In "The Treasured One," Hannah Levin creates an interesting intersection of the human world with that of the fae, weaving a tale where magic and modernity converge. The narrative begins 24 years ago when a magical surge has created a rift between worlds, granting select individuals – the "Golden Children" – magical powers. At the heart of the story is Avery, a gifted "Golden Child" with the power to heal. The story follows her and she embarks on a journey of self-discovery when her magical abilities falter. With Riel, the second son of fae royalty, as her guide, Avery ventures into the enchanting magical world of the fae to learn about her magic.

Levin's world-building prowess shines brightly throughout the narrative, painting a vivid picture of two very different worlds. From fantastical creatures to royal societal structures, every detail immerses the reader in a realm brimming with wonder and intrigue.

However, amidst the magical enchantment, the chemistry between Avery and Riel feels lacking. While the age gap between Avery and Riel is not inherently problematic, their interactions occasionally fall flat. Avery's immature behavior portrays her as younger than her years and Riel's overly protective "fatherly" demeanor, results in a romance that feels flat and a little bit "ick".

The pacing of the plot falters in the middle section, with the training feeling drawn out and lacking in significant developments. This lull in momentum caused me to become bored, wishing for a more substantial narrative arc to propel the story forward.

Towards the end of the book there is a mounting conflict between fae families, yet Levin fails to fully explore its origins or significance. The portrayal of Riel's family's suspicions towards Avery and the escalating tensions with the United States feels underdeveloped, leaving me a bit confused and wanting more context. Similarly, the character of the Seer and their motives in driving the feud remains unclear, begging for further exploration and resolution.

Overall, "The Treasured One" offers readers an easy and engaging read, propelled by Levin's imaginative world-building. While the realms Levin crafts are captivating, the shortcomings in character dynamics and plot development hinder the story's full potential. Nevertheless, for those seeking an escape into realms of magic and wonder, Levin's tale remains an engaging journey.

A big thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Avery is a golden child, a human blessed with the power to heal. Her powers start to go on the fritz and she becomes unwell. She is sent through the rift to the fae realm to try and heal her magic. She meets Riel, a handsome fae male who helps her access her true power.

Avery does read a little young but she has lived a sheltered life so this could explain that. Riel is sweet and a very likeable character.

The comparison between the modern human world and the fae world makes for an interesting read although a few of the modern references may become a bit jarring in time.

The fae suspicion of Avery didn’t particularly make sense but it’s not a huge sticking point.

This is a pretty cosy fantasy with likeable characters and a gentle plot.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book.

I have received an E-Arc from NetGalley, the author and publisher for an honest review!

This book was magical and sweet to read. It just felt so sweet. I can't explain it. I could follow the entire story from beginning to end as it was such a magical mellow vibe. I will say I loved how Avery's world was so modern and yet she ends up going to Riel's world which is way different than hers. It was fun to see and experience the differences Avery went through. I enjoyed how Avery had to adjust to Riel's world with their language and customs. Can you imagine stepping into a whole different world? I bet I would feel a bit out of place and learn to be cautious about how I came across.

For some reason I felt like Lord of the Rings vibe kept popping up in places. And maybe the vibe of all those action/fantasy movies made in the 90s? I can't explain it but I really enjoyed reading it. I doubt if anyone gets my meaning on this but hey..what can I say?

The connection between Riel and Avery was sweet, playful, flirty, and such banter was exchanged between the two of them. I loved how kind they were to each other. There is a tiny bit of spice in the book as it was the right kind for this story.

The ending was really nice and it may be left open for more for the future? Will we learn more about how both worlds work? Will there be more of Avery and Riel? 

It's a must read if you like mellow, a whole new world, fantasy, fae and magic happening all at once!

I want to start off saying thank you NetGalley, publisher, and Hannah Levin for this ARC!
To begin with, I had many shifting thoughts throughout the book. The contrast between modern day and a “fairy tale” world was something I have not seen before, so I was intrigued. I felt the book started off fairly well, but there wasn’t much introduction of the two worlds. There was brief explanation of how and kind of why, but it still seemed mildly fleshed out. Once Avery arrived at The Rift ready to go over, the timeline felt off of how long she was there. When she finally went through, it seemed very vague about the entrance other than a boat was needed and then taking the riding beast to the castle.

The relationship between Riel and Avery felt flat and little chemistry. I was hoping for more tension, and too much time was spent of them training. The magic system was a little confusing and vague at certain times. Sometimes I would understand how Riel was explaining it, and then I would get lost. Avery would be lusting over Riel but then suddenly shy and confused on how to feel about it, when there was no real sign of him not being interested or just trying to have a fling. I did really like the two intimate scenes that they had together, I thought it was well done.
Though I am a gamer and understood the references such as the “bath water”, I felt like there was no need for these references since most people probably won’t understand it. I understand that was part of her personality, but it felt random and a little forced.

The plot itself was almost nonexistent until the end where suddenly there was an impending war, and there was little reference to it throughout the book. With the brother claiming her as a spy, it made no sense since the war was between two different lands and the Americans helped Riel and his family. The battle was so short and didn’t have any real action or climax that I didn’t care for it too much. The healing training aspect could have been done more in detail and focused heavily much more on that. While that was the main focus of her training and her close to death wake up call for her magic, I didn’t get the reason and purpose of that. It would have been better to see her magic awakening with the training. I wanted to see more of her interacting with Riels parents and brother. The end was so rushed with a quick ending and a cheap HEA ending. I see what the author wanted to accomplish here, but I hope with her next novel or series, it’s developed much more.

A treasure of a book! A Fae romantasy that did what many fail to do - retain some classic pieces of fae lore while presenting a fresh, new take on a fae-human romance! While I'm not always a fan of having modern-day settings in fantasy books, the juxtaposition of US military and politics with a transportive experience to an "older" fae world was completely unique.

The fact that the Fae were vegetarian was amazing.

I loved the concept of the Rift and how magic may have torn open this rip in the universe. I LOVED how the main characters complement each other and push the other to transform. It's rare you see a "second son" love interest and this too was refreshing. The characters challenge each other to achieve their potential and own their power. Yes!

I related so much to Avery's challenges with setting boundaries, particularly when they are tied up in your sense of self worth as a caregiver. What an excellent character arc to see her own her space and find a healthy way to be a hero.

My only challenge with the writing may have been that at times the slang and modern language came across as juvenile compared to the Fae's elegance. It made the novel feel closer to YA than New Adult at times. Similarly, the progression in the romance felt jarring at times, rather than a steady progression in an otherwise slow burn romance.

I deeply enjoyed this and am grateful to the author and Netgalley for the e-arc!

2.25 stars
I really struggled to read this book. I wanted to stop reading 8% into the book, but I decided to keep going just so I can give an honest review. the writing style is really not for me. It read younger than it should.
Avery was also doing things that made her seem very childish this made reading some scenes between Avery and Reil very uncomfotable.

There were no real stakes in this story, and there was a lot that did not need to be said. A lot of the things written made the story draw out for longer than necessary and made it boring to read.

Also the American propaganda just put me off.

The Treasured One is a light hearted, easy read for those who want some fantasy romance in their life!

I would most definitely recommend this book to those who want an ‘ACOTAR’ feel, without having to commit to 5 whole books.

The world building in this book was great, you get a good feel for the new environment Avery is exploring. I found the ‘earth’ equivalent comparisons to be helpful for certain things.

The thing I enjoyed most about this book was that the author didn’t labour the boring parts of war. *spoiler alert*. Something I personally find with some fantasy novels is that an intense focus on the politics of war makes my eyes glaze over, and I lose all interest.
Hannah did an amazing job of exploring conflict without making it boring, and to my surprise I was able to read through those parts without putting the book down.

Many thanks to the publishers for the opportunity to read The Treasured One, it was such a delightful read.

The Treasured One by Hannah Levin is a unique fantasy romance that is technically set in modern times. Basically, a rift has opened between modern Earth and a world of the Fae, and magic has leaked a little bit into Earth. The story follows the protagonist, Avery, who was born with powers of a healer as a result of this rift. She finds herself in the world of the Fae and learns how to use her magic with the help of a prince.

The characters in this story are well written, especially Avery, who is a strong female character. Riel is the prince that helps her learn how to control her magic. He is the second son and considered the spare, which gives him some freedom to be hilarious. I found him to be quite the entertaining character. Their relationship does seem genuine and sweet and I loved how protective Riel was of Avery. He was also very good at teaching her about this world and I definitely was rooting for them by the end of the book.

The plot of this story is very well-written and easy to understand. I found myself quickly getting sucked into the plot and the story. There are a lot of pieces and parts of this story and the author does a good job of making it all easy to understand. There are a lot of dynamics between Riel’s family being suspicious of the humans and the different interactions between this royal family and other royal families in the fae world. The writing style and pacing of the plot really help with understanding of all these dynamics.

Overall, I would give this story 3.75/5 stars. It was a very fun story with good fantasy and romance. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good fantasy romance and wants a more modern feeling story. The human world has modern technology, and so it is mentioned, but the fae world does not use technology. So you get a bit from each world. Overall, I was hooked by this book and really enjoyed it.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was cute, but perhaps a bit too “young” for me? I found myself getting a little bored in spots of the story, and I didn’t love that dying can be reversed. As much as I hate my favorite character dying, it does add a level of excitement knowing you could lose said character at any time. The way this world is set up, you’d have to be grievously injured to *maybe* die.

I loved the princes and the royal family as multi faceted charactrers, but I didn’t love Avery. She struck me as childish, young, and not a strong FMC. I enjoyed the supporting characters more than Avery for the most part, although she does have some redeeming moments.

The writing is easy to read, but perhaps a bit informal for me for a “fae” book. I’m used to a level of elevated writing and this didn’t quite hit it for me. My least favorite bit of the book was that she spoke and acted much younger than she was for a chunk of the book, but was doing very explicit adult things and it gave me weird feelings. I doubt everyone will have this reaction, but it did give me the ick. Not saying I don’t like Riel, he’s great.

I did still enjoy this book. It was a fun and cute read, and it did have some things in it I wasn’t expecting. I don’t know if this is a series, but it was left off in such a way it could easily standalone. All in all, I’ll give this 3.25⭐️

"The Treasured One" by Hannah Levin introduces us to the central characters, Avery and Riel, in a fantastical world filled with magic and mystery. While the duo holds promise, their development leaves something to be desired.

Avery, the protagonist, possesses a certain charm with her distinct personality and determination. However, the narrative struggles to delve deep into her character, leaving readers yearning for a more profound understanding of her background, motivations, and internal conflicts. The potential for emotional resonance is there, but it often remains untapped.

Riel, on the other hand, serves as an intriguing counterpart to Avery. His mysterious aura adds a layer of complexity to the story, and the dynamics between the two characters hint at an engaging relationship. However, the execution lacks the depth needed to truly bring their connection to life. The chemistry between Avery and Riel, while present, doesn't fully reach its potential, leaving the romantic subplot feeling somewhat underdeveloped.

Despite these character-related shortcomings, the world-building and magical elements contribute to the novel's overall appeal. Levin shows glimpses of her storytelling prowess, and with a more thorough exploration of Avery and Riel's characters, future works from the author have the potential to elevate the reading experience. In its current state, "The Treasured One" receives a 3-star rating – a testament to its potential and a call for deeper character development in subsequent endeavors.

Imaginative and rich magical tale of Fae, politics, and the consequences of bias and misused power. Self-discovery and empowerment lead to what is important and lead to a satisfying conclusion. Great fantasy read, with increasing burn and enough action, banter and spice to keep things going.

I'm not an avid romantasy reader but even if I was I wouldve loathed this. Very dull main character, American Military Propaganda and some off-putting fetishy smut around piercings. There is far better romantic fantasy around .