Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was exactly what I wanted it to be! I loved it. I will make sure to check out other books by this author. When I requested this I was just intrigued by the concept of it and I loved how it turned out. This story had a great plot and if you have read this and enjoyed it, This was so much. It was such a great story. I would say give this one a try. I will continue to follow this author. Way to go to this author for not letting me down.

I highly enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook. Kept me listening.

I am conflicted. Because while I personally thought this was such a creepy but interesting read- I do not think that it should be advertised for children. There are a lot of very triggering subject matters, and honestly matters that children shouldn't be subjected to beyond things out of their control.

This book is the continuation of the adventure of the Teddy Bear Buddy and his friends who are looking for a child who will love them. Thinking that they need to return to the store to find out why they ended up out in the world alone, Buddy with his friends Sunny, Sugar, and Reginald endeavor to find the store while avoiding discovery. However, the end in a trash bin where they are rescued by a man who cleans up trash. He takes the teddies to his daughter, he calls Darling, and tells her not to let her mother see them. Thinking they have finally found a child to them, Buddy and his friends are stunned when things don't work out as they expect and they return to their search for answers.

This arctophile's heart broke with each difficulty that the Teddies encountered and hopes that their will come to a satisfactory conclusion in the next installment.

The narration in this audio book was well done, breathing life and personailty into Buddy and his friends.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio @macmillanyoung @henryholtbooks @netgalley for the ALC in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts…
When I reviewed the first book “They Threw Us Away,” I said “Think Watership Down, The Lord of the Flies and Toy Story all rolled into one.” It still holds true in this book 2 of The Teddies Saga. It’s a middle-grade dark, mystery, horror, fantasy, dystopian, quest saga. This was marked as a children’s fiction (ages 10-14) but, it might be scary for some. The teddies go from one intense predicament to another, some scarier than others. What I really appreciated was the character development: we could understand each teddy’s motivation. I really enjoyed the narrator too. Note: read the first book first and this ends on a cliffhanger because there’s a third book coming.

"Now is the time to love them with all your heart." Daniel Kraus

"They Stole Our Hearts" is the second book/audiobook in the "Teddies Saga" by Daniel Kraus narrated by Kirby Heyborne. The first book in the series is "They Threw Us Away".

Buddy (the leader of the teddy bears) and his loving friends Sunny, Sugar, and Reginald live with a little girl named Darling. They love Darling and delight in sharing afternoon tea parties with her.

Darling's mom does not know about the bears because Darling keeps them hidden under her bed. Sadly, one day Darling's mom discovers the bears. She destroyes one of them, and the remaining three are tossed into a dumpster. This is a new big scary world for the bears. Terrified and alone they embark on a journey back to the factory where they were made. Along the way they encounter some very precarious situations, but Buddy is determined to answer one very important question. " "Who Am I?"

"They Stole Our Hearts" is marketed for children 10-14 years old. I agree with the age rating except for children with emotional difficulties or those sensitive to death. The book has some intense scenes that could be scary. Parents may want to review the book before sharing it with their child.

From a adult prospective, I loved the audiobook. I'll never be too old to hear a great adventure story! "They Stole Our Heart" will be published January 11, 2022.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this enchanting audiobook.

OMG! I really hope there is going to be another book! That ending was a huge cliff-hanger! The story continues to follow Buddy and friends, as they are still travelling to find out why they were threw away and what was wrong with them. On their journey, they find a city of Teddies but it is not what it seems. No spoilers! I highly recommend this book as well as the first book in the series. Fingers crossed for another book. I added to my 2021 Favorites List and I want to say thanks to #netgalley for the early release copy!

Daniel Kraus, master of YA horror, turns his attention to middle grade readers with the Teddies Saga, for readers age 8-12. Brilliantly read by narrator Kirby Heyborne, this sequel alternates between sweet and sour, light and dark, joyful and grim. The Furrington teddies - Buddy, Sunny, Sugar, and Reginald - find themselves unwanted and displaced again and follow clues that lead them to the factory where they were originally made. But the Furrington factory is no teddy bear utopia; rather, they face peril and persecution. Loyalty, friendship, and faith are tested in this gripping and scary quest that will appeal to fans of the the Bone graphic novels and Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events.

3.5 Stars - rounded to 4

Perhaps because They Stole Our Hearts is the second book in the Teddies Saga, I was a bit lost in the beginning.

I also found myself obsessed with trying to peg the story’s audience, though I saw it labeled Children’s Literature and ages 10-14.

I know kids mature quicker than when I was young, so I couldn’t imagine older children reading a book about teddy bears. Then to make it even more mind-boggling, the story was scary and definitely had strong elements of horror. Alrighty then, that certainly didn’t fit a younger age bracket. So for the first part of the audio, my mind ran in this never-ending loop. Who is this for?

It felt unsettling.

My next concern, especially in the beginning, was that I was constantly trying to keep the characters straight. And even the story had me scratching my head. Though there aren’t claims of this being a standalone book, I’d warn buyers not to assume that it is.

My Listed Concerns

1. While I did begin to make some sense of the story, I would definitely read the description and decide if it sounds interesting. If it does, start with the first book. I think if you do, it will make all the difference in the world.

2. I kept fighting the thought that teddy bears felt wrong for a scary, horror-type book.

3. I’d warn parents that some of the story is a bit graphic and could be disturbing for sensitive children.

Final Thoughts
The narration by Kirby Heyborne was enjoyable. And some readers might even find it fun to read along with the narration.

Start with the first book in this series.

For those who aren’t a fan of cliffhangers, be forewarned that another book will be following this one, and for some, it won’t be any too soon.

This is one of those books that feels well written, but parents may want to review it first to make sure it’s a fit for their child.

This felt like a hard audiobook to review since I skipped the first book/audio. So, make sure to check out all reviews. I really think if I had, I still might be in the never-ending loop, but I’m sure I would have enjoyed it more.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to listen to this audiobook and review it without any stipulations.

This dark middle-grade fantasy novel is part quest saga, part mystery with just a little bit of horror mixed in. Buddy, Sunny, Sugar, and Reginald are teddies searching for the love of a child which will bring them "furever sleep." They think they are close to getting their wish if only they can find a way to Darling's heart. Since Darling lost her favorite stuffed animal when she was small and was so heartbroken, she is hesitant to love another as much. This is how the novel starts off - with the promise of a light, heartwarming tale of a child and her favorite toys. This is NOT where it is going. Darling will never get the chance to learn to love her new teddies and they will not find their "furever sleep" so easily.

Character development is where this book really shines. There is a very intense plot where the characters move from one perilous predicament to the next, but the author never wastes one of these tense moments without showing us what is really motivates each character.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next book in the series. It's a great series for a tween or early teen who enjoys dystopian lit.

Impeccably well written, They Stole Our Hearts is a tension filled, dark, and utterly unputdownable story. Daniel Kraus is truly a one-of-a-kind storyteller.

I was not expecting to love this as much as I did. The cliffhanger... I NEED book three.

Thank you, MacMillan Children's Publishing and NetGalley for my copy!

They Stole Our Hearts is the second book in the Teddies Saga by Daniel Kraus. Due out 11th Jan 2022 from Macmillan on their Henry Holt imprint, it's 240 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

Although this is marketed for middle grades (10years+), I found it really quite scary, more horror than thriller/fantasy. There is quite a lot of blended real life trauma (parents fighting in front of the little girl, Darling, Darling's mother screaming and belittling her, teddies being dismembered quite graphically, dead teddies left right and center, and more). In addition, there are "dream sequence" interludes which are unsettling and scary-ish.

The book is undeniably well written though. The atmosphere throughout is charged with tension and palpable danger. The author absolutely knows his craft. There is very little backstory given in the narrative, so I would not recommend this one as a standalone. I hadn't read the first book when I read this one and I am sure it wouldn't have been nearly as confusing in the start. For readers who pick this one up without having read the first one, give it a few chapters to get up to speed with the plot.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 5 hours and 40 minutes and is well narrated by Kirby Heyborne. He has a rich and expressive voice and manages to read the different characters (including young, old, teddy bears, and adults) distinctly and clearly. The sound and production quality throughout are to a high standard.

The next book in the series is foreshadowed heavily with a cliffhanger ending which left me feeling somewhat frustrated.

Four stars for the print and audiobook versions.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

Urgh I just finished the second book and it’s a cliffhanger…I need book three!! This book, no this series, is a 5/5! I so t give 5’s easily!

Let me say, please read book one first or you will be lost. Yes, the books are geared towards middle schoolers but all ages will enjoy these books I feel. I loved them! I do want to add, if you have an advanced reader, or a very tender hearted child, maybe this isn’t the book for them…or maybe you should read it with them! The bears do get into some rough situations that may seem scary for some children. Some situations a parent may want to use a learning experience too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my chance to review this great book!