact of the story, making it a truly immersive reading experience. I absolutely loved it so much, it’s such an incredible story.

In conclusion, The Treasured One is a book that will stay with you long after you've finished the book. The author has crafted a timeless tale that is both thought-provoking and deeply moving. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone looking for a beautifully written, emotionally rich story

This book was a big disappointment to me. All aspects of the book felt under developed and poorly done.

The characters were very confusing to me. The FMC is supposed to 22-24 years old but acts like she is 13 with the way she acts and speaks. She says she is always on the internet and due to this knows so much about sex and is not shy about it but then is characterized as if she is a tween. And with this all the sex scenes felt icky to me. The MMC was fine, had no personality and was there to be so pretty and perfect.

The plot is also so boring. Nothing happens until the 75% mark, the betrayal mentioned in the synopsis doesn’t happen until the 80% mark. We are told about the training that they do and the time they spend with each other but not actually shown any of this.

The writing in general was very juvenile. The phrases and the slang used didn’t fit the story and the ages of the characters. It was also odd that the fae MMC, for who English is a second language, used slang that he wouldn’t have known.

The world was very underdeveloped. A rift opens on American soil to another world and they are so chill about it. I didn’t believe it for a second.

I started skimming around the halfway point and wished I DNF’ed this.

I thought this book had real promise. The premise sounded amazing, but it’s a DNF for me. The writing seemed choppy and didn’t flow well to me, which made it impossible to get into. I also struggled to connect to the main character