This book really seemed like something I would love. A teen girl that doesn't quite fit in, a haunted house, and a mysterious inheritance. That's the perfect combination. However, this book was a let down. The writing style made it difficult to read sink in and keep reading. It also just didn't like a horror book.

The Cherished has an interesting premise, but the writing and story fall a bit flat. The story follows Jo, who has just inherited her paternal grandmother’s old house. Jo, who has an extremely contentious relationship with her mother, has few memories of her schizophrenic father, and is intrigued by the idea of living where he grew up. Things spiral quickly out of control when she realizes that all is not as it seems.

While the book starts off well enough, the writing quickly becomes tiring and annoying, which makes the story drag. Jo and Abigail both have potential as characters, but never seem fully fleshed out. The fantasy element is fun, though, but not enough to save the book.

This was a bit slow and I did almost DNF it unfortunately, because I tried starting it about four times before managing to make my way far enough in to become immersed. That said, I did eventually get caught up in this story - although parts of it I felt were a bit misguided, or heavy handed in the development / portrayal of certain things.

I really thought I would DNF this based on reviews on GoodReads and Netgalley - I did make it through the whole book, but the first 10-20% are really rough and the writing is quite painful. However, I do think it got a little smoother as the novel progressed.

It does take a long time to get to the point of the story, and the second half is far more enjoyable. There are a ton of microaggressions in the first half of the book against Jo's father for his race and perceived mental health issues.

The plot about the fairies is okay - but I really just needed so much more world building.

The good (?) news is that this book is a quick read and it kept me engaged enough.

Landing at a 2.75 rounded up

Despite the negative reviews I did enjoy this story. The writing did throw me off a bit, but the story was worth it for me. I love all the creepy aspects and loved the cover of the book!

I was not expecting evil faeries! This book was way different from what I was thinking, but definitely a 4 star read that kept me wondering what the heck was going on. It starts off a little slow but has lots of things that you need answers for so it makes it easy to keep reading. The characters are very realistic and kind of hard to like at some points but it makes for a good read anyway. The villains of the book are refreshing in that faeries are almost always portrayed as evil but with some redeeming qualities that make them the main characters but these are straight up evil and the twist on their story is really sad and I wish there was a way to fix them but alas that would not make the book what it is .

I definitely wanted to like this book. Come on, that cover is spectacular. But the story itself didn’t appeal to me at all. The author has extreme potential and I don’t think all the reviews I’ve seen mentioning this book is horrible is in fact true. The author took the time to write a book and it is only fair people give it credit where it is due.

A clichéd and hot mess of a book.
This was not for me..despite it being compared to books I absolutely love.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I went into this book blind and was pleasantly surprised. I have already suggested it to a few of my book friends. The story grabbed my interest when young Jo inherits her grandmother's house and property with the stipulation that she can never sell. I didn't expect what happened and loved it. The author's descriptions made it feel like I was watching a movie. I highly recommend!

I don't read many horror books and the ones I do read are adult, but this one surprised me. I loved the setting of the story and all of the side characters seemed to be hiding something. I love it when characters are secretive and as the story goes on we find out more and more. The main character Jo is a very entertaining protagonist and makes some good decisions and others not so great. The "horror" aspect of this book actually wanted me to leave the lights on. I got to that part in the middle of the night and I had a hard time falling asleep due to being scared "they" were going to get me. Apart from that, I think what makes a good horror book is that even just the ambiance of the setting leaves you with chills. I absolutely loved this book and would read it again once it comes out.

An atmospheric horror novel about inheiritance, our place in the world, and murderous faeries out for blood.

Okay so I really didn't think the third one was gonna be this story, but here we are. The Cherished was solid without being really stellar or stand out. I read it in a marathon session, and at 336 pages it was a relatively easy read.

It had a really strong first 1/3 with building the tension and atmosphere around the house, its inhabitants, and drawing both Jo and Abigail up there to handle things. Having murderous fae who routinely crawl through from their realm to steal children wasn't what I was expecting, and while the writing was engaging and kept me curious I was never fully engaged with the story.

I felt like this was one with a lot of promise that didn't properly get the follow through it needed to shine.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

However, I am currently withholding review of Harper Collins titles due to the HarperCollins strike.

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, it seemed promising.

I enjoyed reading the book, though the subject matter was not really what I expected. I read this book because it was listed under Horror, with supernatural elements at play. However, it was not the type of Horror I was expecting. That's not to say it was bad by any stretch of the imagination; it just wasn't necessarily up my alley at times.

[Minor Spoiler Ahead]

The only real comment I had about the story is that I wished there had been more discussion about why some fairies needed to be killed, yet some were allowed to return unharmed through the door. It seemed like a pretty big deal in their world, so I wish that would have been better explained.

This is the story of a teen who inherits her grandmother's farm. A sinister letter is given to her written by her grandmother and she doesn't know what to think. It's a slow paced beginning that speeds into a fact paced gripping tale of a girl who comes into her own, finds belonging, and faces the troubles of the town that have been goingon for generations. This was a great read for those who like YA horror.

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.