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Teddy Bears Never Die
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A young woman and a possessed teddy bear and set out on a revenge quest unlike any other in this stylish slasher from Cho Yeeun, a rising star in Korean horror.
When the fledgling coastal town of Yamu is rocked by a mass-poisoning attack at the Seaview Parc, a luxury high-rise meant to revitalize the city, Hwayoung is one of many who lost family members. Except, she has never believed that her mother was poisoned. Now, fueled by grief and a desire for revenge, Hwayoung spends her time hustling to save every penny and bring those responsible to justice.
Across town, Doha wakes up in a teddy bear and realizes something sinister has taken his body. When fate brings Hwayoung and Doha together, the two team up for a revenge quest that will shake the city's shiny façade to its rotten core.
This time, revenge is not just personal—it's supernatural.
When the fledgling coastal town of Yamu is rocked by a mass-poisoning attack at the Seaview Parc, a luxury high-rise meant to revitalize the city, Hwayoung is one of many who lost family members. Except, she has never believed that her mother was poisoned. Now, fueled by grief and a desire for revenge, Hwayoung spends her time hustling to save every penny and bring those responsible to justice.
Across town, Doha wakes up in a teddy bear and realizes something sinister has taken his body. When fate brings Hwayoung and Doha together, the two team up for a revenge quest that will shake the city's shiny façade to its rotten core.
This time, revenge is not just personal—it's supernatural.
302 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 21, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
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.
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:
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.
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.
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
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
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April 22, 2026sometimes you have to accept that writers who have written really good things are also capable of producing very bad things
May 16, 2026
2.75 stars… not sure if it’s the translation but the writing and structure flow is awkward sometimes yet I kept at it b/c the story is compelling enough
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Teddy Bears Never Die is a Masterclass in Action-Gore-Horror
I feel weightless right now writing this review. Because Teddy Bears Never Die is among one of my favorite books of all time. The craftsmanship that the Author demonstrated is sadly a dying breed among a sea of books. And that is one of the many reasons why this book has me soaring right now. I want to just cut to the chase and say "it's so good, go preorder it right now!", but that doesn't even begin to submerge you in all that I really want to say...however, I truly do not think I have the capacity to reduce my review to within the parameters given and still find it satisfactory. So, I'll do my best to keep the fangirling to a minimum and not write the pages upon pages that I really want to write explaining just how important this book is and how it belongs on every Readers Shelves who enjoy the strange, fun, creative, gorey, action packed, mysteries of books.
This book was a work of art. The finesse in stacking all of the metaphorical bricks of this tale in the way that the Author did...blew my mind. The level of control and absolute certainty that the author displayed was easy to pick up with how smooth this story flowed throughout.
This book doesn't roll out in a "Once upon a time" linear way....it's broken up and tossed around. Frightening things that go bump in the night, occasionally pop up to make the hairs on your arms stand the f up. There are bangs, there is blood, there is running, there are tears, there is revenge, and there is salvation.
To put it plainly, this story revolves around two teenagers, both served unfair fates and doing their best to make each day count in their separate lives...until, fate in fact does have a wicked sense of humor and these two are thrust together on one hell of a journey of ugly truths, horrors, most definitely some traumatizing events, and together they reforge their future.
I really loved what was written in the Authors Note at the end of the book, I think it really sums up how incredibly awesome this story is. I think after completing this book, it was the perfect "goodbye hug" to these characters.
The entire time I was reading I saw many visuals flowing through my mind and I ended up making a Spotify Playlist to put on when I wasn't able to read, so that I could still be back in Yamu, with Hwayoung and Doha🎒🧸. If you want to take a listen, you can do so here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/74p...
Thank you endlessly to NetGalley, Orbit Books, and Cho yeeun for the ARC! This was such a wild time and I will be non-stop talking about this book! I need any and everything from this incredibly talented Author and hope that more of her books will be translated to English.
I feel weightless right now writing this review. Because Teddy Bears Never Die is among one of my favorite books of all time. The craftsmanship that the Author demonstrated is sadly a dying breed among a sea of books. And that is one of the many reasons why this book has me soaring right now. I want to just cut to the chase and say "it's so good, go preorder it right now!", but that doesn't even begin to submerge you in all that I really want to say...however, I truly do not think I have the capacity to reduce my review to within the parameters given and still find it satisfactory. So, I'll do my best to keep the fangirling to a minimum and not write the pages upon pages that I really want to write explaining just how important this book is and how it belongs on every Readers Shelves who enjoy the strange, fun, creative, gorey, action packed, mysteries of books.
This book was a work of art. The finesse in stacking all of the metaphorical bricks of this tale in the way that the Author did...blew my mind. The level of control and absolute certainty that the author displayed was easy to pick up with how smooth this story flowed throughout.
This book doesn't roll out in a "Once upon a time" linear way....it's broken up and tossed around. Frightening things that go bump in the night, occasionally pop up to make the hairs on your arms stand the f up. There are bangs, there is blood, there is running, there are tears, there is revenge, and there is salvation.
To put it plainly, this story revolves around two teenagers, both served unfair fates and doing their best to make each day count in their separate lives...until, fate in fact does have a wicked sense of humor and these two are thrust together on one hell of a journey of ugly truths, horrors, most definitely some traumatizing events, and together they reforge their future.
I really loved what was written in the Authors Note at the end of the book, I think it really sums up how incredibly awesome this story is. I think after completing this book, it was the perfect "goodbye hug" to these characters.
The entire time I was reading I saw many visuals flowing through my mind and I ended up making a Spotify Playlist to put on when I wasn't able to read, so that I could still be back in Yamu, with Hwayoung and Doha🎒🧸. If you want to take a listen, you can do so here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/74p...
Thank you endlessly to NetGalley, Orbit Books, and Cho yeeun for the ARC! This was such a wild time and I will be non-stop talking about this book! I need any and everything from this incredibly talented Author and hope that more of her books will be translated to English.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
When I saw a book about a killer teddy bear, of course I knew I was going to read it. I ended up finding what I would consider a hidden gem as I haven't heard a lot about it and a book that left me recalling all the nights I spent sleeping with my best friend Pooh growing up.
Hwa-young is a young girl who is barely scraping by. She is currently living in a flophouse room run by a supposed crime lord and certified scum, Young-jin. Hwa-young's mother died in an incident where several individuals in the apartment building ate poisoned rice cakes and since then, her sole purpose has been to figure out exactly what happened and get revenge. One night, she finds a grubby Happy Smile Bear in an alley, takes him home and cleans him up. Shortly afterwards, strapped for cash, Hya-young agrees to do a job for Young-jin and almost ends up killed. However, this is where Happy Smile Bear comes in. He ends up saving Hwa-young because he is actually a stuffed bear possessed by the soul of an old school classmate. Together, they work together to avenge the death of Hwa-young's mother, mend a broken friendship, and find a way for the soul to reclaim his old body.
I really enjoyed Hwa-young, and Happy Smile Bear's story. This book had a tad of whimsicalness but don't let that fool you. I do not really pay attention to trigger warnings, but this book also contains a lot of blood, gore, child abuse, trafficking and death. There was a lot of action and overall, the book flew pretty quickly, although I did encounter a problem or two. Mainly, the book is told in chapters with chapter titles which seemed to be their own individual tale which combines together to form the whole story. AS a format, it didn't confuse me too much once I caught on but was a bit jarring at first.
I am so glad I read this book and I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves bizarre reads and of course, teddy bears!
Hwa-young is a young girl who is barely scraping by. She is currently living in a flophouse room run by a supposed crime lord and certified scum, Young-jin. Hwa-young's mother died in an incident where several individuals in the apartment building ate poisoned rice cakes and since then, her sole purpose has been to figure out exactly what happened and get revenge. One night, she finds a grubby Happy Smile Bear in an alley, takes him home and cleans him up. Shortly afterwards, strapped for cash, Hya-young agrees to do a job for Young-jin and almost ends up killed. However, this is where Happy Smile Bear comes in. He ends up saving Hwa-young because he is actually a stuffed bear possessed by the soul of an old school classmate. Together, they work together to avenge the death of Hwa-young's mother, mend a broken friendship, and find a way for the soul to reclaim his old body.
I really enjoyed Hwa-young, and Happy Smile Bear's story. This book had a tad of whimsicalness but don't let that fool you. I do not really pay attention to trigger warnings, but this book also contains a lot of blood, gore, child abuse, trafficking and death. There was a lot of action and overall, the book flew pretty quickly, although I did encounter a problem or two. Mainly, the book is told in chapters with chapter titles which seemed to be their own individual tale which combines together to form the whole story. AS a format, it didn't confuse me too much once I caught on but was a bit jarring at first.
I am so glad I read this book and I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves bizarre reads and of course, teddy bears!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read and review an eARC of this book!
I was looking forward to reading this. I've been on a horror kick lately, exploring new authors, and this looked perfect. The premise is great: a young female protagonist trying to survive in already difficult circumstances, only for tragedy to befall her and force her into even more harrowing circumstances. She decides to take matters into her own hands and begins a quest to avenge her mother's death + unexpected supernatural teddy bear elements? What a great setup to transition the reader from an admittedly awful, but otherwise banal, situation into something much more interesting and chilling.
However, that is not what this book is. Unfortunately, the execution is extremely poor. Much of the plot and dialogue is overly melodramatic, making the entire story come across as more of a cheesy manga or soap opera than a gripping horror novel. It is all around rather descriptively weak in general, and too many major plot elements are simply glossed over or brought to fruition via conjured language (e.g., "...then suddenly...", a turn of phrase which is used way too often). One glaring example is an early sequence where the main character's path conveniently intersects with someone on a similar mission—a moment that could and should have been tense and thrilling, but instead felt very shallow and silly.
This is my first K horror novel, so perhaps it's me just expecting or wanting something other than what this book was presenting, or maybe it is the translation, but this just wasn't for me. I do not DNF books, as I like to make sure I give a story a real opportunity to win me from start to finish, but I seriously considered quitting it in this case.
I was looking forward to reading this. I've been on a horror kick lately, exploring new authors, and this looked perfect. The premise is great: a young female protagonist trying to survive in already difficult circumstances, only for tragedy to befall her and force her into even more harrowing circumstances. She decides to take matters into her own hands and begins a quest to avenge her mother's death + unexpected supernatural teddy bear elements? What a great setup to transition the reader from an admittedly awful, but otherwise banal, situation into something much more interesting and chilling.
However, that is not what this book is. Unfortunately, the execution is extremely poor. Much of the plot and dialogue is overly melodramatic, making the entire story come across as more of a cheesy manga or soap opera than a gripping horror novel. It is all around rather descriptively weak in general, and too many major plot elements are simply glossed over or brought to fruition via conjured language (e.g., "...then suddenly...", a turn of phrase which is used way too often). One glaring example is an early sequence where the main character's path conveniently intersects with someone on a similar mission—a moment that could and should have been tense and thrilling, but instead felt very shallow and silly.
This is my first K horror novel, so perhaps it's me just expecting or wanting something other than what this book was presenting, or maybe it is the translation, but this just wasn't for me. I do not DNF books, as I like to make sure I give a story a real opportunity to win me from start to finish, but I seriously considered quitting it in this case.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books| Run for It for the eArc!
I’ve been anticipating this release as soon as I heard about it. A teddy bear possessed by a teen boy and a teen girl looking for revenge? Sold. Also, the cover is probably my favorite cover of all time. It’s both adorable and spooky. My favorite combo. When I requested the ARC and got approved hours later, I legit celebrated at work and probably scared a co-worker or two. Worth it.
Overall, I did like this book. The story was just as unhinged as promised while also being a sweet story about two teens who feel adrift in the world. Both of them lost their family to a mass poisoning incident, but have very different reactions. Hwa-young lost her mother two years ago. Since then, she’s been drifting through life and doing her best to survive. Doha lost both parents and ended up with his uncle, who lost his son to the same event. He hasn’t exactly had it easy either. And when their paths collide again (they were friends in middle school), things get wild.
The reason this wasn’t a five star read for me is the stiffness of the prose. It just felt off and sometimes, didn’t seem to fit the story. I do think this might be because it is translated. I’ve read other translated novels that had this same issue. After about 25% or so, it stopped bothering me as much and I was able to get into the story. And the end, so good.
I do recommend giving this book a shot. There was gore, an unhinged plot, a teddy bear possessed by a teen boy, a girl who just misses her mom and a bit of a love story at its center. How can one not want to read that? Also, that cover. I wish I could have it as a poster.
3.75 rounded up to a 4.
I’ve been anticipating this release as soon as I heard about it. A teddy bear possessed by a teen boy and a teen girl looking for revenge? Sold. Also, the cover is probably my favorite cover of all time. It’s both adorable and spooky. My favorite combo. When I requested the ARC and got approved hours later, I legit celebrated at work and probably scared a co-worker or two. Worth it.
Overall, I did like this book. The story was just as unhinged as promised while also being a sweet story about two teens who feel adrift in the world. Both of them lost their family to a mass poisoning incident, but have very different reactions. Hwa-young lost her mother two years ago. Since then, she’s been drifting through life and doing her best to survive. Doha lost both parents and ended up with his uncle, who lost his son to the same event. He hasn’t exactly had it easy either. And when their paths collide again (they were friends in middle school), things get wild.
The reason this wasn’t a five star read for me is the stiffness of the prose. It just felt off and sometimes, didn’t seem to fit the story. I do think this might be because it is translated. I’ve read other translated novels that had this same issue. After about 25% or so, it stopped bothering me as much and I was able to get into the story. And the end, so good.
I do recommend giving this book a shot. There was gore, an unhinged plot, a teddy bear possessed by a teen boy, a girl who just misses her mom and a bit of a love story at its center. How can one not want to read that? Also, that cover. I wish I could have it as a poster.
3.75 rounded up to a 4.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Teddy Bears Never Die is a Korean revenge novel, as a girl teams up with a boy trapped in a teddy bear to find out the truth about her mother's death. Hwayoung's mother died during a mass poisoning at the luxury apartment block where she worked, an event that also killed Doha's parents but left him alive. Hwayoung doesn't believe her mother was poisoned and spends her days trying to save money to get to the truth. Meanwhile Doha lives with his uncle, whose son died during the poisoning, and then he wakes up trapped in the body of a teddy bear. After a chance encounter thanks to the plot of a dangerous criminal, Hwayoung and Doha team up to get revenge.
I loved The New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre so I was very excited to read another book by Cho Yeeun. This one has a similar combination of bloody violence mixed with cutesy ridiculousness, all brought together by an action thriller storyline of crime and revenge. The narrative moves between the two main characters and their past and present, giving it a perhaps surprisingly deep plot given that it is also full of bloody scenes featuring a teddy bear that can move and talk, and the connection between Hwayoung and Doha forms an emotional core for the book.
Generally, Teddy Bears Never Die feels like a film in the way it cuts between scenes, and it would would be a great book to adapt. It has a more conventional focus on two characters than The New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre's vast range of perspectives, and I didn't find it quite as engaging as that book, but I had a fun time with it. Cho Yeeun definitely writes my sort of ridiculous bloody novel.
I loved The New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre so I was very excited to read another book by Cho Yeeun. This one has a similar combination of bloody violence mixed with cutesy ridiculousness, all brought together by an action thriller storyline of crime and revenge. The narrative moves between the two main characters and their past and present, giving it a perhaps surprisingly deep plot given that it is also full of bloody scenes featuring a teddy bear that can move and talk, and the connection between Hwayoung and Doha forms an emotional core for the book.
Generally, Teddy Bears Never Die feels like a film in the way it cuts between scenes, and it would would be a great book to adapt. It has a more conventional focus on two characters than The New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre's vast range of perspectives, and I didn't find it quite as engaging as that book, but I had a fun time with it. Cho Yeeun definitely writes my sort of ridiculous bloody novel.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!
Teddy Bears Never Die had me hooked from the blurb and the concept and the story itself delivered all the wild, horrific, and insane things it promised to. Set on revenge, Hwayoung, finds herself in a twisted net featuring assassins, a human trafficker, a teddy bear and many phantoms. Meanwhile, cast out of his body, Doha finds himself in the body of a soft plushie who may or may not have to chop legs off people...for the plot. Usually, I like to try to figure out what comes next or the motives behind actions, but you just can't with this book. Everything is insane.
This was a fast, engaging read and I loved the premise despite the gore and horrors of humans being absolutely corrupt and vile to one another. However, I will say there were parts that felt too coincidental and unclear how the characters jumped from point A to point B or how it just so happened that they had the exact right circumstances for situations to unfold as they did. (
Overall, a fun read that will keep you guessing what happens next!
Teddy Bears Never Die had me hooked from the blurb and the concept and the story itself delivered all the wild, horrific, and insane things it promised to. Set on revenge, Hwayoung, finds herself in a twisted net featuring assassins, a human trafficker, a teddy bear and many phantoms. Meanwhile, cast out of his body, Doha finds himself in the body of a soft plushie who may or may not have to chop legs off people...for the plot. Usually, I like to try to figure out what comes next or the motives behind actions, but you just can't with this book. Everything is insane.
This was a fast, engaging read and I loved the premise despite the gore and horrors of humans being absolutely corrupt and vile to one another. However, I will say there were parts that felt too coincidental and unclear how the characters jumped from point A to point B or how it just so happened that they had the exact right circumstances for situations to unfold as they did. (
Overall, a fun read that will keep you guessing what happens next!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
What did I just read?!
⠀
Described by the author as a “monstrous blend of genres”, this is horror, teen romance, revenge, crime, and surreal chaos all colliding into one intensely unhinged narrative…. with a possessed teddy bear (think Ted but far more feral), ghosts, demons, shamans, assassins, and violence threaded throughout.
⠀
At the centre is Hwa-young, trying to process her mother’s death after a mass-cyanide attack, but her quest for the truth and revenge quickly spirals into something far stranger, darker, and increasingly chaotic.
⠀
What stood out most is how unsoftened it all is. There’s nothing made easy or palatable here in the way Western storytelling often tends to smooth extremes down. This fully leans into discomfort, excess, and emotional volatility without pulling back.
⠀
It gave me The Wailing, I Saw the Devil intensity and Battle Royale cult classic level energy - that same sense of emotional extremity where everything feels heightened, grotesque, and strangely human at once.
⠀
Underneath it all though, there are strong threads of grief, abandonment, misplaced love, inequality, revenge, and that uneasy blur between justice and destruction.
⠀
It’s messy, overwhelming, occasionally too much… and I still couldn’t put it down. I completely leaned into the “freakish flavours” the author describes, even when I had no idea where it was heading next.
⠀
Massive credit to the translation as well. Sung Ryu keeps the prose surprisingly fluid given how chaotic the story is.
⠀
A wild, disturbing, and memorable read but definitely not for the faint-hearted. Also… I will never look at my kids’ Care Bears the same way again 🙃
⠀
Described by the author as a “monstrous blend of genres”, this is horror, teen romance, revenge, crime, and surreal chaos all colliding into one intensely unhinged narrative…. with a possessed teddy bear (think Ted but far more feral), ghosts, demons, shamans, assassins, and violence threaded throughout.
⠀
At the centre is Hwa-young, trying to process her mother’s death after a mass-cyanide attack, but her quest for the truth and revenge quickly spirals into something far stranger, darker, and increasingly chaotic.
⠀
What stood out most is how unsoftened it all is. There’s nothing made easy or palatable here in the way Western storytelling often tends to smooth extremes down. This fully leans into discomfort, excess, and emotional volatility without pulling back.
⠀
It gave me The Wailing, I Saw the Devil intensity and Battle Royale cult classic level energy - that same sense of emotional extremity where everything feels heightened, grotesque, and strangely human at once.
⠀
Underneath it all though, there are strong threads of grief, abandonment, misplaced love, inequality, revenge, and that uneasy blur between justice and destruction.
⠀
It’s messy, overwhelming, occasionally too much… and I still couldn’t put it down. I completely leaned into the “freakish flavours” the author describes, even when I had no idea where it was heading next.
⠀
Massive credit to the translation as well. Sung Ryu keeps the prose surprisingly fluid given how chaotic the story is.
⠀
A wild, disturbing, and memorable read but definitely not for the faint-hearted. Also… I will never look at my kids’ Care Bears the same way again 🙃
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you, NetGalley, for an ARC of this strange and unique book!
Teddy bears and serial killers and demons, OH MY! Truly, this book was wholly original in its premise, and unlike anything else I’ve read. A possessed Teddy bear and a teenage girl team up to fight human traffickers and powerful people hellbent on raising the dead… kinda genius.
It was very entertaining and fun, in a depressing sort of way? Like, everyone in this story had dead parents. And everyone in this story was deeply struggling with grief. So it wasn’t all teddies and giggles, that is for sure. But it was a compelling read. And honestly, I pretty much never knew where the plot was going to go, and that was a huge plus for me.
Alas, not all that is fuzzy is gold. The writing itself was a bit of a disappointment for me. Since this is a translated work, it’s really hard to know whether or not this is the fault of the author or the translator. I want to say translator, however, because, at times, it really felt like the story was just fed through Google Translate.
It’s like… all of the members of the band are there. They’re all really good at their individual parts, but they just can’t find the rhythm together. They sound disjointed. Whereas, bands that have performed together for years just flow together seamlessly. That’s the best way to describe the writing in this book for me. If you can get over that, the story itself is great!
Teddy bears and serial killers and demons, OH MY! Truly, this book was wholly original in its premise, and unlike anything else I’ve read. A possessed Teddy bear and a teenage girl team up to fight human traffickers and powerful people hellbent on raising the dead… kinda genius.
It was very entertaining and fun, in a depressing sort of way? Like, everyone in this story had dead parents. And everyone in this story was deeply struggling with grief. So it wasn’t all teddies and giggles, that is for sure. But it was a compelling read. And honestly, I pretty much never knew where the plot was going to go, and that was a huge plus for me.
Alas, not all that is fuzzy is gold. The writing itself was a bit of a disappointment for me. Since this is a translated work, it’s really hard to know whether or not this is the fault of the author or the translator. I want to say translator, however, because, at times, it really felt like the story was just fed through Google Translate.
It’s like… all of the members of the band are there. They’re all really good at their individual parts, but they just can’t find the rhythm together. They sound disjointed. Whereas, bands that have performed together for years just flow together seamlessly. That’s the best way to describe the writing in this book for me. If you can get over that, the story itself is great!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
You hear the phrase "I did not know what to expect with this one" an awful lot these days, but for the new Teddy Bears Never Die, written by Yeeun Cho (and translation by Sung Ryu) it truly applies.
Hwayoung is a teenaged orphan living in Yamu trying to survive years after losing her mother to being poisoned in what can only be described as an attack on the rich. Except her mother was just a housekeeper that managed to fall victim as well. She soon comes across an old teddy bear that she remembers from her youth, except that the teddy bear is now possessed by the soul of Doha, who just happened to be her friend and had a crush on her years prior. After saving Hwayoung's life, they go on a quest of vengeance and to find out the truth of what really happened to her mother. And why does Doha's beloved uncle play into the story?
To give away too much would be to take away so much of the power of the novel, which manages to alternate between hilarious and gruesome and back, sometimes on the same page. Sung Ryu's translation work is fantastic, making sure you fully grasp the messages and tone without anything being, ahem, lost in translation.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.
Hwayoung is a teenaged orphan living in Yamu trying to survive years after losing her mother to being poisoned in what can only be described as an attack on the rich. Except her mother was just a housekeeper that managed to fall victim as well. She soon comes across an old teddy bear that she remembers from her youth, except that the teddy bear is now possessed by the soul of Doha, who just happened to be her friend and had a crush on her years prior. After saving Hwayoung's life, they go on a quest of vengeance and to find out the truth of what really happened to her mother. And why does Doha's beloved uncle play into the story?
To give away too much would be to take away so much of the power of the novel, which manages to alternate between hilarious and gruesome and back, sometimes on the same page. Sung Ryu's translation work is fantastic, making sure you fully grasp the messages and tone without anything being, ahem, lost in translation.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book was a riot! Cho Yeeun’s horror novels are so unique. Here, Doha, a teen boy, wakes up to find his soul has been trapped in a teddy bear. He teams up with his school friend Hwayoung to get revenge after the death of her mother and hopefully regain his body. And yes, he is a regular-sized teddy bear. So. Good.
Despite the often absurd plot elements, this novel thoughtfully touches on obsessive love, revenge, and the power of money. Similar to The New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre, there is a theme of poverty and desperation that runs through this work, though the supernatural element here means that this idea is explored in a new way. In this novel, a major motif is “death as a great equalizer” and whether that may or may not be true….as running alongside the plot of Hwayoug’s revenge-seeking is the more sinister discovery of a disrespected and disturbed mass grave. This novel is horrific and heartfelt at the same time, and all these various threads come together explosively at the end.
I had a fantastic time with this novel. Absolutely pick it up if you are in the mood for some weird horror!!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
Despite the often absurd plot elements, this novel thoughtfully touches on obsessive love, revenge, and the power of money. Similar to The New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre, there is a theme of poverty and desperation that runs through this work, though the supernatural element here means that this idea is explored in a new way. In this novel, a major motif is “death as a great equalizer” and whether that may or may not be true….as running alongside the plot of Hwayoug’s revenge-seeking is the more sinister discovery of a disrespected and disturbed mass grave. This novel is horrific and heartfelt at the same time, and all these various threads come together explosively at the end.
I had a fantastic time with this novel. Absolutely pick it up if you are in the mood for some weird horror!!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Teddy Bears Never Die by Cho Yeeun is a horror novel that follows a young girl who is on a path for revenge after her mother dies under mysterious circumstances. She comes across a stuffed bear that just so happens to contain the soul of one of her classmates. What happens after the two meet is a wild ride!
Don’t let the bright and fun cover for this book fool you. This is a dark novel. It has a lot of disturbing themes including child trafficking and how the rich can do anything they want for the right amount of money.
This book was such a unique time. I found myself invested very early on. There are a lot of questions to be answered and the book takes its time answering them but it never felt tedious to me. I flew through this book because I wanted to know what was going on and I was satisfied with where it went by the end. I think a lot of people would really enjoy this one.
I have seen this one pitched as having a romance and while I think it is there, it is in no way a large part of the book. This is mostly a revenge story with some mysterious elements to it.
I had a great time with this one. I can’t wait to read more from this author!
Don’t let the bright and fun cover for this book fool you. This is a dark novel. It has a lot of disturbing themes including child trafficking and how the rich can do anything they want for the right amount of money.
This book was such a unique time. I found myself invested very early on. There are a lot of questions to be answered and the book takes its time answering them but it never felt tedious to me. I flew through this book because I wanted to know what was going on and I was satisfied with where it went by the end. I think a lot of people would really enjoy this one.
I have seen this one pitched as having a romance and while I think it is there, it is in no way a large part of the book. This is mostly a revenge story with some mysterious elements to it.
I had a great time with this one. I can’t wait to read more from this author!
March 23, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for the ARC!
After losing her mother to what she thought was a mass poisoning attack, Hwayoung is struggling to survive a a minor without anyone to lean on. Everything changes the day she finds a teddy bear dumped on the streets. It’s a famous mascot, something she holds dear to her heart. But no one would ever have guessed the bear is… possessed?
This was such a creative storyline. Absurd even. It’s got so many different elements: hauntings, ghosts, murder, abuse, revenge, etc… it was a bit difficult getting into it at first because it’s so strange and outlandish but once you get the rhythm going… it’s hard to put it down.
I was definitely rooting for Hwayoung all the way. She’s likable, she’s determined, and she acts somewhat impulsively. I really enjoyed the story diving into her past, Doha’s past, and the town’s unsavory secrets. The villains were obviously unlikable and some were more black and white as opposed to morally grey. Either way, I had no trouble navigating the different sub stories that weaved everything together.
Teddy bears hold a very special place in my heart, so I absolutely enjoyed this book.
After losing her mother to what she thought was a mass poisoning attack, Hwayoung is struggling to survive a a minor without anyone to lean on. Everything changes the day she finds a teddy bear dumped on the streets. It’s a famous mascot, something she holds dear to her heart. But no one would ever have guessed the bear is… possessed?
This was such a creative storyline. Absurd even. It’s got so many different elements: hauntings, ghosts, murder, abuse, revenge, etc… it was a bit difficult getting into it at first because it’s so strange and outlandish but once you get the rhythm going… it’s hard to put it down.
I was definitely rooting for Hwayoung all the way. She’s likable, she’s determined, and she acts somewhat impulsively. I really enjoyed the story diving into her past, Doha’s past, and the town’s unsavory secrets. The villains were obviously unlikable and some were more black and white as opposed to morally grey. Either way, I had no trouble navigating the different sub stories that weaved everything together.
Teddy bears hold a very special place in my heart, so I absolutely enjoyed this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you Netgalley for sending me an early arc copy of Teddy Bears Never Die by Cho Yeeun & translated by Sung Ryu.
I went into this book knowing absolutely nothing except that it is a horror revenge novel involving a teddy bear. The only thing that made me request the book is that the cover is gorgeous but it does mislead in a way.
Do not expect a giant teddy bear to make an appearance in the novel because you won’t get that (it’s a regular sized teddy bear). I was a tiny bit disappointed cause I would have been interested in how that would play out but that didn’t change my engagement of the plot.
I haven’t read many revenge novels but this book is dark. While it is not explicitly said, you can pick up the dark stuff that happened in the novel which makes it even more disturbing.
I adore the character dynamic between our fmc and mmc (teddy bear). They were adorable even with the dark things that happen around them.
I don’t want to give much away because I think going into the book knowing little to none is the best experience. I highly recommend checking out this book once it is released. Again, thank you Netgalley.
I went into this book knowing absolutely nothing except that it is a horror revenge novel involving a teddy bear. The only thing that made me request the book is that the cover is gorgeous but it does mislead in a way.
Do not expect a giant teddy bear to make an appearance in the novel because you won’t get that (it’s a regular sized teddy bear). I was a tiny bit disappointed cause I would have been interested in how that would play out but that didn’t change my engagement of the plot.
I haven’t read many revenge novels but this book is dark. While it is not explicitly said, you can pick up the dark stuff that happened in the novel which makes it even more disturbing.
I adore the character dynamic between our fmc and mmc (teddy bear). They were adorable even with the dark things that happen around them.
I don’t want to give much away because I think going into the book knowing little to none is the best experience. I highly recommend checking out this book once it is released. Again, thank you Netgalley.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
My only spoiler is this - the teddy bear is not giant :(
This is still an amazing book! Don’t get me wrong! But I was really hoping for a Godzilla size teddy bear to terrorize this town in search of his body.
Originally I thought this would be a bit more sci-fi/futuristic, but realized that wouldn’t be the case pretty early on. I still really fell in love with the setting. I’m not very familiar with South Korea, but the author painted a quality picture of a town going through major changes. Our two main characters had good chemistry as a team, and I enjoyed seeing the pieces slowly come together to build up to the final scene(s). None of the characters felt particularly flat, or like they were there just for narrative convenience. The pacing and timeline was a bit back and forth at times. I get it, there’s a whodunnit element to this, and at certain points we need to reassess the information we already have with new context. I just felt like I was being a bit pushed and pulled through the present and past, and I wonder what this book would look like with fewer flashbacks.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is still an amazing book! Don’t get me wrong! But I was really hoping for a Godzilla size teddy bear to terrorize this town in search of his body.
Originally I thought this would be a bit more sci-fi/futuristic, but realized that wouldn’t be the case pretty early on. I still really fell in love with the setting. I’m not very familiar with South Korea, but the author painted a quality picture of a town going through major changes. Our two main characters had good chemistry as a team, and I enjoyed seeing the pieces slowly come together to build up to the final scene(s). None of the characters felt particularly flat, or like they were there just for narrative convenience. The pacing and timeline was a bit back and forth at times. I get it, there’s a whodunnit element to this, and at certain points we need to reassess the information we already have with new context. I just felt like I was being a bit pushed and pulled through the present and past, and I wonder what this book would look like with fewer flashbacks.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5 stars! Teddy Bears Never Die makes me want to return to more Korean horror novels! This was my first, but I am incredibly intrigued to read more after this. I have never seen anything like this book; completely original in every aspect.
At first, I was absolutely hooked. I needed to know where this story was going. The way the plot was going had me reading this incredibly fast. It started to fall off shortly afterwards. I think that this was due to the translation. Sometimes, I felt that I loved the writing style. Other times, I did not like it that much. It's unfortunate that this had such a hold on the ultimate rating.
Hwayoung was such a moving character to read. We learn a lot about this character, even in such a short time. You begin to feel sad for her, but she was my favorite character because of the emotions she evoked out of me.
Thank you Orbit Books & Cho yeeun for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Teddy Bears Never Die is released on May 21, 2026!
At first, I was absolutely hooked. I needed to know where this story was going. The way the plot was going had me reading this incredibly fast. It started to fall off shortly afterwards. I think that this was due to the translation. Sometimes, I felt that I loved the writing style. Other times, I did not like it that much. It's unfortunate that this had such a hold on the ultimate rating.
Hwayoung was such a moving character to read. We learn a lot about this character, even in such a short time. You begin to feel sad for her, but she was my favorite character because of the emotions she evoked out of me.
Thank you Orbit Books & Cho yeeun for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Teddy Bears Never Die is released on May 21, 2026!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit books (Run For It) for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I want to preface this review by stating that I absolutely love the book cover; it is what made me want to read this in the first place.
Teddy Bears Never Die by Cho Yeeun is built on a great, highly original concept. I enjoyed the ride for the most part. It's chaotic and the horror elements are creepy and done effectively.
However, the books pacing and structure were a little bit of a hurdle for me. The narrative frequently jumps between timelines, which made it feel disjointed. There is a lot of unnecessary information added that distracts from the overall plot. I am wondering if some of the flow issues were due to the fact this book was translated.
Overall, it's a fun, unique horror story, but the execution could have been better. I would still recommend this to fans of Korean horror or anyone looking for a fun read. Teddy Bears Never Die is set to be released on May 26, 2026.
Teddy Bears Never Die by Cho Yeeun is built on a great, highly original concept. I enjoyed the ride for the most part. It's chaotic and the horror elements are creepy and done effectively.
However, the books pacing and structure were a little bit of a hurdle for me. The narrative frequently jumps between timelines, which made it feel disjointed. There is a lot of unnecessary information added that distracts from the overall plot. I am wondering if some of the flow issues were due to the fact this book was translated.
Overall, it's a fun, unique horror story, but the execution could have been better. I would still recommend this to fans of Korean horror or anyone looking for a fun read. Teddy Bears Never Die is set to be released on May 26, 2026.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
TEDDY BEARS NEVER DIE
RATING: 4
GENRE: Fiction, Horror
I was first introduced to Cho Yeeun in The New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre. It was a strange, yet intriguing story that keeps readers captivated until the end. Teddy Bears Never Die has the same feeling and takes the reader on wild ride as we follow two young protagonists, one who is trapped inside the body of a teddy bear, and a teenaged girl seeking revenge.
The story premise is absurd, yet tells a chilling tale of the villainy behind people and their search for power. Those who are placed into power abuse it and those who lack power suffer the consequences. It is a brutal story yet Cho is able to portray glimpses of humanity through Hwayoung and Doha, our two young protagonists, though marred by tragedy, are still not completely jaded by the world.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and Cho’s commentary on society through a strange and unique lens. Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit books for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review. Look out for this book on publishing date 5/26/26.
RATING: 4
GENRE: Fiction, Horror
I was first introduced to Cho Yeeun in The New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre. It was a strange, yet intriguing story that keeps readers captivated until the end. Teddy Bears Never Die has the same feeling and takes the reader on wild ride as we follow two young protagonists, one who is trapped inside the body of a teddy bear, and a teenaged girl seeking revenge.
The story premise is absurd, yet tells a chilling tale of the villainy behind people and their search for power. Those who are placed into power abuse it and those who lack power suffer the consequences. It is a brutal story yet Cho is able to portray glimpses of humanity through Hwayoung and Doha, our two young protagonists, though marred by tragedy, are still not completely jaded by the world.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and Cho’s commentary on society through a strange and unique lens. Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit books for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review. Look out for this book on publishing date 5/26/26.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
"Teddy Bears Never Die" by Cho Yeeun is a wildly inventive horror romance mashup that hooks you right away with its absurd premise: teddy bears as supernatural revenge agents in a glittering but rotten Korean city. I loved the story's blend of grotesque whimsy and heartfelt revenge. Hwayoung and Doha team up against the corrupt elite who destroyed their lives, and the supernatural teddy bears are honestly a stroke of genius. It was creepy, chaotic, and oddly endearing as they tear through the shiny façade with bloody vengeance. It's the perfect mix of bloody wackiness and genuine friendship that keeps you turning pages. That said, the translation feels a bit clunky in spots, which pulled me out of the momentum during some tense scenes. Some plot threads also wrap up a little too neatly for such a bonkers setup. Still, this one's a standout for fans of weird horror with heart. It's unique, gory, and surprisingly emotional.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book was an absolute blast! I loved The New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre so I was hyped for another Cho Yeeun novel, and she delivered exactly my kind of weird, bloody fun. Here, Hwayoung teams up with Doha—a boy whose soul has been trapped inside a teddy bear—to get revenge after her mother's death during a mass poisoning at a luxury apartment block. And yes, the narrative cuts between past and present as a sentient bear commits bloody violence. So. Good.
Despite the utter ridiculousness, this novel thoughtfully touches on grief, class inequality, and revenge, with the emotional bond between Hwayoung and Doha grounding all the chaos. It maybe didn't grab me quite as hard as Jelly Massacre (I missed that sprawling cast), but Cho Yeeun absolutely writes my kind of cinematic, violent novel. Pick it up if you want some action-thriller revenge with a side of creepy-cute chaos!!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
Despite the utter ridiculousness, this novel thoughtfully touches on grief, class inequality, and revenge, with the emotional bond between Hwayoung and Doha grounding all the chaos. It maybe didn't grab me quite as hard as Jelly Massacre (I missed that sprawling cast), but Cho Yeeun absolutely writes my kind of cinematic, violent novel. Pick it up if you want some action-thriller revenge with a side of creepy-cute chaos!!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
An absolutely wild fever dream of a read. The plot centers around an incident in the past, where residents and affiliates of a luxury apartment complex were poisoned by desserts left at their door. One of our two protagonists, Hwayoung, lost her mother during that incident: she was working as housekeeper to one of them. The other, Doha, is a school friend of hers.
But Hwayoung doesn't believe the incident is what actually killed her mother, and has spent her time focusing on trying to get justice (and winding up in some shady circumstances). Then Doha wakes up in the body of a teddy bear. From there on, there's a bloody, stylish, and unique revenge quest to be getting on!
The writing style is impeccable. The plotline is like nothing I've ever read. The worldbuilding is absolutely fantastic. And the characters felt very real, their emotional cores strong. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.
But Hwayoung doesn't believe the incident is what actually killed her mother, and has spent her time focusing on trying to get justice (and winding up in some shady circumstances). Then Doha wakes up in the body of a teddy bear. From there on, there's a bloody, stylish, and unique revenge quest to be getting on!
The writing style is impeccable. The plotline is like nothing I've ever read. The worldbuilding is absolutely fantastic. And the characters felt very real, their emotional cores strong. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Teddy Bears Never Die is a wacky and wild ride featuring revenge, loneliness and grief.
Hwayoung has had a lot of downfalls in life, her dad left when she was young and her mom is murdered during a mass poisoning.
Hwayoung believes her mom wouldn't have eaten the poisoned rice balls and is hell bent on finding out the truth of her murder.
Who knew that in order to gain answers all she had to do was team up with a possessed teddy bear?
This book is dubbed a "horrormance" but I wouldn't necessarily consider romance elements.
It's gory in places, bat shit crazy in others and will have you rooting for the main character throughout.
I did find that it seemed to recap events quite a lot throughout so I'm not sure if that is due to being translated.
I've never read anything by Cho Yeeun before and now I need to go read all her other works!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc.
Hwayoung has had a lot of downfalls in life, her dad left when she was young and her mom is murdered during a mass poisoning.
Hwayoung believes her mom wouldn't have eaten the poisoned rice balls and is hell bent on finding out the truth of her murder.
Who knew that in order to gain answers all she had to do was team up with a possessed teddy bear?
This book is dubbed a "horrormance" but I wouldn't necessarily consider romance elements.
It's gory in places, bat shit crazy in others and will have you rooting for the main character throughout.
I did find that it seemed to recap events quite a lot throughout so I'm not sure if that is due to being translated.
I've never read anything by Cho Yeeun before and now I need to go read all her other works!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc.
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