This is a spoiler-free review!
I would first like to thank NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of The Cherished in exchange for an honest review -- this is an uncorrected proof, and there may be changes to the book in the final version.The Cherished releases on April 18, 2023.
I first have to say that I absolutely love the cover art for this book, and it is one of the main things that drew me to reading it. Combined with the description, my expectations were high, especially because I was in the mood for a good horror book. However, the writing was not what I expected, and it felt as though the story was dragging on while at the same time throwing in random information or characters that did not have anything to do with the plot.
Jo, Abigail, and Robert all have a nagging voice about them that makes almost everything that they said sound grating to the ear. Jo is sixteen years old and thinks in the most outrageous ways that cause her character to be hard to follow, especially as the main character. Abigail's character felt two-dimensional at first, but then started to get a little bit more in depth as the story went on, but never really expanded in a way that made the reader want to read about her.
The plot felt sporadic and was moving at an inconsistent pace -- I felt as though I was reading a book that had passages removed, making it harder to follow what exactly was going on. Instead of a horror book, it felt more like a short story you would read in English class that barely touched the surface of what horror embodies. Instead of being a little spooked while reading, I actually felt annoyed at almost every single character, especially Jo, because no one would communicate with each other, or they would talk in vague warnings that were not going to help anyone.
Hattie's character, while interesting and helpful to the plot, actually provides yet another annoyance to the reading experience. She just feels very out of place and not well developed enough for her implied importance to actually take root in the reader's view of her. The relationship she has with Tom is very much father/daughter, but they also try to warn Jo about certain things while not telling her anything all at all, which is frustrating to read.
I found that the plot's pacing was making it hard to read the book -- it was slow in the first half, but then it started to jump around quickly and begin to incorporate ideas that seemed to be only half-developed rather than something more solid.
Overall, I think that the concept was definitely there, but the execution was not living up to how it needed to be played out. I felt a little bored during a lot of the chapters, and other chapters were kind of just jumping around and did not feel as though they were completed. Expecting a horror book, I was disappointed to say the least -- there was certainly nothing scary about this book, and while the concept would be considered eerie, it just did not pull through.
If you are looking for a quick read that has somewhat of evil fairytale elements, then The Cherished will definitely check those boxes for you.
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