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Teddy Bears Never Die
The horrormance genre mash-up you've been waiting for - from the award-winning Korean author Cho Yeeun comes a new novel where a young girl and a teddy bear team up to enact revenge!
Yamu, pop. 200,000 - A coastal town that has seen better days. A massive redevelopment plan is in place, including that for a luxury apartment complex dubbed Sea View Park. One day, a delivery of rice cakes is made to the building supposedly from one of the new neighbours. The rice cakes are laced with cyanide, however, resulting in a lethal mass poisoning.
Hwa-young's mother, who works as a live-in housekeeper at Sea View Park, is one of the victims. Hwa-young, turned out on the streets, lives in a flophouse for runaways at the mercy of landlord Young-jin, who regularly extorts money from her. Hwa-young refuses to believe that her mother, who never touched rice cakes in her life, died from eating them, and suspects foul play. Swearing to find the true culprit and avenge her mother's death, Hwa-young is determined to save 20 million won in order to place a hit on the suspect, and does whatever work she can find.
One day, Hwa-young is bullied into playing bait for one of Young-jin's scams. Left in a motel room alone with the mark, she is alarmed when he begins to unpack one lethal weapon after another. She signals Young-jin for help, but when no one comes she realizes that she has been tricked, and that Young-jin has sold her to the would-be murderer. Just when the man is about to attack Hwa-young, he collapses in pain, bleeding. Hwa-young is about to escape when a teddy bear speaks to her. It's a grubby Happy Smile Bear doll.
And thus begins the extraordinary journey as a Happy Smile Bear, possessed by the spirits of a murdered young boy, and Hwa-yeong, an orphaned young girl, join forces enact vengeance and bring the true culprit to justice.
Yamu, pop. 200,000 - A coastal town that has seen better days. A massive redevelopment plan is in place, including that for a luxury apartment complex dubbed Sea View Park. One day, a delivery of rice cakes is made to the building supposedly from one of the new neighbours. The rice cakes are laced with cyanide, however, resulting in a lethal mass poisoning.
Hwa-young's mother, who works as a live-in housekeeper at Sea View Park, is one of the victims. Hwa-young, turned out on the streets, lives in a flophouse for runaways at the mercy of landlord Young-jin, who regularly extorts money from her. Hwa-young refuses to believe that her mother, who never touched rice cakes in her life, died from eating them, and suspects foul play. Swearing to find the true culprit and avenge her mother's death, Hwa-young is determined to save 20 million won in order to place a hit on the suspect, and does whatever work she can find.
One day, Hwa-young is bullied into playing bait for one of Young-jin's scams. Left in a motel room alone with the mark, she is alarmed when he begins to unpack one lethal weapon after another. She signals Young-jin for help, but when no one comes she realizes that she has been tricked, and that Young-jin has sold her to the would-be murderer. Just when the man is about to attack Hwa-young, he collapses in pain, bleeding. Hwa-young is about to escape when a teddy bear speaks to her. It's a grubby Happy Smile Bear doll.
And thus begins the extraordinary journey as a Happy Smile Bear, possessed by the spirits of a murdered young boy, and Hwa-yeong, an orphaned young girl, join forces enact vengeance and bring the true culprit to justice.
304 pages, Paperback
First published May 21, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews
May 28, 2026
An audacious mix of gritty social realism, the surreal and the supernatural. Cho Yeeun’s novel charts the aftermath of a mass poisoning in luxury, apartment complex Seaview Parc. Originally published in 2022 but set in 2025 in a central Korean city, the story revolves around two tortured, marginalised teens. Characters who embody one of the author’s ongoing preoccupations, stemming from a voluntary stint working with school refusers. Cho Yeeun also uses them to interrogate traditional Korean notions that bloodlines and genetics supersede all other ties, constructing a twisted play on “chosen family” that could have been co-written by Tarantino. And, like Tarantino’s work, it’s laced with bursts of grisly, gory violence.
It opens with Hwang Hwayoung still reeling from her mother’s apparent death at the hands of anonymous, malevolent Seaview killer. Hwayoung’s scrabbling to survive. She’s a tenant in dingy Rainbow Apartments, charged an extortionate rent by sleazy landlord Youngjin. Hwayoung’s dream is to earn enough to pursue revenge for her mother. When Hwayoung loses her only sources of income, she caves to Youngjin’s pressure to enlist in a dodgy money-making scheme. Hwayoung will be bait for a supposedly-lucrative scam. The only bright spot in her rapidly-deteriorating existence is finding a discarded Happy Smile Bear. When Hwayoung was 13 she was obsessed with Smile Bears, briefly a must-have toy after a related, advertising campaign went viral. When Youngjin’s assignment leads her to a locked room and a sadistic pervert, the bear abruptly comes to life and saves her. Smile Bear claims he’s possessed by the spirit of teenage boy Han Dohyun, linked to the Seaview victims and formal pupil at Hwayoung’s old school. But he’s actually Dohyun’s cousin Han Doha - anxious to conceal his true identity because of incidents in their shared past. So, they team up, Doha to find his lost body, Hwayoung to steal Youngjin’s stash and track down her mother’s murderer.
Cho Yeeun’s South Korea is relentlessly capitalist, a bleak environment for anyone without enough money or connections. Seaview Parc’s exclusive, no-expense-spared, gated community was built at the expense of the area’s less monied residents, ongoing gentrification pushing them out to menacing, dilapidated regions of the city – represented here by Rainbow Apartments where every corner has been ruthlessly cut. Processes and social inequalities relatable for many Koreans priced out of more salubrious areas. It’s a culture rife with consumerism and disposability, teeming with abused, alienated young people – it’s no surprise plushies are huge in South Korea loved by children and adults alike, the stuffed equivalent of an emotional support animal, outlets for extreme stress and growing social isolation.
But Cho Yeeun’s novel’s not wholly downbeat, it’s funny and inventive too. A bizarre variation on a ghost story that reworks elements of myth, folklore and urban legend: from shamanistic possession to demonic forces to concealed burial pits beneath the city which conjure episodes from Korean history like the “Red Epidemic” and the mass graves linked to the Korean War. Although I wasn’t an exact fit for this, I was still gripped. I see why Cho Yeeun’s a celebrity in South Korea: she topped a recent, readers’ poll as young writer most likely to define future, Korean literature. She’s an award-winning, bestselling author with a solid fanbase of urban readers in their twenties and thirties - her novel’s now available in manhwa form for similar audiences. Translated by Sung Ryu.
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Wildfire for an ARC
It opens with Hwang Hwayoung still reeling from her mother’s apparent death at the hands of anonymous, malevolent Seaview killer. Hwayoung’s scrabbling to survive. She’s a tenant in dingy Rainbow Apartments, charged an extortionate rent by sleazy landlord Youngjin. Hwayoung’s dream is to earn enough to pursue revenge for her mother. When Hwayoung loses her only sources of income, she caves to Youngjin’s pressure to enlist in a dodgy money-making scheme. Hwayoung will be bait for a supposedly-lucrative scam. The only bright spot in her rapidly-deteriorating existence is finding a discarded Happy Smile Bear. When Hwayoung was 13 she was obsessed with Smile Bears, briefly a must-have toy after a related, advertising campaign went viral. When Youngjin’s assignment leads her to a locked room and a sadistic pervert, the bear abruptly comes to life and saves her. Smile Bear claims he’s possessed by the spirit of teenage boy Han Dohyun, linked to the Seaview victims and formal pupil at Hwayoung’s old school. But he’s actually Dohyun’s cousin Han Doha - anxious to conceal his true identity because of incidents in their shared past. So, they team up, Doha to find his lost body, Hwayoung to steal Youngjin’s stash and track down her mother’s murderer.
Cho Yeeun’s South Korea is relentlessly capitalist, a bleak environment for anyone without enough money or connections. Seaview Parc’s exclusive, no-expense-spared, gated community was built at the expense of the area’s less monied residents, ongoing gentrification pushing them out to menacing, dilapidated regions of the city – represented here by Rainbow Apartments where every corner has been ruthlessly cut. Processes and social inequalities relatable for many Koreans priced out of more salubrious areas. It’s a culture rife with consumerism and disposability, teeming with abused, alienated young people – it’s no surprise plushies are huge in South Korea loved by children and adults alike, the stuffed equivalent of an emotional support animal, outlets for extreme stress and growing social isolation.
But Cho Yeeun’s novel’s not wholly downbeat, it’s funny and inventive too. A bizarre variation on a ghost story that reworks elements of myth, folklore and urban legend: from shamanistic possession to demonic forces to concealed burial pits beneath the city which conjure episodes from Korean history like the “Red Epidemic” and the mass graves linked to the Korean War. Although I wasn’t an exact fit for this, I was still gripped. I see why Cho Yeeun’s a celebrity in South Korea: she topped a recent, readers’ poll as young writer most likely to define future, Korean literature. She’s an award-winning, bestselling author with a solid fanbase of urban readers in their twenties and thirties - her novel’s now available in manhwa form for similar audiences. Translated by Sung Ryu.
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Wildfire for an ARC
July 3, 2026
Weird, spooky, sentimental, and a little romantic, Teddy Bears Never Die is nothing but surprises. I really, really liked this and am so glad I gave it a shot (I wasn't sure I'd like this lol).
This is a series of mysteries that end more gruesomely than either Hwayoung or Doha expect half the time. The biggest mystery is what happened to Doha's body, as he spends most of the book in the form of an adorable pink teddy bear. Doha just happens to come across a former classmate, Hwayoung, and they decide to help each other, no matter what's necessary.
It will alternately gross you out and make you tear up, startle you and make you giggle. It's both icky and adorable. I especially liked the sentimental parts when the story focuses on the relationship between Doha and Hwayoung. I wasn't sure this would be a horror romance but it truly was and I loved that about it.
My only complaint is the timeline is kind of confusing.
This is the most unique slasher I've ever read. Recommended if you like weird horror or weird romance.
This is a series of mysteries that end more gruesomely than either Hwayoung or Doha expect half the time. The biggest mystery is what happened to Doha's body, as he spends most of the book in the form of an adorable pink teddy bear. Doha just happens to come across a former classmate, Hwayoung, and they decide to help each other, no matter what's necessary.
It will alternately gross you out and make you tear up, startle you and make you giggle. It's both icky and adorable. I especially liked the sentimental parts when the story focuses on the relationship between Doha and Hwayoung. I wasn't sure this would be a horror romance but it truly was and I loved that about it.
My only complaint is the timeline is kind of confusing.
This is the most unique slasher I've ever read. Recommended if you like weird horror or weird romance.
March 3, 2026
Interesting idea for a horror story. However some parts were a bit confusing.
Thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for this eARC to be published on May 26th, 2026.
Thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for this eARC to be published on May 26th, 2026.
May 28, 2026
“𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘴 𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦—𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥?”
A bloody kawaii coming of age story set in revenge. Fun, pacey, and hits all its beats.
A bloody kawaii coming of age story set in revenge. Fun, pacey, and hits all its beats.
March 1, 2026
"I wanted to tell the world. That death treats everyone equally and makes no exception."
Who knew that a cute and cuddly little bear could be so demented…
Chucky meets Ted in this unforgettable tale that’ll make you think twice about jumping into any new cuddly trends.
This was wickedly fucking wild. The story kept you on your toes up until the very end and you never knew what was coming around the corner. It was gory and at points a little nauseating but I enjoyed it all. Parts were so over the top that I had to reread it just to prove to myself that I wasn’t imagining things.
The only downfall of this was that parts were confusing. To me, it seemed to jump from one thing to another very quickly. Now, I’m not positive if it’s because of the translation or my attention span. To me it was jumpy.
‘Teddy Bears Never Die’ definitely lives up to its title. This book is people who love bizarre and gore!
Who knew that a cute and cuddly little bear could be so demented…
Chucky meets Ted in this unforgettable tale that’ll make you think twice about jumping into any new cuddly trends.
This was wickedly fucking wild. The story kept you on your toes up until the very end and you never knew what was coming around the corner. It was gory and at points a little nauseating but I enjoyed it all. Parts were so over the top that I had to reread it just to prove to myself that I wasn’t imagining things.
The only downfall of this was that parts were confusing. To me, it seemed to jump from one thing to another very quickly. Now, I’m not positive if it’s because of the translation or my attention span. To me it was jumpy.
‘Teddy Bears Never Die’ definitely lives up to its title. This book is people who love bizarre and gore!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Hwayoung ran a hand through her disheveled hair and groaned, “My god, this is some weird shit I got myself into.”
Teddy Bears Never Die (2026) is Sung Ryu's translation of 테디베어는죽지않아 (2022) by 조예은 (Cho yeeun)
The author's 2019 novel 뉴서울파크 젤리장수 대학살 was previously published as the New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre in Yewon Jung's translation. That had a 'schlock horror with underlying social commentary' vibe (quoting my review), and this novel is equally bizarre.
Our first person narrator is Hwayoung, a teenage girl. Hwayoung's mother died when they, alongside neighbours, ate some 꿀떡 rice cakes ostensibly left as a house-warming gift for those moving into a new block of flats, but actually poisoned:
A dainty little mound of ggultteok on a round plate. The glistening surface fragrant with sesame oil. Who in their wildest dreams could’ve guessed that hidden underneath it, in between the sweet honey and sesame seeds, was pufferfish poison and cyanide? Some people ate the ggultteok, some didn’t. The filling of the rainbow-colored rice cakes contained a mixture of tetrodotoxin, potassium cyanide, arsenic, and other poisons you might only see in crime movies. A total of nine people died and twelve fell violently sick.
After a series of events, narrated later in the novel, the orphaned girl ends up staying in a squat with a con-artist who uses young girls to lure men to hotels, where he robs them. Except, when she is forced to take part, it transpires that actually she's the one lured there, and the man has paid to torture and kill her. However, just as all is lost, her teddybear comes to life - it proves to be occupied by the spirit of a former schoolfriend, and attacks the man with a hatchet, killing him but saving her:
바닥에 널브러져 있는 손도끼가 눈에 들어왔다. 꽤 깊숙이 박아 넣었다는 걸 증명이라도 하듯, 서슬 퍼랬던 날이 온통 시뻘겠다. 그와 동시에, 손도끼 뒤에 선 물체에 시선이 닿았다. 그것은, 분명 두 발로 서 있었다. 그러니까…….
화영의 영원한 친구 해피 스마일 베어.
그 순간, 눈이 마주쳤다. 그럴 리가 없는데 까만 플라스틱 눈알 안에서 뭔가가 반짝였다. 여전히 남자는 다소 시끄러운 배경음처럼 성실하게 비명과 신음을 내질렀다. 화영은 신이 주신 탈출 기회를 놓치지 않기 위해 손도끼 앞으로 다가갔다. 그러자 맑은 눈의 해피 스마일 베어가 기다렸다는 듯 두 발로 걸어 피 웅덩이 위 손도끼를 양손으로 들어 올리는 것 아닌가. 진득한 피가 손잡이를 타고 흘러 베어의 한 팔을 물들였다. 곰 인형이 손도끼를 화영에게 건넸다. 화영은 저도 모르게 그것을 받아 들고 물었다.
“날 구해 준 게 너야?”
곰 인형은 고개를 끄덕였다. 그리고 분명한 인간의 언어로 말했다.
“도망칠 거면 나도 데려가.”
Her eyes fell on the discarded hatchet on the ground. As if to prove how deep it had sunk in, the sharp bluish blade was now thoroughly red. Then her gaze landed on the thing behind the hatchet. It was standing. It was . . .
Hwayoung’s forever friend, Happy Smile Bear.
Their eyes met. Impossibly, something inside those black plastic eyes twinkled. The man diligently kept up a noisy background music of screams and moans. Hwayoung couldn’t miss this God-given chance to escape; she took a step toward the hatchet. As if it had been waiting for that moment, the cleareyed Happy Smile Bear walked over and with both arms lifted the hatchet lying in the puddle of blood. Blood oozed down the handle and dyed one of its arms red. The teddy bear handed the hatchet to Hwayoung, who took it reflexively and asked,
“Was it you that saved me?”
The teddy bear nodded. And in an unmistakably human language, it answered,
“If you’re gonna run, take me with you.”
And that's all in the opening pages and just the basic set up, which goes on to include vengeful spirits of former plague victims; a corrupt mayor with a need for a fresh supply of dead bodies; and a contract killer, all of whom prove to be connected with the torture-victim broker, the girl, her mother's death and the teddy.
Sung Ryu's translation makes for a fluid read, if a somewhat localised one: in her translator's note she comments that the original words describing the teddy-bear use Korean's wealth of onomatopoeiac words conveying cuteness such as 뒤뚱뒤뚱 (for waddling) and 말랑말랑 (soft and squishy; a word so useful I use it as a loan word in English), and often used, Korean style, repetitively throughout the book: 'But mindful of how impatient English readers can be with repetition, especially for a story like this where pacing is paramount, I gleefully racked my brain for every synonym of "fluffy" and "cushiony" I could think of, playing with phrases like "tufted chest" and "balled his woolly fists."'
The author says the novel was inspired by her own childhood teddy bear, and I entirely sympathise as I could imagine my own in similar action:
Teddy Bears Never Die (2026) is Sung Ryu's translation of 테디베어는죽지않아 (2022) by 조예은 (Cho yeeun)
The author's 2019 novel 뉴서울파크 젤리장수 대학살 was previously published as the New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre in Yewon Jung's translation. That had a 'schlock horror with underlying social commentary' vibe (quoting my review), and this novel is equally bizarre.
Our first person narrator is Hwayoung, a teenage girl. Hwayoung's mother died when they, alongside neighbours, ate some 꿀떡 rice cakes ostensibly left as a house-warming gift for those moving into a new block of flats, but actually poisoned:
A dainty little mound of ggultteok on a round plate. The glistening surface fragrant with sesame oil. Who in their wildest dreams could’ve guessed that hidden underneath it, in between the sweet honey and sesame seeds, was pufferfish poison and cyanide? Some people ate the ggultteok, some didn’t. The filling of the rainbow-colored rice cakes contained a mixture of tetrodotoxin, potassium cyanide, arsenic, and other poisons you might only see in crime movies. A total of nine people died and twelve fell violently sick.
After a series of events, narrated later in the novel, the orphaned girl ends up staying in a squat with a con-artist who uses young girls to lure men to hotels, where he robs them. Except, when she is forced to take part, it transpires that actually she's the one lured there, and the man has paid to torture and kill her. However, just as all is lost, her teddybear comes to life - it proves to be occupied by the spirit of a former schoolfriend, and attacks the man with a hatchet, killing him but saving her:
바닥에 널브러져 있는 손도끼가 눈에 들어왔다. 꽤 깊숙이 박아 넣었다는 걸 증명이라도 하듯, 서슬 퍼랬던 날이 온통 시뻘겠다. 그와 동시에, 손도끼 뒤에 선 물체에 시선이 닿았다. 그것은, 분명 두 발로 서 있었다. 그러니까…….
화영의 영원한 친구 해피 스마일 베어.
그 순간, 눈이 마주쳤다. 그럴 리가 없는데 까만 플라스틱 눈알 안에서 뭔가가 반짝였다. 여전히 남자는 다소 시끄러운 배경음처럼 성실하게 비명과 신음을 내질렀다. 화영은 신이 주신 탈출 기회를 놓치지 않기 위해 손도끼 앞으로 다가갔다. 그러자 맑은 눈의 해피 스마일 베어가 기다렸다는 듯 두 발로 걸어 피 웅덩이 위 손도끼를 양손으로 들어 올리는 것 아닌가. 진득한 피가 손잡이를 타고 흘러 베어의 한 팔을 물들였다. 곰 인형이 손도끼를 화영에게 건넸다. 화영은 저도 모르게 그것을 받아 들고 물었다.
“날 구해 준 게 너야?”
곰 인형은 고개를 끄덕였다. 그리고 분명한 인간의 언어로 말했다.
“도망칠 거면 나도 데려가.”
Her eyes fell on the discarded hatchet on the ground. As if to prove how deep it had sunk in, the sharp bluish blade was now thoroughly red. Then her gaze landed on the thing behind the hatchet. It was standing. It was . . .
Hwayoung’s forever friend, Happy Smile Bear.
Their eyes met. Impossibly, something inside those black plastic eyes twinkled. The man diligently kept up a noisy background music of screams and moans. Hwayoung couldn’t miss this God-given chance to escape; she took a step toward the hatchet. As if it had been waiting for that moment, the cleareyed Happy Smile Bear walked over and with both arms lifted the hatchet lying in the puddle of blood. Blood oozed down the handle and dyed one of its arms red. The teddy bear handed the hatchet to Hwayoung, who took it reflexively and asked,
“Was it you that saved me?”
The teddy bear nodded. And in an unmistakably human language, it answered,
“If you’re gonna run, take me with you.”
And that's all in the opening pages and just the basic set up, which goes on to include vengeful spirits of former plague victims; a corrupt mayor with a need for a fresh supply of dead bodies; and a contract killer, all of whom prove to be connected with the torture-victim broker, the girl, her mother's death and the teddy.
Sung Ryu's translation makes for a fluid read, if a somewhat localised one: in her translator's note she comments that the original words describing the teddy-bear use Korean's wealth of onomatopoeiac words conveying cuteness such as 뒤뚱뒤뚱 (for waddling) and 말랑말랑 (soft and squishy; a word so useful I use it as a loan word in English), and often used, Korean style, repetitively throughout the book: 'But mindful of how impatient English readers can be with repetition, especially for a story like this where pacing is paramount, I gleefully racked my brain for every synonym of "fluffy" and "cushiony" I could think of, playing with phrases like "tufted chest" and "balled his woolly fists."'
The author says the novel was inspired by her own childhood teddy bear, and I entirely sympathise as I could imagine my own in similar action:
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Trigger warnings: human trafficking, child abuse, death, blood, gore, body horror
This book was absolutely wild. Ive been interested in reading it ever since I first heard about it, i mean a book where someone wakes up as a teddy bear? Who doesn't want to read that book but it was so much better than even i thought it was going to be.
This book is genuinely terrifying in some parts. In the horror and gore sure but also in how awful some of the humans in this book are. This book really dives into the horrors of the world whilst also having some fun moments and that undertone of wow the teddy bear is alive.
I really did enjoy this book however it was definitely confusing at times and there was a few times I had go reread certain parts to make sure I was understanding what Doha was doing and going through. But overall, I really really enjoyed this book.
My favourite character was Hwayoung her story did break my heart quite a few times and i did feel for her, her story was heartbreaking however, I love how strong and badass she was.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one as much as you can enjoy a book like this.
This book was absolutely wild. Ive been interested in reading it ever since I first heard about it, i mean a book where someone wakes up as a teddy bear? Who doesn't want to read that book but it was so much better than even i thought it was going to be.
This book is genuinely terrifying in some parts. In the horror and gore sure but also in how awful some of the humans in this book are. This book really dives into the horrors of the world whilst also having some fun moments and that undertone of wow the teddy bear is alive.
I really did enjoy this book however it was definitely confusing at times and there was a few times I had go reread certain parts to make sure I was understanding what Doha was doing and going through. But overall, I really really enjoyed this book.
My favourite character was Hwayoung her story did break my heart quite a few times and i did feel for her, her story was heartbreaking however, I love how strong and badass she was.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one as much as you can enjoy a book like this.
July 4, 2026
Wild and dark with an enthrallling blend of crime meets supernatural horror; from a suspicious mass-poisoning massacre to a string of blood thirsty incidents, I followed Hwayoung; a teenage girl who was affected from the tragedy and determined to unravel the truth behind her mother’s death when she meets a bedraggled fur teddy bear inhabited by the spirit of a teenage boy, Han Doha. While being hunted by her greedy criminal ‘landlord’, Hwayoung partnering up with the talking teddy bear towards her revenge plan eager to find the villain without knowing that she might has digged the wrong part of history and mystery on the unresolved madness happening at her city of Yamu.
Its surreal backdrop was too bizarre and quite demon-ish but I liked how it interlinked an absorbing tale of corruption and power, of the long-buried secrets and vengeance from abuse that revealed the greed and lengths people might go just to protect and hold their status. A fastpaced tale yet need to be read carefully for how it can be easily confusing at times from its change of POVs and timelines. Loved the trust and friendship in between Hwayoung and Doha, as well despite all of the characters were crafted in a morally gray personality yet it grasped a gripping and sinister insight of how horrid one’s morality and identity can be.
A peek into a devastating poverty and grief, of familial mess that struck an emotional stress and trauma: I pitied Doha the most for how he was compared to Dohyun by his own parents. Love-hate on the intense nearly to revelation part but overall a catchy disturbing horror to me; favoured it as much as I enjoyed The New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre previously!
(review copy courtesy of TimesReads, thank you!)
Its surreal backdrop was too bizarre and quite demon-ish but I liked how it interlinked an absorbing tale of corruption and power, of the long-buried secrets and vengeance from abuse that revealed the greed and lengths people might go just to protect and hold their status. A fastpaced tale yet need to be read carefully for how it can be easily confusing at times from its change of POVs and timelines. Loved the trust and friendship in between Hwayoung and Doha, as well despite all of the characters were crafted in a morally gray personality yet it grasped a gripping and sinister insight of how horrid one’s morality and identity can be.
A peek into a devastating poverty and grief, of familial mess that struck an emotional stress and trauma: I pitied Doha the most for how he was compared to Dohyun by his own parents. Love-hate on the intense nearly to revelation part but overall a catchy disturbing horror to me; favoured it as much as I enjoyed The New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre previously!
(review copy courtesy of TimesReads, thank you!)
Read
May 24, 2026DNF @ 15%
I just couldn’t get into this one sadly, the translation grated on me and I found it a chore to read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the review copy.
I just couldn’t get into this one sadly, the translation grated on me and I found it a chore to read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the review copy.
May 24, 2026
Teddy Bears Never Die by Yeen Cho, in the book we meet Hwayoung, a 14-year-old girl who’s lost her parents is living in a hotel owned by a slumlord and the saving almost every dollar she gets to get the revenge she’s desired for so long. One day she finds a teddy bear that reminds her of the teddy bear she had back when times were good and although he’s a little battle weary she takes the teddy bear home. it will turn out the teddy bear isn’t like other teddy bears as a matter of fact it’s nothing like the teddy bears you know in love it will take the story from the slums to a penthouse in the sky and will meet a grieving father victims of poison rice cakes in a mass burial. This book is so strange but I really enjoyed it. What a strange journey it is. I do want to say upfront I memorized the main characters names as I am not familiar with Korean names or any Asian names for that matter and so once I did that I found the book much easier to navigate and keep track of what was going on. I do want to say I love books written by foreign writers and translated from their language because I do think it shows you part of a world most never get to see and I did give extra points for that but either way this is still a book I would recommend they do have a few iffy things in the book. As I said it’s written for Korean readers and if you can suspend belief you will absolutely enjoy this book I mean there is possessed teddy bears which to me only makes the book that much more attractive because I love stuff like that and trust me the teddy bear is a tad bit evil but once you hear his origin story maybe you’ll change your mind or maybe not. #NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview,
June 8, 2026
3.5 ⭐️
April 9, 2026
I won this book in a goodreads drawing.
Korean fantasy with a guy stuck in the body of a teddy bear. Too weird for me.
Korean fantasy with a guy stuck in the body of a teddy bear. Too weird for me.
July 8, 2026
sadly this wins best cover of 2026 yet also one of my disappoints for the year...i truly wanted to love this but it took 20% before i felt even a tad interested and 30% before i got into it. i was left confused and wanting more which is unfortunate because this had so much potential to be a favorite horror.
the social commentary and coming of age reminded me of chlorine, the possession reminded me of muñeca, and overall vibes kinda gave bat eater but maybe because kylie lee baker blurbed this it was top of mind and these are a mix bag of books but if you enjoyed this and want more to try, you're welcome.
the social commentary and coming of age reminded me of chlorine, the possession reminded me of muñeca, and overall vibes kinda gave bat eater but maybe because kylie lee baker blurbed this it was top of mind and these are a mix bag of books but if you enjoyed this and want more to try, you're welcome.
July 6, 2026
Nevertheless. 🩷
June 15, 2026
· ◌•∘ · 4.5 stars · ∘•◌ ·
I'm tempted to call this cute, despite the fact that it contains a variety of violence and murders.
I'm tempted to call this cute, despite the fact that it contains a variety of violence and murders.
June 4, 2026
2.5 rounded down. I hate to base my review so much on the fact that I really didn’t enjoy the writing when it’s a work in translation, but man I did not enjoy the writing.
June 22, 2026
Thoughts while reading Teddy Bears never Die by Cho Yeeun:
1) This is juvenile and should have been tagged as YA.
2) There isn't that much horror here, but there is an unnecessary romantic (lite) subplot.
3) Too bad this wasn't translated to film.
4) And Finally, teddy bears might never die, but they also never grow Godzilla sized as depicted on the cover of this book.
2.5 rounded up because I'm feeling nice today.
1) This is juvenile and should have been tagged as YA.
2) There isn't that much horror here, but there is an unnecessary romantic (lite) subplot.
3) Too bad this wasn't translated to film.
4) And Finally, teddy bears might never die, but they also never grow Godzilla sized as depicted on the cover of this book.
2.5 rounded up because I'm feeling nice today.
June 3, 2026
two parts crime novel and one part horror with commentary on wealth inequality, this shit absolutely fucking ripped
Read
April 22, 2026sometimes you have to accept that writers who have written really good things are also capable of producing very bad things
June 7, 2026
This is my first time reading anything by Cho Yeeun, whose name I've been seeing everywhere lately. I think that's for good reason too as this book was brilliant.
I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy a book about a sentient teddy bear, but the way it's written completely gripped me. It falls into the horror genre, and I think it does a good job of portraying a very eery, unsettling plot. I also think Cho does a great job at writing horror even with a very cute and fluffy teddy bear as one of the protagonists.
I obviously can't read the original Korean to compare, but I thought the translation by Sung Ryu was really well done. I haven't read a translation that flows this well in a long time. You can tell a lot of care was taken to keep to the source material while also making it suitable for in English.
Cho writes about gore, criminals and capitalism alongside supernatural elements with ease. She highlights class differences in a way that adds to the overall horror of the story. I enjoyed the novel so much, and I can't wait to read more by Cho (and other translations by Sung Ryu, too!).
Thank you to Headline and NetGalley for the ARC
I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy a book about a sentient teddy bear, but the way it's written completely gripped me. It falls into the horror genre, and I think it does a good job of portraying a very eery, unsettling plot. I also think Cho does a great job at writing horror even with a very cute and fluffy teddy bear as one of the protagonists.
I obviously can't read the original Korean to compare, but I thought the translation by Sung Ryu was really well done. I haven't read a translation that flows this well in a long time. You can tell a lot of care was taken to keep to the source material while also making it suitable for in English.
Cho writes about gore, criminals and capitalism alongside supernatural elements with ease. She highlights class differences in a way that adds to the overall horror of the story. I enjoyed the novel so much, and I can't wait to read more by Cho (and other translations by Sung Ryu, too!).
Thank you to Headline and NetGalley for the ARC
May 10, 2026
I found myself relating to these characters more than I expected. Hwayoung is left to fend for herself as a teenager, and the story really shows how easy it is for vulnerable teens to become invisible when they have no one looking out for them.
This wasn’t like anything I’ve ever read. It follows an orphaned teenage girl who’s gotten herself in a shady and dangerous situation, only to be rescued by a teddy bear that’s been possessed by a boy named Doha and together they take revenge. And somehow it works, as bizarre as that sounds.
While the premise of the book seems unserious, it touches on heavier topics like child abuse, human trafficking, grief, and social class differences.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Obrit for the eARC
This wasn’t like anything I’ve ever read. It follows an orphaned teenage girl who’s gotten herself in a shady and dangerous situation, only to be rescued by a teddy bear that’s been possessed by a boy named Doha and together they take revenge. And somehow it works, as bizarre as that sounds.
While the premise of the book seems unserious, it touches on heavier topics like child abuse, human trafficking, grief, and social class differences.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Obrit for the eARC
June 6, 2026
3🧸
Did I buy this book because I had to have the cover art? Yes, absolutely, 💯 Did I enjoy the read that I basically blind bought for the cover? Yup sure did.
This was sucha fun, cute, gorry read. I'm not sure if it would be classified as YA but it felt like a YA read. Teenage angst, revenge, and murder all mixed up with the sweet blush of first love.
I would have given it a higher rating if the translation was better. I often found myself pulled out of the story with sentences didn't always flow right, words were wrong tenses, or terms that were laughable. Took me longer than I thought it would to finish due to this.
Did I buy this book because I had to have the cover art? Yes, absolutely, 💯 Did I enjoy the read that I basically blind bought for the cover? Yup sure did.
This was sucha fun, cute, gorry read. I'm not sure if it would be classified as YA but it felt like a YA read. Teenage angst, revenge, and murder all mixed up with the sweet blush of first love.
I would have given it a higher rating if the translation was better. I often found myself pulled out of the story with sentences didn't always flow right, words were wrong tenses, or terms that were laughable. Took me longer than I thought it would to finish due to this.
July 7, 2026
Wow! What a unique and wonderful book. Technically there's crime and horror, but it's the people that make this so amazing. And the translator's note at the end sums it up perfectly: "This story of two misfit teenagers-- who say screw it to the ugly world of grownups and find a home in each other-- is one I will happily be haunted by."
There was so much tension I had to read faster at certain parts! And this was so well crafted with real consequences, even with a sentient teddy bear.
The cover is cute but the story is serious.
Thanks so much to NetGalley for letting me read this
There was so much tension I had to read faster at certain parts! And this was so well crafted with real consequences, even with a sentient teddy bear.
The cover is cute but the story is serious.
Thanks so much to NetGalley for letting me read this
May 31, 2026
In this new “good for her” horror novel, a teenage girl living in desperation forms an alliance with a possessed teddy bear to get revenge on the wealthy and corrupt men responsible for her bleak fate. Sounds crazy? It was! And I loved it! This book is wildly original, gory, horrifying and somehow very sweet and heartfelt.
I will say that the story was so wild that it sometimes felt a bit overwhelming and chaotic. Because of that it took some time to get through the book. The writing/translation was also a bit difficult to follow at times. But I’m glad I persevered as this was very fun, satisfying, and unlike anything else I’ve read.
I will say that the story was so wild that it sometimes felt a bit overwhelming and chaotic. Because of that it took some time to get through the book. The writing/translation was also a bit difficult to follow at times. But I’m glad I persevered as this was very fun, satisfying, and unlike anything else I’ve read.
June 16, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the opportunity to read Teddy Bears Never Die by Yeeun Cho.
This feels like a twisted love letter to Teddy bears.
Hwayoung is driven by revenge after her mother’s death. The journey she embarks is definitely a dark, especially after she teams up with a possessed Teddy Bear.
This was weird, far fetched and outside the box. There are a lot of dark topics and it’s coupled with a drive for the truth. With that said, I enjoyed my time reading this book. This is not a light horror or thriller.
This feels like a twisted love letter to Teddy bears.
Hwayoung is driven by revenge after her mother’s death. The journey she embarks is definitely a dark, especially after she teams up with a possessed Teddy Bear.
This was weird, far fetched and outside the box. There are a lot of dark topics and it’s coupled with a drive for the truth. With that said, I enjoyed my time reading this book. This is not a light horror or thriller.
January 29, 2026
A grieving girl and a boy trapped inside a teddy bear team up after a mass poisoning devastates their city.
In spite of the wonderfully colourful book cover, this is quite a sad book. A study in grief and the lows of humanity, which was quite gory at times.
I’m not sure if something was lost through the translation, but the flow felt a bit jarring. It seemed like a lot of time was spent recounting and overloading information about previous events. While I could sympathise with the two main characters, I never really connected with them.
I would still recommend this book, as it’s a unique and interesting concept that I’m sure a lot of people will enjoy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
In spite of the wonderfully colourful book cover, this is quite a sad book. A study in grief and the lows of humanity, which was quite gory at times.
I’m not sure if something was lost through the translation, but the flow felt a bit jarring. It seemed like a lot of time was spent recounting and overloading information about previous events. While I could sympathise with the two main characters, I never really connected with them.
I would still recommend this book, as it’s a unique and interesting concept that I’m sure a lot of people will enjoy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
June 1, 2026
KEEPING MY EYE ON ALL STUFFED ANIMALS FOR UNEXPLAINED MOVEMENTS!
Teddy Bears Never Die by Yeeun Cho is one of the most wildly unhinged concepts I’ve read in a long time. At the heart of the story is Hwayoung, a girl scraping by after her mother dies in a mass poisoning at a luxury apartment complex. However, Hwayoung knows something about that story doesn’t add up. Enter: a literal hatchet‑wielding teddy bear possessed by the spirit of a boy named Doha, a gang member who is blackmailing kids into doing questionable acts for money, and a suspense-wracked subplot that goes straight to the top of the local government. Doha & Hwayoung team up for a revenge quest that spirals through crime, conspiracies, and supernatural chaos in a way that feels completely deranged but also weirdly grounded in grief and desperation. It’s messy, twisty, and constantly escalating in the most chaotic way.
What really got me, though, is how underneath all of that absolute chaos, there’s something deeply human anchoring it. Hwayoung’s grief, her desperation for answers, that need to make sense of tragedy, it collides with Doha's need for answers, and it builds this massively real emotional weight in the story. Even when things are going completely off the rails, it is grounded overall in this theme of grief. And they do go off the rails. This book is brutal, fast, and constantly escalating, with moments that made me pause just to process what I had just read. It’s strange, it’s bold, it’s a little feral in the best way, and I could not look away. Readers will not want to miss this one!
Teddy Bears Never Die by Yeeun Cho is one of the most wildly unhinged concepts I’ve read in a long time. At the heart of the story is Hwayoung, a girl scraping by after her mother dies in a mass poisoning at a luxury apartment complex. However, Hwayoung knows something about that story doesn’t add up. Enter: a literal hatchet‑wielding teddy bear possessed by the spirit of a boy named Doha, a gang member who is blackmailing kids into doing questionable acts for money, and a suspense-wracked subplot that goes straight to the top of the local government. Doha & Hwayoung team up for a revenge quest that spirals through crime, conspiracies, and supernatural chaos in a way that feels completely deranged but also weirdly grounded in grief and desperation. It’s messy, twisty, and constantly escalating in the most chaotic way.
What really got me, though, is how underneath all of that absolute chaos, there’s something deeply human anchoring it. Hwayoung’s grief, her desperation for answers, that need to make sense of tragedy, it collides with Doha's need for answers, and it builds this massively real emotional weight in the story. Even when things are going completely off the rails, it is grounded overall in this theme of grief. And they do go off the rails. This book is brutal, fast, and constantly escalating, with moments that made me pause just to process what I had just read. It’s strange, it’s bold, it’s a little feral in the best way, and I could not look away. Readers will not want to miss this one!
June 26, 2026
The chaotic energy in this one was really a great time😂 The storytelling really reminds me of Bullet Train or an Uketsu story where you’re slowly learning how all these people’s lives are connected and how bloody the trail really is to revenge.
Did Not Finish
June 8, 2026so many people liked this and i wish i couldve liked it, too :(
June 23, 2026
for the arcane jinx stans & fnaf girlies. revenge-seeking teenage girl & her hatchet-wielding possessed teddy bear
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